Now You See Me 2 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

Now You See Me 2 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Despite not receiving much critical love upon its theatrical release (including by our own Brian Orndorf), Now You See Me 2 raked in considerable dough at the box office, suggesting that against considerable odds a new franchise may have been born. Lionsgate has brought the sequel out on 4K UHD.

Now You See Me 2 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc. Watch for 4K screenshots at a later date.

Now You See Me 2 is presented on 4K UHD courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an HEVC / H.265 encoded 2160p transfer in 2.40:1. This release provides a kind of interesting comparison opportunity with regard to the "standard" 1080p presentation, for while there's not that much of an overall uptick in detail and especially color nuance in the 4K UHD version, when there is a difference, it can be quite noticeable. This release suffers from some of the same anemic contrast I mentioned in our review of the 1080p Blu-ray, and in fact the kind of glowing purplish tint to some of the Macau scenes is even more pronounced here. The drab flesh tones I mentioned in the 1080p review are perhaps even slightly more prevalent here— look, for example, at the faces of the Horsemen as they prepare to "transport" down the tunnel which will eventually lead them to Macau and the almost blanched quality of the flesh tones is noticeable, and not necessarily in a good way. There is persistent judder, albeit rather minor at times, in lateral pans, as I've experienced in several 4K UHD presentations, and there's one near flirtation with aliasing during a crane shot where a fence outside of the Federal penitentiary where Bradley is housed is seen on the right side of the frame. Shadow definition is perhaps incrementally better in this version, with some of the Macau magic shop scenes offering a bit more detail, though elements like Bradley's black trench coat still tend to blend into the shadowy background. Some more mundane items like facial pores are dramatically improved in this presentation, especially in extreme close-ups. All told, this is a generally competent presentation that may fail to knock videophiles' socks off due at least in part to an inherent lack of really "wow" visual content. My score is 3.75.

Now You See Me 2 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 4K UHD disc sports the same Dolby Atmos track detailed in our Now You See Me 2 Blu-ray review. For the record, the 4K UHD also offers a French Dolby Digital 5.1 track that the 1080p Blu-ray does not.

Now You See Me 2 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Aside from Bookmarks (which I don't consider a "scorable" supplement), the 4K UHD disc has no bonus content, and the score above reflects that lack. The 1080p Blu-ray package included with this release has all of the supplements detailed in our Now You See Me 2 Blu-ray review.

Now You See Me 2 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

As I mentioned in our review of the standard Blu-ray release of this title, Now You See Me 2 may not in fact be totally magic, but it's an affable enough time killer if taken on its own unambitious terms. This new 4K UHD version is kind of the same—it's no barn burner, but it gets the job done. Those wanting to show off their new 4K UHD gear may want a title with at least slightly flashier video, but the audio on this release is top notch.