Adventure Yellowstone - The World's Most Popular National Park Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

Adventure Yellowstone - The World's Most Popular National Park Blu-ray Movie Review

Pretty...and not much more.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman April 6, 2015

It would be easy to simply dismiss Adventure Yellowstone as a tech demo, an excuse to shoot gorgeous landscapes, interesting geological formations, scientific curiosities, and animals to show off the clarity and resolution of fancy new 4K photographic equipment. And, truthfully, it wouldn't be that far off the mark. The studio behind the film -- the mouthful but descriptive 4K Ultra HD Movies -- has pieced together an hour-long documentary that offers a basic overview of some of the splendors around America's foremost national park that blends casual insights with fairly complex scientific explanations set against a beautiful, if not somewhat glossy, 4K source image, presented here at a downgraded 1080p. Otherwise, that's about it. A handful of still photos and another handful of trailers make up this disc's supplemental features. In short, it really is a curiosity or, yes, a tech demo, and not a whole lot more.

The world really is a beautiful place.

Adventure Yellowstone presents a program that's a blend of casual visuals and somewhat involved scientific explanation for what's on camera. The film shares, in some detail, the ins-and-outs of a number of interesting features found throughout the park, the sort of stuff people don't see everyday -- even people who live outside cities -- and that really are some fascinating little bits of nature at play. The film delves into the area's broad history including the first explorers to the area and expeditions in it. It covers a number of focused geological curiosities, such as geysers, and shares broader details surrounding "the Yellowstone hotspot," Yellowstone Lake, and freshwater streams and waterfalls scattered throughout the park. It also examines some of the native wildlife found in Yellowstone, including Grizzly Bears, Elk, and Bison. The piece ends with a comment on the impact of global warming on the park.

Though a noble effort at edutainment, Adventure Yellowstone lacks an engaging narrative and flow. It conveys information rather than shares information. It recites, not educates. And it's not always all that accessible considering the somewhat deep scientific jargon that gives it narrative shape. 4K Ultra HD Movies has smartly included a music-only track, and even as the somewhat repetitive, though admittedly beautiful, music grows a bit tiresome as it plays with little variety and seems to blend together over the course of the show, it's still a better option, particularly for repeat viewings. The video presentation, unlike the stiff narration and unvaried music, does hold some replay value considering both the gorgeous picture quality and the simple yet effective conveyance of natural imagery into the home theater. The photography keeps things fresh with some quality perspective shots that mix up the visual style, offering both intimate portraits of geological formations, landscapes, and animals with a number of wider shots that offer a greater sense of place and scale, less concerned with the details of a focal point and more its place in the larger world. It's simple but highly effective photography and editing that, even when the sound options disappoint, remains a strength.

Of course, no documentary -- not the high dollar Planet Earth, not the bread-and-butter releases from Mill Creek, and not anything photographed in 4K -- can truly replicate the sights, the smells, the sounds, the ground under the feet, the sky above the head, and the feeling of oneness with nature or the enjoyment of friends an family in the wild. They all make for a nice little replication, a peek, perhaps, into something significantly more appealing in person rather than through the limited confines of a photographer's lens and a television's borders. What 4K Ultra HD Movies has done is offer the prettiest peek currently available to wide audiences, a simple yet visually dynamic glimpse into a world that's so close yet, for any number of reasons, feels so far to so many. It's worth a watch to be sure, even with the mildly irritating audio, though it's important to remember that nothing beats the the full sensory appreciation of mother nature's most generous gifts.

Adventure Yellowstone - The World's Most Popular National Park Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Adventure Yellowstone, photographed in 4K and down-converted to 1080p, offers a generally stunning picture. Even in 2D, there's a tangible sense of depth to the picture thanks in large part to the raw clarity and ease of definition evident across the board, whether individual blades of grass even at some distance, animal fur and hides, rocky textures, rough terrain, trees, and bubbly, soupy geological curiosities. Though there's a touch of softness in places and, of course, the fact that the pinpoint definition doesn't extend all the way back into the furthest distances and the tiniest of details, there's no denying the sheer grandeur that is the blend of the high-end photography and the natural beauty of its subject, whether intimately detailing any of its subjects or offering a broader overview of a larger landscape. Colors are rich and pleasant with a natural boldness and vitality. Lush natural greens, baby blue skies, sparkly deep waters, and earthy terrain alike help define one of the most enjoyably robust palettes every seen on Blu-ray. The image is a little glossy; even with the precision definition, it still looks ever-so-slightly like plastic in spots, but that sensation quickly melts away, particularly in the gorgeous close-ups and even in distant shots where one can fully appreciate the blend of clarity and color. The image doesn't suffer from any serious bouts of noise and sees no perceptible banding or blocking flaws, at least not evident at normal viewing distances. All in all, this is a gorgeous, must-see Blu-ray transfer even in 1080p rather than its native 4K.

Adventure Yellowstone - The World's Most Popular National Park Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Adventure Yellowstone offers a pair of DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtracks, one with both narration and music and a second that's music only. Definition isn't precise, whether the somewhat booming, edgy narration or the simple, airy music. It's a bit loud at reference volume, the narration in particular. Underlying music is firmer and more precise with a nice low end support to some of the deeper drum beats in support of the breathy highs. The music-only track simply removes the narration; music remains the same across both tracks.

Adventure Yellowstone - The World's Most Popular National Park Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Adventure Yellowstone contains a Picture Slideshow (1080p, 1:59), a collection of still images, and 1080p trailers for Yellowstone 4K, Serengeti 4K, Hawaii 4K, America 4K, Myanmar 4K, Fireplace 4K, Aquarium 4K: The Tropical Reef Experience, Aquarium 4K: The Amazing Blood Parrot Cichlid, and Aquarium 4K: The Beautiful South American.

Adventure Yellowstone - The World's Most Popular National Park Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Adventure Yellowstone may not amount to a whole lot more than a tech demo -- the documentary proper is a little stiff and the music gets repetitive -- but it's beautifully photographed and handsomely presented on Blu-ray. Certainly, it doesn't replicate the real thing -- it's not the Holodeck -- but for 2015 it's pretty much the next-best-thing to being there. 4K Ultra HD Movies' Blu-ray release of Adventure Yellowstone features fantastic video, passable audio, and no major supplements. Recommended.