A Quiet Place: Day One appears in an aspect ratio of 2.39:1 on this 4K UHD Disc. Expect a solid Dolby Vision image here.
At all times, sharpness appeared positive, as I thought the image seemed accurate and well-defined. Virtually no issues with softness materialized along the way.
I noticed no signs of shimmering or jaggies, and the flick suffered from no edge haloes. In addition, the movie lacked any print flaws.
To the surprise of no one, Day One favored a Hollywood Standard orange and teal palette. The 4K demonstrated them in the desired manner, and HDR added impact to the hues.
Blacks were always deep and tight, and I saw good contrast as well. Shadows seemed clear and appropriately opaque. HDR gave whites and contrast extra punch. The 4K UHD became a strong reproduction of the film.
I felt even more pleased with the movie’s impressive Dolby Atmos soundtrack. Downconverted to Dolby TrueHD 7.1, the mix used all the channels in a lively, involving manner.
Vehicles, aliens, explosions and similar elements popped up from all around the room and delivered a smooth, engrossing soundscape. This meant nearly constant material from the surrounds.
The back speakers delivered a high level of information and created a great sense of place in that domain. All of this melded together in a vivid, satisfying manner.
Audio quality was also strong. Music seemed full and bold, while speech was consistently natural and crisp.
Effects became the most prominent component, of course, and packed a solid punch, with positive clarity and range. People invest major bucks in home theaters for flicks like this, and Day One delivered the goods.
How did the 4K UHD compare to the Blu-ray version? Both came with identical audio.
A native 4K production, the Dolby Vision image boasted superior colors, delineation and blacks. It turned into a good visual upgrade over the already strong Blu-ray.
We get five featurettes, and Day Zero goes for seven minutes, 58 seconds. It offers notes from producer John Krasinski, writer/director Michael Sarnoski, director of photography Pat Scola, and actors Lupita Nyong’o, Alex Wolff, Joseph Quinn, and Djimon Hounsou.
“Zero” looks at story/characters, the use of NYC, Nyong’o and her performance. We get a few useful tidbits but much of the program sticks with fluff.
In the City spans seven minutes, 51 seconds. It features Sarnoski, Hounsou, Nyong’o, Scola, Wolff, production designer Simon Bowles, special effects supervisor Mark Holt, and costume designer Bex Crofton-Atkins.
Here we find info about sets and locations, various effects, photography, costumes, and supporting cast and performances. While more substantial than “Zero”, “City” nonetheless seems more superficial than I’d prefer.
Next comes The Exodus. It lasts six minutes, 27 seconds and presents remarks from Sarnoski, Scola, Krasinski, Nyong’o, and stunt coordinator Paul Herbert.
During “Exodus”, we learn about the “post-destruction” transformation for the sets, stunts and more effects. It becomes another mix of good notes and happy talk.
The Long Walk goes for seven minutes, 49 seconds. This one delivers statements from Scola, Sarnoski, Quinn, Bowles, Nyong’o, animal wrangler Jo Vaughan, and ILM visual effects supervisor Malcolm Humphreys.
“Walk” tells us about the feline character, Quinn’s role and performance, sets/locations, and stunts. Despite some of the usual fluff, this one proves fairly informative.
Finally, Pizza at the End of the World runs for seven minutes, 17 seconds. We locate comments from Sarnoski, Bowles, Quinn, Scola, and Nyong’o.
This one touches on more sets/locations, Samira’s quest and some character traits. It ends matters on a mediocre note.
Five Deleted and Extended Scenes occupy a total of 15 minutes, six seconds. This splits into three extended sequences and two deleted clips.
None of the longer segments seems especially memorable. The two new clips add a bit more humanity, especially the eight-minute, one-second “Poetry at Patsy’s”, but I can’t claim the movie needs them.
Unlike the standard issue 4K UHD of Day One, this package comes in a snazzy steelbook case. As an additional bonus, it provides a Blu-ray copy of the film, one that includes the same extras as the 4K disc.
After two less than satisfying movies, the Quiet Place franchise finally achieves a compelling tale via Day One. A good mix of action and drama, the movie becomes an exciting and moving affair. The 4K UHD brings excellent picture and audio along with a moderate mix of bonus materials. Though not a classic, Day One nonetheless explores its “alien invasion” theme pretty well.
To rate this film visit the prior review of A QUIET PLACE: DAY ONE