4K Ultra HD – Edition FR – Warner Bros. - 152 min – 28 December 2017
Video format
• Intermediate Master: 4K
• Standard HDR: HDR10
• Ratio: 2.40 and 1.78 IMAX
Soundtrack
• English DTS-HD MA 5.1
• English DTS-HD MA 5.1
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 – He's not a hero, he's a silent guardian...
Batman, assisted by Lieutenant Jim Gordon and Attorney Harvey Dent, continues his war against crime. Although this partnership between Gotham's three figures seems to bear fruit, the three men will soon find themselves in a state of chaos from the most intelligent and terrifying criminal they have ever met, known as the Joker...
The darkest and most pessimistic episode of the saga, The Dark Knight is a high-end entertainment closer to the thriller than to the fantastic film, where the border between good and evil is very thin and where emotional involvement is guaranteed.
The reinforced concrete scenario questions the concept of superhero, allows itself a deep reflection on power and openly criticizes the security obsession of the United States, the characters are of amazing complexity, the actors are exceptional (the late Heath Ledger dies the screen in the skin of a Joker at once Machiavellic, psychopath, desperate and moving), the realization is magisterial, the action scenes are spectacular, the SFX are invisible and the pulsative score of the duo Zimmer/JNH is a pure wonder.
Epic, intense, complex, exciting and fascinating, The Dark Knight is nothing less than the reference of superhero films. An instant classic!
IMAGE – You want to know where those scars come from?
It is on this opus that the difference between Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD is the most obvious. Indeed, this new 4K master, slightly cropped during the scenes in 1.78 (a very small zoom front) and which embarks a revised color calibration, corrects the defects of its HD counterpart. No more extensive use of edge enhancement that overemphasized the contours in 2.40 format sequences and sometimes blocked blacks.
Now there is a UHD transfer that remains double-sided (I couldn't stop it), since it always alternates regularly between image formats 2.40 (turning in 35 mm) and 1.78 (turning IMAX 70 mm), for a substantially different result between the two but at least always conclusive. In short, IMAX footage (the action scenes or the broad and aerial plans of Gotham City) has a phenomenal rendition and imposes itself as real technical demonstrations thanks to a pique, a definition, a sharpness, a depth of field and a luminosity that belong only to them (it's rather stingy live). As for the scenes shot in 35 mm, less spectacular but still very beautiful, they appear as much more natural than in the past (they no longer have the artificial rendering of the past) and leave a tasty silver grain.
In fact, both formats coexist with more homogeneity, assisted by HDR technology. Already, by revisiting the depth of the blacks. Less crushed or deeper depending on the location, they reveal many details that were masked by the ambient darkness. Then, re-thinking the colorimetric palette. Warmer and liberating more realistic blue-green shades, they are fantastic richness. Finally, by boosting the overall brightness. More brilliant and radiant than ever, it brilliantly enhances the lighting (the streetlights of the city, the gyrophars of the police, the reflections on the bodies, etc.) without distorting the work.
Thanks to this Ultra HD Blu-ray, the Black Knight, in his most emblematic episode of the trilogy made in Nolan, reveals himself as never before.
SON – I'm the agent of chaos!
These sound tracks that put the package (the dynamics are formidable) have the sense of the show (the blast of explosions, the bullets that fuse, the vehicle's field inputs/exits, the tires that scream, etc.).
The dialogues are of great clarity (including the serious voice of Batman), the probative frontal opening, the enveloping rear scene (the BO and the ambiance) and the very active LFE channel (if only for the score). The latter also delivers bass as powerful as an uppercut.
The fantastic original mixing is therefore wonderfully restored, and not only on the VO this time (VF DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1).
CONCLUSION – Why this serious air?
When you have talent, you have to take advantage of it. In fact, master of his luck, the 4K Ultra HD will be... entertainment of the evening! For from the slight penet to the chaos « useful », he knows how to avoid conflicts and excesses a little too explosive !
Artistic note
10
Video quality
9
Audio quality
9.5
0
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