New to Blu: July 10 – 16

July 9, 2019 0 Comments

Dumbo

➢ “Disney’s 4K UHD Blu-ray release presents the movie in an upscaled 2160p HEVC-encoded transfer with HDR10 high dynamic range, retaining the film’s 1.85:1 theatrical aspect ratio. There is a slight improvement in detail, color gamut, and contrast, but nothing to get overly excited about when compared to the Blu-ray release (which is included in the package). The biggest improvement is in black levels, allowing for a darker picture overall that still retains a great amount of detail.” — Home Theater Forum.

➢ “Though the image never soars quite as high as some of the best Ultra HD video presentations, the disc still offers a welcomed improvement over the standard Blu-ray release … the upscaled digital source looks quite lovely in 4K with a clean and crisp appearance that is actually free from the light noise I noticed on the 1080p release. And though detail here is only marginally improved over the standard Blu-ray, overall clarity still benefits from the upgrade.” — High-Def Digest.

➢ “Dumbo was digitally photographed but doesn’t struggle with flat, uninteresting textures. On the contrary, the movie is alive with wondrous period attire and interesting location details, both of which the Blu-ray delivers with high-top delight. Textural qualities are intimate and revealing, particularly period attire with the entire spectrum of fabric density and stitching precision on display.” — Blu-ray.com.

Pet Sematary

➢ “With Pet Sematary‘s 2160p/Dolby Vision UHD presentation, audiences are looking at a modest upgrade over the Blu-ray, an image that solidifies and stabilises things but doesn’t offer a radically different viewing experience … The image is solid, offering modest but obvious and very welcome increases in sharpness while maintaining the movie’s somewhat digitally flat and occasionally soft-around-the-edges appearance.” — Blu-ray.com.

➢ “A strong but also somewhat disappointing HEVC H.265 encode, showing a few appreciable improvements, but the overall results are fairly similar to the Blu-ray … The best and most dramatic improvement is the richer and marginally wider colour gamut, delivering more vivid, full-bodied primaries than its HD SDR counterpart.” — High-Def Digest.

Fighting With My Family

➢ “The 2.40:1/1080p/AVC-encoded image is digitally sourced, and remains consistently clear and sharp throughout. Skin tones are natural, coloors nicely saturated and black levels reasonably deep. The image displays appropriate depth and object texture, and the film looks great in motion. Other than some minor digital noise, this is an excellent transfer.” — DVD Talk.

➢ “Universal’s Blu-ray presents the movie in a film-like and colourful AVC-encoded 1080p transfer that retains the original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.40:1. Colours are vivid and appear natural, with added emphasis during the Wrestlemania sequences with its theatrical lighting and massive big-screen displays. Contrast is very good, providing deep blacks with exceptional shadow detail and bright whites that don’t clip.” — Home Theater Forum.

Wonder Park

➢ “While attractive, this wasn’t one of the best-looking animated Blu-rays I’ve seen. Sharpness could be a minor distraction. Though most of the movie displayed solid clarity, a few shots seemed a smidgen soft. These were mild instances, but parts of the image lacked the tightness I expect from Blu-ray.” — DVD Movieguide.

➢ “Despite the name, the multitude of colourful animals, and the promise of amusement park wonders, this is not a particularly robust movie from a visual perspective. It’s a bit dull in places, a little dark, a touch flat, not visually uninteresting per se but not exactly the most robust, glitzy, or shiny animated movie ever made.” — Blu-ray.com.

☞ Being re-issued on 4K-UHD are 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi, Hulk and Cinderella while anime newcomers on Blu-ray include: