Welcome to the second installment of the Blu-ray Bounty, where this month we’ll look at the top 4K Blu-ray discs released in December 2024 that you should add to your growing collection or start with if you want to become a 4K Blu-ray collector.
4K Blu-ray is popular here at TechRadar, not only because we use it to test the best TVs but also to test the best soundbars. This is because 4K Blu-ray carries the best quality picture and sound with a superior bitrate over 4K streaming.
If you missed the Blu-ray Bounty last month covering November’s top 4K discs, be sure to check it out to see how a 40’s noir classic, the latest Planet of the Apes movie and a powerfully acted drama starring Benedict Cumberbatch made our list and what we thought of the discs.
As always with the Blu-ray Bounty, we won’t be reviewing the movies themselves, just the quality of the picture and audio on the 4K Blu-rays. This month’s movies are Alien Romulus, Godzilla (1954), The Sixth Sense and Deadpool & Wolverine – a brilliant mix of bone-chilling sci-fi, a stone-cold classic Kaiju, a supernatural chiller and Marvel’s latest blockbuster.
The equipment used for testing was the Panasonic DP-UB820 4K Blu-ray player, one of the best 4K Blu-ray players around, the Samsung HW-Q990C, the 2023 predecessor to the Samsung HW-Q990D soundbar and the Panasonic MZ1500 OLED TV.
Alien: Romulus
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The latest entry in the Alien franchise and directed by Fede Álvarez, Alien: Romulus is set between the events of Alien and Aliens, the first and second movies in the franchise. It follows the story of six teenagers who encounter hostile creatures when exploring a thought-to-be abandoned space station.
Alien: Romulus captures the visual impact of the first Alien movie well, with areas of dark shadows punctuated by bright, colorful lights throughout the movie. The 4K disc supports Dolby Vision and it benefits from it, with exceptional contrast, authentic textures and superb shadow detail revealing objects in predominantly dark images. Testing on the Panasonic MZ1500 OLED, the picture looked amazing.
Where the 4K Blu-ray really shines, though, is through its Dolby Atmos soundtrack. Alien: Romulus’ excellent sound design is beautifully presented here, with every scraping bit of metal, eerie strings in the spine-chilling score and moments of pounding bass perfectly balanced throughout. The clicking of ‘face-hugger’ feet is enough to make you look around the room. This is sure to pair well with one of the best Dolby Atmos soundbars.
Godzilla (1954)
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The first entry in the 70-year Godzilla franchise, Godzilla (1954) is a classic in the Kaiju genre (a Japanese term used for any media associated with giant monsters). This iteration of Godzilla is considered the first Kaiju movie, where Godzilla wreaks havoc on an unsuspecting Japanese public in post-war Japan.
Visually, the 4K restoration from The Criterion Collection has given a new life to people and locations, which have a refined, authentic appearance. The movie is entirely black and white and the 4K version has excellent contrast, with a great balance between whites and blacks and a wide range of grey tones in between. Yes, some of the effects look dated (which the 4K restoration draws attention to at times), but it’s hard to overlook the charm of this movie. On the MZ1500, it looked great.
The soundtrack is monaural; no thrills here. Speech is clear throughout the movie however and explosions and gunfire have a nice, crisp sound. The score takes a bit of a hit but still holds up very well.
The Sixth Sense
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M. Night Shyamalan’s The Sixth Sense was one of the sleeper hits of the 1990s. It was not only the second highest-grossing movie of 1999 but also the recipient of six Oscar nominations and it has one of cinema’s all-time great twist endings. It follows the story of Dr. Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis) a child psychologist who works with 9-year-old Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment) who claims he can see dead people.
The 4K HDR restoration of The Sixth Sense has superb detail, giving characters an authentic look with accurate facial details. It also has natural colors that are brought to life by the improved 4K picture quality. Contrast and shadow detail also play an important role throughout the movie and the restoration does a great job of accurately rendering these. For cinephiles, plenty of film grain is still present.
The Sixth Sense has a 5.1-channel DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack, so there are no Dolby Atmos height channels on offer here, though it’s not a movie that needs that. The soundtrack does deliver crystal-clear dialogue, which means even Cole’s delicate, hushed whispers come through clearly. Plus, there’s plenty of tension in the rest of the soundtrack’s score and effects.
Deadpool & Wolverine
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One of 2024’s highest-grossing movies, Deadpool & Wolverine is the third entry in the Deadpool franchise. This Marvel blockbuster saw Ryan Reynolds once again don the red suit of the ‘merc with the mouth’, and it has the much-anticipated return of Hugh Jackman to the role he was born to play: Wolverine.
One of the first Disney 4K Blu-ray releases to feature Dolby Vision, Deadpool & Wolverine is undeniably a stunning-looking movie. The vibrant reds and yellows of Deadpool’s and Wolverine’s respective suits pop off the screen with a dynamic sheen and textures are superb, with Wolverine’s weathered face and the detail in costumes on full display. These are the dazzling visuals you expect from a larger-than-life comic book movie.
Deadpool & Wolverine’s Dolby Atmos soundtrack is fantastic. Every gunshot, crunching punch, stabbing noise and thunderous explosion sounds rich, dynamic, and realistic (sometimes disturbingly so). Iconic pop hits benefit from an expansive and enjoyable reproduction, with Madonna’s Like A Prayer given the ethereal and joyful presentation it deserves. Crucially, no dialogue is lost even in chaotic, music-heavy scenes, which demonstrate excellent balance across the board. Listened to through the Samsung HW-Q990C soundbar system, this movie was quite literally a blast.
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james.davidson@futurenet.com (James Davidson)
