5.7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 1.5 | |
Overall | 1.5 |
With his family's life at stake, Joseph Steadman finds himself the unwilling test subject of a maniacal scientist in a battle that could save the world, or destroy it.
Starring: Ron Eldard, Jordan Danger, Jade Tailor, Austin Stowell, Colm FeoreSci-Fi | 100% |
Action | 15% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
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)
English SDH, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
4K Ultra HD
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 1.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 1.5 |
Magnolia Home Entertainment has chosen Higher Power to be its second release on UHD, and it's a bad choice. Unlike Marrowbone, which showed small but definite improvement from 4K/HDR treatment, director Matthew Santoro's feature debut derives no benefit from the upgrade—which is no surprise given the distorted nature of the source material.
(Note: Screenshots accompanying this review have been captured from the standard Blu-ray.
Additional 1080p captures from that disc can be found here.)
As discussed in the standard Blu-ray review, nearly every
frame of Higher Power has been
heavily manipulated in post-production, draining (for the most part) the image of color, reducing
the resolution and deliberately introducing distortion and interference for a variety of reasons.
Why anyone thought that it would be a good idea to uprez these images from their already
downgraded state is a mystery, but the result is a UHD disc that is effectively indistinguishable
from its 1080p counterpart. There's no more detail to see; the colors aren't more intense; the
blacks aren't darker or subtler; and the highlights aren't any brighter. If you pop the standard Blu-ray into your player by accident, you probably
won't notice the difference, and if you correctly
insert the UHD disc, you may be pardoned for thinking that you've mistakenly selected the
1080p disc. Higher Power on UHD is a waste of the format and worth neither your time nor your
additional expenditure.
[System calibrated for UHD using (a) a Klein K-10A Colorimeter with a Custom Profile made in
CalMAN using a Colorimetry Research CR250 Spectroradiometer; (b) Murideo Fresco SIX-G
UHD signal generator with HDR10 and Dolby Vision capability; and (c) SpectraCal CalMAN
Software v. 5.8.2.85. Calibration performed by Kevin Miller of ISFTV.]
The 4K disc features the same Dolby Atmos track previously reviewed.
The extras on the 4K disc, such as they are, largely match the skimpy offerings on the standard
Blu-ray, with the blessed omission of the useless BD-Live
feature.
I couldn't recommend Higher Power on Blu-ray, and I can't recommend it on 4K. It's a bad film
in either format, and UHD does nothing for it.
(Still not reliable for this title)
2014
Director's Cut Standard Edition
1987
2008
2003
Limited Edition / Reprint
2018
Warner Archive Collection
1983
2014
2015
2009
2015
2005
Защитники / Zashchitniki
2017
2018
Autómata
2014
1995
2001
2024
2008
1999
Theatrical & Unrated Cuts
1972