4K Ultra HD – Edition FR – Disney – 133 min – 12 November 2021
Video format
• Intermediate Master: 2K
• Standard HDR: HDR10
• Ratio: 2.39
Soundtrack
• English Dolby Atmos
• English Dolby Digital Plus 7.1
Subtitles
• English
• French
It is brought to the attention of our dear readers as well as the viewing equipment specified and used by each tester of the MaG team, the rendering may differ from one installation to another, whether or not it is calibrated, as well as personal preferences and expectations may influence the rating. Moreover, the images in the article are not representative of the edition tested.
WORK – The Black Widow Facing Its Past
Natasha Romanoff, a.k.a. Black Widow, sees the darkest part of her past resurrected to face a dreadful conspiracy linked to her former life. Pursued by a force that won't go back in front of anything to shoot him down, Natasha has to reconnect with her spying activities and with ties that were broken, long before she joined the Avengers.
On a classic frame but no less built on a real dramaturgy (where family issues prevail), this origin story post #MeToo where women lead the dance (Florence Pugh steals the star from Scarlett Johansson) effectively mixes espionage and action. This female blockbuster puts us back in the bath of the MCU, whose specifications he respects, as of course.
IMAGE – Forever Red
More visible than usual (in Disney hears), the same was true for the recent CruellaThe differences between Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD are obvious from the first seconds. Would the heat of all cinematic photography be the cause? In any case, we are indeed in the presence of an upscale UHD HDR10 transfer from Disney.
The definition is enhanced (which does not necessarily help the CGIs in the last act), the details show greater finesse (the textures of the skin, the clarity of the background, the seams of the clothes), the colorimetric palette is otherwise more vibrant (the red hair of Natasha Romanoff or more generally all the primaries), the contrasts are much bolder with blacks at impenetrable depth (without the elements of the frame being crushed) and whites with immaculate purity (cf. the shine of the latter during snowy escape), and the light sources deploy a radiation (the red spots and/or electronic bracelets, the light of the day that enters through the windows, the reflections of the sun, the lighting of the metro, the flames) that the SDR encoding, from close or far, cannot reach.
SON – The espionage in big bada boom mode!
Even though the dynamics are still a little on the reserve, this immersive and well combative 3D soundtrack is less impacted by the syndrome « Dolby Atmouse » as many of his fellow sisters.
Never obstructed by mijaured bass (in contrast to the Blu-ray's DTS-HD MA 7.1 track) and provided with a real impact (gunshots, physical shocks, car accidents), it uses a large sound scene whose directionality is very precise. Enjoying effects and/or atmospheres moving fluidly from one chamber to another, including channels of height (helicopter during the assault of the prison, falling debris during the destruction of the Red Chamber, etc.), she embarks us as close to the action without neglecting her voices, perfectly distinct, or even her music, fully ventilated.
Less energetic but also well spatialized (without the verticality of the sound), the VF encoded in Dolby Digital Plus 7.1 remains very valiant at its level.
CONCLUSION – Is that just a goodbye?
For fans of the Marvel film universe, Black Widow's baroud honour better transcends its super-heroes in Ultra HD Blu-ray!
Artistic note
7
Video quality
9.5
Audio quality
8.5
0
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