Doctor Strange 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Doctor Strange 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Disney has released 2016's Marvel Cinematic Universe film 'Doctor Strange' to the UHD format. New specifications include 2160p/HDR video and a Dolby Atmos soundtrack. No new extras are included, but the bundled Blu-ray, identical to that which released in 2017, carries over the legacy supplemental content. Note that the included Blu-ray is 2-D only; the 3-D disc has not been made available in this collection.

Doctor Strange 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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

This is a very nice UHD image, typical of Disney's latest MCU 4K wave. Doctor Strange's 2160p/HDR presentation appears clean and efficient, sharp and revealing beyond anything the Blu-ray can offer. Transformative? No, but it's certainly crisp and impeccably detailed to a point where the essential improvements are obvious even prior to conducting a comparison. Some of the showiest moments come very early in the film when Doctor Strange is performing surgery and taking the opportunity to play a little musical identification game on the side with one of the professionals in the room. The clarity of the scrubs, the fine stitching and pores on the mesh facemarks, the metallic instruments, and the clean and sterile support accents in the room are beautifully revealed. The following surgical procedure, in which Strange removes a bullet from a man's head, shows more skin in a few shots and bloody gauze in close-up, both with striking definition that reveals the natural and material elements fully and efficiently. On the flip side, the UHD does show extremely minor banding along hospital corridor walls in the following shot when Strange and Palmer talk up work thereafter. The movie carries on for the duration across a diverse number of locations from around the world and about environments that are both real and digital artificial. The UHD's boosted clarity and textual sharpness are stalwarts throughout the program. There are no downturns even in challenging lighting conditions or any less-than-ideal visual environment. The picture is tack-sharp, clean, and impeccably clear for the entire experience.

The image is further bolstered by the HDR color spectrum. The movie appears a bit darker than the Blu-ray overall but the trade-off is a deeper, more dependably accurate and sure color spectrum, as well as more perfectly defined blacks and more authentic warm conditions. In chapter five, when Strange explores the Astral Plane, and other amazing places, in a brief sojourn beyond the limitations of anything he's known or previously imagined, the HDR colors offer the first example of the fantastic. The brightness through a broad spectrum of intense hues is to die for, a striking example of HDR's boosts to luminance and tonal subtly and perfection, allowing the scene to explode well beyond mere color and truly transport the viewer into another realm beyond anything the Blu-ray could ever offer. The orange magical conjures and constructs are the more accessibly and regularly seen examples of color dazzle. Clothes are firmly and fully colored, skin tones are healthy and reflective of any lighting condition, and black levels are stellar. Disney's UHD makes for a fine overall improvement over the Blu-ray.

Doctor Strange 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

With Disney's Dolby Atmos soundtrack for Doctor Strange, there's certainly a feel for sound compression, at least in part of the range. As the buildings weightily shift around in the opening action scene, there's not much feel for powerful movement within a wide range. There is subwoofer output but not a feel for harmonious, perfectly defined detail within the larger spectrum. Music does play with a bit more well-rounded definition through the range, and the car crash that sets the story in motion finds some good movement as the vehicle rolls and low end definition as it slams into various surfaces that sets its occupant on a new life path. The track is, overall, in good, though not great, command of its wares. It clearly wants in places but sounds pleasantly robust and accurate in others. There is certainly no shortage of surround integration and wide berth front end stretch. A number of elements, from subtle atmospherics to potent action, stretch the stage's limits and then some, which includes some positive, though usually supportive, overhead engagement. Dialogue is clear and center focused. It's always audible and prioritized even in the midst of surrounding chaos.

Doctor Strange 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Doctor Strange's UHD disc contains no supplemental content. The bundled Blu-ray, which is identical to that which Disney released back in 2017, brings over all of this package's extras. See below for a list of what's included and please click here for more coverage. A Movies Anywhere digital copy code is included with purchase. This release ships with an embossed slipcover.

• A Strange Transformation
• Strange Company
• The Fabric of Reality
• Across Time and Space
• The Score-Cerer Supreme
• Marvel Studios Phase 3 Exclusive Look
• Team Thor: Part 2
• Deleted & Extended Scenes
• Gag Reel
• Audio Commentary

Doctor Strange 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Doctor Strange's UHD release delivers the goods. The 2160p/HDR video transfer is a cut above, albeit nothing particularly special in the greater 4K scheme. But it does yield a nice improvement over the existing Blu-ray. The Atmos soundtrack remains problematic but it's not a disaster by any means. No new extras are included. Recommended.