Incredibles 2 4K Blu-ray Review
By Chris Heinonen on
Audio Quality
Video Quality
Overall
Incredibles 2 Summary
In “Incredibles 2,” Helen (voice of Holly Hunter) is called on to lead a campaign to bring Supers back, while Bob (voice of Craig T. Nelson) navigates the day-to-day heroics of “normal” life at home with Violet (voice of Sarah Vowell), Dash (voice of Huck Milner) and baby Jack-Jack—whose super powers are about to be discovered. Their mission is derailed, however, when a new villain emerges with a brilliant and dangerous plot that threatens everything. But the Parrs don’t shy away from a challenge, especially with Frozone (voice of Samuel L. Jackson) by their side. That’s what makes this family so Incredible.
Incredibles 2 Movie Review
The Incredibles has remained one of my favorite Pixar movies since its release and Brad Bird is one of the best storytellers working today. It had a wonderful blend of humor and action, and characters you could easily relate to if you were stuck working a job you didn’t love. While Pixar might have waited a long time to do a sequel, it’s good that they did as the result is fantastic. Nothing here feels rushed, and the story is wonderful. My kids thoroughly enjoyed it, and my wife and I also had a great time seeing it as we saw the original in theaters together. Highly recommended.
Incredibles 2 Technical Review
Incredibles 2 is animated with a 2K master, which then gets a direct digital conversion for home. There is no Dolby Vision layer here, but the overall image is fantastic. There are lots of gradients and other areas that could cause compression noise but that was absent. One scene, where there is a cage with bright flashing lights, looks much more restrained at home compared to how it was in the theater where I expected it to just destroy OLED displays that can’t handle that much brightness. Even looking on the Vizio PQ as well (2000 nits of brightness), Disney seems to have scaled this back from the theater release.
HDR and WCG are used continually and effectively to make the image jump off the screen, and detail is good. The film is darker than you might expect but details aren’t crushed, it just looks to be designed to be watched in a darker theater room instead of a bright living room. Only the lack of a native 4K image and Dolby Vision keep this from being a perfect image. MaxCLL and MaxFALL are both 0 on the disc, so displays that do dynamic HDR by reading those values instead of analyzing the image will possibly have issues with this disc.
Disney has dropped the ball recently with audio, but Incredibles 2 sounds fantastic. Atmos is used exceptionally well, especially if you watch the scenes of Jack-Jack floating around in another dimension. He moves all around you and it is done perfectly. Bass response is there when called for, and dialogue is well anchored in the center channel so it is easy to understand. There could be a touch more dynamic range, and they did seem to set the overall volume level lower than some other releases, but overall the film looks and sounds great if just a touch short of being perfect.
Incredibles 2 Special Features
Digital Exclusives
- The Coolest Guy in Show Business – In this partially illustrated documentary, Samuel L. Jackson reflects how his childhood and love of comics shaped his passion for film and imaginative storytelling.
- 2 SuperScene Breakdowns – Casual commentary-style pieces looking at specific scenes in the film (The Racoon Fight and Mrs. Incredible) through a particular creative focus like action choreography, set design or story.
Blu-ray & Digital
- All-New “Auntie Edna” Mini-Movie – When Bob Parr visits super-suit designer Edna Mode looking for help with his high-energy toddler Jack-Jack, Edna pulls an all-nighter designing a suit to harness the baby’s seemingly limitless powers.
- 10 Deleted Scenes With Introductions – Suburban Escape, Kari Revisited, Return of the Supers, Chewed Out, Late Audition, Slow Day, Frozone and Honey, Restaurant Robbery, Fashion Show and Security Breakdown.
- Super Stuff – From buildings and vehicles to costumes and props, every action movie requires a lot of really cool stuff. Meet the makers and learn what it takes to design and build such a uniquely incredible world.
- Heroes & Villains – A collection of mini-docs about the backstory and major design ideas behind the “Incredibles 2” characters — featuring voice actors, director Brad Bird, and Pixar artists talking about the many elements that make these characters feel real.
- Ralph Eggleston: Production Designer – This short piece explores the many ways a single production designer has influenced the look, feel and character of the Pixar universe, culminating in “Incredibles 2.”
- Strong Coffee: A Lesson in Animation with Brad Bird – Brad Bird’s passion for animation dates back to his childhood and mentorship under Disney’s Milt Kahl, and that enthusiasm and powerful insight emanates from every film he’s made. Take a deep dive into Brad’s early years at Disney Animation Studios and his time at Pixar.
- Paths to Pixar: Everyday Heroes – At its heart, “Incredibles 2” is about family dynamics and the challenges of being a working parent. Meet the parents of Pixar as they discuss their personal connections to the film and their experience with stretching to balance work and family.
- SuperBaby – A documentary/hip hop music video hybrid hosted by Frankie and Paige from Disney Channel’s Bizaardvark. This piece explores how Jack-Jack came to life onscreen — from design to special effects to animation — all set to a hot beat.
- Commentary – Get inside commentary from animators Alan Barillaro (supervising animator), Tony Fucile (supervising animator, story artist and character designer), Dave Mullins (supervising animator) and Bret Parker (animation second unit and crowds supervisor).
- Theatrical Short: “Bao” – An aging Chinese mom suffering from empty nest syndrome gets another chance at motherhood when one of her dumplings springs to life as a lively, giggly dumpling boy.
- Making “Bao” – Director Domee Shi shares her secret recipe for making an animated short — discussing how her rich cultural heritage, unique relationship with her mom, and her love of food all informed the making of the food-fantasy “Bao.”
- Outtakes & Stories – Raccoon Fight Story, Evelyn Animation Outtakes, Puppet Animator Interview, Outtakes Goofy Arms Story and SuperBaby Music Video.
- Character Theme Songs, Vintage Toy Commercial TV Spots, Toolkit Montage and Global “Incredibles 2” Trailers
Review System
Sony A1E OLED, Panasonic UB820 UltraHD Blu-ray Player, KEF Ci5160RL-THX Fronts, Ci3160RL-THX Center, 2x Ci200RR-THX Surrounds, 4x CI200RR-THX Atmos Speakers, Anthem MRX 1120 Receiver, Power Sound Audio Xs30se Subwoofer.
Pros
Wonderful film and story, very good use of HDR and WCG, Atmos effects are well done.
Cons
No native 4K or Dolby Vision, could be a touch more dynamics.
Summary
Incredibles 2 is a fantastic Pixar film and a worthy successor to the original with a very good looking HDR image and a soundtrack that makes fantastic use of Atmos.
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