Why So Blu?

Edge Of Tomorrow (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)

Edge of Tomorrow was a film we all couldn’t shut up about 8 years ago. We were all debating on how better it could have been marketed or released with the studio even going by a tagline more than its title when it first came to home video. Nonetheless, its live to be a sort of modern cult film in that people loved it but not enough people ever really saw it. And it must be such a well doer on home video as Warner Bros has put it out on 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray. Released on July 5th, it has a new Atmos track and comes with all the bonus feature that had been released on the prior Blu-ray. If you’d like to own yourself a copy of Edge of Tomorrow, you can use the paid Amazon Associates link that follows the review.

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Film

When Earth falls under attack from invincible aliens, no military unit in the world is able to beat them. Maj. William Cage (Tom Cruise), an officer who has never seen combat, is assigned to a suicide mission. Killed within moments, Cage finds himself thrown into a time loop, in which he relives the same brutal fight — and his death — over and over again. However, Cage’s fighting skills improve with each encore, bringing him and a comrade (Emily Blunt) ever closer to defeating the aliens.

Doug Liman’s sci-fi exercise into the plot device that gets referred to by a movie it was made popular by in Groundhog Day, is a complete success in its fun, suspense, character and excitement. Edge of Tomorrow takes the concept and runs it own workings within the concept while also delivering in the hits that come with it. This one does make you feel the grind with it as well as some of the nail biting suspense as well as revelations dwindle hope or make you respect Cruise’s characters dedication to the cause.

The live.die.repeat. aspect of the film is fun, but its made even better with other factors at play. The aliens in the film feel actually fresh for  once. In an era where alien beings were a dime a dozen and looked the same from movie to movie, this one’s have a unique look to them as well as movement and powers. There’s a “not of this earth” quality that really helps to add to the difficulty of defeating them. In addition, the human tech in the film is very intriguing and interesting. They also explain in a way to have a you a little confused, only to slowly and easily learn how stuff can work as it goes on.

An obvious detail as to why this works is its top notch cast of Cruise and Blunt headlining. Both work well in blockbusters, selling the drama and the world all at the same time. The supporting cast of character actors is aces as well with the likes of Bill Paxton, Brendan Gleeson and Noah Taylor all shining to color different pages of this book and make the film a little more loose, fun and with a few nice goofy edges to make it more fun.

In a time where we have access to almost anything and information and word on movies is right there, its hard to come by new cult classics. Though, I think Edge of Tomorrow can count as it was a movie that barely crossed a finish line, though everyone loved it when it was released. That has sort of calmed down now, but the movie still rocks and still has the opportunity to be seen by even bigger audiences. Its fresh, fun original film that I wish stood even more tall in the summer it was released. The fact it was very good was probably our biggest win here.

Video

Disclaimer: Screen captures used in the review are taken from the standard Blu-ray disc, not the 4K UHD Blu-ray disc.

Encoding: HEVC / H.265

Resolution: 4K (2160p)

Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1

Layers: BD-100

Clarity/Detail:  Edge of Tomorrow debuts on 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray as a 4K upscale. The results are pretty solid, improving on detail, clarity and sharpness. Although the jump is a bit more fine and not a large leap. You’ll notice better contrast, depth and motion, but not in an eye-popping manner. Luckily though, the visual effects do hold up.

Depth: Depth of field is decently improved here, thanks to better clarity and resolution. Some solid, more three dimensional-like pushback on display and the bitrate to handle it better really helps. Movements are smooth and natural with no issues regarding any distortions from rapid action sequences.

Black Levels: Black levels are deep and close to the natural. The contrast really helps add to the definition and depth, while also showcasing more fine details, textures and patterns. No crushing witnessed.

Color Reproduction: Colors want to present a more washed out look due to the aesthetic of the film. However, many of the reds, oranges and stuff on display screens (as well as laser blasts and the alien blood) really give a good pop with contrast and HDR. Even the grays and “normie” colors stick out well.

Flesh Tones: Skin tones are natural and consistent from start to finish. Facial features and textures are quite exquisite as you can make out wrinkles, stubble, make-up, lip texture, dried blood, dried dirt, sweat and more with ease.

Noise/Artifacts: Clean.

Audio

Audio Format(s): English Dolby Atmos, English Descriptive Audio, French (Canadian) 7.1 Dolby Digital, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, German 7.1 Dolby Digital, Italian 5.1 Dolby Digital, Chinese 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish (Latina American) 5.1 Dolby Digital, Czech 5.1 Dolby Digital, Japanese 5.1 Dolby Digital, Hungarian 5.1 Dolby Digital, Polish 5.1 Dolby Digital

Subtitles: English SDH, French, German SDH, Italian SDH, Spanish (Castilian), Dutch, Hindi, Japanese, Mandarin, Korean, Spanish (Latin American), Czech, Danish, Finnish, Hungarian, Norwegian, Polish, Roman, Swedish

Dynamics: Whereas the video transfer of Edge of Tomorrow is kind what it is, the Atmos track is here is quite terrific. It booms and pows all around the room with a lively mix. It displays some awesome layering and depth. The balance here between the effects, vocals and music are top notch.

Height: From above you get sand falling, debris, gunblasts, aliens shooting over, water and even some neat little unique sounds.

Low Frequency Extension: Explosions, smashing, punches, gunfire, engines, laser blasts and more really have the subwoofer pounding and shaking the room.

Surround Sound Presentation: Every channel really livens up the room. From unique environmental additions to ambiance to recognizing what is off screen to effecting rolling travel, this one really packs a nice wallop.

Dialogue Reproduction: Vocals are clear and crisp.

Extras

Edge of Tomorrow comes with the standard Blu-ray version and a redeemable digital code. All bonus materials are found on the standard Blu-ray disc.

Operation Downfall: Adrenaline Cut (HD, 2:34)

Storming The Beach (HD, 8:59)

Weapons Of The Future (HD, 8:25) 

Creatures Not Of This World (HD, 5:38)

On The Edge With Doug Liman (HD, 42:37)

Deleted Scenes (HD, 7:38)

Summary

Edge of Tomorrow just flat out rocks in every sense of the word. Its funny, thrilling, suspenseful and a bit emotional. Warner Bros brings it to 4K Ultra-HD with a solid upconverted image and a rollicking Atmos track. All extras from before are intact. Its a nice upgrade for those who are interested.

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