6.9 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
The people of Wakanda fight to protect their home from intervening world powers as they mourn the death of King T'Challa.
Starring: Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Winston Duke, Angela BassettAction | 100% |
Adventure | 95% |
Comic book | 90% |
Sci-Fi | 77% |
Fantasy | 76% |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby Atmos
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Spanish: Dolby Digital Plus 7.1
English SDH, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
Digital copy
4K Ultra HD
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
The future of the Black Panther franchise within the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe was thrown into question when star Chadwick Boseman tragically lost his battle with cancer in 2020. Certainly, in the aftermath, the concern was not over the film but rather the face of the franchise, but the industry ticks forward, especially the Marvel industry, a train which cannot, at this time, pause or be stopped. Production on a Black Panther sequel was resumed, and the story reworked to remove Boseman's iconic T'Challa from the film, though certainly the character's spirit, and Boseman's loss, pulse through the film. The end result is a film that is far less dynamic than the original, clearly missing its star but also a firmer direction and sense of purpose beyond the need to move forward while paying tribute to the past.
The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc.
The image is well improved from the Blu-ray. The overall clarity differences are fairly striking, with the 2160p resolution presenting a pleasing gain to
sharpness overall and frame definition in general. Faces and clothes present with obvious boosts and gains to natural and realistic elegance and overall
visibility and stability. A few softer focus corners remain, inherent to the original photography, but the UHD's 2160p resolution brings out the absolute
best the clean digital source has to offer. Viewers will be more than satisfied by being able to soak in every skin detail and costume and set design
intricacy with as much clarity as the source and current technology has on offer. The HDR color grading is likewise a boost for the image, not
transforming it but finding improved depth and color stability. Flesh tones are fuller and healthier, costumes bolder and accents more vibrant, and other
world tones featuring satisfying pop and depth alike. Black levels are fine if not at times a little light; darker scenes are stable, though one could argue
that blacks could stand a little more depth overall. Whites, especially various titles appearing on the screen to identify geography changes, are bright
and bold and well above the Blu-ray whites for vividness and accuracy. As with the Bu-ray, noise and encode faults are essentially nonexistent. This is
the clear superior to the Blu-ray.
As with the Blu-ray's DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 lossless soundtrack, the UHD's Dolby Atmos presentation scarcely finds any real or consistent sense of aggression or depth. For the most part, it's flat, tepid, uninteresting, and a sonic bore. While surround extension and wrap are fine -- the track offers plenty of movement, discrete effects, and the like -- there's no body to any of it. Action scenes are flat, for the most part. A one-on-one battle that begins at the 132-minute mark finds some depth but all of the battle elements before that struggle to offer much body. Music too offers solid front stretch and well-balanced surround wrap, but not a lot of body. The overhead channels are not often engaged with discrete content, instead offering a bit of layered support here and there. Dialogue is generally clear and center positioned. This should be a dynamic listen and a highlight of modern audio engineering, but it is instead another facsimile of a high-end blockbuster soundtrack that should have been much more.
This UHD release of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever contains no extras on the UHD disc, but the bundled Blu-ray offers the usual assortment
of extras: a couple of featurettes, a gag reel, deleted
scenes, and a commentary track. A Movies Anywhere digital copy code are included with purchase. This release ships with an embossed slipcover.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has the distinction of being the 30th Marvel film, a nice round number but ultimately just a number. The big question is will this be a standout amongst those 30, or will it simply be lost in the deluge of content that has come before it, and the deluge that is sure to come after it? It's difficult to say because the film can be equally rewarding and frustrating. It is perhaps the most emotionally charged and purely narrative- and character-driven film of the 30, allowing action to take a backseat to both necessary but at times indulgent entanglements. The tribute to open the film cannot help but to touch the viewer, and the film's best asset is its late star's spirit coursing through, not merely in the camera but in the heart that Coogler constructs from the beginning. Still, much of what is good about the film is bogged down by needless length and unnecessary side quests and explorations. The film's focus is in the right place, but its essentials are sometimes overshadowed by ancillary material. The UHD is typical Disney: strong 2160p/HDR picture, struggling Atmos audio, and a few extras. Recommended.
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