8.3 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
The X-Men, including Wolverine, must set aside old rivalries and travel in time to change the past to avert a future crisis which threatens the mutant population and the world.
Starring: Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Halle BerryAction | 100% |
Adventure | 95% |
Sci-Fi | 79% |
Comic book | 72% |
Fantasy | 69% |
Period | 6% |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
English SDH, French, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
UV digital copy
4K Ultra HD
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
It's not surprising that Twentieth Century Fox would choose the fourth film in the X-Men franchise for its initial wave of UHD
titles. In addition to being the most recent film in the
series, X-Men: Days of Future Past is also the most successful to date. Its massive set pieces and
elaborate visual effects exceed anything seen in the previous three films, and its contrasting time
periods (a "present day" of indefinite date vs. the early Seventies of the first Nixon
Administration) provide a study in visual contrasts that should show off the new format's
superior resolution to great advantage.
So it's disappointing to have to report that Fox's UHD release of X-Men: DOFP provides only a
marginal uptick in quality over the excellent Blu-ray release previously reviewed by my
colleague Jeffrey Kauffman. The lack of any dramatic improvement in the 4K release is
especially problematic in this instance, since UHD has no 3D capability, and X-Men: DOFP is
one of the rare projects shot natively in that format. For a film that was obviously designed for
the additional dimension, the 4K version needs to compensate with enough additional detail and
definition that the 2D image acquires a sense of tactile immediacy. Warner Brothers achieved
such a result with its 4K release of Mad
Max: Fury Road (though not without side effects), but
the 4K version of X-Men: DOFP falls short.
Screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc. Watch for 4K screenshots at a later date.
Note: The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc. Watch for 4K
screenshots at a later date.
Bryan Singer's usual cinematographer, Newton Thomas Sigel, returned with him to the X-Men
franchise for Days of Future Past, and Singer talked up the pair's plans for a visual feast in pre-release publicity. However, like the
majority of UHD releases in this first wave, X-Men:
DOFP was finished on a 2K digital intermediate, which means that the 4K disc is an up-rezzed
image—and it shows. Switching back and forth between the UHD disc and the included standard
Blu-ray, one cannot spot any significant increase in detail or definition. Both discs are sharp and
clear, save for those scenes where distortion is intentional (most obviously, in the effects-laden
Pentagon kitchen scene). Here and there, one can spot a touch more refinement in the UHD
image, but that is more likely the effect of the disc's HDR encoding, which is where the real
differences appear. X-Men: DOFP is filled with eye-popping colors, from the intense blue skin
and red hair of Jennifer Lawrence's Mystique to the kaleidoscope of lights (if that's what they
are) that surround the "present-day" group of mutants taking refuge in a remote temple, where
they make a desperate last stand against the pursuing automatons known as "Sentinels". In shot
after shot, bright colors on the UHD version are more vivid and intense. The difference is
somewhat less pronounced in the Seventies sequences, where a faded palette is used to create a
period look, but even those scenes have their share of heavily saturated colors, e.g., whenever
Mystique reverts to her normal appearance. Indeed, a comparison of Lawrence's scenes as
Mystique between the Blu-ray and the UHD is a convenient index for gauging the extent of the
change wrought by HDR encoding. After the glowing red and deep blue of the UHD, Mystique's
coloration seems almost pale on the Blu-ray.
The unanswered question, of course, is which version is more accurate to the source. It's not
necessarily the case that more color equals better color. Just as the flames in Mad Max: Fury
Road are rendered artificial and cartoonish by HDR encoding, the Mystique makeup is more
obviously a set of prosthetic appliances in the UHD rendition, at least to my eyes. (The red hair
looks like a bathing cap.) Directors, production designers, cinematographers and digital colorists
work hard to achieve a balance of hues and intensities that serves the story and "sells" the
illusion, but the most noticeable applications of HDR encoding to date seem to have been
intended to add pop to the image without any concern for what should (and shouldn't) stand out
from the frame. On X-Men: DOFP, the effect sometimes works well, primarily in the present-day
sequences featuring the "old" X-Men led by Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen. For the Seventies
scenes, the impact varies from negligible to overcooked.
The UHD version does offer minor improvements in contrast and black levels, which are
particularly valuable in the extended sequence depicting the Sentinels' approach and assault on
our heroes.
Although X-Men: Days of Future Past was released to theaters in Dolby Atmos, Fox persists in its puzzling refusal to include the format on its UHD releases. Still, the 7.1 track encoded in lossless DTS-HD Master Audio remains every bit as dynamic and impressive as when it first appeared on Blu-ray in 2014. Jeff Kauffman's review of the track can be found here.
In an interesting twist, the UHD two-pack combines extras from two previous editions of X-Men: Days of Future Past. The included standard Blu-ray is identical to the film's initial Blu-ray release and contains the extras listed and described in the earlier review. On the UHD disc, Fox has included the commentary by director Bryan Singer and screenwriter Simon Kinberg that first appeared on X-Men: Days of Future Past (The Rogue Cut) accompanying that special edition's presentation of the theatrical cut. The Rogue Cut's second commentary, which accompanied the alternate cut, has not been carried over, nor has The Rogue Cut's second disc of additional extras. (And yes, this is confusing.)
For any early adopter of UHD who doesn't already own a copy of X-Men: DOFP, the title is an
easy recommendation, because it's a terrific entry in the franchise, includes the excellent Blu-ray
and adds an additional commentary from The Rogue Cut. For those who own the earlier disc, it's
a much closer call on whether the UHD offers enough of a difference to justify a purchase. If
extras are your thing, I'd recommend acquiring The Rogue Cut instead, which has the alternate
version, an additional commentary and an entire second disc of featurettes and image galleries
that are nowhere to be found in the UHD package. Of course, anyone who wants to see the film in its
natively shot 3D format will have to buy the so-called "Ultimate Edition" (which, as we have
now seen, was far from "ultimate").
Ultimate Edition | Includes Two Deadpool Themed Patches | Deadpool 2 Movie Cash
2014
Ultimate Edition
2014
w/ Magneto Helmet
2014
Ultimate Edition
2014
Ultimate Edition
2014
Icons
2014
Movie-Only
2014
2014
w/ Magneto Helmet
2014
Deadpool Photobomb Series
2014
2014
Icons
2014
2014
2014
2014
The Rogue Cut
2014
2016
2011
2013
2003
2013
2016
Cinematic Universe Edition
2015
Cinematic Universe Edition
2016
2011
2014
Extended and Theatrical versions
2011
2015
Cinematic Universe Edition
2019
Icons
2000
w/ Raphael Statue
2014
2006
2008
2013
15th Anniversary Edition
2004
2009