5.1 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
The Smurfs team up with their human friends to rescue Smurfette, who has been kidnapped by Gargamel since she knows a secret spell that can turn the evil sorcerer's newest creation - creatures called the Naughties - into real Smurfs.
Starring: Hank Azaria, Neil Patrick Harris, Brendan Gleeson, Jayma Mays, Katy PerryFamily | 100% |
Animation | 82% |
Fantasy | 70% |
Comedy | 68% |
Comic book | 23% |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: Dolby Atmos
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
English, English SDH, French, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
UV digital copy
4K Ultra HD
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
The future is here! Sony has released its first wave of UHD Blu-ray (4K/3840x2160p resolution) discs. We've posted a companion article
detailing the UHD upgrade experience here. Watch for more reviews for these Sony UHD Blu-rays in the coming days
and, of course, Blu-ray.com will be covering every UHD release in the future.
"I see more detail. How about you?"
The Smurfs 2 was digitally photographed and finished at a 4K, which is presumably the source for this UHD Blu-ray.
Sony's 2160p/HDR UHD release of The Smurfs 2 does what a great UHD title should do, and that's make a reference quality 1080p transfer
all
the more impressive. Certainly, the most immediate area of interest for this particular movie isn't the boost in detail but rather the boost in color.
Can the
Smurfs really look any more blue? Not really. Blue is blue is true, but as with other colors in movies like Chappie and The Martian, the improvement comes in refinement, a deeper and
fuller saturation
that this release's HDR (High Dynamic Range) color gamut offers over traditional 1080p Blu-ray. It's not a revelation, just an increase in this
release's ability to offer a more
precisely rendered shading, here one created in the digital realm, not photographed in the real world and adjusted in post production. The same may
be said of green grasses and other colors throughout the movie, such as a scene taking place in a candy shop. There's a bit more pure pop, but the
movie's most impressive uptick is actually its detail rather than its color.
Wow. The movie's UHD looks really great, but one can't really appreciate just how great it looks without comparing it to the 1080p Blu-ray,
also included in this release. Most immediately evident are the Smurfs' clothes. There's a fairly substantial uptick in raw resolution on the finest
garment lines, whether the traditional white Smurf pants and hats or Papa Smurf's red hat and pants. Look at a scene in which Papa Smurf holds a
few crystals around the 22:00 mark. On the Blu-ray, his hat and pants show some nice basic texturing -- little seams and frays -- but their true
complexities are
revealed on the UHD disc. The very finest fabric lines and stitches are more clearly delineated, and at a level of vast improvement. There are
areas where the clothes go appreciably flat on the 1080p Blu-ray where there's instead significantly more definition on the UHD. Pause both at
the 22:15 mark and compare the top of his hat, which is hanging down at forehead level. Likewise, fine
little strands of material hanging off give it a palpable, tactile texture, a texture that's far sharper and more individually detailed on the UHD. Much
the same can be said of Gargamel's ratty old robe. On 1080p Blu-ray,
it's
nicely revealing of the broader fabric texturing, all the little frayed edges and small tears. The UHD presents it with much more attention to the
finest details. Also obvious is a more refined shading of black, which is
also noticeable on a carriage interior around the 6:30 mark. Neil Patrick Harris' heavily textured sweater seen at 28:44 is more complex than it is on
1080p Blu-ray, but perhaps more notable in the same shot is the improvement in raw facial features, another example where the Blu-ray kind of
glosses over the finest details
while the UHD reveals all with significantly more precision. Paris city streets are bursting with gorgeous detail and remarkable clarity.
Also of note is the transfer's ability to finely resolve black levels and skin tones. Further, no banding, noise, aliasing, ringing, or macroblocking are
present. The problem with a movie, and dueling Blu-ray/UHD transfers, like The Smurfs 2 is that there's some merit to "well, the
Blu-ray already looks great!" That statement usually didn't hold much water when comparing DVD to Blu-ray, disregarding any of the shoddier
Blu-ray releases. The room for improvement was very obvious with the 480p picture and the jump to 1080p was drastic. Just watching The
Smurfs 2 on Blu-ray offers up no room for complaint -- it's a five-star transfer, easy -- but the UHD is an improvement. Colors are finer
and richer, details are noticeably more intricate and intimate. Yet it's still a refinement, not a revelation. That doesn't diminish the UHD in any way --
so far it's the one to own for purely technical reasons -- but with a 1080p transfer so good, the sell up might be a little more of a challenge.
But for those up to taking it, The Smurfs 2 is a great place to start. Videophiles won't be disappointed.
Sony's UHD Blu-ray release of The Smurfs 2 arrives with a Dolby Atmos soundtrack, leaving behind the previous Blu-ray release's DTS-HD
Master
Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. This review is based on a 7.1.4 setup, which is the "traditional" seven-channel plus subwoofer configuration with the
addition of four "object" or "overhead" speakers to the mix. It begins a little slow, but the track's overhead activity, and indeed its more traditional
seven
channel immersion, impress enough to label it an early reference Atmos soundtrack. Various scenes offer a robust and immediately noticeable sense
of
upper immersion that makes for a nice blend of "seamless integration" and "obvious effect." At 16:00, Gargamel's portal swirls around above and
falls down, mixing nicely with the surrounding details flowing from the other speakers to create a well defined bubble effect rather than just forced in
sound from the height speakers. Minutes later, Smurfette is captured and, again, more obvious object activity engulfs the listening area. When
Gargamel is introduced at the theater,
the
announcer's voice seems to emanate from well above the listening position and offers a naturally wide spread reflective of the scene's cavernous
auditorium environment. At 42:15, cars swoosh by from a Smurf's perspective which allows for a very heavy pass through the overhead speakers. A
flock of pigeons takes flight at the 50:25 mark and the listener can practically feel them flapping upwards. Best of all, however, is when a giant ferris
wheel becomes detached from its base and rolls down the street. From the 1:09:45 mark, listeners will practically want to dive out of its way as it
rumbles
right through the listening area, its weight seeming to crash down from atop, not just push from front to back. This Atmos track has been very
smartly engineered and
rivals, if not surpasses, Goosebumps as the most family-friendly and active Atmos track on
the market.
As for the track's other qualities, it's very reflective of the excellent DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack that accompanied the previous
1080p
Blu-ray release. Music is effectively spaced and polished. Every note is clear and bass is authoritative without going overboard, evident particularly in
a
few lines from Fort Minor's Remember the Name. Most of the major sound effects make good use of the added height speakers, but
precision
sound definition is maintained throughout. Dialogue delivery is perfectly prioritized and naturally placed in the center channel.
While The Smurfs 2 contains no new "supplements" on the UHD disc, it does offer a slick new menu system (and presumably the early standard for Sony UHD releases) in which different pages are selected by scrolling up and down and side-to-side. Beyond the usual scene selection and language tabs, there's also an option to watch character-specific highlights for Smurfette (9:07), Gargamel (9:20), The Winslows (14:28), and The Naughties (7:52), all in 2160p and with Dolby Atmos audio. There's also a Cast & Crew tab that appears to only offer a still image accompanied by character and actor name. All of the previous edition's supplements carry over on the included 1080p Blu-ray disc (click here for more information). A UV digital copy code is included with purchase.
The Smurfs 2 may not be a great film in the classic sense of the term, but it works well enough thanks to an innocent charm and humor and an easy come family-friendly vibe. It's also the best family movie currently available for showing off all that fancy new UHD and Dolby Atmos gear. Wonderful picture and involved sound will give the equipment a workout while treating the eyes and ears alike to one of the best, if not the best, UHD releases right out of the gate, considering its technical merits. A must-own for early-adopting families.
2013
2013
with Exclusive Bonus Disc
2013
with Smurfette Plush
2013
with Papa Smurf Plush
2013
+Bonus Disc
2013
2013
3-Disc Holiday Gift Set
2011
2009
2014
2011
2018
2017
Anniversary Edition | The Signature Collection
1989
2013
2013
2-Disc Edition
2008
2011
2017
2016
2010
2015
2007
Tinker Bell
2012
2013
2015
2016