Ant-Man and the Wasp 3D Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Ant-Man and the Wasp 3D Blu-ray Movie Review

As most Blu-ray 3-D fans know, Disney (and most studios, for that matter) have given up on releasing 3-D content in the United States, betting on 4K UHD as the future of home video consumption. The format maintains a vocal fanbase, perhaps vocal enough to keep the releases coming overseas. Disney's Marvel Cinematic Universe film 'Ant-Man and the Wasp' has earned a 3-D release in the UK which is region free and easily importable (and relatively cheaply so) from Amazon UK, so anyone in the US with a 3-D television and Blu-ray player can enjoy the film in what is arguably the most effective and entertaining way to view it.

Ant-Man and the Wasp 3D Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Ant-Man and the Wasp plays at its best in 3-D. The film's ever-changing perspectives in character and object size allow for a number of very impressive and eye-opening shots and scenes that take full advantage of what the format has to offer and how it can absolutely transform a movie from mere visual entertainment into an immersive experience. Whether cozy home interiors, steely and angular lab locations, hilly San Francisco exteriors, or scenes taking place at the microscopic level and crafted almost entirely in the digital realm, all have something different and unique to offer, and the 3-D transfer is more than capable of exploring each in exhaustive and eye-opening fashion. The best scenes take place when two or more of those elements combine, such as a car chase through city streets in chapter 13 that sees vehicles and characters alike grow and shrink in size, allowing for some insanely fun juxtapositions in size and scale that, in 3-D, draw the viewer into the film's high speed maneuvers and hard-hitting action across the city's wildly uneven terrain in a way even the UHD cannot achieve. The film thrives on that extra layer of dimensionality at its disposal, in not just showing the worlds in which the film takes place but building them layer by layer, revealing and exploring every angle and length, and inviting the audience into the film, not just showing the film's world to the audience.

Even more mundane locations take full advantage of what the format can achieve. An angled staircase at the beginning of the movie, a 90-degree turn seen on a house exterior a few minutes later, general office or vehicle interiors, anything that can benefit from a tangible sense of space does. Peyton Reed seems to have shot the film with 3-D in mind, composing most every shot in a way that accentuates the space and tells its own little stories along the way. But for as much fun as Reed seems to have in building a 3-D world for his audience, he also carefully balances the experience to make sure the audience remains invested in the story, not just inserted into its locations. It's all extremely well done, maximizing the mundane and accentuating the amazing with equal doses of dazzle and delight. Unfortunately, Reed does not choose to frequently indulge in extra-screen delights, favoring depth and shape and volume over elements that appear to extend out of the screen. There are so many opportunities for the movie to send characters and objects hurtling towards the viewer or see them protruded from the screen, but the film rarely forces the audience to flinch or duck or dive. Such moments seem to stop at the screen's borders rather than opt for the more fully immersive experience.

It's all noteworthy that this 3-D release does feature several scenes presented in the larger IMAX format that opens up the picture from its standard widescreen aspect ratio to a larger format, big screen bonanza, the most prominent and prolonged of which is the San Francisco car chase partway through the film. The switches in aspect ratio are not at all jarring and each efficiently compliments the supporting scenes. The combination of larger surface area and some of the wild depth and screen stretch effects only improve on an already excellent 3-D presentation and more dramatically immerse the audience into several of the film's most impressive sequences.

The core image details are impressive. The picture does not appear to lose much, if any, color fidelity or textural intimacy compared to the 1080p Blu-ray. The Ant-Man and Wasp costumes are very finely rendered, with the tactile fabric appearing sharp and well defined, allowing the viewer to absorb the intricate details that have gone into crafting both costumes. Environmental supports are crisp, faces are finely detailed, and digital effects are as sharp as the format allows and the movie's visual parameters permit. The color palette could arguably stand a slight contrast adjustment to give the picture a little more color depth and punch but it appears rather true to filmmaker intent, even if personal opinion would see it adjusted a little bit. Black levels are absorbing and deep and flesh tones appear accurate. Eagle-eyed viewers may spot minute traces of banding and very fine noise in the most challenging scenes but source and encode artifacts beyond are next to impossible to find. This is a terrific presentation from Disney; it's a shame it did not earn a domestic 3-D release. It does the format proud.

Ant-Man and the Wasp 3D Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

For a full audio review, please click here. This release features the Blu-ray's DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 lossless soundtrack and not the UHD's Dolby Atmos presentation.

Ant-Man and the Wasp 3D Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Ant-Man and the Wasp's UK 3-D release contains all of its supplemental content on the 2-D only Blu-ray. No extras are included on the 3-D disc. The supplemental package is identical to that found on the US 2-D Blu-ray. For full supplemental content reviews, please click here. For convenience, below is a list of what's included. The release ships with an embossed slipcover.

• Intro: With Director Peyton Reed.
• Making-Of Featurettes: Included are Back in the Ant Suit: Scott Lang, A Suit of Her Own: The Wasp, Subatomic Superheros: Hank & Janet, and Quantum Perspective: The VFX and Production Design of 'Ant-Man and the Wasp'.
• Gag Reel and Outtakes: Included are Gag Reel, Stan Lee Outtakes, and Tim Heidecker Outtakes.
• Deleted Scenes: With optional director commentary.
• Audio Commentary: With Director Peyton Reed.

Ant-Man and the Wasp 3D Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Disney chose not to release Ant-Man and the Wasp in 3-D in the United States, where the format is fledgeling despite some terrific advances in film construction and television and player decoding abilities (not to mention the great work being done by the 3-D Film Archive). Fortunately, US 3-D fans can easily import this region-free disc from the UK, and it's a stunner. While there's not much true extra-screen delight, the sense of in-frame shape and depth is striking, and the presentation takes full advantage of the various perspectives that come with the movie's narrative. Core color and detailing are terrific, too. This release contains the same audio and supplements as the US 2-D release. Highly recommended.