Anna 4K Ultra HD

"Anna" is about one of the world's most feared government assassins. Beneath Anna Pollatova's striking beaut lies a secret that will unleash her indelible strength and skill to become an assassin. (Gary Reber)

Special features include four featurettes: "Dressing A Doll: Costumes Of Anna" (HD08:06), "Anatomy Of A Scene: Restaurant Fight" (HD 06:41), "Unnesting A Russian Doll: Making Anna" (HD 13:57) and "Constructing The Car Chase" (HD 05:40); trailers; 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 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 picture is terrific with a stylized appearance. Colors are naturally saturated and often with stylized intensity. The imagery is set primarily in Moscow and Paris and exhibits a compelling sense of atmospheric reality. The wide color gamut exhibits excellent nuanced shadings. Primaries are strong. Fleshtones are perfectly natural throughout. HDR contrast is excellent with natural dynamics, both during interior and exterior segments. Black levels are deep and shadows are nicely defined. Bright contrasts are never exaggerated yet are quite striking and visually stunning. The imagery is consistently visually compelling. Resolution is superb with fine detail exhibited in facial features including makeup, lines, skin pores, hair and beard stubble. Clothing is well defined as well as object textures, both in interiors and exteriors. Snow-covered streets and gloomy environments are perfectly defined. The fashion segments are very colorful and striking. WOW! segments are from 10:05 to 10:45, 23:32 to 25:42, 52:58 to 53:42, 01:01:46 to 01:03:54,and 01:09:56 to 01:11:58. This is a visually engaging picture with a vivid color palette and intriguing on-location settings and production, and delivers a reference-quality experience. (Gary Reber)

The Dolby Atmos/Dolby TrueHD 7.1-channel soundtrack is dynamic sounding throughout, extending wide across the soundstage with a strong deep bass foundation and .1 LFE energy. The orchestral/choral score is terrific with a diversity of intensity and instrumentation. The music extends wide and deep across the soundstage and to the four surrounds. The soundfield is virtually always energized. Action scenes are numerous, filled with Anna killing for the KGB. Bass is often intense and extended to sub-25 Hz and boosting the intensity of fight and murdering acts. A car chase through Moscow is exciting and engaging with all manner of atmospherics and sound effects engaged and directionalized. Dialogue is a bit frontal focused throughout but with a compelling impact and intelligibility (though, at times somewhat difficult to understand with the characters' accents). Atmospherics effectively enhance the realism of the varying settings. Sound effects are exciting and range from intense car chases to dangerous situations, to violent killings.

The Immersive Sound element is comprised of an active orchestral score that is extended to the height layer. Additionally, various atmospheric sound effects effectively extend dimensionality. Sound effects are directionalized, such as panned cars, gunfire, burglary alarm, police sirens, speeding chase cars rumblings, police car crashes, a fight scene in a restaurant with glasses and tables crashing to the floor, a fork throw and hitting on the stone floor, crow squawks, metal bar swoops through the air, blowing steam and other effects. Atmospherics also are strong as with dorm room corridor sounds, voices, photography studio ambience, cocktail party chatter, a door closing, office background chatter, street and subway ambiance and other environmental din. This is one of the best executed Immersive Sound soundtracks produced, with effective ambiance and sound effects virtually constant, as well as effective music support.

This is a very exciting and intense holosonic® spherical surround soundtrack with a dynamic presence throughout that is compelling and thrilling. (Gary Reber)