Blade Runner 2049 4K Blu-ray Review

Review Summary
Review Specs

Pros	Amazing movie, outstanding Dolby Atmos soundtrack, beautiful 4K image.
Cons	HDR doesn’t stand out.
Summary	Just buy it.
Video
Audio
Movie

Studio	Warner Brothers
Title	Blade Runner 2049
Audio	Dolby Atmos
Negative Formats	ARRIRAW (3.4K)
Digital Intermediate	4K
Peak Brightness	4000 nits
MPAA Rating	R
Length	164 Minutes
Director	Denis Villeneuve
Stars	Harrison Ford, Ryan Gosling, Ana de Armas
Review Date	February 18, 2018
Price	$24.99

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Summary: Three decades after the events of the first film, a new blade runner, LAPD Officer K, unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what’s left of society into chaos. K’s discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard, a former LAPD blade runner who has been missing for 30 years.

Movie Review: Blade Runner 2049 is probably my favorite movie of 2017. Somehow it manages to carries on the torch from the original Blade Runner incredibly well. Director Denis Villeneuve brings the viewer back into the world of Blade Runner with a familiar sense, yet manages to breath new life into it at the same time. Gosling does a fine job playing a cold, calculating replicant, and Ford, while just playing a grumpy old man, does do justice to the retired Deckard. I wouldn’t call the movie action-packed and at 164 minutes, Blade Runner 2049 is pretty long, but it doesn’t feel like it. The dialog is sharp and, again, the visuals are incredible. Plenty of substance here for many return visits.

Technical Review: Blade Runner 2049 is one of the best looking sci-fi movies ever made. Cinematographer Roger Deakins makes brilliant use of the Arri camera to deliver stunning visuals. There’s no reason to not go with the 4K version if you are set up for it. The detail and added resolution from a true 4K digital intermediate are readily apparent and the only drawback in my mind is that I wanted more use of HDR. The movie feels capped at a lower than expected average light level and therefore, spotlights and neon don’t pop off the screen like some other HDR graded movies.

The Dolby Atmos soundtrack is the best I’ve heard since updating my home theater to Atmos. The object-based surround sound in the movie casts a believable atmosphere that brings the viewer straight into the dark, polluted setting. The LFE track as tight and descriptive as any I’ve heard. To tie everything together, the film score composed by Hans Zimmer and Benjamin Wallfisch nearly does justice to the iconic score from the original Blade Runner by Vangelis.

Special Features:

Designing the World of Blade Runner 2049
To Be Human: Casting Blade Runner 2049
Prologues:
2022: Black Out: Anime short
2036: Nexus Dawn: Live action short
2048: Nowhere to Run: Live action short
Blade Runner 101: A series of short featurettes. Blade Runners, The Replicant Revolution, The Rise of Wallace Corp., Welcome to 2049, Jois, Within the Skies: Spinners, Pilotfish and Barracudas

Review System: 65" LG B7A OLED, Denon AVR-X4400H Receiver, Revel Performa f208 speakers and center, Paradigm Surrounds and Atmos Speakers, Samsung UltraHD Blu-ray Player.