Ultra HD Blu-ray Movie Reviews

The true superpower on display in the current Spider-Man franchise might be its irresistible charm. Marvel's beloved signature character has certainly had some Hollywood ups and downs, but in his most recent iteration he seems content to exist in the shadow of Tony Stark/Iron Man rather than stand truly alone. Add to that irksome choice an abundance of high school drama and perhaps an over-reliance upon comedy and big-screen Spidey is at risk of alienating longtime fans. Still, Spider-Man: Far from Home somehow manages to engage us from start to finish.

Eight months after the conclusion of Avengers: Endgame, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is doing his best to deal with the aftereffects of "the blip," which eradicated half of humanity before returning them five years later. A new menace has emerged in the form of elemental monsters that channel the powerful forces of fire, water and more, threatening to destroy the Earth and ruin Peter's class trip to Europe! Fortunately, a strange ally has arrived at precisely the same time, with abilities almost too amazing to be believed.

Clarity is outstanding on this Ultra HD disc, and at times down-right striking in wide shots. Spider-Man wears several different suits throughout the story, one entirely CGI, and each exhibits a texture distinct from its brethren. The fast-paced action feels practically three- dimensional, with exceptional use of focus across the 2.39:1 frame. Dolby Vision high dynamic range brings even more to love, with particularly vibrant highlights during a nighttime carnival in Prague. The wide color gamut, meanwhile, enables a dreamlike golden palette inside a luxury hotel.

The Dolby Atmos soundtrack incorporates both realistic surround, as when a flophouse in Venice is besieged by construction noises, along with more fanciful activity when a mysterious villain's voice emerges from all around. Height effects are keenly utilized and completely enveloping during action sequences where giant, angry elementals tower over the listener. Bass is powerful when it needs to be for sequences with bad guys bursting onto the scene, fire- works, or the tolling of an iron bell.

Extras reside entirely on a regular Blu-ray and are headlined by a new live-action "short" that seems rather like a chunk of Act One that was simply dropped. A slew of featurettes explore costumes, stunts, and characters, and are accompanied by bloopers, deleted scenes, and side-by-side pre-visualization comparisons. A 4K Movies Anywhere copy is included.

ULTRA HD BLU-RAY
STUDIO: Sony, 2019
ASPECT RATIO: 2.39:1
HDR FORMAT: Dolby Vision/HDR10
AUDIO FORMAT: Dolby Atmos with TrueHD 7.1 core
LENGTH: 129 mins.
DIRECTOR: Jon Watts
STARRING: Tom Holland, Jake Gyllenhaal, Samuel L. Jackson, Marisa Tomei, Jon Favreau, Zendaya