New to Blu: August 22 – 28

August 23, 2018 0 Comments

Deadpool 2

➢ “Deadpool 2 is presented on 4K UHD courtesy of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment with a 2160p transfer in 2.39:1. Despite this evidently having been finished at a 2K DI (per the IMDb), unlike the first film, which was (again according to the IMDb) finished at 4K, I found this to be a largely pleasing upgrade in both detail levels and palette nuances.” — Blu-ray.com.

➢ “The Deadpool 2 4K HDR picture transfer is decent enough, but doesn’t stand out from the crowd. It perhaps doesn’t help that the film was only granted a 2K digital intermediate for its cinema run, with this presumably getting upscaled to give us the 4K Blu-ray picture … The Deadpool 2 image lacks that snap and texture that distinguishes the finest 4K Blu-ray transfers … The highlight of the Deadpool 2 4K Blu-ray in AV terms is its Dolby Atmos mix, which is a stellar effort in every way.” — Forbes.

➢ “This [Blu-ray] release offers two versions, with the Super Duper Cut running around fifteen minutes longer than the Theatrical Version. It has some excellent new bits, as well as at least one soundtrack change that may ruffle some feathers … Technical merits are first rate, the supplemental package bountiful, and for once the alternate cuts of the film are both worth watching for their own peculiarities.” — Blu-ray.com.

Chappaquiddick

➢ “Chappaquiddick was shot digitally using both the Arri Alexa XT Plus and the Arri Alexa Mini, with a handful of 16mm footage shot on the Arriflex 16 S. It is presented on Blu-ray in the 2.39:1 aspect ratio. The image here is typical of what I’ve seen in the past from movies shot on Arri equipment – with wonderful depth and detail in outdoor sequences, but a little more darkness and noise in those scenes shot indoors and/or on sets.” — High-Def Digest.

➢ “This is an excellent looking transfer that consistently boasts good detail levels and decently if intentionally tamped down palette … While Chappaquiddick‘s DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track doesn’t offer a lot of “showy” sonics, it’s consistently immersive.” — Blu-ray.com.

Saving Private Ryan

➢ “Saving Private Ryan may be in the top five 4K Ultra HD titles we have seen – and there are many that have blown me away. Whether I stand 15 inches from my display or 15 feet this looks so impressive – wonderfully rich grain – a saturated image (where intended) and it looks just as good as the 35mm print I saw in the theatre. Actually probably better… I would grade it 10/10.” — DVD Beaver.

➢ “As good as the detail is in this 4K image, however, it’s the High Dynamic Range grading that really delivers the knock-out punch. Contrasts are extraordinarily deep, while the sky has an oppressively gloomy-bright quality that casts dark shadows over faces beneath helmets. And the colour is just jaw-dropping, all the more striking for the fact that much of the film has a muted quality, so when the color does pops it really explodes off the screen.” — The Digital Bits.

➢ “Paramount commissioned a new 4K scan of the film for its 20^th anniversary along with high dynamic range in both Dolby Vision and HDR10. That is all included in the 2160p transfer on this UHD disc, and the results are breathtakingly reference level quality throughout … Saving Private Ryan has always sounded great on just about every disc format the film was released on. The Dolby Atmos track included on the UHD Blu-ray bests that in spades.” — Home Theater Forum.

Forrest Gump

➢ “It appears that the original camera negative was scanned in 4K for this release and the visual effects were presumably scanned from the best available film elements. The image was then graded for high dynamic range in both HDR10 and Dolby Vision and is presented here on Ultra HD at the original 2.39:1 theatrical aspect ratio. The result is surprisingly nice looking, if a bit complicated … Forrest Gump has always had a slightly ‘digital’ appearance on Blu-ray and DVD, given the nature of its production. But the good news is that this is the least digital looking it’s ever been.” — The Digital Bits.

➢ “The bulk of this presentation is actually quite impressive. There are a number of shots that look downright fantastic. Much of the transfer offers a light, natural, and consistent grain pattern, and fine-object detail benefits from the 4K bump. Wide shots are generally crisp and clear and stretch for miles, particularly when they are of well-lit landscapes. Some of the early shots outside the Gump house are gorgeous; full of bold, perfectly saturated colours and infinite detail.” — DVD Talk.

➢ “The 4K Dolby Vision presentation offers a nice improvement over its Blu-ray predecessor, but it’s not a huge, significant change while also feeling slightly underwhelming in some areas. On the other hand, the now-classic romance drama has been awarded an honorable and respectable Dolby Atmos soundtrack, sure to please the most loyal fans.” — High-Def Digest.

Gladiator

➢ “Gladiator‘s UHD release is, generally, a splendid one. It’s filmic, highly detailed, and nicely coloured throughout the film’s bleak opening act and brighter sun-drenched second and third. At its best, the image is stellar. No matter the lighting condition, armour, clothes, skin, and terrain are revealed with awe-inspiring complexity.” — Blu-ray.com.

➢ “Gladiator utilised a significant amount of digital visual effects for its day which (circa 1999-2000) just didn’t have the resolution one sees today. So there are a number of shots that only marginally benefit from the upgrade to 4K (mostly due to the addition of HDR). Still… the vast majority of the film does benefit from 4K and in a big way. When the mastering team has been able to go back to the original camera negative, there’s tremendous fine detail and refined texturing visible in the image.” — The Digital Bits.

➢ “This new 4K 2160p transfer, which includes both Dolby Vision and HDR10 high dynamic range, is very film-like in its appearance. At first glance, one may think the UHD version’s colours are muted when compared to the previous Blu-ray, and technically that is true, but I firmly believe that the Blu-ray’s colors are artificially heightened while the UHD is closer to the original 35mm film prints. Fine detail is vastly improved.” — Home Theater Forum.

● Also new this week on Blu-ray: