Kong: Skull Island 4K Ultra HD

In Kong Skull Island, a team of scientists, soldiers and adventurers explore an uncharted island in the Pacific, but their mission of discovery becomes the ultimate battle between man and nature when they venture into the domain of the mighty Kong. (Gary Reber)

Special Features on the Blu-ray Disc include commentary with Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts; five featurettes: Creating a King (HD 24:26 ), Monarch Files 2.0 (HD 07:58 ), Tom Hiddleston: The Intrepid Traveler (HD 06:53), Through The Lens: Brie Larson's Photography (HD 02:19 ), and On Location: Vietnam (HD 05:38 ); five deleted scenes (HD 03:45 ); upfront previews; and a digital copy.

The 2.40:1 2160p HEVC/H.265 Ultra HD HDR 10 picture was digitally photographed with Arri Alexa XT cameras and sourced from a 2K (not 4K) Digital Intermediate master format and reviewed on a Sony Bravia Z9D 4K Ultra HD HDR display. As the 2K Digital Intermediate has been upconverted to 2160p, there is no real gain in native resolution. Still, the imagery exhibits exceptional resolution and sharpness throughout, whether in realistic settings or CG-dominated sequences. Detail is evident on uniforms, clothing, natives, facial features, civilian clothing, gadgets and armory, and object texture. Contrast is excellent as well, with deep, solid blacks and revealing shadow delineation. The color palette is colorfully natural in appearance from the environmental settings, to Kong, to the native villagers, to fleshtones. The opening scenes in Washington D.C. project a dated seventies film effect and shift to a stylized opening 1945 War World II island sequence. But when the expedition reaches Kong's island, the colors shift to naturalness. The end sequences return to the stylization of a home movie shot on 16 mm. This is one of the finest examples of the seamless integration of digital creations set within spectacular location photography and serves as a superb reference-quality picture that will not disappoint. (Gary Reber)

The Dolby Atmos/Dolby TrueHD soundtrack is terrific, with an exciting dynamic presence throughout. This is one of the few Immersive Sound presentations, which actively use the height channels to enhance the overall holosonic® delivery with effective spherical surround. This includes the often-aggressive extension of the orchestral score and other 7.1 sonics, as well as sound effect objects that burst from above, rain, whirling helicopter blades, gunfire, explosions, monster sounds, and strong ambient sonics.. From the first action scene of an off-screen dogfight between a pair of World War II fighter planes ending in a hand-to-hand fight on the island and the intro of Kong to the helicopter squadron's approach to the island through intense surrounding storms, and the dangers that subsequently follow, this soundtrack delivers
excitement. On the island the sonics include jungle noises of all manner, including giant insects and animals. Of course, there is the anticipated thunderous roars of Kong and the eerie sounds of Skull Island's beats that
challenge Kong to the death. The orchestral score is nicely recorded with a wide and deep soundstage presence that extends to the surrounds and the height channels. Other music segments consist of classic rock-'n'-
roll from the Hollies, Jefferson Airplane, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and David Bowie. Deep bass is aggressively delivered in the .1 LFE channel to sub-25 Hz frequencies, which effectively give weight to the sound effects and animal sounds, as well as an intense explosion. Through all, dialogue is consistently intelligible with good spatial integration. This is a terrific holosonic
spherical soundtrack that is reference quality. (Gary Reber)