A few words about…™ Wonder Woman 1984 – in 4k UHD

Quite properly, I presume, as a WB DC production, Wonder Woman 1984 is huge.

Big music, big effects, beautifully photographed, edited…

And it’s a gorgeous 4k Blu-ray, filled brimming with real 4k resolution and obvious pictorial detail.

I just wish it had a better script. As it is, there are so many plot holes and elements that just don’t work, it becomes a difficult film to consider after one’s initial screening.

Fun, absolutely, but beyond that…

And I love the Wonder Woman epilogue. It’s just sweet.

A really fun film in need of a great screenplay. The first outing set a high bar.

A reference 4k Blu-ray.

4k Image – 5 (HDR 10+)

Audio – 5 (Dolby Atmos)

Pass / Fail – Pass

Recommended

RAH

Robert has been known in the film industry for his unmatched skill and passion in film preservation. Growing up around photography, his first home theater experience began at age ten with 16mm. Years later he was running 35 and 70mm at home.

His restoration projects have breathed new life into classic films like Lawrence of Arabia, Vertigo, My Fair Lady, Spartacus, and The Godfather series. Beyond his restoration work, he has also shared his expertise through publications, contributing to the academic discourse on film restoration. The Academy Film Archive houses the Robert A. Harris Collection, a testament to his significant contributions to film preservation.

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JoshZ

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I have not watched the disc, nor do I intend to purchase it, but the version on HBO Max streaming was very underwhelming for both video and audio.
 

Robert Harris

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I have not watched the disc, nor do I intend to purchase it, but the version on HBO Max streaming was very underwhelming for both video and audio.
Compression combined with data download speed. But you knew that, which is a huge plus for physical media.

4k really doesn’t have much stability in streaming.
 

Reed Grele

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Compression combined with data download speed. But you knew that, which is a huge plus for physical media.

4k really doesn’t have much stability in streaming.

How Ironic that with today's technology (that can be enjoyed to the full with physical media that we would have killed for back in the 1980's at the dawn of home video) 4K high quality picture and sound is being dumbed down for the masses.
 

Bryan^H

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Quite properly, I presume, as a WB DC production, Wonder Woman 1984 is huge.

Big music, big effects, beautifully photographed, edited...

And it's a gorgeous 4k Blu-ray, filled brimming with real 4k resolution and obvious pictorial detail.

I just wish it had a better script. As it is, there are so many plot holes and elements that just don't work, it becomes a difficult film to consider after one's initial screening.

Fun, absolutely, but beyond that...

And I love the Wonder Woman epilogue. It's just sweet.

A really fun film in need of a great screenplay. The first outing set a high bar.

A reference 4k Blu-ray.


4k Image – 5 (HDR 10+)

Audio – 5 (Dolby Atmos)

Pass / Fail – Pass

Recommended

RAH
I thought the first film was barely average (The Zack Snyder story was lacking in a lot of areas) I was looking forward to this one being much better. Oh well, I have the 3D copy coming to me, and If I can tolerate it, I'll probably pick up the 4K if for anything else to see how great it looks (and sounds). Thanks for the review.
 

moovtune

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Exactly, since the beginning of the format when all those 2K masters were used for the 4K releases (and still are in many instances). I have stopped buying 4K's unless they are from 4K masters. And yes, I know about the advantages of HDR, but since I use projectors, the HD range is limited compared to an LED TV.
 

JoshZ

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Compression combined with data download speed. But you knew that, which is a huge plus for physical media.

4k really doesn’t have much stability in streaming.

The Atmos soundtrack was basically stereo with little to no surround activity, much less heights, and limited dynamic range. While I'm sure the version on disc might have better fidelity, compression alone would not account for all of those faults. Those are artistic failures at the mixing stage.
 

Robert Crawford

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The Atmos soundtrack was basically stereo with little to no surround activity, much less heights, and limited dynamic range. While I'm sure the version on disc might have better fidelity, compression alone would not account for all of those faults. Those are artistic failures at the mixing stage.
HBO Max is clearly a notch below Disney+ when it comes to their 4K streams. That being said, for the most part, 4K streams aren't on the same level as their counterpart 4K disc for the reasons RAH has mentioned. However, a significant segment of people watching these 4K streams and even 4K discs won't even noticed the differences between the two home video formats. Those that do recognize the differences will rationalized it as the price of doing business. That's the reality in which unfortunately, the studios and industry has recognized.
 

JoshZ

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HBO Max is clearly a notch below Disney+ when it comes to their 4K streams. That being said, for the most part, 4K streams aren't on the same level as their counterpart 4K disc for the reasons RAH has mentioned. However, a significant segment of people watching these 4K streams and even 4K discs won't even noticed the differences between the two home video formats. Those that do recognize the differences will rationalized it as the price of doing business. That's the reality in which unfortunately, the studios and industry has recognized.

I don't disagree with any of that. However, while extra compression will certainly degrade the fidelity of the soundtrack, it will not take surround activity out of the surround speakers and put it into the front mains. That's a mixing issue. Plenty of streaming movies and shows have much more aggressive soundtracks than WW84 did.
 

Malcolm R

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I don't disagree with any of that. However, while extra compression will certainly degrade the fidelity of the soundtrack, it will not take surround activity out of the surround speakers and put it into the front mains. That's a mixing issue. Plenty of streaming movies and shows have much more aggressive soundtracks than WW84 did.
Agreed. I watched the low budget movie Time Trap on Netflix last night and it had some very effective use of my surround system.
 

SFMike

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After really enjoying the first film I was really disappointed with how truly awful this film was when viewing it on HBO MAX. As Richard said above "bad on so many levels." However I did buy it in blu-ray 3D to add to my 3D collection and to support Warner Brothers and their supplying us remaining 3D enthusiasts with a current release. As I think another death from Covid-19 is the release of 3D films in theaters I suspect that this embarrassing mess of a movie will be the last blu-ray release for quite awhile I think we can sadly say this is the probably be the end of the mismanaged and much derided 3D TV era. R.I.P.
 

Robert Crawford

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I don't disagree with any of that. However, while extra compression will certainly degrade the fidelity of the soundtrack, it will not take surround activity out of the surround speakers and put it into the front mains. That's a mixing issue. Plenty of streaming movies and shows have much more aggressive soundtracks than WW84 did.
Hell, I'm not disagreeing with you at all on that issue as I have encounter a few more HBO Max presentations in which I have to question the aggressiveness of their soundtracks. This morning's viewing of "Godzilla vs. Kong" I found the Dolby Atmos soundtrack underwhelming to me. I'll be interested in reading what others have to say about that film's streaming soundtrack. I can't believe it would sound that way in a movie theater this week.
 

Tom Blizzard

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Quite properly, I presume, as a WB DC production, Wonder Woman 1984 is huge.

Big music, big effects, beautifully photographed, edited...

And it's a gorgeous 4k Blu-ray, filled brimming with real 4k resolution and obvious pictorial detail.

I just wish it had a better script. As it is, there are so many plot holes and elements that just don't work, it becomes a difficult film to consider after one's initial screening.

Fun, absolutely, but beyond that...

And I love the Wonder Woman epilogue. It's just sweet.

A really fun film in need of a great screenplay. The first outing set a high bar.

A reference 4k Blu-ray.


4k Image – 5 (HDR 10+)

Audio – 5 (Dolby Atmos)

Pass / Fail – Pass

Recommended

RAH
Thanks for your positive notes. Not all bad like many reviews would suggest.
 

RJ992

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After really enjoying the first film I was really disappointed with how truly awful this film was when viewing it on HBO MAX. As Richard said above "bad on so many levels." However I did buy it in blu-ray 3D to add to my 3D collection and to support Warner Brothers and their supplying us remaining 3D enthusiasts with a current release. As I think another death from Covid-19 is the release of 3D films in theaters I suspect that this embarrassing mess of a movie will be the last blu-ray release for quite awhile I think we can sadly say this is the probably be the end of the mismanaged and much derided 3D TV era. R.I.P.
Wait, you havent even gotten the Kong/Godzilla 3D bluray yet. Yes, there will be one. Probably Mortal Kombat and Dune as well.
 

Robert Harris

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Hell, I'm not disagreeing with you at all on that issue as I have encounter a few more HBO Max presentations in which I have to question the aggressiveness of their soundtracks. This morning's viewing of "Godzilla vs. Kong" I found the Dolby Atmos soundtrack underwhelming to me. I'll be interested in reading what others have to say about that film's streaming soundtrack. I can't believe it would sound that way in a movie theater this week.
Might it be defaulting to a more easily streamed track, based upon available data throughput?
 

JoshZ

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Hell, I'm not disagreeing with you at all on that issue as I have encounter a few more HBO Max presentations in which I have to question the aggressiveness of their soundtracks. This morning's viewing of "Godzilla vs. Kong" I found the Dolby Atmos soundtrack underwhelming to me. I'll be interested in reading what others have to say about that film's streaming soundtrack. I can't believe it would sound that way in a movie theater this week.

I haven't watched GvK yet, but I'm reading lots of complaints about the volume being really low, such that even cranking it up on a receiver won't bring any life to it.

I wouldn't be surprised if these issues might be pandemic-related. The mixers aren't getting enough time in the studio with all the good mixing tools, and we're getting a lot of rushed soundtracks as a result. Just a theory.
 

Malcolm R

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Many of these movies were in the can or nearing the end of post-production prior to the pandemic, so I don't think in this case the pandemic can be used as an excuse. Godzilla vs. Kong was first scheduled to be released on March 13, 2020, so it should have been all polished and ready to go before the pandemic hit.

I think for those experiencing issues, it has to do with the limitations and variations of streaming.
 
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