A Quiet Place: Day One 4K Ultra HD SteelBook Review

A Quiet Place: Day One is the prequel to the A Quiet Place film series, serving as the third film in the franchise and a spin-off. The apocalyptic horror film was written and directed by Michael Sarnoski, based on a story he created with John Krasinski and a screenplay he wrote.

By necessity, this entry is not as quiet as the first two films in the franchise. It introduces the alien invaders as it follows a terminally ill hospice patient, Samira (Lupita Nyong’o), who gets caught up in the chaos with her fellow patients on a day trip into New York’s Chinatown. Samira and her service cat find fellow survivor Eric (Joseph Quinn), and the two form a bond after Eric, in shock after escaping the monsters by swimming through a flooded subway, starts following Samira.

Nyong’o is the standout in this film, virtually carrying Day One with her nuanced show of frailty, fear, and simultaneously strength and defiance in the face of death. But there lies the rub. The premise of the film collapses when considering the protagonist is someone from the beginning who is dying. We first meet Samira in hospice and needing to use fentanyl patches. Is someone this close to death – and I have experienced this with someone close to me in my life – really going to care so much to fight through an invasion? Swim through a flooded New York Subway?

With these caveats put aside, the film hits the marks it needs to hit, but it is no longer as unique or unusual; it falls into typical disaster film territory and winds up in the end more mawkish and less horrifying, and that is not what we come to this franchise for.

Purchase A Quiet Place: Day One 4K Ultra HD SteelBook on Amazon.com

The Video

A Quiet Place: Day One was shot on the Arri Alexa 35 with Panavision C- and T-series lenses in ARRIRAW 4.6K and utilizes a 4K DI. The film is presented in a 2.39:1 HEVC 2160p (4K UHD) Dolby Vision enocodement that is nearly flawless. I say “nearly” because, due to the artistic intent of the filmmakers, the black levels never really look inky in this presentation, but conversely, you do see some very extended shadow details. That said, the image is pristine while still looking cinematic. The highlights pop nicely, but colors are purposely drab, but the transfer presents the film as it is meant to be seen, with no banding, no digital noise, and lots of detail.

The Audio

The sound designers waste zero time launching into a magnificent Dolby Atmos mix for A Quiet Place: Day One. Within the first few seconds the soundfield is filled with the din of New York City. It only gets better from there. This film, as mentioned, is not as quiet as the original film or the second film, but it makes excellent use of dynamics and the patches of silence. There are plenty of moments with strong overhead movement from helicopters or fighter jets, or the sound of the aliens crashing through skyscraper windows. The low-end extension is big. This one is rollicking and with cause earthquake level workouts on the subwoofers. The surrounds also carry solid effects and ambience. And in the quieter moments the mix picks up the subtlest sounds, like water trickling through the subway or the purring of the cat.

The Supplements

 A Quiet Place: Day One comes with over 50-minutes of on-disc bonus features, which includes a number of extended and deleted scenes and featurettes that include interviews with the cast and crew. Additionally, Paramount sent me the collectible SteelBook, which comes with gorgeous and unique artwork. A standard edition 4K release is also available.

Bonus Features:

• Digital Copy Code
• Day Zero: Beginnings and Endings (1080p; 00:07:58)
• In the City: Chaos in Chinatown (1080p; 00:07:51)
• The Exodus: Against the Tide (1080p; 00:06:27)
• The Long Walk: Monsters in Midtown (1080p; 00:07:49)
• Pizza at the End of the World (1080p; 00:07:17)
• Deleted and Extended Scenes (1080p; 00:15:06):
  • The Back of the Bus – Extended
• • Take off Your Shoes – Extended
• • Finding the Farm – Extended
• • New Shoes – Deleted

The Final Assessment

This franchise may be losing some of its luster and thrills, but the 4K release from Paramount is stunning and a fantastic piece of home theater entertainment. The Atmos mix is rollicking and the picture quality is on the mark.

A Quiet Place: Day One 4K Ultra HD SteelBook is out October 8, 2024 from Paramount Home Entertainment

Purchase A Quiet Place: Day One 4K Ultra HD SteelBook on Amazon.com

• Rating Certificate: PG-13 (for terror and violent content/bloody images.)
• Studios & Distributors: Paramount Pictures | Platinum Dunes | Sunday Night | Paramount Home Entertainment
• Director: Michael Sarnoski
• Written By: Michael Sarnoski | John Krasinski | Bryan Woods
• Run Time: 99 Mins.
• Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
• Video Format: HEVC 2160p (4K UHD)
• HDR Format: Dolby Vision (HDR10 Compatible)
• HDR10 Metadata:
  • MaxLL: 971 nits
  • MaxFALL: 249 nits
  • Max. Luminance: 4000 nits
  • Min. Luminance: 0.0050 nits
• Primary Audio: English Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Compatible)
• Secondary Audio: English Audio Description | German DD 5.1 | Spanish (Castilian) DD 5.1 | Spanish (Latin American) DD 5.1 | French DD 5.1 | French (Canadian) DD 5.1 | Italian DD 5.1 | Japanese DD 5.1 | Polish DD 5.1 | Thai D 5.1
• Subtitles: English | English SDH | Cantonese | Czech | Danish | Deutsch | Spanish (Castilian) | Spanish (Latin American) | French | French (Canadian) | Italian | Japanese | Korean | Dutch | Norwegian | Polish | Slovenian | Finnish | Swedish | Thai | Turkish