7.6 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Bond has left active service. His peace is short-lived when his old friend Felix Leiter from the CIA turns up asking for help, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology.
Starring: Daniel Craig, Léa Seydoux, Rami Malek, Lashana Lynch, Ralph FiennesAction | 100% |
Adventure | 87% |
Thriller | 32% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby Atmos
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: Dolby Digital Plus 7.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital Plus 7.1
English SDH, French, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Three-disc set (2 BDs, 1 DVD)
Digital copy
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Much has been made of No Time to Die as the closing the chapter on Daniel Craig's tenure as James Bond, and the star goes out with a bang in the latest cinema installment of the Ian Fleming-created series, this one directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga (Jane Eyre, Beasts of No Nation). No Time to Die is every bit the quintessential modern Bond film, following the qualities and characteristics for the edgier yet also more human side of the 007 coin established with Casino Royale which introduced Craig's Bond and a new era for the storied franchise. This film serves as something of a bridge to the future, introducing a new 007 alongside Craig's character who comes out of retirement to once again save the world but also save a piece of his soul.
Universal brings No Time to Die to Blu-ray with a visually resplendent 1080p transfer. While the companion UHD offers the superior image, the Blu-ray is wonderful in its own right and reaches format zenith for textural definition and color reproduction excellence. The picture is razor-sharp, supremely clear and clean, and efficiently encoded; even approaching three hours in length there's not a trace of encode artifacts to be found. The picture is free of any source anomalies, too; the picture could not be more perfect in this arena. It's tack-sharp as well, revealing complex skin and clothing textures with faultless accuracy. The varied environments are likewise the beneficiaries of the image's elite clarity, from dense jungles to complex urban areas. Color reproduction is spot-on as well, yielding intensely bright and brilliant primaries. Bond's blue eyes dazzle, blue skies and waters delight, natural greens are full and rich, and various examples of bright clothing pack quite the tonal punch. Whites are bright and crisp and blacks are deep and honest. Blu-ray doesn't get much better than this; this is every bit the perfect picture audiences should expect of a new release from a top studio of one of the year's biggest films. No surprises here.
The Dolby Atmos soundtrack may not shake the theater to its core, but it will certainly stir up some excellent audio cues. The track does offer aggressive bass, but also balanced bass, offering wonderfully complimentary depth to music and action effects alike. The opening theme has never sounded so rich and lush, perfectly tuned and completely saturating through the entire stage. It's 007 score bliss. Action scenes are a delight for intensity and full stage engagement. When a car is peppered by gunfire partway through the film, the barrage of bullets emanates from every corner of the listening area and the impacts hit bulletproof glass with incredible depth and power. Every action scene follows suit for intensity and clarity, for full stage engagement and low end support. Atmospheric effects are richly realized and seamlessly integrated. The top end is used more in support rather than as a vehicle for a steady diet of discrete effects. A few such discrete delights are heard throughout, like a helicopter flying overhead in the 111 minute mark, but expect the track to offer more of a balanced approach to top layer integration. Dialogue is clear and well prioritized, flowing from a natural front-center position.
Universal only delivered the 4K UHD release of No Time to Die for review. That is a two-disc set with the UHD and Blu-ray feature film discs.
There are no
supplements on the Blu-ray, so I can only presume that all of the extras from the UHD, minus a lone UHD exclusive, are included on a second Blu-ray
disc. Below is a list of what should be included on that bonus disc; if there is incorrect information please let me know.
No Time to Die exemplifies the modern Bond epic. It's got everything, from adrenaline charged action to intimate character drama and all of the grittiness and teeth audiences have come to expect from the Daniel Craig franchise films. Universal's Blu-ray is likewise very good, yielding excellent video and audio presentations as well as a smattering of supplements. Highly recommended.
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