Sully 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.5

Sully 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

IMAX Manqué

Warner Brothers has missed an opportunity with its UHD rendition of Sully. The film was released to theaters in two aspect ratios, 2.39:1 for standard projection and 1.9:1 for IMAX presentation, the latter with more image at top and bottom and additional color grading for the large-screen format. Warner should have provided the IMAX version on its 4K disc, thereby allowing consumers to experience both versions. Unfortunately, Sully's UHD presentation retains the 2.39:1 ratio of the accompanying standard Blu-ray.

Sully 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Sully joins the still-too-short list of 4K discs sourced from 4K digital intermediates, but it has stiff competition from the standard Blu-ray presentation, which is excellent. In direct comparison, Warner's 2160p, HEVC/H.265-encoded UHD reveals further refinements in fine detail. To take just one example, in a hotel room hours after being rescued, Sully removes a souvenir fortune-cookie fortune from his water-logged wallet and stares for a moment at the now-prescient epigram: "A delay is better than a disaster." On the 4K disc, the faded script is noticeably sharper and more distinct. Similar enhancements can be found throughout the disc, and their cumulative effect is to make an already hyper-realistic image even more vivid. Modest HDR grading contributes to the impact, selectively intensifying highlights in numerous scenes, especially those in the cockpit and exterior shots of the water landing and subsequent rescue. The combination of increased resolution and HDR encoding makes an already superb image even better.

[Viewed on a system calibrated using a Klein K10-A Colorimeter with a custom profile created with a Colorimetry Research CR250 Spectraradiometer, powered by SpectraCal CalMAN 2016 5.7, using the Samsung Reference 2016 UHD HDR Blu-ray test disc authored by Florian Friedrich from AV Top in Munich, Germany. Calibration performed by Kevin Miller of ISFTV.]

Sully 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Sully's 4K presentation retains the same exceptional Dolby Atmos track that has already been reviewed.

Sully 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

As usual, the 4K disc has no extras. The accompanying standard Blu-ray has the extras listed here.

Sully 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Sully's UHD rendition offers a small but noticeable upgrade over the Blu-ray, but the Blu-ray is so good that anyone who chooses to stay with 1080p should not feel deprived. Now, if Warner ever decides to reissue the film at 4K resolution in IMAX ratio, that would be a must-buy.