Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom 4K UHD (2018)

[Cherokee Jack]

Originally Posted by Hardback247

So? Dennis Nedry was also a very obvious villain from the start.

This is true. Knight's performance is memorable however and has a bizarre charm that elevates his character compared to the villains that would follow. Goldblum has that charm as well in JP but it's gone in TLW. Having writers and and a director who care makes all the difference.

[samlop10]

Watched this over the weekend.

This is my original review, I have watched it a few more times since but that review still holds up. Regardless to say, after having mixed feelings on Jurassic World the first time I watched it and better enjoying it as a live-action cartoon in subsequent viewings, I went with that mindset for this sequel, and it definitely payed off as that is what the first Jurassic World setup and the story follows suit here with crazier (and more enjoyable) results:

Originally Posted by samlop10

Grade: A

I really liked this gothic, dark fairytale take on the dinosaurs. The Indoraptor made for one vicious creature that provided some genuinely scary sequences with a very good amount of tension. It almost had a Guillermo del Toro-eque feel about it in a very good way. The original and Jurassic World have a magic to them that feels bright and full of discovery but here Bayona takes it a step further, in a different direction, and evolves it so that it feels fresh and more original while at the same time providing a good tone for the themes the film explores.

The camera work and cinematography are stunning. I watched it in Laser IMAX 3D and I was constantly in awe of the direction and visuals. J. A. Bayona proves to be very versatile with the camera, showing that he can easily handle busy scenes with a massive scope, such as the eruption of the volcano, and just as easily make an extreme close up to a small thing like an eye opening important without loosing sight of what it means in such a grand set piece. This makes for some heavy but exhilarating sequences in which the tension just keeps mounting. It’s exciting and tiring at the same time, in a good way.

The second half shifts gears to a more intimate, claustrophobic, almost surreal setting in the mansion. It feels like a horror movie in the vein of The Relic but significantly better executed. I thought it was handled very well with, again, excellent camerawork and cinematography that I don’t get tired of praising. And instead of just having dinosaurs meandering about destroying things, the aftermath of what happens in the mansion leads to some serious consequences. This is layered with the origins of one of the characters (no spoilers) and it really puts into perspective whether they should be treated as any other animal or not.

This time around you can really see the consequences and repercussions of what the findings of creating dinosaurs from a strand of DNA mean for humans. Given that, J. A. Bayona has decided to use his darker, gothic visual style to compliment the exploration of those themes. How humanity perhaps went too far with science this time and how it will actually affect the whole world now in various ways, not just in our interactions with the dinosaurs. In this way I feel like the franchise has finally taken a logical step forward and away from the islands, opening the world in the franchise to a whole lot of new possibilities. Whether they’ll take good advantage of that remains to be seen, until the next entry at least.

The few issues I had with the film were that Owen and Claire don’t get much character development. They’re so likeable already, however (with Claire being way more sympathetic now), that it almost doesn’t matter, and overall, they carry the film extremely well, complimenting each other very nicely with some nice chemistry to boot. The other issue I had was that the first half felt like a bit of a retread of The Lost World. That quickly changes, however, and it leads to something very different but thankfully, in a good and interesting direction.

So overall, it is my favorite sequel of the franchise. While I really liked JW, this one feels more fresh, energetic, and emotional (I can’t get than infamous shot out of my head, it’s so beautiful but tragic and haunting), with a more focused path and goal of where it wants to go. The themes from the original are surprisingly advanced to the logical next step, and even though they lead to something that feels darker, it is a welcome change that does leave you wondering with curiosity where they’ll take the franchise next. The gothic fairlytale take with the dragon-like Indoraptor was pure joy to experience on the big screen. It felt very unique and exciting, definitely scarier than the previous entries, suspenseful and more horror-oriented without crossing any lines. Can’t wait to watch it again.

PQ: 4.5 / 5
The Dolby Vision encode is almost reference quality. Save for the black levels which sometimes are not as deep as they could be (a limitation of the source), and very brief compression artifacts in the very beginning, the rest impresses throughout. The picture is awash with color nuances that standard blu-ray simply cannot replicate. The picture is darker, yes, but it is so while looking very natural and maintaining excellent saturation levels with lots of subtleties, be it from different greenery and earthy/brown colors, or the more gothic cinematography of the second half in the mansion which is basically a museum/lab. The lava from the first half also burns deeper and with more detail thanks to the wider gradations in color.

Dynamic range is also on full display here, especially in the second half which takes place in a much darker setting in the mansion. The contrast between the dark corridors and exhibitions, and the bright lights across them, as well as during the bidding, really showcase the gothic visuals. It is also darker, but at the same time, light sources inside and lighting during the storm outside are brighter, helping to make the cinematography punchier with more pop and thus more appreciable. Shadow detail is another highlight. Despite the darker picture, there is a constant showcase of detail in darker areas of the picture. Nothing ever gets crushed or clipped. Take, for example, the scene in which Maisie sneaks into the lab, and before being discovered, she hides in a very dark corridor which is only lit indirectly by a light from the adjacent hallway, the Indoraptor reaches out towards her hair through the bars, and you can clearly see the skin and claws as they touch Maisie's hair which is also clearly defined despite the deep darkness.

Fine detail also impresses. Amongst all the CGI shots, the image holds up very well. Thankfully they used more practical effects this time around and it pays off as there is a nice uptick in detail across textures like the dinosaurs' skin, as well as the clothing on the characters, among other objects. I did notice brief and subtle banding in the underwater scene in the very beginning, but otherwise the picture is free of compression artifacts. Black levels range from good to perfect, with some scenes clearly having intended higher black levels. None of these ruin the picture, but rather, simply keep an impressive transfer from being perfect.


AQ: 5 / 5
Demo material through and through. Presented here in lossless DTS-X, the sound design combines crazy blockbuster action and more subtle horror/suspense to great effect. There is great directionality throughout and this is experienced as soon as the film starts with the helicopter flying overhead from back to front, moving smoothly over the viewer. Then the rain envelopes as the storm rages, and then one is submerged underwater as they try to get the tooth, all these thanks to the heights as well as the ear-level effects which blend together quite well. There is also great directionality in the front stage, with the many running dinosaurs moving across the screen, either fighting or trying to escape. The surrounds and overheads are constantly active throughout. Be it for atmospherics like a storm (you can hear the rain hitting the mansion's roof from above), or with discrete effects like the different debris and lava flying around as they try to escape from the island. Then in the mansion, groans, steps, and hisses create a tense and creepy atmosphere as the Indoraptor stalks and hunts our protagonists through the dark hallways, corridors, and stairs. Then when blue and the Indoraptor fight, it aggressively follows them across the soundstage, moving from behind and to the left and then to the front and to the right. The low end provides pitch-perfect support for all of this, also staying constantly active while also maintaining clarity and nuance, staying light when it needs to (such as with lightning), or going down deep with explosions and heavy dinosaur steps. In case you couldn't tell, the overheads are used pretty constantly for the duration of the film. Through all this, dialogue stays intelligible, never drowned by the rest. Overall, making this track demo material for 3D sound.

[birdztudio]

i thought the same, except that i always put BR2049 as reference AQ and i could only give FK AQ 4.5/5

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by StingingVelvet

And this disc in DOLBY VISION looks good with stunning DOLBY VISION and colors and contrast that pop thanks to DOLBY VISION.

DOLBY VISION.

In case people wonder why I don't read their stuff (not even when linked to directly), there's why: it's so heavily biased towards DV it's not even funny. I ain't saying DV ain't the better HDR solution but people seeing night and day differences between HDR10 and DV have TVs that cripple the former, basically.

[punisher]

having another bad day on the other side of the pond??

[Hardback247]

I feel a little left out, because I have a Samsung 4K TV, and they aren't compatible with Dolby Vision.

[imsounoriginal]

Originally Posted by Hardback247

I feel a little left out, because I have a Samsung 4K TV, and they aren't compatible with Dolby Vision.

Never seen anything in DV myself (unless Dolby Cinema counts, but I don't think it does). Never felt like I was missing anything. Having said that, I will make sure my next TV is DV-capable just to cover my bases.

[Hardback247]

Originally Posted by imsounoriginal

Having said that, I will make sure my next TV is DV-capable just to cover my bases.

Me too.

[Lord Method Man]

Originally Posted by Cherokee Jack

This is true. Knight's performance is memorable however and has a bizarre charm that elevates his character compared to the villains that would follow. Goldblum has that charm as well in JP but it's gone in TLW. Having writers and and a director who care makes all the difference.

Nedry's character had nuance. He wasn't a maniacal cartoon villain. He was a guy hard up for money so he went along with a plan to commit corporate espionage. He didn't even have malicious intent. He was reckless and stupid, but likely didn't intend to ever harm anyone.

Fallen Kingdom's antagonists are nothing but caricatures. From their first introduction it becomes hard to take the film seriously because of how poorly written they are. Then Toby Jones shows up with a character so over-the-top it truly feels like the film has become satire.

[imsounoriginal]

Got a $5 RZ cert in my inbox this morning. The likelihood of me being a spineless good-for-nothing who buys this day one is increasing...

[fighthefutureofhd]

I'm a spineless good for nothing who buys things all the time when I shouldn't too. Welcome to the club. There are no perks, but at least we get to feel lousy about ourselves.

[Geoff D]

The hell of it is I buy a LOT of trashy Hollywood action nonsense. But, as was said by Ernest upthread, this kind of mindless "off the shelf" storytelling is really starting to wear itself out in my eyes.

[StingingVelvet]

Originally Posted by Hardback247

I feel a little left out, because I have a Samsung 4K TV, and they aren't compatible with Dolby Vision.

As Geoff said above, if you have a good HDR 10 television then the difference is minor. If you have a poorer HDR 10 set then DV would help it a lot, so you're missing out. It all depends.

[imsounoriginal]

Yeah I'm officially full of shit. Pre-ordered the Steelbook and already got the digital copy. Might watch tonight if the TNF game is crap.

[posterdude]

Originally Posted by imsounoriginal

Yeah I'm officially full of shit. Pre-ordered the Steelbook and already got the digital copy. Might watch tonight if the TNF game is crap.

"If"? It's inevitable...then again, I wasn't a big fan of Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom, so tough call.

[Cherokee Jack]

Originally Posted by Lord Method Man

Nedry's character had nuance. He wasn't a maniacal cartoon villain. He was a guy hard up for money so he went along with a plan to commit corporate espionage. He didn't even have malicious intent. He was reckless and stupid, but likely didn't intend to ever harm anyone.

Fallen Kingdom's antagonists are nothing but caricatures. From their first introduction it becomes hard to take the film seriously because of how poorly written they are. Then Toby Jones shows up with a character so over-the-top it truly feels like the film has become satire.

Yes, but his role in advancing the plot is very obvious from the first moment you meet him. His character also boils down to the lazy stereotype of an abrasive fat computer nerd with the added wrinkle that he has money problems. Really, most of the characters in the original are cliche and/or boring; the most interesting ones, Nedry and Malcom, are elevated by talented actors channeling other characters they've played (Newman from Seinfeld and pre-transformation Brundle from The Fly respectively). And the main arc of Grant initially being hostile to kids but eventually deciding he likes them is incredibly boring if not quite as insultingly executed as it would be when JW rehashed it.

I'm not gonna go into the problems in TLW, III and JW since it would take a book to list all of them. But it does seem as if some are judging FK against a standard that doesn't really exist. The series has always been a vehicle for showing off dinos first and foremost with plot and characterization secondary priorities. It's true that FK, like TLW before it, is more aggressively trashy in its approach and how much you enjoy those two is gonna come down to how much you like trashy entertainment.

[bradnoyes]

I don't remember much about how he was presented in the book, but the Nedry we get in the movie never felt particularly nuanced to me:

[Geoff D]

But that's the entire point, Nedry is shown to be an avaricious SOB from the start and the fun comes from him trying to wheedle what he needs out of the park, whereas Rafe Spall in FK is set up as a non-douchebag when he might as well have had "I'm a Fifield" tattooed on his face. The filmmakers seem to think they're being clever by stringing this revelation out but you just know he's gonna turn out to be another corporate asshat who's only in it for the dollar dollar bills y'all. That bit when he sees the money piling up on the computer screen is so incredi-cheesy it's basically this in live-action form:



As someone keeps saying FK is very much a cartoon of a film, but as trashy as the other films are regarded to be - the first is a tremendous piece of entertainment that doesn't have shit for brains, I don't care what anybody says - they never went full Daffy. Never. Now that the JP franchise has officially jumped the Mosasaur (oh, I just remembered how stupid that opening scene is in FK) then I can recalibrate my expectations to a much lower level and I'll give this another viewing someday. But today is not that day...

[Cherokee Jack]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

As someone keeps saying FK is very much a cartoon of a film, but as trashy as the other films are regarded to be - the first is a tremendous piece of entertainment that doesn't have shit for brains, I don't care what anybody says - they never went full Daffy. Never. Now that the JP franchise has officially jumped the Mosasaur (oh, I just remembered how stupid that opening scene is in FK) then I can recalibrate my expectations to a much lower level and I'll give this another viewing someday. But today is not that day...

Perhaps my opinion is colored by having read the book but I've always considered the original film's story rather boring and dumbed down. Spielberg, ILM and Williams do wonders to make the film as entertaining as it is but it's still a significant step down from Spielberg's earlier popcorn flicks IMO.

And you don't like FK's opening scene? Several people I've seen take issue with the film single the opening out as the only part they like.

[bradnoyes]

Yeah, I don't think there's anything wrong with his lack of nuance. I just thought that was a weird word to use to describe his character. His lack of nuance is his most believable trait. Typically I don't think that treacherously superficial folks like Nedry have much depth or subtlety to them, and even if he was a somewhat unfortunate stereotype, his character rang true. The guy is utterly self-absorbed and vainglorious to the end.

Nobody in Fallen Kingdom felt like a real person.