Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

Pokémon: Detective Pikachu 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

This review is focused on the UHD's 2160p/HDR video presentation. 'Pokémon: Detective Pikachu' was previously reviewed on 1080p Blu-ray. This two-disc set includes the same primary audio track as the Blu-ray and the bundled Blu-ray brings with it all of the supplements. See below for the UHD video review and links to the other content reviews as applicable.

Pokémon: Detective Pikachu 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc.

Detective Pikachu was shot on film and, according to IMDB, finished at 2K. The results on UHD are certainly pleasing to the eye, though audiences looking for a massive upgrade from the Blu-ray won't find it. Warner Brothers' UHD refines the image, using both the added resolution to 2160p over 1080p and the HDR colors as means of bettering the picture without substantially altering it. Textures enjoy modest increases in stability, visibility, and overall clarity. The picture is somewhat sharper in the aggregate, revealing both core details and background elements with improved precision. Humans and digital Pokemon models both find firmer definition to core aesthetics, such as skin details and fur, respectively. Clothes -- Tim's t-shirts, Pikachu's hat -- are likewise a little more tactile and refined. Dense urban areas around Ryme City enjoy more aggressive textures, even in many of the shadowy corners where the film's noir-inspired roots are most obvious. Grain appears with more refinement and finesse as well.

The HDR color spectrum offers a further refinement of the color palette. It's vital in tightening black levels and shadow details, which are hardly at any fault on the Blu-ray but do find more pleasantly deep and accurate shading on the UHD, if only talking in degrees rather than substantial alterations. Likewise, there's a pleasing contrast to so many of the bright neon signs and accents around the city which reveal more intense luminosity and pop against those more richly realized dark backdrops and shadows. Whites enjoy greater stability and crispness, appearing more dramatically intense on the UHD and a little less bold on the Blu-ray. Pikachu yellow appears slightly more refined but less showy, a deeper shade than the Blu-ray has on offer. There are plenty of good examples of color bursts throughout; a holographic display fills the screen and surrounds the characters at the 61-minute mark, for example, offering more intense blues and grays as the image assembles and as it stabilizes into a more lifelike reproduction for Tim and Pikachu to watch.

The presentation suffers from no obvious source or encode anomalies. It's a pleasing watch that betters the Blu-ray and is certainly the option to choose; it's just not a breathtaking, spectacular image either in comparison to the Blu-ray or against the best of the best on the UHD marketplace.

Pokémon: Detective Pikachu 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

For a full review of the film's superb Dolby Atmos audio experience, please click here.

Pokémon: Detective Pikachu 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This UHD release of Detective Pikachu contains no supplements on the UHD disc. The bundled Blu-ray includes the extras as outlined below. For full supplemental coverage, please click here. A Movies Anywhere digital copy code is included with purchase. This release ships with a non-embossed slipcover.

• Detective Mode
• My Pokémon Adventure
• Creating the World of Detective Pikachu
• Alternate Opening
• Mr. Mime's Audio Commentary
• Ryan Reynolds: Outside the Actor's Studio
• "Carry On" Music Video by Rita Ora & Kygo

Pokémon: Detective Pikachu 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Detective Pikachu is a fun movie of visual wonder but its story and execution leave a bit to be desired. It's hardly a fail, and as a game adaption it's rather good, but more polish and planning beyond the visuals would have made for a superior experience. Warner Brothers' UHD is of good quality, making incremental, but welcome, improvements over the Blu-ray. Details are sharper and colors more stable and rewarding. The UHD includes a first-class Atmos soundtrack and the bundled Blu-ray brings with it a fair allotment of bonus content. Recommended. This set is also available in SteelBook packaging.