Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Captain America: The First Avenger 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Cap'n 4K.

Disney has released the fan-favorite 2011 Superhero film 'Captain America: The First Avenger' to the UHD format with new 2160p/HDR video and Dolby Atmos audio. The package includes a Blu-ray copy of the film, which is identical to the disc Paramount released in October 2011. No new extras are included on the UHD disc.

Captain America: The First Avenger 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc. Watch for 4K screenshots at a later date.

Captain America: The First Avenger's visual construction does not allow for prototypical "eye candy" imagery. The film is inherently drab and dull, notably flat, and without much enticing color saturation or extraordinary textural depth. The film was also reportedly finished at 2K. It has, then, a few factors working against its UHD release if one is looking for a "wow!" sort of experience. The movie nevertheless does enjoy a boost in color depth thanks to the HDR palette as well as a modest increase in image sharpness. The question, then, is just how much of an improvement can one expect when upgrading from the older, but very well received, Blu-ray release?

The answer is "a fair bit." It's hardly revelatory on either side of the coin -- considering clarity or color -- but the UHD does find steady improvements in both categories. The picture certainly benefits from the larger bitrate and increased resolution, solidifying many of the comparatively less dynamic and stable textures from the Blu-ray, which was (and is) still a very nice image on its own but one that clearly lags behind this newer release. Viewers will note increased sharpness on Cap's shield in a few scenes where it's seen in close-up, revealing both the natural metallic dynamics that define it and the battle damage that gives it character: greater depth to slashes, refined definition of surface impacts. Cap's uniform and, more broadly, various other costumes (G.I. uniforms, Red Skull's black leathery coat) bear the fruit of improved sharpness, allowing the viewer to spot more fabric intricacies. Total image sharpness sees various environments more stout and naturally tactile, from Brooklyn alleyways to dense European forests. Facial textures are more refined as well, with special note of Red Skull's face seen in close-up, where the blend of Hugo Weaving's facial features and the Red Skull makeup make for one of the more dynamic mugs in the film.

The HDR color enhancement offers additional image solidification, giving the film a deeper, denser, and more complete color experience. As noted the film is fairly drab by its nature, playing out often in lower light with desaturated color and a lack of absolute pop even on some of the most prominent color elements in the film, chiefly Cap's shield and Red Skull's face. Both of those do boast improvements to color depth and definition, each finding increased stability and accuracy. Contrast is improved throughout, giving the film a more evenly managed color spectrum even as the presentation expands to a much more stable of finely honed and diverse shades. Some of the more interesting examples of color improvements come by way of brightly illuminated blue Hydra weapons and technologies. Such emit on UHD with greatly improved luminance and accuracy. Skin tones are managed well with greater attention paid to nuance. Black levels are a highlight, creating and maintaining an appropriate level of depth.

The image suffers from no egregious examples of source wear or encode artifacts. This UHD presentation is quite good, limited in part by the movie's inherently flat and visually bland structure but proving its worth with improved textural clarity, resolution stability, and improved color depth and luminance. It's not the prettiest UHD on the market, but it does offer a marked improvement in all areas of concern over the more than 7-year-old Blu-ray.

Captain America: The First Avenger 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

For its UHD debut, Disney has encoded Captain America: The First Avenger with a Dolby Atmos soundtrack, replacing the Blu-ray's well regarded DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 audio presentation. As with most every new Disney audio track, this one requires an upward volume adjustment from calibrated reference listening levels to fully enjoy. Once there, the track plays well, obviously not to a revelatory level of increase over the older 7.1 track but certainly delivering a very healthy and capable listen. Surrounds are used extensively in action scenes. A lab experiment at the 19-minute mark offers one of the first truly big, expansive moments the track has to offer. Excellent low end depth, healthy and full surround integration, and a tangible overhead component all work together to reveal the remarkable power signature at work in Hydra's machine. Flak pops all around the stage when Cap embarks on his own unauthorized rescue mission in chapter eight. Each explosion, bursting all over the stage with some overhead presence, thumps with positive low end depth and discrete placement that transports listeners into the aerial frenzy. It's not on the same level as the opening sequence from Overlord, which was just a ridiculously fun barrage of sound, but the net effect in Captain America is still very positive. Additional action scenes, including the third act finale, offer more of the same, with robust low end, discrete surround support, and some nicely integrated overhead components all helping to create a fun, immersive listen. Musical engagement is terrific, featuring wide front stage envelopment and seamlessly integrated surround support. Light atmospherics in several locations, such as a bustling command center, yield fruitful environmental supports. Dialogue is clear, center focused, and well prioritized for the duration.

Captain America: The First Avenger 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Captain America: The First Avenger's UHD disc contains no supplemental content. The included Blu-ray, which is identical to that released back in 2011 (and still even bears the Paramount logo on the label), brings with it the full order of extras that have been with the movie for many years now. See below for a list of what's included, and please click here for full coverage. This release ships with a Movies Anywhere digital copy code as well as an embossed slipcover.

• Audio Commentary: Director Joe Johnston, Director of Photography Shelly Johnson, and Editor Jeffrey Ford.
• Marvel One-Shot: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor's Hammer
• Outfitting a Hero
• Howling Commandos
• Heightened Technology
• The Transformation
• Behind the Skull
• Captain America's Origin
• The Assembly Begins
• Deleted Scenes
• Trailers

Captain America: The First Avenger 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Captain America: The First Avenger certainly isn't at the head of the pack in terms of comic book movie greatness, but it epitomizes that genre better than any of its contemporaries. The movie is playfully fun, an addictive watch, and loaded with action, but still smart enough to offer fair character development and a good plot line, both of which aid in enhancing the movie's dual finales and setting it up for future installments in the Marvel universe. Additionally, the cast is strong, the direction is smooth, and ancillary elements are top-notch. In short, Captain America is everything a movie fan could want from a big budget comic book Summer movie. Disney's UHD delivers a positive upgrade over the Blu-ray both visually and aurally, but it's not necessarily a standout in either category within the broader UHD landscape. No new extras are included, but the set does carry over the old Blu-ray and all of its extra content. Recommended.