The Shallows 4K Blu-ray
By Chris Heinonen on
Audio Quality
Video Quality
Overall
Summary: In the taut thriller, when Nancy (Blake Lively) is surfing on a secluded beach, she finds herself on the feeding ground of a great white shark. Though she is stranded only 200 yards from shore, survival proves to be the ultimate test of wills, requiring all of Nancy’s ingenuity, resourcefulness, and fortitude.
Movie Review: I do not enjoy horror or overly suspenseful films. I’ve watched plenty in my time, but being scared for fun just isn’t what I enjoy. I’d much rather be very depressed for fun from my movies. That said, The Shallows is very well done. Some bits of it are too overly dramatic, but they are smart to not drag it out to make it longer than it is. If this genre of films is your thing, then it is really well done.
Technical Review: While The Shallows was shot on Arri Alexa cameras with 3.4K resolution, the final digital transfer was done at 2K resolution. Because of this the image is softer than other UltraHD Blu-ray titles that are sourced from native 4K elements. This is visible in small things like hair and skin being softer than on other titles, as well as some mild shimmering in the background of a few panning shots. It does benefit from using HDR and wide color gamut. The ocean and jungle are spectacular shades of blue and green. The specular highlights from the sun on the ocean really glitter from the HDR, making for an impressive image compared to a standard Blu-ray.
The Atmos soundtrack is even more impressive. It does a wonderful job of placing you directly into the action. From the sound of waves crashing around you to the jungle, it really does a wonderful job of using those atmospheric effects. One of the shark attacks during the film is only seen and not heard, and the soundtrack makes it just as awful to hear as it would have been to see. It isn’t as continually spectacular as an action movie can be, but for the movie that it is, the soundtrack is wonderful.
Special Features: Deleted Scenes, Four Featurettes: “Shooting in The Shallows”, “How to Build a Shark”, “Finding The Perfect Beach: Lord Howe Island”, “When Sharks Attack”
Review System: Vizio P65-C1 display, KEF R300 fronts and surrounds, KEF R600C center
, KEF R50 Atmos modules
, Onkyo TX-NR555 Receiver
, Samsung UltraHD Blu-ray Player
Pros
A soundtrack that will pull you right into the film, spectacular highlights from HDR, and a film that is worth watching for those that enjoy suspense.
Cons
Image would be sharper with a true 4K transfer.
Summary
A well done suspense film that has an immersive Atmos soundtrack and benefits from HDR and WCG on this UltraHD Blu-ray.
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