IMAX: Extreme Nature Collection 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		0.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

IMAX: Extreme Nature Collection 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman October 20, 2016

Universal's UHD three-film collection places a trio of documentaries onto one disc, covering great white sharks, the last great ice age, and antarctic penguins. None of these films have been previously released to Blu-ray, making this an early UHD format exclusive. Note that, while presented in 2160p resolution, none of the films feature HDR color enhancement. Also of note are 5.1 lossless audio tracks for each film, but no object-based sound option. No extras are included. Read on for summaries of each film and picture and sound overviews.

The following films comprise Extreme Nature Collection:

• Great White Shark (40:35): This film follows the evolution and present state of and future outlook for the Great White Shark. Beyond exploring the sharks' physical construction, feeding habits, and migratory patterns, the film looks at man's interactions with sharks -- hunting them for their fins and tracking them for science -- as well as conservation efforts. The film also briefly examines the creature's rise to stardom in popular culture as a result of Jaws and how the creature's natural immunities could help man further down the line. Score: 4.0/5.0
• Titans of the Ice Age (38:04): Though the film explores, though not in great detail, the mammoth and the sabertooth cat, it's predominantly focused on the science of climate change and how the ice age of 20,000 years ago came to be: what caused it, what ended it, and whether it could happen again. The film also explores fossilized remains of now-extinct creatures that have been discovered, and are being unearthed, in California's La Brea Tar Pits. The film features a number of digitally created creatures including the mammoth and the sabertooth cat. The former looks rather convincing, the latter not so much. Score: 3.0/5.0
• Antarctica on the Edge (36:45): This film tells the story of the most remote, unforgiving, and frigid place on Earth. It explores another side of the continent, however, including its beautiful side, sometimes bathed in 24-hour sunlight, and home to one of the most fascinating ecosystems on Earth. The film examines some of the life native to the region -- penguins and seals -- living on its more life-sustaining fringes rather than its inhospitable interior. Also examined is the continent's history as, one time, part of a much larger land mass and home to a more habitable environment. The film also focuses on the history of exploration to Antarctica, scientific work being performed in multinational outposts there today, and the how a warming trend is altering Antarctica's ecosystem and what that might mean for the future of the planet. Score: 4.0/5.0

IMAX: Extreme Nature Collection 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Extreme Nature Collection is an odd duck UHD release in that it lacks HDR coloring. Users who pop in the disc after watching, say, Everest or Ghostbusters will be shocked to find an image that pushes drastically red. At least on the TV used for this review, that means going into settings and switching to a different picture mode that doesn't utilize HDR. There. Much better. With that in mind, all that really makes this disc special is the uptick in raw resolution to 4K/2160p. Below is a brief review of each film's video presentation.

• Great White Shark: The majority of the movie takes place underwater, where aquatic density and the relative lack of color spread beyond shades of blue and gray can pose a challenge, but not here. Clarity is striking and detail very strong underwater, where even small floating particles are very well defined, not to mention sharks and other creatures swimming about. The image shines on the surface, whether on water or land. Sandy beaches and rocky formations appear immaculately sharp. Even looking down on the water's surface, the brilliant clarity is as lifelike as water has ever really looked on home video. Colors are very good, with the greatest diversity coming in human clothes and rock formations on land. Water is brilliant both on the surface and down below, even if it's mostly monochromatic with only subtle variations on the same shade. The image shows a couple of very brief bouts of macroblocking and a hint of noise, but overall it's a winning picture that, even without HDR color, shows off what 4K can do. Score: 4.5/5.0
• Titans of the Ice Age: As with the previous film, the 2160p presentation is gorgeous with little room for complaint. Clarity is its most striking asset. The real-life locations, animals, and humans are alive with finely revealing intimate textures on landscapes, fur, and clothing. Some tar pit close-ups are amazingly detailed and dense with the gooey black substance, as well as some of the debris contained therein. Graphics -- particularly some digital images of an ice-covered Earth where the black space, white ice, and blue waters juxtapose nicely -- are sharp and well detailed. Digital animals look fine, though are limited to the graphical fidelity of the source. Colors are pleasantly natural, and even without HDR support there's little room for complaint or any real instances where saturation isn't striking or shades vibrant. Score: 4.0/5.0
• Antarctica on the Edge: Another very sharp, clear, and exacting UHD image. Antarctica on the Edge might be the nicest looking of the three. Textural wonders abound, particularly on jagged blocks of ice and rocky land formations along the Antarctic coast. Close-ups of penguins and seals reveal beautiful fur textures that are amongst the most precise ever seen on home video; it's only a shame the camera doesn't liger longer. Broader image clarity is superb, and the image is so rich and lifelike one practically wants to throw on a jacket and jump through the screen to experience the world depicted in the movie. Colors are very good, too. The absence of HDR is most noticeable here with the red and blue jackets and red and yellow kayaks. They're very bright and showy but somehow feel a little less bold and organic than they could be. Still, this is a beautiful image and worth the price of disc admission alone. Score: 4.5/5.0.

IMAX: Extreme Nature Collection 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

If the video is an odd duck for a UHD release, then Extreme Nature Collection's lack of Atmos or DTS:X sound makes it...a bit more of an odd duck, though certainly not as immediately obvious as the absence of HDR color enhancement. As a collection of nature programs, the audio selection is fine and compliments the movies well. Below is a brief review of each film's audio presentation.

• Great White Shark: The 5.1 lossless track can be very aggressive. Music over the opening titles is arguably a bit too amplified and over engineered, spilling out of the back channels with too much volume that leaves the stage feeling unbalanced. Music throughout the program offers much the same, but tends to dial back a hair. Surface atmospherics are pleasing; gently rolling waters and seagulls dot the sonic landscape with natural placement and clarity. Rain and thunder effortlessly fill the stage, briefly, around the 24-minute mark. Underwater shots feature a nice sense of pressure and depth surrounding the listener (this is where overhead object sound would have benefited the track). Narration is clear and detailed with natural front-center placement. Score: 4.0/5.0
• Titans of the Ice Age: The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack opens with gusty winds seamlessly, and fully, pushing through the soundstage. It's very well balanced and clear and a nice tone setter for the rest of the program. Music, on the other hand and as with the previous feature, can be fairly aggressive to the point of bordering on excess. Growls are piercing and sharp in the sabertooth cat segments. Narration is clear and focused with well delivered articulation and prioritization. Score: 4.0/5.0
• Antarctica on the Edge: Music is much more balanced in Antarctica on the Edge, playing more often underneath and in support of dialogue and narration rather than booming from all corners of the stage. It's still pleasantly heavy and up-front when necessary, but the track is much more evenly distributed here. Supportive details are gently immersive, too, including animal sounds, drifting waters, and light winds. Narration and dialogue drive much of the film, however, and both are nicely clear and detailed, though there's an occasional sense of mild drift away from center and slightly toward the right-front speaker (right when facing the screen). It's not a huge deal, but it could use a little nudge back to the middle. Score: 4.0/5.0

IMAX: Extreme Nature Collection 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

No supplemental content is included. The main menu begins with three tiles to select any of the films in the set, which then transfers to a new, movie specific page that offers only options for basic selections: Chapters, Audio, Subtitles, and a Select Movie tab.

IMAX: Extreme Nature Collection 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Extreme Nature Collection doesn't look like a "true" UHD experience when reading the spec sheet. With the absence of both HDR colors (which some may understandably find to be a blessing rather than a curse) and no object-based surround sound, it feels almost like a half-product, but it only takes a few moments to realize that UHD -- HDR or not -- is a natural home for these films. They sparkle, even in tough underwater sequences in Great White Shark. The 5.1 lossless audio is great, too, maybe a little over engineered but very enjoyable and complimentary to the experience. Nature doc fans and UHD owners should find this to be a terrific value and quality viewing experience. Recommended.