Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania appears in an aspect ratio of 2.39:1 on this 4K UHD Disc. A true 4K product, the image excelled.
Sharpness worked well. Virtually no softness crept into the presentation, so the film usually appeared accurate and concise.
No moiré effects or jagged edges appeared, and I witnessed no edge haloes. Print flaws remained absent.
To the surprise of no one, the film emphasized the usual amber and teal palette. That said, the movie came with a good array of other hues – especially as we explore the often-purple Quantum Realm – so the amber/teal wasn’t oppressive.
We got a nice blend of hues, all of which looked strong. HDR added range and impact to the tones.
Blacks were deep and firm, while shadows offered smooth, clear visuals. HDR brought emphasis to whites and contrast. I felt impressed by this fine presentation.
Downconverted to Dolby TrueHD 7.1, the movie’s Dolby Atmos soundtrack added a lot of pizzazz to the package. With so much action and havoc, the soundscape enjoyed a slew of chances to come to life, and it did so well.
Various battles and related elements filled the room and zoomed around the spectrum in a vivid, well-integrated manner. Everything connected together in a fluid manner that formed an engrossing circumstance.
Audio quality also succeeded. Music was bold and full, while speech seemed concise and well-rendered.
Effects appeared accurate and dynamic, with terrific low-end. I felt pleased with this exciting soundtrack.
How did the 4K UHD compare to the Blu-ray version? The Atmos mix expanded the DTS-HD MA track in a moderate manner.
In terms of visuals, the 4K took advantage of the format. This meant stronger definition as well as superior colors and blacks. While the Blu-ray looked very good, the 4K easily topped it.
No extras appear on the 4K disc itself, but we get some on the included Blu-ray copy, where we launch with an audio commentary from director Peyton Reed and writer Jeff Loveness. Both sit together for this running, screen-specific look at story/characters, cast and performances, sets and production design, music, various effects, influences, and related domains.
In the positive side, Loveness and Reed ensure we get a brisk chat. They keep things light and give us a mix of useful notes.
However, Reed and Loveness can lean toward fluff too much of the time. That makes this a reasonably informative chat but not a great one.
Two featurettes follow, and All In the Family runs seven minutes, 28 seconds. It brings info from Reed, producer Stephen Broussard, and actors Paul Rudd, Kathryn Newton, Evangeline Lilly, and Michelle Pfeiffer.
Here we look at characters/story as well as cast and performances. A few insights emerge but a lot of the program feels fluffy.
Formidable Foes goes for 11 minutes, 36 seconds and involves Rudd, Broussard, Reed, Loveness, Lilly, producer Kevin Feige and actor Jonathan Majors.
“Foes” looks at the movie’s scope and villains as well as cast/performances. Like “Family”, “Foes” mixes useful notes with superficial praise.
Two Deleted Scenes ensue: “Drink the Ooze” (1:55) and “I Have Holes” (1:04). These don’t offer actual cut scenes, as instead, they show existing sequences without CG character animation on top of David Dastmalchian’s performance. That makes the shots fun but insubstantial.
Finally, we get a Gag Reel that spans one minute, 52 seconds and delivers the standard goofs and giggles. Don’t expect much from it, though we do get a few funny asides.
Though the weakest of the franchise, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania nonetheless offers a reasonably entertaining adventure. Despite a mix of missteps, the final product still largely works. The 4K UHD comes with excellent picture and audio as well as a decent array of bonus features. It might be a step down, but Quantumania mostly succeeds.
To rate this film visit the prior review of QUANTUMANIA
