Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

Spider-Man 3 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Sony has released all three of the Tobey Maguire/Sam Raimi 'Spider-Man' films to the UHD format with new 2160p/HDR-enhanced video and new Atmos audio. Many other small changes have been made to the Blu-ray discs included. These releases can be found in both the Best Buy exclusive Steelbook presentation as well as the DigiBook release. Read on for more on the new UHD presentations.

Spider-Man 3 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Spider-Man 3 completes the Tobey Maguire trifecta of Spider-Man films, and while this third installment is easily the worst of them, its UHD presentation is just as good as the others. The image, again sourced from a true 4K master from the original film elements, delivers a highly satisfying and often even breathtaking 2160p image. Grain retention is steady and largely unobtrusive beyond a few effects shots; it's complimentary and organic, precise and very enjoyable. Details are firm and steady, with all of the usual elements, such as complex skin and clothing textures, varied urban landscapes, and the Spider-Man suit (regular and dark alike) revealing incredible, fine-point texturing that finds a healthy increase over the very impressive Blu-ray struck from the 4K master. Even digital effects -- like Sandman in his sandy form -- reveal incredible precision, with viewers literally able to count grains of sand and practically able to feel them, too. The HDR-enhanced color palette offers a modest boost in depth and saturation. The image never betrays the core color scheme, offering only complimentary enhancing depth and vitality without fundamentally altering even minor elements. Black levels, particularly around the city at night, are magnificent. Skin tones are healthy and accurate. The image features no significant wear or encode issues. This is UHD bliss.

Spider-Man 3 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Spider-Man 3 sounds fantastic, and it's no easy task to pile on any new superlatives that haven't been mentioned before in the previous films' reviews. This Atmos soundtrack is indeed excellent, offering all of the usual components in perfect harmony. Music is sweeping and large, fully immersing the stage in rich, fluid details. Timidity is never a problem, and the low end is very strong and complimentary with its precision depth and dispersal. Effects whoosh through the stage, whether Spider-Man swinging about or more intensive pieces, like a crane slamming into a building at the 33-minute mark, followed by debris crashing down to the ground and seeming to come from the top end. The upper layer of sound offers some positive moments of stage domination, such as that mentioned prior, but for the most part it's a complimentary, added piece in better shaping music and environments and action with greater immersion and spacial precision. Once again, city atmospherics are impressively dense and detailed. Dialogue is always clear and center-focused. For sure, this is another wonderful Spider-Man Atmos soundtrack from Sony. Note that this disc features a much more expansive language and subtitle selection over both Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2; it also includes an "Alternate Score Version" presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1.

Spider-Man 3 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Spider-Man 3's 4K UHD disc contains no supplements beyond the usual Sony "cast and crew" photo tab and collection of categorized "moments:" (2160p/HDR/Atmos): The Symbiote, Villains, Spider-Man, and Amazing Fights. All other extras can be found on Blu-ray discs throughout the larger UHD set.

Spider-Man 3 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The oft-debated Spider-Man 3 is generally regarded as the "least" of the Tobey Maguire films, but still enjoys a few highlights. The UHD, however, is of reference quality. It is not currently available individually, instead only through the sets listed above.