Best-known as an actor on the US TV version of The Office, John Krasinski plops into the director’s chair for the second time with 2018’s A Quiet Place - and with much more success than 2016’s The Hollars. The latter barely got a theatrical release and made an insignificant $1 million, but Place snared a very solid $187 million in the US and became a surprise hit.

Alien creatures lay waste to the planet and decimate most of the world's population. Protected by virtually impenetrable armor, these monsters can't see but they locate their prey via super-sensitive hearing.

Headed by father Lee (Krasinski) and mother Evelyn (Emily Blunt), the Abbott family manages to stay alive via an abundance of caution - and near-constant silence. We follow their attempts to remain safe in the face of new challenges.

Buoyed by terrific reviews and trailers that implied a tense, exciting twist on the horror genre, I saw Place opening day. Given all these potential positives, I expected a fine time at my local multiplex.

Unfortunately, this didn’t pan out, as Place delivered a massive disappointment. Though not devoid of some excitement, the film suffers from enormous flaws that make it tough to stomach.

These mainly revolve around the story’s gigantic leaps of logic, and these arrive from literally the very start of the movie. We get a scene in which the entire clan goes to town to get medicine for sick middle child Marcus (Noah Jupe).

Much tension and action results, but at the expense of logic. The scene sets up the film as idiotic from the get-go:

"Hey, we need medicine. Let's not send one adult - let's send both and let’s bring all the kids, because nothing could go wrong! Sick kids never make noise, right?"

"Hey, let's go to a store with a lot of distractions and leave the youngest/least disciplined completely on his own - nothing could go wrong!”

"Okay, the youngest found a toy on the top shelf and almost knocked it on the floor, where it'd make noise. But we caught it so we're fine now! Nothing else could go wrong!"

"Okay, the toy makes a lot of noise. I'll take it away from him but make sure that I leave it easily accessible and I don't monitor him - no problems there!"

"We're headed home - it's a good idea to let the youngest kid lag well behind the rest. Close supervision of the least disciplined kid is for suckers!"

And on and on it goes. Barely a minute passes during which Place doesn’t cause my eyes to roll back firmly in my head.

If Krasinski did this with a wink that showed a desire to play with the stupidity typical of the horror genre, that'd be fine, but he treats the material with a ridiculous level of seriousness. This isn't a movie interested in having fun - it's all very, very dramatic. Look, I don’t demand perfect logic in all movies. There are plenty of films with dumb points and flaws that I enjoy anyway.

Quiet Place simply becomes way too stupid for me to buy into it. I don't object to minor flaws, but I do object to massive leaps of logic that insult my intelligence, which is what happens in this movie.

We’re supposed to accept that the Abbotts have survived for well over a year while apparently 99.9 percent of the world’s population died. Really? These dopes would’ve been lucky to make it 20 minutes into the alien invasion!

I appreciate Krasinski’s attempt to do something different, as the movie's near-total lack of dialogue sets it apart. Unfortunately, Place never rises above its gimmick to become a satisfying story in its own right.

A Quiet Place appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.35:1 on this 4K UHD Disc. This became a pleasing presentation.

Sharpness seemed fine. A few slightly soft shots cropped up during interiors, but overall, I viewed a tight, distinctive image.

No issues with jaggies or moiré effects occurred, and I witnessed no edge haloes. Print flaws failed to mar the presentation.

In terms of colors, Place went with a fairly standard mix of orange and teal; a climactic scene through in some heavy reds too. The hues worked fine within those limitations.

Blacks seemed deep enough, and shadows showed good smoothness. I felt happy with this solid image.

Downconverted to Dolby TrueHD 7.1, the film’s Dolby Atmos soundtrack offered an unusual affair because it often took the “quiet” part of the title to heart. Much of the movie plays as a virtual silent film, one that delivered strong punctuation when necessary.

This made the mix nearly unique, as it varied from many moments that largely lacked audio to those with active involvement. Distinctive as it may be, it worked for the film, and when necessary, music and effects used the various channels in an active, engaging manner.

Audio quality pleased. Speech was concise and natural, while effects remained accurate and full-bodied.

Music was vibrant and dynamic. The soundtrack became an unusual affair that suited the story.

How did the 2020 4K UHD compare to the original from 2018? Both are identical.

The only difference found in this 2020 version comes from the packaging, as we get a steelbook here. This set exists to promote Quiet Place II, and I guess the steelbook acts as a way to plop it back on the shelves as a “new release” with little effort.

No extras appear on the 4K UHD itself, but the included Blu-ray copy provides three featurettes. Creating the Quiet runs 14 minutes, 45 seconds and includes comments from producers Andrew Form and Brad Fuller, writers Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, writer/director/actor John Krasinski, production designer Jeffrey Beecroft, and actors Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, and Noah Jupe.

“Creating” looks at the film’s roots and development, story/characters, Krasinski’s take on the material, sets and locations, cast and performances. Some of this leans toward praise, but we get enough substance to make “Creating” a worthwhile experience.

The Sound of Darkness lasts 11 minutes, 44 seconds and features Krasinski, Beck, Woods, Form, Fuller, co-supervising sound editor/sound designer Brandon Jones and supervising sound editors Ethan Vander Ryn and Erik Aadahl. As expected, this one views the movie’s audio design. It delivers a short but informative take on this important topic.

Finally, A Reason for Silence fills seven minutes, 33 seconds with info from Krasinski, Form, Beecroft, visual effects supervisor Scott Farrar, concept artist Luis Carrasco, animation supervisor Rick O’Connor, creature modeler Duncan Graham, and concept artist/creature designer Karl Lindberg.

“Reason” examines creature design and visual effects. It turns into another effective program.

Apparently audiences crave something different, as they gulped down A Quiet Place despite its multiple flaws. While I admire the movie’s take on its genre, it comes with far too many plot holes to succeed. The 4K UHD boasts very good picture and audio along with a small set of supplements. Chalk up A Quiet Place as a gimmicky disappointment.

Fans who already own the 2018 4K will find nothing new from this 2020 release other than a steelbook package. If you want the movie but don’t own the prior 4K, pick the one you can find for the least money – unless you just can’t live without the steelbook.

To rate this film, visit the prior review of A QUIET PLACE