10 Cloverfield Lane 4K UltraHD

"10 Cloverfield Lane" takes place following a catastrophic car crash in which a young woman (Winstead) wakes up in a survivalist’s (Goodman) underground bunker. He claims to have saved her from an apocalyptic attack that has left the outside world uninhabitable. His throes are supported by a mysterious stranger who is in the bunker with them (Gallagher, Jr.), but as his increasingly suspicious actions lead her to question his motives, she’ll have to escape in order to discover the truth. (Gary Reber)

Special features include commentary by Director Dan Trachtenberg and Producer J.J. Abrams; seven featurettes: "Cloverfield Too" (HD 09:07), "Bunker Mentality" (HD 03:48), "Duck And Cover" (HD 01:44), "Spin-Off" (HD 03:52), "Kelvin Optical" (HD 06:07), "Fine Tuned" (HD 06:42), and "End Of Story" (HD 03:19); and an UltraViolet digital copy.

The 2.38:1 2160p HEVC/H.265 UltraHD HDR10/Dolby Vision picture, reviewed on a Sony Bravia Z9D 4K UltraHD HDR display, was photographed digitally in anamorphic Panavision® using the Red Epic Dragon camera system and sourced from a 2K (not 4K) master Digital Intermediate format. As the 2K Digital Intermediate has been upconverted to 2160p, there is no real gain in native resolution. As with the previous Blu-ray reviewed in Issue 208 (July/August 2016), the picture exhibits a perfectly natural color palette with rich and warm hues, which are more finely resolved and complex . Other than the opening pre-crash, in which Michelle is in her dwelling and starts out on her journey, in daylight, the movie takes place in an underground bunker below a farmhouse, with lights running off a generator. The production design nicely presents this small space accentuated by the lightening design, which, with HDR processing, further intensifies lights, both interior and exterior, such as car headlights. Contrast is varied, with brighter scenes transitioning to darker scenes, yet black levels remain deep and solid and shadow delineation is revealing. Fleshtones are rendered naturally throughout. Resolution is excellent, with fine detail exhibited in the concrete block construction, the dated Americana furnishings, facial features,, skin pores, hair and Goodman’s beard, clothing, and object texture. A WOW! segment is at the end from 01:29:15 to 01:31:54. The HDR and Wide Color Gamut treatment definitely enhance the visual experience for a more precise presentation that makes this the definitive edition. (Gary Reber)

The Dolby Atmos/Dolby TrueHD 7.1-channel soundtrack is dominated by a haunting orchestral score that extends wide and deep across the soundfield and to the four surrounds, as well as overhead. The music is the major element of surround envelopment and the Immersive Sound element, though, at very low levels, and occupies all of the channels. As well, deep bass is integrated into the music with strong .1 LFE energy. There are several instances of deep low-frequency rumbling from above the bunker, which provides a dynamic contrast to the dialogue that is the focus of the soundtrack. Atmospherics are pretty much limited to human movements within the bunker, though, there are low-level sounds associated with the operating mechanics of the bunker, as well as heavy door workings and slams and pounding. One dramatic sound effect is a powerful gunshot within the bunker, which is really intense, as well as a barrage of sound effects at the end, including intense explosions. Dialogue is consistently intelligible with good spatial integration.

The Immersive Sound element primarily consists of the haunting orchestral score, which extends at low levels, except for the jukebox playing, an opening night scene infested with crickets, a loud crashing sound, predominant bunker ambient and mechanical sounds, an air filtration system, a smoke sensor high-pitched screech sound, a metal ventilation door sound, an intense sound that accompanies a gun firing and high-frequency ringing, fire-splitting sounds and a smoke alarm, a flock of birds chirping in flight, a fireball explosion, a very loud pounce on the metal shed and crawling sounds, an alien ship overhead emitting a toxic spraying sound, and other ambient sounds.

This is an engaging soundtrack that maintains suspenseful and intense emotions. (Gary Reber)