Men in Black 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

Men in Black 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Note: 'Men in Black' is currently only available on UHD as part of a three-film collection.

Men in Black 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.

Fans are in for a major treat. Men in Black is the latest Sony UHD release of a catalogue, shot-on-film movie that looks gorgeous in 4K and truly demonstrates what the format is capable of achieving. There's precious little, if any, room for disappointment. The image looks stellar from beginning to end. Dated digital effects shots stand out but the film proper is beautiful. Grain retention is consistent but light and very complimentary, more pronounced than the previous Blu-ray but offering a high-yield cinematic flavor to the image. Details are incredibly crisp, significantly more refined compared to the dated Blu-ray counterpart. Textural bounties can be found in skin close-ups, super-crisp clothing lines, and all environments, whether the busy morgue, the messy farmhouse, dense city streets, or the cleaner and sleeker lines in MiB headquarters; no matter where the movie may go, superior textural qualities follow. Take a look at Vincent D'Onofrio's character's clothes; the UHD reveals significantly finer, and very clearly defined, flaws and fabric details that the Blu-ray cannot comparatively deliver. The HDR color presentation is a major asset. Even as there's a fair bit of silver, metallic, and urban gray in the film, the contrast of more punchy colors is much more obvious. The palette is refined and nuanced. Will Smith's red jacket that he wears to his exam is one of the best examples of the finesse that the HDR color scheme delivers. Nothing is betrayed or altered; this is just a noticeably more punchy and detailed presentation. Low light background black levels could stand to tighten up a smidgen, but the MiB suits looks terrific, and amongst the best color in the movie is the simple bright and crisp white shirts that contrast with the black suit jackets and matching neckties. There are a couple of horizontal lines across a cow to begin chapter three; they're present on the Blu-ray, too, but more pronounced on the UHD. Overall, though, UHD doesn't get much better than this.

Men in Black 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Men in Black's Dolby Atmos soundtrack is spectacular. It's impressively -- borderline insanely, in a few places -- large, never shy about filling the stage with perfectly balanced but ultra intensive and aggressive sound elements. Music never wants for greater power or spacing. It's efficiently distributed all over the stage, front dominant of course but never shying away from hefty surround usage and subwoofer support. Clarity is precise and even through the most aggressive beats and combined with big action, there's never a drop-off in nuance and subtle detail. Action follows suit, dominating every inch of the stage with impressively pronounced bass and large-scale envelopment. The added rear and overhead speakers allow for much more accurate placement and distribution of debris, concussive blasts, and other elements that shape the movie's most chaotic action sequences. Alien craft crashes near the beginning and end are wonderful, both engaging the top end, the former in particularly seeming to zip right overhead just before it crashes in the back. The feeling of total immersion and precision excellence is evident throughout. Support elements are likewise wonderful. Big, whirring industrial fans heard in chapter four offer a perfectly hefty sense of full-stage rushing power, while light but critical city din, office bustling, and other smaller sounds add realism to the proceedings. Dialogue is of course firm and clear. This is an A-grade, reference-worthy Atmos soundtrack that fans are going to love as much as the top-flight 4K picture quality.

Men in Black 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Men in Black's UHD disc contains no supplements beyond the standard Sony cast and crew still photo tab and collection of categorized highlight "moments" (2160p/HDR/Atmos), here including Agent Jay, Agent Kay, Edgar, and The Aliens. All of the core supplemental content can be found on the bundled Blu-ray, which is identical to the 2008 release. For convenience, below is a list of what's included. For full supplement reviews, please click here.

• Audio Commentary: Telestrator commentary with Director Barry Sonnenfeld and Tommy Lee Jones.
• Audio Commentary: Director Barry Sonnenfeld and Tommy Lee Jones.
• Intergalactic Pursuit: The MIB Multi-Player Trivia Game
• Ask Frank the Pug!
• Extended and Alternate Scenes
• Metamorphosis of Men in Black
• Original Featurette
• Visual Effects Scene Deconstruction
• Character Animation Studies
• Creatures: Concept to Completion
• Galleries
• Storyboard Comparisons
• Scene Editing Workshop
• Music Video: "Men in Black."
• Men in Black Trailers
• Previews

Men in Black 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Men in Black's UHD release offers incredible picture and sound; fans are going to be delighted with Sony's latest 4K offering. No new extras are included, but the package does port over the old 2008 BD, which is feature-rich. Highly recommended.