Pitch Perfect 2 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Pitch Perfect 2 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Universal has released the fan-favorite Musical Comedy sequel 'Pitch Perfect 2' to UHD with a new 2160p/HDR-enhanced picture in addition to a new DTS:X Master Audio soundtrack. No new supplements are included. The film originally released on Blu-ray in September 2015 to rave reviews for its picture and sound. How does this UHD stack up? Read on...

Pitch Perfect 2 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.

Universal's 2160p/HDR-enhanced presentation of Pitch Perfect 2 is very similar to that found on the first film's UHD. Like that one, this is a digitally photographed motion picture, finished at 2K, and it's stylistically very much the same sort of movie, featuring largely character-centered shots and plenty of bold colors on fabrics and across stage lights of varied tones. The HDR-enhanced colors offer a nice jump in depth, density, vibrancy, and saturation over the Blu-ray. As with Pitch Perfect on UHD, this sequel is a touch darker, the colors firmer, but certainly leaping off the screen with impressive intensity and accuracy, whether bolder clothing colors, of which there are many, or brilliantly bright stage lights of various colors, from blinding white spotlights to pink and blue accent illumination. The performances are a real treat as the colors leap off the screen with no shortage of brilliance to be enjoyed. Black levels are excellent, critical during some of the performances as they drown out the background and allow the brighter lights to truly shine. Skin tones are a hair warm but very natural and precise in revealing each actor's complexion.

Textural improvements are easy to spot, too. The image is sharp and clear enough to note that the resolution boost yields greater innate complexity to skin and clothes, and a comparison between this and the Blu-ray confirms that the UHD is capable of refining an already impressive image with more tangible, intimately reveling elements, particularly in close-up but even at medium distance and under any lighting condition, including sun-drenched exteriors or well illuminated stages. But for the improvements in texture -- which are more modest than they are striking -- it's the HDR colors that make the biggest difference. The image pops, effortlessly so, and combined with a noticeable reduction in noise as well as that improved sharpness, clarity, and stability, this UHD makes a fairly noticeable and very agreeable upgrade over the 1080p presentation.

Pitch Perfect 2 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Pitch Perfect 2's UHD release also enjoys an audio upgrade, transitioning from the old Blu-ray's 5.1 lossless track to a DTS:X presentation which suits the movie very well. As a film where sound is the key component -- vocals in particular -- this track's increased channel availability, not to mention capability in delivering near flawless clarity, allows the movie's sonic material to shine. As with the last film's DTS:X presentation, this one finds the precision in every voice, individually and collectively. There is no difficulty in making out every syllable and each note. Vocals never struggle to find natural front-center placement but also tend to expand, as the situation warrants, to yield a sense of total immersion into each song, where the vocalized beats envelop the listener.

The track opens up in the 10-minute mark when a microphone introduction emanates clearly from the back and the top. The sense of natural spatial volume is amazing; the listening area literally becomes a massive performance hall. A similar effect comes into play in chapter six as the German team makes its stage debut, and such wide-open, naturally diffused yet perfectly placed and prioritized elements dominate in essentially every major musical performance in the film. Indeed, beyond the impeccable vocal clarity and strongly defined instrumentals, it's definitely that seamless, large area sense of space the track consistently creates that is the major highlight. The top channels work harmoniously, though not often full-on discretely, to easily and effortlessly compliment the track's larger sound elements. Certainly a few musical beats -- a montage in chapter seven -- lack the same level of vitality as most other components, but this is otherwise a wonderful example of well arranged immersive positioning and large area open space. Dialogue is clear and well prioritized and positioned. Mild location-specfic atmospherics ease the listener into various locales not dominated by music. This is a wonderful track that is the perfect compliment to the movie; it's practically reason enough to upgrade from the Blu-ray.

Pitch Perfect 2 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Pitch Perfect 2's UHD disc carries over the commentary track from the Blu-ray (bundled, identical to the 2015 release). For convenience, below is a list of what's included on that disc. For full supplemental reviews, please click here. A Movies Anywhere digital copy code is included with purchase.

• Bonus Song Performed by The Treblemakers
• Extended Musical Performances
• Das Sound Machine Finale Breakdown
• Deleted/Extended/Alternate Scenes
• Gag Reel
• Line-Aca-Rama
• Green Bay Rap
• Elizabeth Banks' Directorial Debut
• The Bellas Are Back
• Aca-Camp
• The Making of the Riff-Off
• The World Championships of A Cappella
• Snoop Is in the House
• Residual Heat Internship
• An Aca-Love Story: Bumper and Fat Amy
• Legacy: Hailee Steinfeld
• Audio Commentary

Pitch Perfect 2 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Pitch Perfect 2 doesn't take itself even the least bit serious. That's a necessary approach considering that, at its core, the film lacks even a smidgen of creativity. It gets by on its cast camaraderie and endless flow of humor, which helps mask the very much cliché story details through which the movie maneuvers. Fans of the original should enjoy this follow-up considering that it maintains a core approach from which it never deviates. Universal's UHD release of Pitch Perfect 2 offers a pleasing upgrade to picture and sound alike. No new bonuses are included, but the carryover material is just fine. Recommended.