Black Widow 4K Ultra HD

Natasha Romanoff—aka 'Black Widow"—confronts the darker parts of her ledger when a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past arises. Pursued by a force that will stop at nothing to bring her down, Natasha must deal with her history as a spy and the broken relationships left in her wake long before she became an Avenger. (Gary Reber)

Special features include nine deleted scenes (HD 14:11), a gag reel (HD 02:54), a filmmaker introduction (HD ), the featurettes "Sisters Gonna Work It Out" (HD 05:24) and "Go Big If You're Going Home" (HD 08:50), 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 in anamorphic Panavision® using the Panavision Millennium DXL2, Phantom Flex4K, Red Helium and Sony CineAlta Venice camera systems and sourced from a 4K master Digital Intermediate format. A 3D conversion was performed by Stereo D, but no 3D Blu-ray was provided for review. The settings for the action include Norway, Budapest, Morocco and Australia. The color palette is robust and vivid with nicely saturated hues, yet naturalness is never compromised. The wide color gamut exhibits nuanced hue shading throughout. Fleshtones are accurate throughout. HDR contrast is well balanced with deep revealing blacks and shadows and at times intensely bright white levels. Resolution is both soft and finely detailed depending on visual depth. Clarity is exhibited in the intricate settings and environments and the elaborate and visually exciting action sequences. The "red room" sky scene is spectacular. This is a very compelling visual experience that will please fans of the Marvel franchise. (Gary Reber)

The Dolby Amos/Dolby TrueHD 7.1-channel soundtrack is presented at a non-reference volume so one will need to turn up the volume to appreciate the nuances of the sound elements. Dynamics are often powerful with active firepower, crashes, explosions and debris and other sound effect-driven action. Atmospherics are realistic. At times, deep bass extension and support extends to sub-25 Hs in the .1 LFE channel. The orchestral/choral score sounds dynamic and extends wide and deep in the soundstage as well as the surrounds with an aggressive enveloping presence. Dialogue is generally well integrated spatially, though, at times ADR could be improved.

The Immersive Sound element is virtually non-existent with the exception of a few isolated moments, such as during the ending scene of the destruction of the "red room" satellite headquarters and a brief moment of a helicopter overhead prison grounds. Unfortunately, so much opportunity for effect height layer dimension is absent, making for a disappointing Immersive Sound experience.

Overall, the ear-level 7.1-channel presentation is compelling and delivers excitement throughout for a satisfying holosonic® sound experience. (Gary Reber)