Charlie's Angels 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Charlie's Angels 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Sony has released Director McG's 2000 Action film 'Charlie's Angel's' to the UHD format. New specifications include 2160p/HDR video and Dolby Atmos audio. The UHD disc includes three new extras: a sneak peak at the new film and two trailers for this film. The bundled Blu-ray is identical to that which Sony released in 2010, and it brings with it the bulk of this collection's supplements. Sony has also finally, for the first time, released the sequel, 'Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle,' but to Blu-ray only; apparently the film was deemed unworthy of the UHD treatment.

Charlie's Angels 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc.

Charlie's Angels' UHD release is heavenly, a sizzling and scintillating visual experience, another gem in the Sony catalogue. HDR colors are exemplary, extreme, but not so intensified as to ruin the film's visual dynamics. This is, quite literally, a new "dynamic range" to a movie that just screams for it. The blue sky and blue plane in the opening sequence are both very blue, with the UHD doubling down on those tones, finding extreme intensity missing even from the Blu-ray, which runs on high contrast itself. The sequence portends great things to come, and in fact the image only gets better. The entire color spectrum has been strengthened and fortified, yielding a very deep and dynamic sprawl of intense tones that push contrast extreme, ranging from fiery-hot explosions to loud clothing and environmental tones that leap off the screen. Another barrage of colors appear in chapter five at the 17:20 mark, presenting with so much depth and contrast punch that even Michael Bay's eyes might pop out of his head. McG's hot-hot-hot look for the movie is only amplified here, but to very organic rather than cartoonish effect. Whites are abundantly bright and crisp and blacks are deep and complimentary. This is great stuff.

There is also a dramatic increase to sharpness and clarity that pushes the UHD to a level of visual success that is well beyond Sony's aging Blu-ray. The picture is richly detailed and wonderfully sharp, with extreme clarity to every pore and freckle in close-up. Truly, the characters have never looked so real and lovely. Hairs are well defined at the individual strand level, obvious even in shots that show all three but the focus is on one, rendering the others soft. Look at a fairly mundane, throwaway establishing shot of a high dollar massage parlor exterior in chapter four. It's a fleeting shot but a great example of the adds to both color punch -- the greens are to die for -- and the extreme increase in sharpness, rendering leaves and grasses vastly more clear and the structure in the background tack-sharp. These qualities hold in every single shot. This is a master work, a dazzling, dizzying display of UHD goodness for detail and color alike. Factor in the absolute absence of source or encode flaws and the flattering grain structure which adds the final filmic touch and this is a picture-perfect UHD presentation from Sony.

Charlie's Angels 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Charlie's Angels features a brand-new Dolby Atmos soundtrack. Dialogue is a bit shallow at reference level, and the entire track is likewise wanting for a little more volume. It's not awful, but it can stand a little more oomph. The track is certainly not wanting for full stage integration. Alex whips around some company employees in chapter eight with tremendous swoosh and front side stretch. Surrounds are prominently used throughout, for casual environmental detail or intense action immersion alike. Music is likewise wide and well detailed, folding in plenty of back channel goodness and a fair bit of low end muscle. An explosion in chapter 11 finds fair force and blowback through the stage, sending the Angels, and a lot of debris, through the listening area. But it's not super-intense. And neither is anything in the soundtrack. Dialogue is clear and center positioned, and with the volume turned up it sounds just fine, as does the rest of the track, including that aforementioned chapter 11 explosion. Just have that remote handy.

Charlie's Angels 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Charlie's Angels contains the bulk of its supplemental content on the bundled Blu-ray disc, which is identical to that which Sony released in 2010. Below is a list of what's included; please click here for full Blu-ray supplemental content coverage. The UHD disc includes a preview for the new film and a teaser and trailer for this film. This release also includes a Movies Anywhere Digital copy code. It also ships with a non-embossed slipcover.

UHD:

• Check Out the New Charlie's Angels (1080p, Dolby Digital 2.0, 2:16): Not a trailer but rather a scene from the film taking place at a horse racing track.
• Charlie's Angels Teaser Trailer (1080p, 1:31).
• Charlie's Angels Theatrical Trailer (1080p, 2:33).

• Audio Commentary: Director McG and Cinematographer Russell Carpenter.
• Deleted Scenes
• Outtakes & Bloopers
• Getting G'd Up
• The Master and the Angels
• Welcome to Angel World
• Angelic Attire: Dressing Cameron, Drew and Lucy
• Angelic Effects
• Wired Angels
• Music Videos
• Previews

Charlie's Angels 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Charlie's Angels holds up well enough as disposable entertainment with sex appeal. Also sexy is Sony's new 2160p/HDR transfer. It's a major enhancement to the film, a textural boon and a color explosion that serves the film extraordinarily well. It begs to be seen on a huge screen. The Atmos soundtrack could stand a little more vitality. A couple of brief new extras are included on the UHD disc while the bundled Blu-ray is identical to Sony's 2010 issue. Highly recommended. This release is also available in SteelBook packaging.