Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Review

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom’s 4K UHD Blu-ray presentation showcases a notable upscaling effort, utilizing its original digital filming in resolutions of up to 6.5K through Arri Alexa cameras, to produce a final image that, although finished with a 2K digital intermediate, astonishes with its vivid detail and clarity. This meticulous upscaling process to a 3840 x 2160p resolution in the 2.39:1 aspect ratio preserves the richness of textures and colors, ensuring that skin details, both human and dinosaur, fabric weaves, and natural environments are distinctly pronounced. The film benefits from HDR10 and Dolby Vision, enhancing its wide color gamut and dynamic range, translating into magnificent display of lava flows and the lush greens of the island, while maintaining natural flesh tones and achieving profound black levels without loss of shadow detail.

The blend of HDR’s capacity to juxtapose stark contrasts and Dolby Vision’s subtle yet impactful color enhancements enriches deep blacks, stark shadows, and bright highlights, contributing to a dense and immersive cinematic experience. Furthermore, specular highlights add a luminescent quality to various surfaces without compromising detail. Despite being an upscale, the careful balance between darkness and light plays out marvelously across various scenes, particularly in dimly lit or night-time sequences, showcasing impeccable preservation of detail in lower light conditions.

Moreover, the presentation’s attention to contrast levels and color fidelity results in images that boast excellent depth perception and dimensionality. From the dense foliage of the island to the nuanced textures of the dinosaurs’ skins, every element is rendered with impressive distinction. While minor instances of compression artifacts are observed, they are negligible, leaving an overall impression of a pristine and immaculately maintained visual experience. The Ultra HD rendition truly elevates Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom from a visual standpoint, making it an exemplary showcase of how upscaling can be nearly indistinguishable from native 4K in terms of detail clarity and color vibrancy.

The DTS:X soundtrack of "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" on 4K UHD Blu-ray delivers a near-reference audio experience that is monstrous in its ambition and execution. The mix is finely crafted to utilize the full range of sound channels, including height speakers, to create a deeply immersive three-dimensional soundscape. The audio shines exceptionally in action sequences, where the dynamic range from the roaring of dinosaurs to the volcanic eruptions makes one feel squarely in the middle of the chaos. The level of detail extends to quieter moments, where ambient sounds like rainfall, rustling leaves, and distant dinosaur calls provide a continuous sense of atmosphere. The LFE channel is particularly impressive, delivering deep, impactful bass that lends weight to the dinosaurs' steps and the earth-shattering chaos of the island's destruction.

Dialogue remains clear and well-prioritized throughout, balancing perfectly against the backdrop of Michael Giacchino's score and the rich tapestry of jungle and action noises. The score itself benefits from high fidelity and separation, with each musical element distinctly layered in the mix, enhancing both the emotional and suspenseful moments of the film. The careful integration of discrete object placement and atmospherics throughout the mix creates a convincing three-dimensional environment that extends well into the listening space, making for an engaging viewing experience.

Listeners can expect a robust soundstage with excellent use of directional cues and overhead channels, contributing to an enveloping audio experience. From the ominous gurgle of lava to the crisp snap of jaws, every sound is rendered with precision, ensuring that even in the midst of auditory chaos, nothing feels lost or overwhelmed. The soundtrack's technical prowess is complemented by its ability to maintain a delicate balance between the intense action-packed sequences and the more nuanced environmental sounds, making "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" a benchmark for home theater audio performance.

The extras on the "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" 4K UHD Blu-ray compile a slew of behind-the-scenes featurettes alongside a selection of lightweight promotional materials, both found across the UHD and Blu-ray discs. While the content primarily leans into the entertainment and promotional side, including a delightful array of on-set antics between Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard, there are gems like "Fallen Kingdom: The Conversation" and "VFX Evolved" that dive deeper into the filmmaking process. These segments provide insights from filmmakers and cast, including notable commentary from Steven Spielberg and Colin Trevorrow, about the evolution of the Jurassic franchise and the groundbreaking visual effects used to bring the dinosaurs to life. The collection, though diverse in its offering from technical aspects to cast interactions, echoes a general sentiment of being light on substantial revelations but heavy on fun and camaraderie among the cast and crew. The inclusion of a digital copy offers flexibility for on-the-go viewing, rounding out a package that while not exhaustive, serves as an engaging companion to the film itself.

Extras included in this disc:

On Set with Chris & Bryce: Behind-the-scenes with the leads. The Kingdom Evolves: Insights on the sequel's direction. Return to Hawaii: On filming locations. Island Action: Behind the action scenes. Aboard the Arcadia: Focus on animatronics. Birth of the Indoraptor: Creation of the new dinosaur. Start the Bidding!: A detailed scene analysis. Death by Dino: Breakdown of a key scene. Monster in a Mansion: Director J.A. Bayona's cinematic influences. Rooftop Showdown: Creating the climax. Malcolm's Return: Jeff Goldblum's cameo. VFX Evolved: Advances in visual effects. Fallen Kingdom: The Conversation: Roundtable discussion. A Song for the Kingdom: Justice Smith's performance. Chris Pratt’s Jurassic Journals: Pratt interviews the crew and cast. Jurassic Then and Now - Presented by Barbasol: A fun franchise montage.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom delivers action and spectacle in spades, following Owen (Chris Pratt) and Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) on their mission to save the remaining dinosaurs from an erupting volcano on Isla Nublar. Filled with high-stakes adventure, terrifying new breeds of dinosaurs, and a nefarious plot that threatens global chaos, the film's formulaic narrative is boosted by impressive visuals and intense moments. Despite its attempts at exploring themes of conservation, corporatism, and ethical quandaries regarding genetic power, Fallen Kingdom often wades into familiar territory, echoing sentiments and scenarios reminiscent of its predecessors, particularly those of The Lost World. This sequel juggles the challenge of innovating within the confines of its established universe, sometimes faltering under the weight of its grand ambitions.

The return of beloved characters sprinkled with a mix of new faces underpins a story that is as much about survival and rescue as it is about human folly and the catastrophic consequences of tampering with nature. While J.A. Bayona takes over the directorial reins from Colin Trevorrow, bringing a distinct blend of horror and suspense to the franchise, the film tends to lean heavily on action sequences and visual spectacle over substantive narrative depth. Owens' quest to rescue Blue and Claire's dedication to preserving dinosaur life form the emotional core amidst a backdrop of volcanic destruction and corporate greed, attempting to balance visceral thrills with more tender moments.

Fallen Kingdom manages to advance the Jurassic narrative, introducing new concepts and players that hint at broader implications for its universe, setting up intriguing possibilities for future instalments. However, criticisms concerning its plot's predictability and a perceived lack of freshness in its execution cannot be entirely dismissed. It's a film that, while technically accomplished and entertaining in moments, occasionally succumbs to sequel fatigue, struggling to fully escape the shadows of its groundbreaking origins. As such, it encapsulates both the achievements and constraints of continuing a legacy that began with Spielberg's original, presenting a visually stunning if narratively uneven chapter in the Jurassic saga.

In the realm of high-stakes blockbuster sequels, "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" carves a controversial path, meshing moments of high suspense with an overarching sense of sequel fatigue that may leave audiences longing for the franchise's innovative origins. While the film itself navigates through a terrain of familiar thrills and deeper, more philosophical conflicts surrounding ethics and the consequences of scientific tampering, it struggles to deliver a coherent narrative that captivates beyond the surface-level spectacle. The darker tone of the latter half, juxtaposed with classic franchise excitement, provides a platform for engaging ethical dilemmas alongside its quintessential dinosaur action, though it sometimes falters under the weight of its ambitious thematic intentions.

From a technical standpoint, the film's 4K UHD Blu-ray presentation is nothing short of spectacular. Universal Pictures Home Entertainment ensures "Fallen Kingdom" roars onto the scene with a visually stunning 2160p transfer that boasts extraordinary detail, vibrant colors, and impeccably deep blacks. This is complemented by a DTS:X soundtrack that envelops the viewer in a canopy of prehistoric chaos, with every dinosaur footstep and roar rendered with exceptional clarity, making it a strong contender for reference-quality home theater audio. Despite the film's narrative shortcomings, its home release includes a fair array of supplements that add value for fans and enthusiasts keen on delving into the making of this cinematic spectacle.

Conclusively, "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" presents a mixed bag of cinematic elements, juxtaposing thrilling dinosaur action with an undercooked story peppered with moments of genuine suspense and horror. However, its 4K UHD release elevates the home viewing experience to remarkable heights, boasting superb video and audio quality that far surpasses standard home entertainment formats. Thus, for fans of the franchise or collectors seeking to showcase the prowess of their home theaters, this release is undeniably worth adding to their library. Despite narrative flaws, the technical excellence of this 4K UHD presentation reaffirms "Fallen Kingdom's" position as a visually and audibly impressive entry in the enduring Jurassic legacy.