We, the Marines 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		4.0

We, the Marines 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman August 26, 2019

This two-disc set includes the film on both Blu-ray and 4K UHD.

Gene Hackman served in the Marine Corps in the late 1940s and brings a sure, capable cadence to We, the Marines, obviously moved by the material and proud to be the voice of Director Greg MacGillivray’s film. It's a look into and tribute for the United States Marine Corps. The film takes audiences into the modern day Marine training regimens and explores the Corp's duties beyond the fields of battle. It's a quickly paced and compact but nevertheless fruitful and purposeful picture that brings a surprisingly full and rich view of life in the Martine Corps into focus, even under severe time constraints.

The film opens at Parris Island, South Carolina where fresh recruits take their first steps -- literally where so many others have stood before -- towards becoming molded into Marines. They are taught in the ways of warfare and in brotherhood. They undergo hard physical training and draining emotional challenges but bond together through trials and forge a kinship that those who have never been called “Marine” can ever fully understand. The film takes an all-too-quick look at officer’s training school in Quantico before moving on to look at the force’s worldwide readiness for any scenario at any time. The film briefly examines Marine Corps equipment like the Osprey, focuses on dogs in service, and studies the Marine Corp’s role in disaster relief and emergency response.

The film moves on by too quickly but Greg MacGillivray accomplishes what is nearly impossible, taking such a complex system of human transformation and hitting the vital highlights while also taking a few moments to explore not necessarily tangential supports but a few interesting tidbits that veer away from the focus on the physical and mental toughness necessary to grow from a man into a Marine. There’s a feel for both the larger scale workings within the Corps as well as the personal response to the rigors of training and the joys of graduation day. The film offers a touching look at the realities and rewards of Marine service, both on the individual level and through both the contexts of the Corp’s modern missions and challenges as well as a few highlights from Marine Corps history, including its origins in the Civil War Era and moving on through World War I, World War II, and Vietnam.

We, the Marines 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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

The Blu-ray image opens with some banding around the solid red background framing a small video box center screen. It's the only real flaw to be found. The 1080p Blu-ray presentation is a model of consistency, presenting the large-screen 1.78:1-framed visuals with format-appropriate color depth and detail. The palette appears in perfect working order, presenting skin tones and various Marine attire, from fatigues to sharp dress uniforms, with terrific color accuracy. Natural greens are full and healthy. Black levels are firm and accurate. Details are crisp and sure, showcasing the textured uniforms with full command of the materials. Skin details are razor-sharp, from freshly shaved heads to wear on weapons seen in close-up. The image's clarity is striking from start to finish, vital in reinforcing the big-screen look and feel.

The UHD offers two options: viewers can choose to watch the film in 2160p resolution with High Dynamic Range (HDR) color or in 2160p with Standard Dynamic Range (SDR) color. The HDR version offers the best visual presentation. Colors are seriously bold and intense but never feel overcooked in a manner similar to those seen in National Parks Adventure. There's a highly satisfying feel for depth, well beyond what the Blu-ray or the SDR UHD can provide. HDR offers a level of visual sophistication with the added tonal dynamics that bring the movie to life with striking boldness that amplifies the material quite a bit. Whether considering black levels, brilliant whites, colorful graphics, military uniforms, skin tones, blue skies, or green grasses, HDR is a major boon for the material. The bump in resolution is most welcome as well. Sharpness is increased perhaps not dramatically but noticeably, adding a crispness and clarity that, again, the Blu-ray cannot match. But it's the HDR color that drives this one home to top-tier visual excellence.

We, the Marines 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

We, the Marines is headlined by a Dolby Atmos soundtrack available on both discs. The Blu-ray disc also includes a Dolby Digital 5.1 lossy sound presentation while the UHD includes a secondary track in the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless configuration. The Atmos configuration is a perfect fit for the material. Light discrete sounds accompany the opening title cards while the track opens to include room-filling sounds of helicopter rotors spinning, boats rumbling through water, airplanes taking off, and Marines screaming out of the back of a plane. Music is large, full and detailed, emanating from every speaker with commanding posture and clarity to match the dominance. Harsh winter winds blow through the stage in chapter six, one of several well integrated and believably accurate atmospheric effects heard throughout. Gunfire, rocket blasts, and other sounds of battle -- even if it's all in training rather than actual combat -- are all effectively well pronounced. Scattered in-film dialogue is clear and Hackman's narration is delivered flawlessly from beginning to end from a natural front-center location.

We, the Marines 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

We, the Marines contains the same core supplements on both discs while the UHD disc adds an assortment of trailers. Also included is a digital copy code. This release ships with a non-embossed slipcover.

• We, the Marines - Addendum Exclusive Behind the Scenes Interviews and Footage (1080i Blu-ray, 1080p UHD, 21:44): Additional scenes that explore life as a young Marine recruit, depict training exercises, covering the harsh conditions in which Marines grow individually and collectively, and discussing the importance of Marine camaraderie and brotherhood. The piece takes viewers intimately into some of the most demanding scenarios that build Marines, both on land in in the air.
• We, the Marines Trailer (1080p Blu-ray, 2160p/SDR UHD, 2:07).
• 4K Trailers (UHD Disc Only) (2160p, SDR) Trailers for Flight of the Butterflies, Humpback Whales, Journey to Space, The Last Reef, Rocky Mountain Express, Wonders of the Arctic, Dream Big, and National Parks Adventure.

We, the Marines 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Perhaps one day Greg MacGillivray will assemble similar documentaries chronicling the other branches of the United States' armed forces, but until then We, the Marines proves to be a capable and engaging film that samples life in the Corps, from the first night at basic training to graduation, from fighting in harms way to serving in humanitarian missions. Hackman is a terrific narrator for the material, bringing passion and a sense of purpose to the production. Video and audio presentations on both included formats are terrific. Supplements are a bit scant but essentially serve to lengthen the experience. Highly recommended.