Resident Evil: Retribution 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		1.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

Resident Evil: Retribution 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Sony has released Writer/Director Paul W.S. Anderson's video game adaptation film 'Resident Evil: Retribution' to the UHD format. New specifications include 2160p/HDR video and Dolby Atmos audio. The UHD contains two featurettes previously unreleased to Blu-ray and a new trailer while the bundled Blu-ray, identical to that which Sony released in 2012, includes the stable of legacy supplements. See below for a review of new content. The UHD is currently only available as part of a 'Resident Evil' franchise collection box set.

Resident Evil: Retribution 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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

Per IMDB, Resident Evil: Retribution was photographed at a resolution of 5K and finished at 2K. The digital photography enjoys a solid boost to clarity on this UHD, revealing an image that is slick, clean, and clear throughout, whether in bright and intense white plastic-y rooms or down in the bowels of sewers and subbasements and other dark and dank areas. There's a fairly wide range of surface details and backgrounds with which to work, and the UHD never stumbles in revealing each locale to its fullest. It's razor sharp at all turns, improving on the Blu-ray in that area with a firmer command of fine textures but also working in a fairly obvious boost to close-up skin, clothing, and foreground textures as well. Though it was shot digitally, there's a quality cinematic aesthetic about it.

Color depth is greatly improved, too. Blacks are one of the most obvious beneficiaries, tightening by a rather significant margin (a sequence in chapters 11 and 12 being a very good example) and presenting with a more dominant stance. Opposite, whites are brilliant with crisp punch and terrific luminance that delights, whether talking the massive white structure seen early in the film, snow later on, or even Alice's teeth and the whites of her eyes. Colors throughout the entire spectrum are pleasantly rich and bold, more prominently saturated compared to the Blu-ray. Bold explosions, bright red blood, blue lights, and numerous color bursts in city locations jump off the screen. The picture is free of distracting noise and clear of any encode artifacts. Sony's been nailing the Resident Evil UHDs, and Retribution is no exception.

Resident Evil: Retribution 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Sony's Dolby Atmos soundtrack is explosive, an epic home run of audio engineering that brings the marriage of extreme activity and lifelike detail to the listening area with a depth and breadth that's just about as balanced and enjoyable as anything else on the market. There are too many examples of the track's excellence to list. Most every action scene just oozes audio dominance, that is if one enjoys pushing sound systems to their limits. Prominent surround usage, prodigious subwoofer output, and superb sound imaging in the form of both discrete effects and those that travel through the stage come together with the utmost clarity even in the most extreme circumstances. Expect to be thrilled. It's not all about the extremes, though. The track brings with it some discrete overhead content, too, such as a computer voice saturating the stage around the 18-minute mark. Falling rain moments later in the "Tokyo Sequence" is another great example. Music matches for stretch, depth, and detail. So does dialogue. There's not a flaw to be found here; it's action movie audio bliss to the max.

Resident Evil: Retribution 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Resident Evil: Retribution's UHD disc includes three new extras while the bundled Blu-ray, which is identical to that which Sony released in 2012, brings over the legacy content.

UHD:

• Undead Retribution (1080p, 5:43): A closer look at zombie makeup and the challenges inherent to how they appear and how they are utilized in the franchise and in this film in particular.
• Evil Goes Global (1080p, 5:39): Seamlessly merging practical and digital elements to bring the film's locations and action scenes to life.
• Trailers (1080p): Included are Theatrical Trailer 1 (1:16) and Theatrical Trailer 2 (2:30).

• Audio Commentary: Writer/Director Paul W.S. Anderson and Actors Mila Jovovich and Boris Kodjoe.
• Audio Commentary: Writer/Director Paul W.S. Anderson and Producer Jeremy Bolt.
• Deleted & Extended Scenes
• Outtakes
• Project Alice: The Interactive Database
• Maestro of Evil: Directing Resident Evil: Retribution
• Evolving Alice
• Resident Evil: Reunion
• Design & Build: The World of Resident Evil: Retribution
• Drop (Un) Dead: The Creatures of Retribution
• Resident Stuntman
• Code: Mika
• Resident Evil: Retribution - Face of the Fan
• Capcom Game Trailers

Resident Evil: Retribution 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Retribution is arguably the worst film in the franchise but its UHD does not reflect that. Terrific 2160p/HDR video and reference audio, along with new extras, make this one fans will devour. Recommended.