The dialogue through our speaker systems centre channel comes across well, although since this film is focused on intimate threats and whispered secrets, there are few opportunities to test out your set-up's handling of space. Wick's gruff voice, conveying his repressed emotions as he talks about his dead wife, needs to be managed with sophistication too.
You'll also need something that can handle the small scale dynamics well there's a lot of detail in the little noises of Gianna's dress rustling as she walks, or the tiny clicks as she undoes the zip on its back.
John Wick: Chapter 2 even manages to top the infamous club scene from the first film, with Wick eliminating a number of targets in the middle of a concert. The twangy guitars and tight bass in the opening scene, bullets bouncing off walls and the crumble of debris are nicely organised, making for a satisfyingly spacious soundstage.
It comes in Dolby Atmos on the 4K disc, or DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 on the Blu-ray.Īnd, much like the original John Wick, the soundtrack is balanced between sonically sparce, quiet scenes, such as when Gianna D'Antonio (Claudia Gerini) prepares for an extravagant bath and confronts Wick, and loud blasting beats packed with powerful horns that start the movie off. John Wick: Chapter 2 gives you more fun with its sound on the Ultra HD disc.
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And when the camera zooms in on Wick's face, just before a tense fight scene on a train, the film reveals the details in the smears of blood and sweat. When Wick stands in the rain, you can make out the texture of his sodden suit. The film was shot digitally with Arri Alexa XT cameras - which have a 3K resolution - and while it has been upscaled to 4K, it's still pretty insightful. When it does appear, however, it is reasonably sophisticated. You'll have to make do with the crispness of shirts or the subtlety of torchlight to get a sense of white detail. The moment the film returns to the daylight, the comparable lack of hues is clear.Īs it's a neo-noir flick, Dan Laustsen's cinematography doesn't contain many bright, punchy colours. The image is distinctly lighter on the Blu-ray than its Ultra HD equivalent, but you don't get the same depths to the darkness. The film contains a number of scenes where Wick fights his way through gloomy clubs or dingy sewers, and even the combination of our impressive Samsung UE65KS9500 and Oppo UDP-203 - while providing a clear image in the light - can't pick out much detail from the darkness. However, while the film may be entertaining, it may also provide your 4K HDR home cinema system with a proper test, particularly if your set-up isn't adept at showing off dark detail.