Note: Note: There are several typos on the back of the box. 1. The UHD disc lists a DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track when it is actually the same Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track that was present on the 1080p Ultimate Cut disc. 2. The 1080p movie disc lists DolbyTrueHD 5.1
Watchmen 4K Blu-ray delivers stunning video and reference-quality audio in this exceptional Blu-ray release
In an alternate reality, it's 1985, costumed superheroes are part of the fabric of everyday society, and the "Doomsday Clock" — which charts the USA's tension with the Soviet Union — is permanently set at five minutes to midnight. When one of his former colleagues is murdered, the washed-up but no less determined masked vigilante Rorschach sets out to uncover a plot to kill and discredit all past and present superheroes. As he reconnects with his former crime-fighting legion — a ragtag group of retired superheroes, only one of whom has true superpowers — Rorschach glimpses a wide-ranging and disturbing conspiracy with links to their shared past and catastrophic consequences for the future. Their mission is to watch over humanity, but who is watching the Watchmen?
For more about Watchmen 4K and the Watchmen 4K Blu-ray release, see Watchmen 4K Blu-ray Review published by Martin Liebman on April 29, 2018 where this Blu-ray release scored 4.5 out of 5.
Warner Bros. has released the fan-favorite noir superhero film 'The Watchmen' to UHD in a three-disc set. The UHD disc contains the lengthy
'Ultimate Cut' but does not offer the theatrical or director's cut in the 2160p format. The studio has opted not to re-encode the soundtrack, leaving
well enough alone by simply porting over the well-received Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless presentation from the previous Blu-ray release of this cut. No
new extras are
included, but the set includes the film's Director's Cut on Blu-ray and a dedicated special features Blu-ray disc.
For a full film review for the Ultimate Cut, please see the original Blu-ray.com review of the 2009 release here.
The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc, the "Director's Cut" disc bundled with this package to be precise. Watch for 4K
screenshots at a later date.
Who watches The Watchmen...in 4K? Warner Bros.' 2160p/HDR-enhanced presentation of Watchmen will certainly prove controversial.
First,
the UHD release only contains the film in its super-long "Ultimate Cut," a behemoth that runs over 3.5 hours. There is no opportunity to watch the
theatrical or director's cuts in 4K, at least at time of writing, so fans of either of those are left to simply re-watch the well-reviewed Blu-ray discs
instead. The entire Ultimate Cut does fit on a single UHD disc, and with no compression artifacts of note, it holds up very well given the allotted space.
The most fundamental difference between the Blu-ray and the UHD is the drastic alteration to the film's coloring. While many -- most -- HDR
presentations only enhance what's there, offering brighter whites, greater color depth and range, more dazzle and pop, Watchmen's UHD
significantly tones down the palette, making an already darkly atmospheric movie all the more dim, dense, and drained. The movie is much more
absorbingly dark than it was before, with various scenes almost pushing a grayscale. Skin tones are drained, even in moderately well lit interiors, and
only the most intense primaries really stand apart. A purple poster with a bright white lightning strike can be seen at the 27:09 mark on the UHD
Ultimate cut disc (the 24:07 mark on the director's cut Blu-ray). This is an example of the 10-it HDR not only altering the color, but improving on the
color. The purple is much deeper
and more vibrant. There's much more pop to it, and the bright white lightning streaks are more refined, deeper, and less prone to overpowering the
purple around them while still adding intensity. The rest of the shot is much more grayscale. The walls are a darker shade thereon, and the red shirt
the character is wearing is
all but drained of only a modest hint of its color. It's not that it's vibrant on the Blu-ray either, but the UHD certainly tones down the overall brightness
factor by a fairly significant level. This is one of the most drastic alterations to a movie by way of an HDR presentation yet. It doesn't fundamentally
change the movie, but
to does take the initiative to create a much more absorbingly atmospheric presentation. Whether one finds it an enhancement, a compliment, to the
movie is ultimately up to the individual viewer to decide, whether preferring much more brightness on the Blu-ray or increased density and decreased
color
contrast on the UHD.
The film was reportedly photographed in Super 35 but finished at 2K. The resultant
upscaled 4K image doesn't offer much increase in textural clarity or efficiency of presentation. The desaturated coloring is a much more prominent
feature, and while it appears more accentuating of various environments, the reality is that there's not much detail gain to be found. Some increases in
sharpness are apparent, but skin textures, urban environments, and clothes don't offer any regularly significant boost in delivery, despite the up in
crude
resolution. The image is positively filmic, though, with grain retention continuous and nicely refined. The good news is that what detailing is here is
very good. Easy-come complexity is the norm, and viewers will note fine details in all of the expected places, and some unexpected, too, even through
the film's dense nighttime scenes and, on the UHD, dramatically drained color.
Ultimately, Watchmen's UHD is a product of a very gloomy, atmospheric movie made all the more so with its HDR presentation. This reviewer
found it a positive improvement over the Blu-ray, complimenting the mood and finding a greater visual tonal balance compared to the Blu-ray, but that
doesn't matter. What matters is whether this is a more accurate representation of Zack Snyder's vision for this film, and that is a question only Snyder
could
answer. That's the million-dollar question for every HDR alteration, really, particularly for these "older" films. The UHD looks very good, but prospective
viewers -- particularly those intimately familiar with the Blu-ray -- will want to be prepared for a different viewing experience going in.
This UHD release of Watchmen's Ultimate Cut does not feature any newly remixed Atmos or DTS:X soundtracks, sticking with the very good
Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless track from the 2009 Blu-ray. For a full audio review, please click here.
Watchmen's UHD disc houses no extras, but the included two Blu-ray discs offer plenty. Below is a list of what's included. For a more
comprehensive review, please click here for a review of the "Maximum Movie Mode" and here for the special features on disc three. A UV digital copy code is
included
with purchase. Note that none of the discs contain the commentary tracks that were on the Blu-ray Ultimate Edition feature film disc.
Watchmen's praises have been sung far and wide, and the film has been enjoyed in several variations over the years. This UHD is the first
time
the film has been seen in 4K, albeit upscaled, for home consumption. Sadly, Warner Brothers has only released the "Ultimate Cut" to the format; fans
of either the theatrical or director's cuts will have to stick with the Blu-ray. The picture quality as presented is most drastically impacted by the
desaturating use of HDR. Textural improvements are mild at best, negligible at worst. Audio has not been changed, either, and no new extras are
included. This is not entirely a comprehensive Watchmen experience; a few extras are missing, notably a pair of audio commentary
tracks, and it includes no option to view the theatrical cut, but there's nevertheless an awful lot of content here, supplements-wise and considering two
different
cuts of the film. Recommended.
Use the thumbs up and thumbs down icons to agree or disagree that the title is similar to Watchmen. You can also suggest completely new similar titles to Watchmen in the search box below.
During the next 24 hours, Amazon Canada will have select SteelBooks as low as $10.99. Included in the sale are such titles as David Fincher's Zodiac, Zack Snyder's Watchmen, and Martin Scorsese's The Departed.
Starting 9.30 a.m. PST today, the Amazon-exclusive Blu-ray edition of Watchmen with Nite Owl ship packaging ("Archimedes", incidentally) will go on a Lightning Deal and will briefly be available for only $14.99 (87% off MSRP). Other two BDs with special packaging ...
Like it did during Black Friday week, Amazon has revealed a full schedule of the Lightning Deals it will hold between Monday, Dec. 13 and Friday Dec. 17, featuring many Blu-ray titles. Additionally, Amazon customers will be able to vote for the limited-edition ...
Use the thumbs up and thumbs down icons to agree or disagree that the title is similar to Watchmen. You can also suggest completely new similar titles to Watchmen in the search box below.
