Value to spare here with the A Quiet Place two-movie collection from Paramount Home Entertainment. Make no mistake, if you already have the original 2018 film, no problem. A Quiet Place Part II is also available on the full array of formats: DVD, Blu-ray, 4K UltraHD, and Digital HD. If you're like me and haven't seen A Quiet Place since theaters, or just haven't picked up the standalone home release, then this twofer is the way to go.
The original film was a truly exciting and unique moviegoing experience. Quick reminder (and probably an unnecessary one): aliens have invaded earth and quickly go about with the standard annihilation of human life. Here's the catch. They can't see. But they have super-acute hearing. Earth's remaining humans have trained themselves to live silently. The film's largely subdued audio scheme left cinema-viewers rapt in silence. Even the crunching of popcorn or rattling of ice cubes proved to be untenable.
Writer-director-star John Krasinski crafted a wholly enjoyable horror-thriller with heart. It's the simple story of the Abbott family (Krasinski is patriarch Lee, Emily Blunt is Lee's wife Evelyn), just one small group of individuals attempting to evade the monsters lurking everywhere. No spoilers for those who have yet to see the first film, but the ending is one of the more dour, tragic, and seemingly hopeless endings of a major-studio theatrical release.
In fact, there didn't seem to be room for a sequel. At least not a plausible one. But Krasinski, this time forgoing co-writers and scripting entirely himself, has come up with something far more than merely serviceable. Among the brilliant moves Krasinski makes is opening Part II with a concise "prequel" sequence that sets up the events of the first film.
Okay, now we have to touch upon spoiler territory for anyone who really hasn't seen the first film. Due to the unfortunate fate of Lee in the first film, the "prequel" sequence allows Krasinski the opportunity for a cameo appearance. Cynics can probably be forgiven for writing off this opening act as somewhat self-serving. In a way it is, but Krasinski directs with such skill that it winds up transcending any criticisms.
Once we catch up with Evelyn and kids Marcus (Noah Jupe) and Regan (Millicent Simmonds; deaf in real life, once again turning in show-stealing work), we're into what feels like well-worn territory. Now with a newborn sibling in tow, Marcus and Regan help their mom with everyday life as they continue to evade the monsters. But whatever feels old-hat in this sequel is compensated for by Krasinski's tight-wire direction. So taut is the tension that you find yourself paralzyed by the suspense just as much as in the first film.
Cillian Murphy is the major addition to the cast (Djimon Hounsou is bizarrely wasted in a thankless, nameless role late in the film). Murphy's Emmett is introduced in the "prequel" section (another brilliant storytelling touch by Krasinski) as a friend of the Abbott's. Having lost his family, he's a loner who is challenged by the Abbott's to re-discover his deeply buried compassion. Yes, he's sort of a surrogate for Lee but Murphy invests the character with deeply-felt , believable emotion.
Continuing with the spoilers—there's the ending. The biggest (maybe the ONLY) issue with A Quiet Place Part II is its non-ending. Without getting into specifics, suffice it to say the credits roll after a perfunctory, makeweight, de facto "ending" that deflates the proceedings in an unsatisfactory manner. So disappointing was this abrupt ending the first time around in theaters, I left the auditorium feeling more negatively toward the film than anything else. It seemed like a cheat. And to a degree, now that I've revisited the film on the new Blu-ray, I still do. It's a setup for a third chapter, rather than a true resolution to the events depicted throughout the second.
But knowing in advance that the film is just going to stall to a sudden halt definitely helps. The film seems to still hold up remarkably to repeat viewings. Now that I know there isn't much of an ending, this second film leaves me breathlessly waiting for the third installment.
Special features from the previously-available first film Blu-ray are carried over. Part II has about a half-hour's worth of featurettes, including a great (but too-brief) "director's diary" with Krasinski. The other under-ten-minutes-each featurettes focus mostly on F/X, though "Regan's Journey" offers a nice, if not terribly insightful, examination of the saga's most compelling character.
The original film was a truly exciting and unique moviegoing experience. Quick reminder (and probably an unnecessary one): aliens have invaded earth and quickly go about with the standard annihilation of human life. Here's the catch. They can't see. But they have super-acute hearing. Earth's remaining humans have trained themselves to live silently. The film's largely subdued audio scheme left cinema-viewers rapt in silence. Even the crunching of popcorn or rattling of ice cubes proved to be untenable.
Writer-director-star John Krasinski crafted a wholly enjoyable horror-thriller with heart. It's the simple story of the Abbott family (Krasinski is patriarch Lee, Emily Blunt is Lee's wife Evelyn), just one small group of individuals attempting to evade the monsters lurking everywhere. No spoilers for those who have yet to see the first film, but the ending is one of the more dour, tragic, and seemingly hopeless endings of a major-studio theatrical release.
In fact, there didn't seem to be room for a sequel. At least not a plausible one. But Krasinski, this time forgoing co-writers and scripting entirely himself, has come up with something far more than merely serviceable. Among the brilliant moves Krasinski makes is opening Part II with a concise "prequel" sequence that sets up the events of the first film.
Okay, now we have to touch upon spoiler territory for anyone who really hasn't seen the first film. Due to the unfortunate fate of Lee in the first film, the "prequel" sequence allows Krasinski the opportunity for a cameo appearance. Cynics can probably be forgiven for writing off this opening act as somewhat self-serving. In a way it is, but Krasinski directs with such skill that it winds up transcending any criticisms.
Once we catch up with Evelyn and kids Marcus (Noah Jupe) and Regan (Millicent Simmonds; deaf in real life, once again turning in show-stealing work), we're into what feels like well-worn territory. Now with a newborn sibling in tow, Marcus and Regan help their mom with everyday life as they continue to evade the monsters. But whatever feels old-hat in this sequel is compensated for by Krasinski's tight-wire direction. So taut is the tension that you find yourself paralzyed by the suspense just as much as in the first film.
Cillian Murphy is the major addition to the cast (Djimon Hounsou is bizarrely wasted in a thankless, nameless role late in the film). Murphy's Emmett is introduced in the "prequel" section (another brilliant storytelling touch by Krasinski) as a friend of the Abbott's. Having lost his family, he's a loner who is challenged by the Abbott's to re-discover his deeply buried compassion. Yes, he's sort of a surrogate for Lee but Murphy invests the character with deeply-felt , believable emotion.
Continuing with the spoilers—there's the ending. The biggest (maybe the ONLY) issue with A Quiet Place Part II is its non-ending. Without getting into specifics, suffice it to say the credits roll after a perfunctory, makeweight, de facto "ending" that deflates the proceedings in an unsatisfactory manner. So disappointing was this abrupt ending the first time around in theaters, I left the auditorium feeling more negatively toward the film than anything else. It seemed like a cheat. And to a degree, now that I've revisited the film on the new Blu-ray, I still do. It's a setup for a third chapter, rather than a true resolution to the events depicted throughout the second.
But knowing in advance that the film is just going to stall to a sudden halt definitely helps. The film seems to still hold up remarkably to repeat viewings. Now that I know there isn't much of an ending, this second film leaves me breathlessly waiting for the third installment.
Special features from the previously-available first film Blu-ray are carried over. Part II has about a half-hour's worth of featurettes, including a great (but too-brief) "director's diary" with Krasinski. The other under-ten-minutes-each featurettes focus mostly on F/X, though "Regan's Journey" offers a nice, if not terribly insightful, examination of the saga's most compelling character.
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