5.7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
During World War II, an orphan named Peter is kidnapped by pirates and brought to the magical realm of Neverland. There, he discovers he is destined to save the land from the pirate Blackbeard.
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Levi Miller (II), Garrett Hedlund, Rooney Mara, Adeel AkhtarAdventure | 100% |
Fantasy | 78% |
Family | 66% |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby Atmos
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French (Canada): Dolby Digital 5.1
German: Dolby Atmos
German: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1
English: Dolby Digital 5.1
English DD 5.1=descriptive audio (all Dolby Atmos tracks have a Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit) core track)
English SDH, French, German SDH, Portuguese, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
UV digital copy
4K Ultra HD
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Of the four titles with which Warner Brothers has chosen to launch its venture into 4K, Pan is
the poor stepchild. The other three films—Mad Max: Fury Road, San Andreas and The LEGO
Movie—are bona fide hits guaranteed to whet the appetite of prospective upgraders, but Pan was
one of 2015's biggest flops (whether fairly or not is beside the point). The only possible incentive
to acquire Pan on UHD would be a quantum leap in image quality over Warner's Blu-ray (and,
preferably, its 3D release). Technophiles have been known
to acquire films of dubious quality
just for the "wow!" factor.
Unfortunately, Pan's UHD release isn't going to wow anybody, even the minority, like me, who
had something good to say about the film. The UHD disc is only a marginal upgrade over the
Blu-ray. Compared to the 3D version, it's a step backwards.
Pan did add a new wrinkle to my continuing UHD adventures. Midway through the film, my
Samsung UBD-K8500 player suddenly lost its connection with the Sony
XBR-75X940C display,
and the screen went blank. Re-selecting the appropriate HDMI input usually fixes this problem,
but this is the first time I have encountered it during playback. It typically occurs when the player
is switching from an introductory logo to a menu, or from a menu to the feature. HDCP 2.2 copy
protection is the likely culprit.
Screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc. Watch for 4K screenshots at a later date.
Note: The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc. Watch for 4K
screenshots at a later date.
Like the other films in Warner's initial UHD wave, Pan
was shot digitally, and it was finished on
a 2K digital intermediate. Except for an occasional shot, the up-converted 4K image does not
reveal superior detail or clarity, and the HDR encoding has done nothing to alter or enhance the
film's black levels and contrast. Pan has many dark sequences, beginning with the film's
opening, when Peter's mother deposits the infant on the orphanage steps, and continuing with the
entire first act in the orphanage, where the dim light and monochromatic palette are intended to
reflect the dull sadness of the orphans' existence. Scenes in Blackbeard's mines are almost as
dark, though with more color, and a number of key scenes in the wilds of Neverland appear
almost black-and-white (e.g., the journey by Peter, Hook and Tiger Lily to Mermaid Cove). I
approached Pan on UHD with the hope that HDR treatment would give these sequences darker
blacks, more refined contrast and an enhanced sense of depth, but no such improvements
appeared.
Where the HDR encoding provides a noticeable uptick in quality is in such wildly colorful
sequences as the gathering of Tiger Lily's tribe after they capture Hook and Peter or the battle
between the tribe and Blackbeard's pirates, with their weapons that fire a rainbow of explosive
rounds. As a general rule, the more brightly colored the scene in Pan, the more noticeable the
difference created by HDR. (Whether or not such a difference constitutes an accurate image or an
altered one is another matter.)
In my review of Pan's 3D release, I noted that
the film's visual design was obviously intended to
exploit the 3D format, and I was struck again on viewing the UHD version by the frequency with
which the flatter image achieves less of an impact. This isn't a situation like Mad Max: Fury
Road, where 4K upscaling and HDR coding sufficiently enhance the illusion of depth to
compensate for the loss of the third dimension. As an exciting visual experience, Pan's 3D disc
remains unsurpassed.
Pan's soundtrack was exciting and impressive when I listened to it in Dolby TrueHD 7.1, and it is even more so in Dolby Amos. Everything I previously praised about the mix still applies, but the height channels expand the sound field for even greater impact.
The UHD disc contains no extras. The included standard Blu-ray is identical to the previous release of Pan and contains the same supplements previously reviewed here.
I approached the UHD release of Pan with the hope that it might expand the film's audience to
include 4K early adopters, but I am disappointed to have to report that there's no special urgency
in acquiring the disc. If you already have the standard Blu-ray, the UHD won't provide a major
improvement. And if you want to see Pan in its best available presentation, get the 3D.
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Diamond Edition
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Exclusive Lenticular Packaging
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3-Disc Edition
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Ultimate Collector's Edition
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2-Disc Edition
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