7.3 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
An exploration of Earth and beyond as seen from outer space.
Narrator: Jennifer LawrenceDocumentary | 100% |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS:X
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Spanish: DTS:X
Spanish: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1
French: DTS:X
French: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1
English SDH, French, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
Digital copy
4K Ultra HD
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Earth is a beautiful place, full of diverse ecosystems, stunning natural formations, incredible man-made wonders, and endless opportunity to find its inherent splendor, from gargantuan canyons to delicate flowers. But the Earth's beauty isn't limited to how it appears at ground level, viewing its majesty up close. Astronauts have long been amongst the privileged few to see the planet from a different perspective, one equally, but entirely uniquely, resplendent. Seen from well above the atmosphere, Earth takes on an entirely different shape, from flat or mountainous to perfectly spherical. Predominantly earth-colored terrain and stunning green vegetation give way to an image almost entirely blue and white, comprised of rich oceans and striking clouds and peaks of snow. The most magnificent of Earth's natural and manmade marvels are visible but are seen in an entirely new perspective within the context of the greater world around them and cosmos that surrounds the planet. A Beautiful Planet, Director Toni Myers' film shot by the International Space Station (ISS) crew on board the station traveling high and fast around the Earth, offers viewers the most dazzling view yet of the world from the heavens, a rare view of man looking down on the world rather than up from it.
The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc. Watch for 4K screenshots at a later date.
Note: 'A Beautiful Planet' has released to the UHD format with the HDR10+ color encoding. Unfortunately Blu-ray.com reviewers are
currently not equipped with a playback device capable of decoding it, so this review pertains to the standard HDR10 color only.
Use any video quality superlative to describe A Beautiful Planet and it'll fit. This is a stunning, striking, stellar, to borrow an astronomical term,
4K UHD release. The film was reportedly shot and finished in 4K, and it shows. The image is
extraordinarily crisp, clear, and finely defined. Razor-sharp details abound in the ISS, revealing all of the superficial details and the complex machinery,
doodads, and doohickies carefully positioned along the station's walls and other surfaces. Astronaut skin textures, during haircuts or "bath time," are
exemplary.
But the image's strengths undoubtedly come courtesy of the HDR color grading. Earth's blue oceans are of a dazzling color depth, an intense, perfectly
graded blue that is amongst the most resplendent shades ever to grace a UHD disc. It's striking at any time, but particularly when deep, intense outer
space blacks encircle the planet. Dots of white cloud cover and snow on Earth's surface are brilliantly bright and clean. Some of the most unique and
impressive examples of what HDR is capable of doing comes when the camera captures dots of lightning popping above Earth from space. The flashes
are
brilliant, the
color is rich and alive, and such scenes are arguably the color highlight beyond that blue.
There is absolutely no comparison to the bundled Blu-ray, which looks very good on its own but pales in comparison to the UHD. The intensity of color
is dramatically increased and the image's sharpness and clarity are much higher. Take a look at a shot at the 7:03 mark (the timestamps are slightly
different on the Blu-ray, which is a few seconds behind). The Blu-ray looks good, but the UHD is otherworldly. The blue saturation and depth overpower
the Blu-ray by leaps and bounds and the white dots of cloud cover and snow are strikingly brighter. Additionally, Earth's surface is much more readily
defined and detailed. A scene featuring the orange and red fire-hot glow
of the sun in chapter four is another milestone for the HDR format, followed by amazingly intense aurora greens. Both scenes trounce the Blu-ray. This
is one of the most radical increases in color depth, density, and vibrancy the format has seen.
A Beautiful Planet's DTS:X soundtrack delivers a very good sense of spatial awareness and clarity. It is not a thunderous, bass-intense
presentation, but it is completely immersive, making regular use of every speaker in the configuration. Musical clarity is first-rate and immersion is
substantial. The track absorbs the listener into the movie. Details are precise all around the listener, readily identifiable as to what they are and where
each is located. The track has obviously been carefully engineered for maximum effect, with expertly balanced surround usage and just enough low
end oomph to carry, not overwhelm, the musical score. Dialogue occasionally emanates from a discrete rear position, the first and most obvious
example coming at the six-minute mark when a new crew arrives on the International Space Station. There are also moments when dialogue emanates
from around the listener, focused in the front but with a clear sense of encirclement to better saturate the listener into a moment. Probably the most
impressive example of low end depth accompanies a breaking glacier in chapter three. What the track does best, though, is to surround the listener. It
takes the term "surround sound" to heart. There are no gaps in encirclement coverage and the overhead channels are largely complimentary but
critical in shaping the big sounds necessary to match the big, clear, bold visuals on the 4K/HDR screen.
The bundled Blu-ray includes the same DTS:X soundtrack.
A Beautiful Planet contains three featurettes on the UHD disc. The bundled Blu-ray includes the same three supplements. This release ships
with a Mill Creek digital copy code
and a non-embossed slipcover.
There's a life lesson in A Beautiful Planet, away from the notes about climate change and the like that the film folds into its narrative. That lesson is one of the importance of perspective. How things change when one simply sees the world from a different point of view! Though nothing really changes, the view is entirely different from down here to up there. Physical contrasts disappear. What is large here is usually invisible there. There's an entire philosophical treatise in there, obviously well beyond the purview of this writing, but the film, in a roundabout way, really finds its purpose in demonstrating how something generally unmalleable, something permanent, can seem so different through a differing perspective. Mill Creek's UHD release of A Beautiful Planet is striking. Perfect video, uncompromising audio, and a few brief extras make one of the year's best UHD releases. Very highly recommended. This is the best release Mill Creek has ever put on the market.
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