Ran - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray (Import) July 19, 2021. Ran - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray UK Import. True Romance - 4K UHD Blu-ray UK Import. Dead & Buried - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray (Cover A Poster) July 20, 2021. While HD is now the standard for TV, film, and most videos streaming online, some people have jumped over to 4K—a resolution four times higher than 1080p, the standard for HD. The resolution is. Amazon.com: THE NUTCRACKER AND THE FOUR REALMS Blu-ray: Mackenzie Foy, Tom Sweet, Meera Syal, Ellie Bamber, Matthew Macfadyen, Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, Lasse Hallstrom, Joe Johnston: Movies & TV.

• The Nuter And The Four Realms 4k
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Lots of Cracks

What a blundering blob of… stuff Nutcracker and the Four Realms is. It’s frantic for attention, slathering the screen in masses of computer generated fantasy, color, and movement. It’s all so busy and muddy and garish.

What’s lost is any sense of fantasy. Disney attempts to bridge this tale with their Alice and Wonderland’s billion dollar success, but this lacks the careful mania of Tim Burton. Nutcracker becomes a case of gaudy excess for the sake of it, all to take away from the story’s heart.

Seen between the slits of overdone effects is a predictable fairy tale dud, where the villain isn’t the villain, a girl learns her worth, and kids can process the effects of ballet propaganda (?). Mackenzie Foy tries as the lead role as Clara, bright and cheerful once inside the fantasy realm. She’s escaping from the reality of her mother’s death. This is Disney so dead moms at Christmas is their technique.

… the gift you give the kid of a parent you don’t actually like

Foy ends up surrounded by snow and castles. The Russian origins remain, giving life to nesting dolls and notable architecture. Soon, Keira Knightley enters, obnoxiously pitchy in her speech to capture a pixie-like vibe. Instead, listening to her is equivalent to a first grader learning to use the recorder – poorly. Her voice is the gift you give the kid of a parent you don’t actually like.

To some credit, Nutcracker changes the story around. The focus turns away from the Nutcracker soldier, instead settling on Clara’s destiny as the daughter to a former queen. That’s a modern adaptation, empowering for young women to see a smart, mechanically gifted girl conquer a kingdom with her wits. Kudos for that. Unfortunately, that feels dimmed and buried under the girth afforded to this movie by mountains of digital effects.

The best sequence of Nutcracker comes during a ballet, with only a smidgen of computer generated help. This is the lone scene in which Nutcracker represents the true surrealist nature, with physical sets dropped into the frame and costumed creatures on the attack. In the end, that bit of truthfulness turns into a distraction – the ballet’s story is misdirection to turn Clara away from truth. Don’t believe what you see. That’s a great message in a film trying so hard to invoke feeling from artificiality. At least Nutcracker has that self-reflective honesty going for it.

Video (4K UHD)

Shot on a mixture of 35mm and 70mm, the 2K finish blends the two. Unlike say, Mission Impossible – Fallout where the IMAX footage creates substantial difference, here everything flattens with no standout sequences.

Instead, Nutcracker looks offensively bland. Grain structure softens, and so does the entire image. On UHD, the appearance is that of an upscale, and not a good one either. Although a handful of close-ups produce an expected level of definition, the rest softens as to rob Nutcracker of breathtaking quality. This doesn’t appear as a choice of cinematographer Linus Sandgren (First Man) but the lackluster transfer process.

Consider too the listless HDR pass. Nutcracker features a bevy of sun-lit exteriors and interior candle light. There’s no vibrancy though, no energy to crank up depth. A scene of Clara in bed at night loses all sense of true black, leading to some visible blocking. Highlights never reach out.

Sure, Nutcracker displays a bevy of color. Yet these too dim and blend together. Hawthorne, the ruler of the flower realm, wears a variety of hues. Those muddy up and bleed out, messy without distinction. With the exception of some exterior shots depicting the kingdoms (especially the candy space), the color, like the rest of Nutcracker’s UHD, falls apart.

Video (Blu-ray)

Going in with lower expectations after the UHD helps. Nutcracker features the same softness on Blu-ray, but less impactful when considering the lower resolution of this format. Marginal detail shows up when in close. Some of the costumes shine.

Overall brighter, Nutcracker lacks the density of the UHD yet the less restrained color is preferred. It’s not great either way though.

Audio

Nutcracker can’t buy a win. Mild LFE response gives this adventure limited weight. Scenes of a giant, living circus tent hardly elicits any boom. Massive action scenes actively avoid the subwoofer. Aside from a few moments in the score (hearty drums), Nutcracker sounds compressed.

Surround work is at least fun. Mice travel through the soundstage and a sequence inside a clock recalls the awesome work done on Hugo. Tin soldiers march around, clanging as they go. The Atmos mix is also fond of sending voices to the rears, adding space.

Extras

Jump to the Blu-ray for this stuff. The UHD offers nothing on its own. Ballerina Misty Copeland offers her thoughts via On Pointe, a four-minute brief on her involvement. A pale making of runs seven minutes, with five deleted scenes and some music performances up last.

• Video (4K UHD)
• Video (Blu-ray)
• Audio
• Extras

Movie

Nutcracker and the Four Realms alters the original story with good intentions, but it’s suffocated by its overdone effects.

The following six screen shots serve as samples for our Patreon-exclusive set of 45 full 4K screen shots grabbed directly from the UHD:

The Nuter And The Four Realms 4k

Fully Immersed, Volume 30

Did you catch last week's news that UltraViolet is shutting down on July 31 of this year? A digital locker to store your movie and TV digital copies, many had high hopes for UltraViolet. Alas, a lack of universal support from every studio (read 'Disney') and the recent momentum behind Disney's Movies Anywhere service makes this an unsurprising announcement. My takeaway? I'll keep purchasing and collecting discs until they pry them from my cold, dead hands. The quality is superior, I can easily loan them to friends and family, and my discs are guaranteed to work regardless of whatever digital licensing hiccup or legal battle may be affecting its streaming counterpart. To that end, here are some immersive audio titles you'll be able to puchase on disc in the weeks ahead:

• Hunter Killer - Dolby Atmos, Lionsgate (Blu-ray, 4K UHD)
• Widows - Dolby Atmos, Fox (4K UHD only)
• Dr. Seuss' The Grinch - Dolby Atmos, Universal (Blu-ray, 4K UHD)
• Bohemian Rhapsody - Dolby Atmos, Fox (4K UHD only)
• Overlord - Dolby Atmos, Paramount (Blu-ray, 4K UHD)
• A Star is Born (2018) - Dolby Atmos, Warner (Blu-ray, 4K UHD)
• Robin Hood (2018) - Dolby Atmos, Lionsgate (Blu-ray, 4K UHD)

I hope to cover at least a few of the above titles soon so watch this space. In the meantime, here are a few of the latest immersive audio releases I've been listening to...

Cliffhanger 4K
Sony | Buy Now | Dolby Atmos available on 4K UHD only

On their recent 4K Ultra HD release of Wolfgang Petersen's Air Force One, Sony's impressive new Dolby Atmos soundtrack breathed new life into the otherwise forgotten actioner. Fans of Renny Harlin's Cliffhanger - another underrated mid-90s gem - will be thrilled to learn that Sony has done it again. Like Air Force One, Cliffhanger feels like a brand new film thanks in large part to the gangbusters, all-new Dolby Atmos track on its 4K release. Whether it's the distinct overhead sounds of helicopter rotors or the bursts of highly directional machine gun fire, Cliffhanger's new immersive mix makes frequent and aggressive use of the surround channels as well as the new height channels. When Gabe (Sylvester Stallone) falls through the ice and is trapped underwater, the height channels are used to convincingly submerge the listener; the same is true when an avalanche rains down on Gabe and the baddies below. Here the height channels add a great deal to the scene, with a mountainside of rushing snow beginning its journey above the listener before pouring out into the surrounds to fully surround the listener. Highly recommended.

First Man
Universal | Buy Now | Dolby Atmos available on Blu-ray, 4K UHD

If you only looked at the poster, it's understandable if you assumed First Man is a slick and fast-paced re-telling of Neil Armstrong's historic moon walk. And if upon learning that First Man was directed by Damien 'La La Land' Chazelle, you refined your assumptions by pegging the film as a colorful and high-energy ensemble production, that too would be understandable. You'd be wrong on all counts, but it's easy to see how you got there. In truth, First Man is a somber, drab, and affecting slow burn. Chazelle takes his time getting us inside the head of the man who took that 'one small step,' oscillating the viewer between thought-provoking melancholy and eye-popping, soul-stirring wonder. Universal does the film justice on disc, opening up the aspect ratio for its IMAX-filmed finale and augmenting the video with a reference quality Dolby Atmos soundtrack. Although the film's launch sequences later in the film have the greatest low end oomph, you needn't go any further than the riveting opening scene - featuring a test flight where Armstrong (Ryan Gosling) attempts to return to the ground after his aircraft bounces off the atmosphere - to feel completely immersed and engaged by this stellar Atmos soundtrack. Highly recommended. (Also: check out Matthew's less-enthusiastic take on the film in our Movie Reviews section.)

Halloween (2018)
Universal | Buy Now | DTS:X available on Blu-ray, 4K UHD

It's hard to put into words just how frustrating this latest Halloween reboot/sequel is. The first half, maybe even the first two thirds, is solid enough - good even. Like John Carpenter's original classic, character motivations are still paper thin, teenagers are still horny, and there's a flat-out hilarious youngster named 'Julian' (Jibrail Nantambu) who singlehandedly makes this film worth watching. However, and here's a spoiler alert: the moment Michael Meyers gets hit by a car is where I recommend turning off your television. At that point, close your eyes and imagine a conclusion for the film in your mind. I guarantee it'll be better than the rubbish David Gordon Green and Danny McBride gave us. As for the film's presentation on disc, Universal offers up a highly capable DTS:X soundtrack on both the standard Blu-ray and the 4K Ultra HD edition. Carpenter's music sounds better than ever, dialogue is clear and intelligible throughout, and the overhead channels are used to good effect on occasion. During a babysitter make-out session, a thump can be heard upstairs at Julian's house. It's your typical 'Did you hear that?' scene, but the overhead channels take it to the next level. The same is true when Laurie and her daughter are in Laurie's basement panic room - don't get me started - and Michael can be heard walking directly above. Fun stuff, sonically speaking at least.

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms
Disney | Buy Now | Dolby Atmos available on 4K UHD only

I'm not certain I could coherently explain the original story of 'The Nutcracker and the Mouse King' or its subsequent ballet adaptations, so I suppose it's fitting that I'm having the same difficulty breaking down Disney's latest take on the fairy tale, The Nutcracker and the Four Realms. I can tell you that the film follows young Clara into the land of the Four Realms where she meets up with a real, live Nutcracker soldier (Jayden Fowora-Knight), a squeaky Sugar Plum (Keira Knightley), Mother Ginger (Helen Mirren), plus delegates from the Lands of Flowers, Snowflakes, and Sweets. It's all pretty to look at but I can't say I was particularly invested in anything or anyone but Clara. To her credit, young actress Mackenzie Foy does a remarkable job as Clara, making her a strong, resourceful, and clever heroine worthy of my daughter's affection. The House of Mouse brings the film to disc with only the 4K Ultra HD edition receiving the Dolby Atmos treatment. It's a solid and engaging mix, though the overhead channels are mainly used to support and round out the other channels. That said, Tchaikovsky's music sounds wonderful and there is one rather fun sonic moment in Drosselmeyer's (Morgan Freeman's) workshop, when an owl swoops in from behind and above the listener before finding its perch up front. My daughter and I actually ducked, startled by the sudden whoosh, as it truly sounded like a large bird had just flown by directly above us.

More Information:

Reviewed Using:

• Emotiva A-300 BasX Stereo Amplifier (powering front Left and Right channels)
• Yamaha RX-A3060 Dolby Atmos/DTS:X Audio/Video Receiver (powering all other channels)

The Nuter And The Four Realms 4k Download