New to Blu: February 19 – 25

Jojo Rabbit

➢ “Another 4K upscale of a 2K master.The film was apparently shot at 3.4K, though, which may have something to do with why it shines up so nicely on today’s premium AV disc format. Details are clearly and consistently up from the HD Blu-ray image, lending the 4K picture an extra sense of immediacy that’s really effective at engaging you more deeply with the film’s touching relationships and enhancing the absurdist humour.” — Forbes.

➢ “Intentionally shot with a warmer, softer visual aesthetic, there is only a modest improvement in overall details between the included 1080p Blu-ray and this disc. However, where it counts most is in closeups and middle shots where I felt like clothing textures, skin pigmentation, hairstyles, etc. were all greatly improved over the 1080p disc.” — High-Def Digest.

➢ “Jojo Rabbit looks excellent on Blu-ray. It’s a varied and highly stylised film that really sparkles in its out of door shots … The film showcases a VERY solid 5.1 DTS-HD MA track that is shared on both the Blu-ray disc and the 4K UHD disc, and is more than bombastic enough for my tastes.” — AV Nirvana.

● Note the NZ 4K-UHD is a single disc release. It includes the director’s commentary but not the Blu-ray copy or extras.

Doctor Sleep

➢ “The doctor visits Blu-ray with a stunningly beautiful, reference-quality 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 encode, showing razor-sharp definition and clarity in every scene … There are a couple, very minor instances of banding in a few scenes with smoke and a teensy-weensy bit of aliasing in the sharpest edges, keeping the picture just short of perfection.” — High-Def Digest.

➢ “It looks superb on Blu-ray thanks to a well-done MPEG-4 AVC encode in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1. While it cannot live up to the visual splendour of Kubrick, it still is one of the most visually exciting films of the year.” — Blu-ray Authority.

➢ “Textures and overall clarity are extremely convincing almost every step of the way and, while this would never be mistaken for a 4K disc, Doctor Sleep often tests the boundaries of what even the most well-authored Blu-ray is capable of displaying.” — Blu-ray.com.

● Note NZ misses out on the 4K-UHD Australian release. Despite most distributors treating the two markets as the same, Roadshow Entertainment continues to shortchange Kiwis.

Ready Or Not

➢ “High definition detail is notable as images are firmly resolved, with defining sharpness and dimensional depth. Colours are beautifully rendered with revealing delineation tonal warmth and vibrant textures. Fleshtones appear descriptive with discernible complexional variety that brings out the finest gradations.” — AVS Forum.

➢ “The 2.39:1/1080p/AVC-encoded image from Fox is excellent, and supports the often dimly lit film with abundant fine-object detail, superb shadow details and gorgeous, boldly saturated colours. The digitally shot production is graded with gold and orange tones, which add to its distinct, attractive appearance.” — DVD Talk.

➢ “Due to the strong picture contrast, you can find a lot of crush in the shadow areas. Unfortunately, since most of the film takes place in the dark, it becomes a bit of a problem. The very few bright areas, such as lights and candles, are vibrant and jump off the screen.” — Nerd Reactor.

47 Meters Down: Uncaged

➢ “Despite being in murky underwater environs Uncaged looked pretty great shown in 1080p via my 4k projector. The sunny Mexican atmospheres on land literally shine through, and the CGI sharks are ferocious and well rendered. No noise or artifacting complaints here, despite its originally slating to go direct to video.” — Home Theater Forum.

➢ “Digitally shot, the image makes great use of light and dark playing up shadows with small underwater work lights or a few bursts of red from flares … Black levels are strong throughout and there is some great shadow separation to give the image some welcome depth.” — High-Def Digest.

➢ “The 2.39:1 AVC HD image looks, by and large, very clean though there are a few instances in which some silt and grain tend to dominate … It looks good, but there are other films that are new to the format that look much better.” — Blu-ray Authority.

The Running Man

➢ “Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Running Man arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Umbrella Entertainment. The release is sourced from the same older master that Paramount Pictures has offered to other boutique labels. There is nothing seriously wrong with it, but its limitations tend to show rather easily.” — Blu-ray-com.

➢ “The Running Man is now streaming online in 4K with Dolby Vision. I’ve seen it, and the 4K remaster is absolutely breathtaking. To say the least, this Umbrella disc is no match, but it … could be the best encode of this particular master to date on home video. It’s definitely appreciated that Umbrella did not cheap out with a BD-25.” — michaeldvd.com.

● Note the Blu-ray has none of the extras from the two-disc special edition DVD.