Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.5

War of the Worlds 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Paramount has released Director Steven Spielberg's Sci-Fi stunner 'War of the Worlds' to the UHD format. New specifications include 2160p/Dolby Vision video and Dolby Atmos audio. No new extras are included but the bundled Blu-ray, identical to that which the studio released in 2010, brings over all format legacy content.

War of the Worlds 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc.

War of the Worlds' Blu-ray is nearly a decade old but it still holds up as one of the finest presentations ever on the 1080p format. The UHD certainly has a lot to live up to, and it's up to the challenge. The picture quality is out of this world, bolstered by both the native 4K resolution and the Dolby Vision color grading. It's up and down and front to back fabulous. It's healthy and yields hearty grain, a bit more even in distribution and fine in density compared to the Blu-ray but still plenty obvious, flattering, and true to the picture's beautiful film roots. Clarity is improved with obvious gains across the board to every element: faces of course are the most distinguishable, but the adds to sharpness and raw definition on clothes, ball caps, and a myriad of environments, from densely packed urban areas to well furnished basements, from nighttime pastoral exteriors to tripod interiors, impress. There's no shortage of tangible, perfectly refined elements to explore. Look at the aftermath of a plane crash in chapter nine. The clarity even far from the camera is dazzling. The picture's clarity gains are significant here and it rises up the chain towards the best of the best UHDs in terms of overall sharpness, accuracy, stability, and faithfulness to the film source.

Color depth is greatly improved over the Blu-ray. The Dolby Vision grading improves upon every area of concern, from well-lit elements to the darkest, densest shots. Look at most any scene in the first act or so where daylight remains in play before the world is filled with chaos and confusion and action. The green wallpaper in Ray's living room, for example, enjoys a much deeper, more natural tone, and its patterns are also sharper and higher yield for that matter, referencing back to the image's improvements to clarity. Outside on city streets are a myriad of enjoyable elements that boast naturally deep and perfectly reproduced color tones, including as seen on building façades and the colorful clothes worn by the gaggle of people encircling the part of the road where the lightning repeatedly struck and the alien tripod is poised to rise. Compare it to the Blu-ray and that elder image looks very dated, washed out, and flat; the Dolby Vision color grading offers significant tonal solidification across the board, even at night and in low light, which defines much of the film's second and third acts. Indeed, black levels are perfect, improving on depth without sacrificing fine object detail and scene clarity. It's very natural, very pure, a pleasure to watch in every way. Add in the absence of source flaws or encode flubs and this is a reference UHD in every way imaginable.

War of the Worlds 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

War of the Worlds engages sound systems with a prolific Dolby Atmos audio presentation. The track is large and sonically significant at nearly all times, beginning at the pier in the opening minutes where various examples of heavy machinery and rumbling trucks create a healthy, immersive din that saturates the stage with directional movement and fully aware spacial placement. The track expands again as the storm hits in chapter four with discrete overhead engagement as various electrical cracks burst from above, behind, and all around the listener with greater and greater frequency and intensity and with frightening, ferocious power. As the first tripod emerges, the feel of spacial engagement, the up and down dynamics, the flying debris, the collapsing buildings, the screaming citizenry all add up to a treat for the ears. And, minus music, the scene's impact is only heightened with greater focus on elemental detail. In the basement in chapter nine, exterior sounds of various frequencies, depth, position, and penetration enter the listening area with insane dynamics, volume, and detail. It's relentlessly intense for a few moments and the sound absolutely makes the scene, more so than flashing lights, flying debris, or ferocious fire. Without exploring every scene, suffice it to say much the same holds true throughout: intense dynamics, wonderful immersion, solidly engaging overhead elements, and all of the excitement one can imagine. It's spacious, detailed, and a pleasure to hear. Add in perfectly detailed and positioned music and lifelike dialogue and there's nothing here that's not of reference quality.

War of the Worlds 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

There are no extras to be found on the UHD disc. However, the bundled Blu-ray is identical to that which Paramount released back in 2010 and contains all of this set's extras. A listing of what's included appears below and full coverage can be found here. This release ships with a digital copy code and a non-embossed slipcover.

• Revisiting the Invasion
• The H.G. Wells Legacy
• Steven Spielberg and the Original War of the Worlds
• Characters: The Family Unit
• Previsualization
• Production Diaries
• Designing the Enemy: Tripods and Aliens
• Scoring War of the Worlds
• We Are Not Alone
• Galleries
• Theatrical Teaser Trailer

War of the Worlds 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

War of the Worlds still holds up as an out-of-this-world entertainer that looks and sounds like a motion picture event. Its bonafides are only improved by the UHD experience, which delivers striking 2160p resolution that amplifies the filmic source and Dolby Vision color grading that solidifies tones and better defines the myriad of low-light shots. The disc also delivers a startlingly deep, efficient, and immersive Dolby Atmos soundtrack. No new extras are included but the existing suite is fine. But this release is absolutely all about the A/V experience. It's one of the best on the market. Very highly recommended.