Wonder 4K Blu-ray Review

• Review Summary
• Review Specs

Pros	A well-done story that works for adults and kids, improved image with HDR and Dolby Vision.
Cons	Only a 7.1 soundtrack.
Summary	Wonder is a very well done movie that kids will want to watch again, while parents will be happy with the stories and lessons it teaches. Much better than expected, and recommended for families.
Video
Audio
Movie

Studio	Lionsgate
Title	Wonder
Audio	Dolby TrueHD 7.1
Negative Formats	Redcode RAW (6K)
Digital Intermediate	2K
MPAA Rating	PG
Length	113 Minutes
Director	Stephen Chbosky
Stars	Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson, Mandy Patinkin
Review Date	February 24, 2018
Price	$19.97

Summary: Wonder follows the inspiring story of the Pullman family, whose youngest child, Auggie, is a boy born with facial differences. When Auggie enters mainstream elementary school for the first time, his extraordinary journey unites his family, his school, and his community, and proves that you can’t blend in when you were born to stand out.

Movie Review: My kids haven’t gotten to reading the Wonder books yet, and neither my wife or I had any idea what they were about going into it. The movie is very well done, and a great film for both kids and adults. What sets it apart is that it shows the story from multiple sides. If one student interacts with Auggie, then you’ll also see some of the stories from his side, giving you better-developed characters than most kids stories offer. It doesn’t pander to you or try to excessively tug at the heartstrings, but just tells a good story and keeps you entertained while doing so. The day after watching it, my kids wanted to watch it again, so it certainly is one worth owning on disc because of that.

Technical Review: Wonder includes a Dolby Vision transfer, which we couldn’t evaluate quite yet, but also has an HDR10 version of course. While shot on a RED Camera at 6K resolution, the digital intermediate is only 2K, which is disappointing since this isn’t a VFX heavy film and probably could be done at 4K. The transfer isn’t flashy but takes advantage of the expanded contrast ratios and color gamuts that 4K offers. Simple scenes, like a sunset at a lake, look much better here than they do on the Blu-ray, and while it looks great it won’t be your demo disc.

The soundtrack is only a 7.1 version and not Atmos. It does the job in this dialogue-driven film but doesn’t have the opportunity to be dynamic at all. Surrounds are used some to build ambiance but not a lot, but it does a good job bringing across the surprisingly decent soundtrack.

Special Features:

• “Summer of Fun” 5-Part Documentary
  • “A (com)Passion Project” Featurette
  • “Family Matters” Featurette
  • “A Technical Wonder” Featurette
  • “A Note of Kindness” Featurette
  • “We All Deserve a Standing Ovation at Least Once in Our Lives” Featurette
• “A Child’s Sense of Wonder” Featurette
• “What a Wonderful World” Featurette
• Audio Commentary with Stephen Chbosky and R.J. Palacio
• “Brand New Eyes” Music Video
• Wonder Soundtrack: Behind-the-Scenes Featurette

Review System: Sony A1E OLED, Sony UBP-X800 UltraHD Blu-ray Player, Oppo UDP-203 UltraHD Blu-ray Player, KEF Ci5160RL-THX Fronts, Ci3160RL-THX Center, 2x Ci200RR-THX Surrounds, 4x CI200RR-THX Atmos Speakers, Anthem MRX 1120 Receiver, SVS SB-4000 Subwoofer.