Wild 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		4.0

Wild 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Note: The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc. Watch for 4K screenshots at a later date.

Several of the major studios/labels are releasing an interesting array of titles for the new format launch of 4K UHD, with most slated for a March 1 street date. Best Buy got a number of Fox titles in as exclusives first, and my colleague Martin Liebman and I will be posting reviews of those in the coming days.

Wild 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Wild is presented on 4K UHD courtesy of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment with an HEVC / H.265 encoded 2160p transfer in 2.39:1. This is the first relative disappointment I've encountered in the first wave of 4K UHD releases, which is not to say that there is not at least some of the same uptick in detail and (at times at least) elements like shadow definition that Marty and I have discussed in our previous 4K UHD reviews. As I've personally mentioned in some of my 4K UHD reviews, following the chain of resolution from capture to DI to master becomes more important now as we move into the 4K era, and this is another digitally shot film whose source format was 2.8K (according to the IMDb), which then was utilized to create a 2K DI, which I'm assuming was utilized as a source for both the Blu-ray and this release. While there is some noticeable uptick in detail in elements like the fuzzy red carpet in the first hotel room Cheryl stays in (with the comic attempt to get off the floor after she dons her insanely huge backpack), or some of the fabrics in her clothes and camping gear, and some of the wider panoramas offered throughout Cheryl's trek through the countryside have excellent depth of field far back into the frame, this presentation is littered with what is either mosquito noise or some inartfully resolved digital grain. It's almost swarm like in several outdoor scenes where it's clearly present in bright blue skies, but it also afflicts some unlikely elements like Cheryl's own legs (watch the roadside scene where Cheryl gets "interviewed" by the passerby). While there is an incremental increase in shadow definition in some of the darker moments (notably that evocative nighttime scene where Cheryl gets picked up by the farmer), noise continues to be a recurrent issue. Other compression anomalies confront this presentation at regular turns, with some near pixellation and macroblocking intruding which were nowhere present (or at least easily visible) in the 1080p Blu- ray presentation. Something that perhaps surprised me as much as the compression issues was the lack of any substantial increase in color gradation courtesy of HDR on this release. One would think the great outdoors would provide ample opportunity for this new format to really show off what it's capable of, but this offers an almost drab looking palette at times, or at least one that does not substantially improve upon the 1080p Blu-ray. While this is arguably an incremental improvement on the 1080p Blu-ray in terms of at least some detail levels, it's a underhwhelming 4K UHD presentation at best, and my advice for early adapters of the format is to try out one of the other first wave titles as an introduction.

Wild 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

This release offers the same DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 audio as I assessed in our original Wild Blu-ray review.

Wild 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The 4K UHD disc ports over the commentary track from the Blu-ray release. For the full list of supplements included on the 1080p Blu-ray disc also included in this package, please consult our Wild Blu-ray review.

Wild 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Wild is an extremely compelling film as well as a rather scenic travelogue of some of the most gorgeous countryside imaginable. Unfortunately, this new 4K UHD is not a significant enough upgrade to warrant a recommendation, unless you haven't yet bought the original Blu- ray and simply want that as well as a new "toy" to check out with your new 4K gear (since the 1080p Blu-ray is also included in this package). The fact there is a new host of anomalies present in this version may be the best reason to stick with the original Blu-ray release.