Ocean's Eight 4K Ultra HD

In "Ocean's Eight," it's been five years, eight months, 12 days...and counting in which time Debbie Ocean (Bullock)—just released from prison –– has been concocting the greatest heist of her storied career. She knows what it's going to take––a team of the best in their field, starting with her former partner-in-crime Lou (Blanchett). Together, they recruit a crew of specialists: jeweler Amita (Kaling), street con Constance (Awkwafina), expert fence Tammy (Paulson), hacker Nine Ball (Rihanna) and fashion designer Rose Weil (Carter). The target is $150 million in diamonds––diamonds that will adorn the neck of world-famous actress Daphne Kluger (Hathaway), who will be center stage at the event of the year, the Met Gala. Their plan appears rock solid, but it will need to be flawless if the team is to get in and get away––all in plain sight. (Gary Reber)

Special features include two deleted scenes (HD 01:53); the featurettes "A Heist In Heels" (HD 11:35), "Ocean's Team 3.0" (HD 13:20) and "Re-imagining The Met Gala" (HD 12:47); upfront previews; and a Movies Anywhere digital code.

The 2.39:1 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 Panavision cameras and lenses 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. The color palette is vivid with a range of hue intensities to embody saturation. Diamond sparkles as well as fabric with interwoven gold worn by two of the women. In every frame the wider color gamut is refined, which provides enhanced eye candy. This is especially apparent in the scenes at the Met. Fleshtones are naturally rendered throughout. HDR contrast is excellent with deep, solid blacks and lighting treatments that glamorize the eight lead actresses and add bright accents in every scene. Shadow delineation also is excellent. The end result is a wonderful intensity of rich color and contrast shadings. WOW! segments are not much except from 01:07:50 to 01:09:52. This is a very glamorous picture with striking women's clothing and jewelry that should delight the audience. (Gary Reber)

The Dolby Atmos/Dolby TrueHD 7.1-channel soundtrack delivers convincing environmental ambience throughout, with the occasional sound effect injected to enhance dynamics. Of course, dialogue is the main focus among the large cast of characters. As such, dialogue is intelligible throughout and generally well integrated spatially. The music score, comprised of original orchestrations and eclectic tastes, carries a lot of weight throughout, with extension to the surrounds from the soundstage.

The Immersive Sound element includes dense-air moving sounds and city traffic under the title treatment, voices over a street scene, a passing subway train, voice and crowd ambience in a square, table ambience at the gala dinner, music at the guest arrival at the museum, dinner crowd chatter, and dirty dishes placed in water to be washed. Except for the one music segment, the elements are brief and widely apart. Nothing here to really make this a distinguishable Dolby Atmos soundtrack.

While this is a heist movie, the soundtrack is rather understated, but still a pleasant and engaging experience. (Gary Reber)