Two decades after the first Independence Day invasion, Earth is faced with a new extra-Solar threat. But will mankind’s new space defenses be enough?
The Review at a Glance:
(max score: 5 )
Film:
Extras:
Audio/UHD Video total rating:
( Max score: 100 )
84
Details:
Studio and Year: 20th Century Fox – 2016
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Feature running time: 120 minutes
Genre: Thriller/Sci-Fi/Action
Disc Format: BD-66
Encoding: HEVC
Video Aspect: 2.39:1
Resolution: 2160p/24
Audio Format(s): English Dolby Atmos/Dolby TrueHD 7.1, English DTS-HD 7.1 Master Audio, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, French DTS 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
Starring: Jeff Goldblum, Liam Hemsworth, Bill Pullman, Maika Monroe, Travis Tope, William Fichtner, Sela Ward, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Judd Hirsch
Directed by: Roland Emmerich
Music by: Thomas Wander & Harold Kloser
Written by: Nichloas Wrigth, James A. Woods, Dean Devlin, Roland Emmerich, James Vanderbilt
Region Code: A
Blu-ray Disc release Date: October 18, 2016
“We Had Twenty Years to Prepare…So Did They”
My Take:
We always knew they were coming back. After Independence Day redefined the event movie genre, the next epic chapter delivers global catastrophe on an unimaginable scale. Using recovered alien technology, the nations of Earth have collaborated on an immense defense program to protect the planet. But nothing can prepare us for the aliens’ advanced and unprecedented force. Only the ingenuity of a few brave men and women can bring our world back from the brink of extinction.
Twenty years after mysterious aliens nearly wiped out humankind, they’re back with a vengeance in this sequel. Likes its predecessor Independence Day: Resurgence is a style over substance affair with big budget production elements, that takes aim at audiences seeking some good old fashioned popcorn entertainment. I personally enjoy Independence Day, despite its shortcomings, narratively speaking. This follow up doesn’t take what made its predecessor fun and freshen it up, but instead, rehashes it, and not in a good way.
The attempts to bring the same levity, purposed humanity (thin, but there nonetheless) and surface level drama/melodrama to this film, that helped keep the original afloat simply comes off as cheap and uninspired. I liked the idea of bringing back some of the characters and cast members from the original film, but other than Jeff Goldblum’s “David” and Bill Pullman’s “President Whitmore” none had anything to contribute. The action was repetitive and the performances by nearly every new face amidst the cast lacked inspiration, although I imagine some of this had to do with the poorly written dialog.
I didn’t bother to see Independence Day: Resurgence in theaters due to the poor reviews I received from friends/family that had. After seeing it I can understand the reaction and disappointment. I wanted to like it, even if only as a mindless guilty pleasure. I came away enjoying its effects laden spectacle but not much else. I suppose that’s something, but certainly not enough to keep me from wondering how after 20 years, this is the best Roland Emmerich, and company could come up with.
Parental Guide:
The rating is for sequences of sci-fi action and destruction, and some language.
AUDIO/VIDEO – By The Numbers:
REFERENCE = 92-100/EXCELLENT = 83-91/GOOD = 74-82/AVERAGE = 65-73/BELOW AVERAGE = under 65
**My audio/video ratings are based upon a comparative made against other high definition media/blu-ray disc.**
UHD Presentation: 72
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)
HDR: Dark Highlights:
HDR: Bright Highlights:
HDR: Expanded Color & WCG:
Resolution:
Visual Impact:
Dolby Atmos Rating: 96
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)
Level of immersion:
Soundstage integration:
Audio object placement:
Effectiveness of Atmos platform:
Entertainment factor:
Ultra HD Blu-ray has finally been released and eager enthusiasts are ready and willing to see what it has to offer. For those not familiar with the details regarding Ultra HD Blu-ray you can refer to my article that includes some pertinent data on the subject. Here is the link:
Ultra HD Blu-ray Has Come to AVS Forum Blu-ray Reviews
For those not willing to refer to the article linked above, I have included some comments here. The implementation of high dynamic range as it stands currently, doesn’t appear to have exacting standards and no calibration tools to allow for a foundational threshold for setting up a visual system. This leaves us to do the best we can to determine what appears to be accurate, at least for the time being. With that in mind, my approach to reviewing Ultra HD Blu-ray will be to assess the elements observed which I find to generate the most significant visual impact when compared to standard high definition Blu-ray.
For me, Ultra HD’s high dynamic range/wide color gamut, with its broader spectrum of colors and emboldened highlights in the areas of contrast and brightness, is where the potential lies in the format. The increase in resolution, while an important component, isn’t going to be definitive in every case, especially given that currently many of the Ultra HD Blu-ray releases are derived from 2K Digital Intermediates that are up-converted to 4K. This shouldn’t be strictly construed to mean that such up-converted images won’t look noticeably better than their 1080p counterparts. Conversely, a release finished on a 4K Digital Intermediate isn’t a guarantee that it will be heads and shoulders above the rest. So, what can you expect to hear from me when discussing what I observed from Ultra HD Blu-ray? I will hit upon the things that struck me, the impact, or lack of impact, of HDR and the improvement, if any, in resolution when compared to 1080p Blu-ray. The outcome will be a rating as seen above.
Front projection for home theater is just stepping through the door with respect to the reproduction of HDR. My goal is to present readers with a reasonable expectation of what they can expect when viewing the same content that I have. There may be variables that differ slightly however I believe that in general the outcome will be close. As we are exposed to more and more content and calibration tools come onboard we will have better perspectives from which to gauge. Thanks for reading!
Independence Day: Resurgence comes to Ultra HD Blu-ray from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment featuring 2160pHEVC encoded video and lossless Dolby Atmos/TrueHD 7.1 channel sound that has an average bitrate of 5 Mbps.
For its presentation in Ultra HD Independence Day: Resurgence (derived from a mix of 6K and 4K sources) was rendered from a 4K DI. With the limited exposure to Ultra HD sourced from a 4K Digital Intermediates we are left to judge based upon what we have seen thus far.
The film predominantly adheres to relatively cooler, teal splashed, chromatic schemes, with the exception of a few sequences (like the ones that take place in the desert), which doesn’t make for especially eye catching levels of color. With a noticeable increase in detail the image appears discernibly sharper when compared to the 1080p version. When on display, primary colors like blue and red are pleasingly rich and whites appear crisp, but not especially vibrant. I did find that the added dimension in the grays, blacks, and shadows gives the image excellent depth, bettering the 1080p presentation, but not by leaps and bounds. As I watched I noted what appeared to be a reserved high dynamic range image.
Resolution during close ups was generally excellent, but wide angle shots were a mixed bag. Much of this was the case with the 1080p rendering as well, and is more than likely attributable to the extensive green screen/CGI contained in the film. I find it interesting that X-Men: Apocalypse which was also derived from high resolution elements, looks exceptionally better throughout, while here, we only see glimpses of quality Ultra HD. I must admit to being underwhelmed and ultimately disappointed by this Ultra HD presentation.
In listening to the Dolby Atmos surround mix I found it to be of the active variety that makes steady use of the platform. Its use of audio objects placed above is a mix of atmospherics, discrete effects and music accompaniment. This is done to excellent effect, creating a tangible level of immersion that coincides with the onscreen in an involving and sometime visceral fashion. The opening segment, where there’s an accident that requires Jake to put it on the line to save the day, sets the stage for what is to come, as the plethora of head turning effects bring the entire system platform to life. It only gets better later the encounters with the alien invaders contain a host of swirling effects, near field pans, pulsating music and ambient extension that rotate around the soundstage, shifting overhead, passing by at ear level and coming directly at the listening position.
It’s not just the action that sounds great either. There is a sequence during the second act where Jake, David and company are traveling through a debris field in space. The sounds of the pieces of debris striking the hull of their transport is incredibly realistic, placing you within the confines of the ship. On several occasions while watching, I found myself saying aloud (with a smile on my face) this mix sounds great. This is among those entertaining Dolby Atmos presentations that brings everything together in a resplendent blend of room traversing, and well balanced sound that shows what this format is capable of.
Blu-ray Video:
Video: 90
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)
Resolution/Clarity:
Black Level/Shadow Detail:
Color Reproduction:
Fleshtones:
Compression:
Audio: 100
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)
Dynamics:
Low frequency effects:
Surround Sound presentation:
Clarity/Detail:
Dialog Reproduction:
Independence Day: Resurgence comes to Blu-ray Disc from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment featuring 1080p AVC encoded video that has an average bitrate of 26 Mbps and lossless DTS-HD 7.1 Master Audio sound that has an average bitrate of 5 Mbps.
This film utilizes a stylized visual design that has a limited color scheme that works aesthetically well for the subject matter. The color range is limited to shades of dark blue, gray and black with splashes of crimson red, and muted sepia tones. Warm golden accents are used to break up the film’s monochromatic essence. Uneven light and shading are prevalent. Contrast is slightly elevated which emboldens bright sequences while occasionally obscuring fine detail. Whites are snappy and crisp and grays are multi-staged and layered. The film was largely shot against green screens which softened background elements during wide angle pans but I didn’t find it to be distracting. Overall I found the quality of the video to be high. It wasn’t always razor sharp but it was cleanly rendered with discernible levels of refinement. Blacks were dynamic and gradationally revealing and shadow detail was predominantly solid.
The Dolby TrueHD (Atmos core) and DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 channel mixes are demonstration quality and is sure to please those who like to play their systems near reference. This recording has wide dynamic range and boasts superlative clarity and high level detail. Dialog is appreciably lucid through the center channel as it penetrates well into the room. Channel separation and imaging is excellent. This draws out both large and small sound elements and allows their directional correlation based upon the onscreen events to be definable. The mix makes effective and often aggressive use of the surround channels to reproduce the spatial and discrete sounds contained in this soundtrack. Where called upon the listening position is submerged in sound that bombards the senses with a combination of discretely placed, near field, and panning sound effects. Low frequency effects are applied with authority and occasionally provide room shuddering bass. This is an involving and noteworthy audio presentation that is guaranteed to give your home theater a workout.
Bonus Features:
Disc 1: Independence Day: Resurgence Ultra HD Blu-ray
Disc 1: Independence Day: Resurgence Blu-ray
(HD) 8 Deleted scenes with optional Director Commentary
Audio Commentary with Rolancd Emmerich
(HD) Another Day: The Making of Independence Day Resurgence (4 segments totaling 54 minutes):
A New Squadron
Earth As We Knew It
The Tools of the Future
The Invaders
(HD) The War of 1996 – Faux News Documentary – 5 minutes
(HD) It’s Early, ABQ! – Faux Morning Show – 3 minutes
(HD) Gag Reel – 6 minutes
(HD) Concept Art
(HD) Theatrical Trailers and TV Spots
Digital HD Copy
Final Thoughts:
Independence Day: Resurgence is a lackluster and ultimately disappointing follow up to 1996’s Independence Day. It comes to Blu-ray in this Ultra HD Combo Pack from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment featuring unremarkable Ultra HD quality, solid high definition video, terrific lossless surround sound, including an entertaining Dolby Atmos immersive listening experience, and a decent supplemental package that looks behind the scenes. Independence Day: Resurgence is a missed opportunity that will more than likely leave fans of the original film disappointed. If you’re curious I would strongly suggest a rental prior to purchase.
You Tube
Ralph Potts
AVS Forum Blu-ray Reviews
Reference Review System:
JVC DLA-RS500 3D/4K Ready High Definition Front Projector
(Calibrated with Calman 5 & C6-HDR Meter from Spectracal)
Stewart Filmscreen – Studiotek 130 G3 100” 16×9 Screen
Carada Masquerade Horizontal Masking System
Marantz AV8802A 13.2 Channel Audio/Video Processor
Sherbourn Technologies – 7/200 Seven Channel Amplifier
B&K Reference 200.7 Series 2 Seven Channel Amplifier
Oppo BDP-103D Universal Disc/3D capable Blu-ray Player
Samsung UBD-K8500 Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
Sony Playstation 3 Blu-ray disc Player
System Controller: Apple iPad/iRule Pro HD Universal Remote Control
Canton “Ergo” and In-Ceiling series speakers
Axiom Audio QS8 Quadpolar speakers
SVS PB-13 Ultra (Rosenut finish)
SVS SB-13 Ultra (Piano Gloss finish)
Panamax M5400-PM Power Conditioner/Surge Protector
Wireworld, Better Cables (Silver Serpent) – Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
Cool Components – CP-CP102 cooling package
The post Independence Day: Resurgence Ultra HD Blu-ray Review appeared first on AVSForum.com.