The Amazing Spider-Man 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.5

The Amazing Spider-Man 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Sony has released both of the Andrew Garfield 'Amazing Spider-Man' films to the UHD format with 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.

The Amazing Spider-Man 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Amazing Spider-Man certainly makes for a texturally different viewing experience when following up with it after watching the original three films on UHD, all of which were shot on film. Frankly, it's sort of jarring, and while this UHD looks spectacular, the visual alterations and drastic change in style are even easier to see. This movie has a fairly flat texturing to it, a mild glossiness, but even still it has some incredible deep, dense, and prominent details to display. Skin textures are very complex, capable of deep reveal, even under the vastly different visual circumstances compared to the original three films, including this one's pervasive darkness. Still, there's no mistaking the inherent complexity the image has on offer, which, by the way, was reportedly shot natively at 5K and finished at 4K. Clothing textures -- from Peter's ragged jackets to crisp lab coats -- look terrific. City textures aren't quite as dense as the older films, though the darkness has as much to do with that as anything. Oscorp interiors are sharp as a tack and overall clarity is striking. The HDR-enhanced color palette yields a satisfying depth and intensity. Even most of the best-lit scenes still push towards a darker, gray-dominant filtering. That said, the glossy (and it's very shiny) Spider-Man suit, which is also texturally alive and tangibly complex, produces impressively deep reds and blues, while other standout colors include taxi cabs and car tail lights at night. Black levels hold very deep. Skin tones lack the fullness of the previous films yet appear in-line with the movie's basic filtering. The newspaper bundle seen at the 1:20:00 mark shimmers, but other flaws aren't seriously noticeable. Note that the film was previously released on 1080p Blu-ray in a "Mastered in 4K" presentation that is likely the foundation for this transfer.

The Amazing Spider-Man 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Amazing Spider-Man's Dolby Atmos soundtrack excels in every area of concern. The track is unsparingly robust and capable, supporting a high-dollar Superhero venture that allows the format to stretch and deliver some intensive elements throughout. Music is wonderfully large. Fidelity never fails, whether considering crisp highs or room-shaking lows. Envelopment comes effortlessly, and even as the front end is the dominant end, the surrounds never want for any more engagement. The upper level sound layer also supports music, but its best moments are reserved for key sonic elements and general action support. Driving rain that saturates the stage early in the film offers a fair overhead component, but public address announcements coming through Oscorp speakers emanate from a distinct overhead position and nicely filter on downward to immerse the listener in the environment. Action scenes, of course, are full-on engaged as cars flip and fly around in chapter 10 to incredibly fluid and detailed movement. Large crashes, crunches, falling debris, the general din of aggressive action chaos in the final showdown saturates the stage with a seemingly endless barrage of sonic intensity that completely fills the stage and presents with pinpoint object accuracy and wide-reaching chaotic bliss. Dialogue is clear and detailed with firm front-center positioning, rounding a top-level soundtrack into reference-worthy form.

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

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

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

The Amazing Spider-Man is a solid reboot that's deep in origin and myth while introducing a new villain not seen before in any of the Tobey Maguire trio. The franchise would deteriorate with the sequel and end there, but Garfield is strong as Parker and this film is well made. Sony's UHD release features reference UHD video and Atmos audio. The disc is currently not available individually and can only be purchased through one of the two UHD sets linked above.