6.8 | / 10 |
Users | 4.2 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.4 |
Lara Croft is the fiercely independent daughter of an eccentric adventurer who vanished when she was scarcely a teen. Now 21, and working as a London bike courier, Lara is driven to solve the puzzle of her father's mysterious death. Leaving behind everything she knows, she searches for her father’s last-known destination: a fabled tomb on a mythical island that might be somewhere off the coast of Japan.
Starring: Alicia Vikander, Walton Goggins, Daniel Wu, Dominic West, Hannah John-KamenAction | 100% |
Adventure | 77% |
Fantasy | 54% |
Thriller | 3% |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby Atmos
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
French (Canada): Dolby Digital 5.1
Italian: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
Mandarin: Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1
English: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
Japanese: Dolby Digital 5.1
English DD=narrative descriptive; Japanese is hidden
English SDH, French, Italian SDH, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, Bulgarian, Mandarin (Simplified)
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
UV digital copy
4K Ultra HD
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 2.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
The theatrical release of the latest Tomb Raider prompted Paramount to reissue Lara Croft's two previous big-screen outings in new 4K editions (reviewed here and here). They are joined by Warner's UHD presentation of the new film, which offers a meaningful video upgrade over the standard Blu-ray, accompanied by the same superior audio. (There's also a 3D version for that rapidly dwindling fanbase, but its audio has been downgraded.)
(Note: Screenshots accompanying this review have been captured from the standard Blu-ray.
Additional captures from that disc can be found here.)
According to IMDb, Tomb Raider was finished on a digital intermediate at 4K. Although I have
been unable to confirm this officially, the image on Warner's 2160p, HEVC/H.265-encoded
UHD disc certainly reflects a degree of enhanced resolution suggesting 4K origination. The
Alexa photography by George Richmond, cinematographer of the Kingsman films, already
sparkled on Blu-ray, but the 4K disc reveals new layers of detail in faces, clothing and the varied
environments into which the film takes its heroine on land and at sea. The increase in detail and
sharpness is especially noticeable in big, crowded scenes like the early "fox hunt" bike race
sequence through London streets, with its crush of riders and onlookers, and Lara's arrival at
Hong Kong harbor, with its vast expanses of piers, people and watercraft. The huge "doorway" to
Himiko's tomb, with its elaborate unlocking mechanisms, is more finely textured and sculpted,
and the tree bridging the river across which Lara flees from Vogel and his men is even more
detailed in its gnarled and bumpy branches. The crashed plane that saves Lara from going over
the steep waterfall is more expressive in its disintegration, with clearer delineation among rusty
patches, gaps in the superstructure and fragments of surviving metal.
The disc's HDR grading has not changed the film's palette, but it has distinctly improved
contrast and differentiated areas of darkness in the film's many dim scenes. In the storm that
wrecks the Endurance, both the ship and its two voyagers remain clearly outlined against the
many shades of gray, blue and black of night and waves. Lara's slow-motion plunge into the
water traces her arc more clearly, and the debris surrounding her underwater is more vivid (and
dangerous-looking), though without brightening the scene. The journey through the catacombs is
a lively interplay of darkness and illumination, and the party of explorers is more visibly outlined
by the light of their torches and glowsticks, while the surrounding darkness remains ominously
black. The pit of bones over which the party passes on a rickety ladder is more spookily
imposing, thanks to the combination of increased resolution and enhanced contrast.
Whatever one's assessment of Tomb Raider as a movie, its 4K rendition is a sumptuous visual
experience. If the film is to your taste, you'll love the UHD.
[System professionally calibrated for UHD using (a) a Klein K-10A Colorimeter with a Custom
Profile made in CalMAN using a Colorimetry Research CR250 Spectroradiometer; (b) Murideo
Fresco SIX-G UHD signal generator with HDR10 and Dolby Vision capability; and (c)
SpectraCal CalMAN Software v. 5.8.2.85. Calibration performed by Kevin Miller of ISFTV.]
The UHD disc offers the same superb Dolby Atmos track as the Blu-ray, along with the same
redundant DTS-HD MA 5.1 option. Like the standard Blu-ray, the UHD defaults to DTS; so be
sure to select Atmos from the "Audio" menu.
As far as I know, Warner is the only studio that masters their 4K discs with these bizarre audio
choices. I have repeatedly asked the studio for an explanation and have yet to receive one.
The UHD disc has no extras. The accompanying standard Blu-ray contains the extras listed and discussed here.
Warner's 4K presentation of Tomb Raider is a notably more intense visual experience than its
Blu-ray counterpart. The movie remains the same, and I still can't recommend it. But 4K
devotees may enjoy using it to exercise their home theater setups.
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