IT 4K UltraHD

In Stephen King's "IT," when children begin to disappear in the town of Derry, Maine, a group of young kids are faced with their biggest fears when they square off against an evil clown named Pennywise (Skarsgard), whose history of murder and violence dates back for centuries. (Gary Reber)

Special features include the featurettes "Pennywise Lives!" (HD 16:25), "The Losers' Club" (HD 15:42), and "Author Of Fear" (HD 13:51); 11 deleted scenes (HD 15:18); an upfront preview; and a Movies Anywhere digital copy.

The 2.40:1 2160p HEVC/H.265 Ultra HD HDR10/Dolby Vision picture, reviewed on a Sony Bravia Z9D 4K Ultra HD HDR display, was photographed digitally using Arri Alexa Mini and Arri Alexa XT Plus camera systems at 2.8K and sourced from a 2K (not 4K) master Digital Intermediate format. As the 2K Digital Intermediate has been upconverted to 2160p, there is no real gain in native resolution. Picture quality is amazing! Clarity and sharpness is outstanding throughout. Chung-hoon Chung's cinematography is captivatingly stylish, excelling in the lighting of the numerous dark interior and dark underground tunnel scenes requiring fine shadow delineation. Every scene is exact in conveying emotional realism and frightening horror, whether scenes with Pennywise or scenes of the shadowy and forbidding adult world set in dim interiors. In contrast, the brightest scenes are lifelike, bright sunlight scenes such as those with the kids in outdoor settings in the woods, The Barrens, and the cliff overlooking the swimming quarry, as well as Pennywise's manifestations pop against dark surroundings. HDR contrast throughout is exemplary and realistic in the range of dark to bright intensity. Blacks are inky black and shadows reveal nuanced detail such as in the basement and the Neibolt's dilapidated house and its dark tunnels below. Bright highlights, such as environmental lights and flashlights, are impressively bright and effectively contrasted to dark degrees of darkness. Color fidelity is absolutely superb with perfectly balanced hues. The wider color spectrum is evident throughout with hues that are naturally rich and warm and never exaggerated. Yet, colors do pop effectively. The bright red balloons, which signal Pennywise's imminent presence, are nicely saturated, as are other colors. Fleshtones are perfectly natural throughout. Resolution is exceptional, with fine detail exhibited in facial features, skin pores, clothing, and object texture. The imagery throughout is well composed and stylized, especially during scenes with Pennywise. A WOW! segment is from 31:16 to 31:40. This is a freaky realistic picture that delivers frightening images with superb contrast and color fidelity in reference quality. (Gary Reber)

The Dolby Atmos/Dolby TrueHD 7.1-channel soundtrack is one of the best Dolby Atmos presentations to date. The sounds associated with Pennywise's terrifying presence are aggressively distributed throughout the entire soundfield. Atmospherics are realistic, such as the rushing water of a stream and Derry's soundscapes, and the opening scene with pouring-down rain and streets flush with running rainwater. The atmospherics and sound effects associated with the Neibolt's dilapidated house, site of Pennywise's well portal and underground domain, are eerie and provide both frontal and off-screen envelopment. Dynamic range is superb, with deep, powerful bass extending to sub-25 Hz, with greater intensity delivered by .1 LFE energy. Benjamin Wallfisch's orchestral score is haunting and dynamically foreboding. The score, as with the entire soundtrack, is nicely recorded with excellent fidelity. Dialogue is always intelligible and is delivered with good spatial integration.

Unlike most Dolby Atmos soundtracks to date, this soundtrack has been designed with thought in the re-mixing for the home theatre environment. There are few lapses of sound overhead in the Immersive Sound element. Benjamin Wallfisch's score dominants throughout, but there is plenty of sound effects that contribute as well. The Immersive Sound element consists of the mentioned music, environmental sound effects such as birds in the trees overlooking Derry, kids chatter at the high school, scary voices behind an alley door, a car roar, voices in a Jewish synagogue, the turning of pages in a book on Derry's history, children's shouting voices, a running stream, kids' echoed voices in a tunnel, a Zombie walking and associated sound effects, whip sounds of blood strands exploding out of a sink drain, Pennywise shouting, freight train sounds, Pennywise pounding across the floor, kids and Pennywise's echoed voices in the Neibolt house, pistol shots, fist hits and body thumps, club hits to Pennywise, and other atmospherics and sound effects. All make for an effective Immersive Sound element that adds a spherical dimension to the holosonic® character of the soundtrack.

This is a terrific soundtrack that delivers a terrifying emotional punch, with elements of reference-quality presentation. The soundfield is often fully energized for a fully immersive experience. (Gary Reber)