A QUIET PLACE debuts on 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack, Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD July 10 from Paramount Home Media Distribution. Here is my review:
A family is forced to live in silence while hiding from creatures that hunt by sound.
Review
The first few opening shots establish, without a word being spoken, that we are in a post-apocalyptic world, the few survivors live in constant fear and that any noise at all is deadly. Most of this is sold by the acting; the cast was amazing. Everyone had their own way of dealing – Emily Blunt’s character’s unfailing support, John Krasinski’s character’s bravery, Millicent Simmonds’ character’s rage and Noah Jupe’s character’s stoicism. It worked so well. And the monsters were awesome. You don’t actually see a lot of them in the first half and I was worried that this would continue, but eventually you get a good look and it is worth the wait.
A Quiet Place doesn’t concern itself as to where these critters came from and as a viewer you really don’t have to think about that because you’re too busy worrying about whether a particular character is going to live through the next scene. NOBODY has plot shield, trust me. A Quiet Place kicks that idea right in the crotch within the first 10 minutes – it is brutally unsentimental and these beasties are not messing around. The suspense builds immediately and doesn’t really let up until the credits roll. Five minutes in, I thought to myself: “I’m not going to make it”. You might think that after a while you’d become desensitised but I can tell you, that doesn’t happen.
This movie does something to you. I have never seen a more quiet movie theater, even in the most horrific bits, nobody gasped or even whispered (we would have heard). And afterwards, I found myself walking quietly and handling things in the extremely careful soundproof way all the characters did through the movie. It’s a brilliant exploration of how much we rely on sound in our world. (Read Mark’s Full review HERE)
Special Features
There are three fantastic features included in this package and they really dive into every aspect of creating A Quiet Place. From the casting, writing, development, sound editing and even creature conceptualisation, you will get your money’s worth on the Blu-ray. The film also looks and sounds stunning in 4K UHD. The monster looked even better at home and the special effects which I thought may have been somewhat sketchy in theatres are in no way a letdown here on the 4K Blu-ray. The monsters are horrifying and they look like a terrifying blend of the Xenomorph from Aliens and the Licker from Resident Evil. It was a treat seeing all the preliminary sketches of potential monsters and I hope they do wind up using that MASSIVE one for a sequel (scratch that – you know they will)…
- Creating the Quiet – Behind the Scenes of A QUIET PLACE
- The Sound of Darkness – Editing Sound for A QUIET PLACE
- A Reason for Silence – The Visual Effects of A QUIET PLACE
Rating: [star rating=”5″]