Source France | Publisher : Universal Pictures | Release date : 22 November 2023
Video format
2160p24 – Ratio 2.20 and 1.78
HDR10 / BT.2020 – HEVC encoding
Master intermediate 4K
Soundtrack
English DTS-HD MA 5.1
French SDR 5.1
Subtitles
English
French
Rated 5 out of 5
Artistic : 10 | Video : 10 | Audio : 10
It is brought to the attention of our dear readers that, in addition to the specified and used viewing equipment, the rendering may differ from one installation to another, whether or not it is calibrated, as well as personal preferences and expectations may influence notation. Moreover, the images in the article are not representative of the edition tested.
Test equipment and condition (Config. HP: 5.1.4)
Video broadcaster : Sony Bravia XR-65A95L (Professional HDR)
Sources : Oppo UDP-203 Audiocom Reference | Zappiti Reference
Pregnant : Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar (DTS Neural:X), SVS SB-4000
WORK - American Prometheus
In 1942, convinced that Nazi Germany was developing a nuclear weapon, the United States initiated the "Manhattan Project" to develop the first atomic bomb in history. To pilot this device, the government hires the brilliant physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer...
Far from any classicism and without any time dead, this study of character to (very) large-scale on the elusive Oppenheimer a five-star casting (Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr., Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, etc.) where the fission of the atomic nucleus crosses the fission of an individual. In short, a human tragedy connected to the fragile psyche of his twisted personality whose dedallian narrative, as ambitious as it is demanding, outlines the inner conflicts of an idealist devastated by the terrifying era he instigates. And between intimate portrait and political fresco, this film-sum of Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight, Interstellar, Tenet) composes a set of two different but so complementary atoms: the author cinema and the great show. Its explosive triumphs at 96th Oscar Ceremony (seven awards) is indeed deserved.
« I became death, the destroyer of the worlds. »
IMAGE - The fire of the explosion
Exclusively captured with large format cameras (65 mm Panavision and 65 mm IMAX), meticulously digitized in 8K then passed in 4K, oscillating between color (the subjective) and N&B (the lens) and carefully calibrated by Kostas Theodosiou (so that the digital version matches the reference analog print), the sumptuous photograph of Hoyte Van Hoytema is perfectly restored by this unassailable UHD HDR10 transfer (still no Dolby Vision for Nolan) that a solid compression comes to support (an average bitrate of 65.8 Mbps despite a duration of three hours).
The definition is just prodigious (the panoramic views are of incredible precision), the level of detail is never seen (is the eye able to see more than that?) and the silver granularity is displayed with an insolent finesse (even if heterogeneous by the diversity of the films used).
The old-fashioned photochemical calibration delivers nicely unsaturated hues by taking advantage of the warmer shades than on the Blu-ray (this is easily noticed during the passages with Jean Tatlock, interpreted by Florence Pugh) and the HDR technology, maintained under control (red peaks of 223 nit for an average luminance of 164 cd/m2), strengthens the management of contrasts (very natural with matt blacks) for a more sensitive darkness and light sources with subtly raised radiance (sweetened domestic lighting, daylight, diving into the core of the matter, nuclear explosion). With regard to the N&B, full of shades and carved lights, the refinement of the grey scale is even more evident.
If this is not a defect due to the tested edition (since the phenomenon was already visible in the cinema), the sporadic presence of flickering (scingling in the background) could hinder some spectators. It was also the same with Dunkirk (2017).
SON - Nuclear Frisson
Minimalist three-quarters of the time (a naturalistic spatialization with characterized intimacy) but no less detonating when narration commands it (then comes a homeric acoustic tourbillon), this soundtrack very dilogued (clear and balanced voices) which masters silences as person (since infra-sensitive and terrifying during detonations) is a sensory experience where the superb electro-acoustic partition of Ludwig Göransson (with rubbing cords that are both fragile and anxiogenic), an essential component of mixing (since it reflects Robert Oppenheimer's psychology while contributing to the urgency of events), tickles the viscera.
So whatever the absence of Dolby Atmos (which Nolan continues to deliberately rule out), the VO DTS-HD MA 5.1 plays the palpable immersion map with its bluffing surround effects of realism, its phenomenal dynamics (volume climbs are bursting) and its powerful serious digging deep into the infra-bass (the representation of the moving atoms, the shock wave of Trinity's explosion, the feet of the crowd pounding the wooden steps of the amphitheatre).
Even if effective at its level (the extent is there and the location established) and provided with a (good) well integrated dubbing, the VF presented in DTS 5.1 mid-debit lacks finesse in comparison.
CONCLUSION - Chain reaction(s)
As he makes a sensitive echo between yesterday and today through the space-time he bends, this maze of physical particles that warns us about the harsh reality of nuclear apocalypse is not lost by the technically stunning 4K Ultra HD. In this respect, it is not surprising that its A/V benefits are as well informed as the « father of the atomic bomb » during his initial contributions to quantum mechanics!
Other articles relating to Oppenheimer on MaG:
The film: a masterclass, the bluray 4k: pure demo image and sound! The beginning of the film sets the tone! Deaf!