Marvel Studios Eternals 4K Digital Movie Review

Marvel's Eternals is now available to own on Digital HD and coming to 4K, Blu-Ray and DVD on February 15th.

Eternals is an epic story, introducing us to ten immortals, who arrived on Earth in 5000 B.C. to eliminate a race called the Deviants. The Deviants were finally defeated thousands of years later and the Eternals stayed on Earth to wait their creator, a Celestial named Arishem.

Now in the present day, Sersi (Gemma Chan) is living with Sprite (Lia McHugh) and dating a human, Dane Whitman (Kit Harington). A new Deviant named Kro (voiced by Bill Skarsgard) attacks. Ikaris (Richard Madden) arrives to help his friends. When they realize this new Deviant is more powerful than any they have faced before, they decide to find the others. The three of them travel around the world to find their other Eternals: Ajak (Salma Hayek), Kingo (Kumail Nanjiani), Thena (Angelina Jolie), Gilgamesh (Don Lee), Druig (Barry Keoghan), Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry), and Makkari (Lauren Ridloff). Together again, the Eternals must stop Kro and figure out how to save Earth from a planet destroying threat known as the Emergence.

Video

The streaming 4K video quality is outstanding. The use of natural light that director Chloe Zhao is known for is breathtaking and gives the film a look that we haven't seen from any in the MCU. Colors and details such as cloth are impressive as are night scenes with shadows and fire. 

Audio

The 5.1 audio mix is superb. The sound effects surround you, the dialogue is crystal clear from the front channel, and the soundtrack is rich and never overpowers. 

Bonus Features

• Audio Commentary – View the film with audio commentary by Chloé Zhao, Stephane Ceretti, & Mårten Larsson
• Immortalized – Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe launches into the cosmos with the Eternals. In this behind-the-scenes documentary, dive deep into the reasons why Marvel wanted to immortalize these superheroes for the MCU.
• Walks of Life – Eternals unveils Marvel's biggest and most diverse lineup of SuperHeroes in one film. Hear reactions from the cast on being involved in the film and the instant sense of camaraderie that was felt on the day they all joined each other in their costumes.
• Gag Reel – Watch some of the hilarious mishaps of the charming cast and crew.

Deleted Scenes

• Gravity – Phastos and Jack have a conversation that leads to a breakthrough.
• Nostalgia – Sprite and Makkari reminisce about humankind while overlooking the ruins of Babylon.
• Movies – Gligamesh and Kingo connect over movies while crossing the Amazon River with the rest of the team.
• Small Talk – Sprite confronts Dane in the museum about his interactions with Sersi.

Conclusion:

A divisive Marvel movie that I truly enjoyed. I see this as the drama Marvel movie as Ant-Man is a heist movie and Captain America: The Winter Soldier is the political thriller. Eternals has the most serious tone of any Marvel movie and how it plays out into the rest of phase 4 and beyond will be interesting to see. A solid video transfer with a quality audio mix plus some decent bonus features makes this a welcome addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  

*Disclaimer: The digital copy of Eternals was provided by Disney but the review is strictly my own opinion*

DISNEY+ DEBUTS NEW TRAILER & POSTER FOR MARVEL STUDIOS’ “MOON KNIGHT”

 

Tonight, Disney+ debuted a thrilling, brand-new trailer for the upcoming Marvel Studios’ series “Moon Knight” during Halftime of the NFL Super Wild Card matchup between the Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams. 

 

A new poster was also released for the original, live-action series streaming exclusively on Disney+ starting March 30.

 

The series follows Steven Grant, a mild-mannered gift-shop employee, who becomes plagued with blackouts and memories of another life. Steven discovers he has dissociative identity disorder and shares a body with mercenary Marc Spector. As Steven/Marc’s enemies converge upon them, they must navigate their complex identities while thrust into a deadly mystery among the powerful gods of Egypt. 

 

“Moon Knight” stars Oscar Isaac, Ethan Hawke and May Calamawy. Mohamed Diab and the team of Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead directed the episodes. Jeremy Slater is the head writer, and Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Brad Winderbaum, Mohamed Diab, Jeremy Slater and Oscar Isaac are the executive producers. Grant Curtis, Trevor Waterson and Rebecca Kirsch serve as co-executive producers.

DISNEY AND PIXAR’S “TURNING RED” TO PREMIERE EXCLUSIVELY ON DISNEY+ ON MARCH 11

 

DISNEY AND PIXAR’S “TURNING RED” TO PREMIERE EXCLUSIVELY ON DISNEY+ ON MARCH 11

 

BURBANK, Calif. (Jan. 7, 2022) Today, Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution announced that Disney and Pixar’s “Turning Red” will premiere exclusively in homes worldwide on Disney+ on Friday, March 11.

 

“Disney+ subscribers around the world enthusiastically embraced Pixar’s Academy Award-winning ‘Soul’ and the critically-acclaimed “Luca” when they premiered exclusively on the service and we look forward to bringing them Pixar’s next incredible feature film ‘Turning Red’,” said Kareem Daniel, Chairman, Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution. “Given the delayed box office recovery, particularly for family films, flexibility remains at the core of our distribution decisions as we prioritize delivering the unparalleled content of The Walt Disney Company to audiences around the world.”

 

Disney and Pixar’s “Turning Red” introduces Mei Lee (voice of Rosalie Chiang), a confident, dorky 13-year-old torn between staying her mother’s dutiful daughter and the chaos of adolescence. Her protective, if not slightly overbearing mother, Ming (voice of Sandra Oh), is never far from her daughter—an unfortunate reality for the teenager. And as if changes to her interests, relationships and body weren’t enough, whenever she gets too excited (which is practically ALWAYS), she “poofs” into a giant red panda! Directed by Academy Award® winner Domee Shi (Pixar short “Bao”) and produced by Lindsey Collins “Turning Red'' releases on March 11, 2022.

 

In international markets where Disney+ is not yet available, the film will be released theatrically, with premiere dates to be announced.

Ming-Na's Dream Role in "The Book of Boba Fett" on Disney+

 

Watch Ming-Na Wen as she reflects on her role of a lifetime in a new featurette, “Ming-Na’s Dream Role.” Robert Rodriguez and Temuera Morrison discuss working with Ming-Na and her invaluable influence as Fennec Shand in “The Book of Boba Fett,” streaming now exclusively on Disney+. 

“The Book of Boba Fett,” a thrilling Star Wars adventure teased in a surprise end-credit sequence following the Season 2 finale of “The Mandalorian,” finds legendary bounty hunter Boba Fett and mercenary Fennec Shand navigating the galaxy’s underworld when they return to the sands of Tatooine to stake their claim on the territory once ruled by Jabba the Hutt and his crime syndicate.

 

“The Book of Boba Fett” stars Temuera Morrison and Ming-Na Wen. Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni, Robert Rodriguez, Kathleen Kennedy and Colin Wilson are the executive producers. Karen Gilchrist and Carrie Beck serve as co-executive producers, with John Bartnicki producing and John Hampian as co-producer.

4K Digital Review: Antlers

 

Antlers is set in an isolated Oregon town, where Julia (Keri Russell) is a school teacher. She moves in with her sheriff brother Paul (Jesse Plemons) as she deals with her abusive past at the hands of her father. One of her students is a young boy named Lucas (Jeremy T. Thomas) who draws strange things, is fairly quiet and is picked on by his peers. At home, his life is even worse with no electricity and he is feeding something behind a heavy locked door. As people in the town go missing and end up being found in various pieces, Julia notices that it seems that Lucas is at the center of them all. 

While not a perfect horror movie, there is some typical horror movie character actions and the story heads off in a tangent for short while. But when the film works, it is smart and it is scary. Keri Russell shines as a character trying to deal with her past abuse and addiction while trying to find the brighter side of things. Jeremy T. Thomas is also stellar and turns in a performance well beyond his years.  

Video

The film's visual style is purposefully limited to darker colors and drab lighting that creates a wonderfully creepy vibe. The 4K resolution makes the blacks rich and deep and shadows are excellent. Skin tones look extremely lifelike as do close-up details of the town and clothing. Another fine 4K presentation from Searchlight and Disney. 

Audio

The 5.1 audio mix is solid and fills the room. Channel separation is excellent as sound effects are definable in the room. Dialogue is front and center and crystal clear. 

Bonus Features*

• The Evil Within – Co-writer/director Scott Cooper gives us a glimpse of the many complex layers at play in his approach to making Antlers, a horror film about very human concerns, and his most ambitious film to date.
• An Exploration of Modern Horror with Guillermo del Toro – Producer Guillermo del Toro traces the lineage of elevated horror in cinema. Employing his encyclopedic knowledge and passion for the horror genre, he discusses the connection between mythology and human behavior.
• Artifacts and Totems – The filmmakers discuss how they created this world of a small, tight-knit Northwest community of working-class Americans in bringing Scott Cooper’s vision to life.
• Gods Walk Among Us – An in-depth exploration of the digital and practical effects used to create the film’s primal creatures.
• Cry of the Wendigo – Discover the fascinating folklore behind the wendigo from the film’s First  consultants. Learn about the creature’s mythic origins and about its connection to man’s betrayal of the land.
• Metamorphosis – At the center of Antlers is a transformative performance by Scott Haze. Hear about the actor’s preparation for filming, including how he lost some 70 pounds in order to play a deeply tragic character.
• Comic-Con @ Home with Scott Cooper and Guillermo del Toro – Steve Weintraub moderates this candid Comic-Con@Home 2020 Panel interview with Guillermo del Toro and Scott Cooper. Hear the filmmakers describe their process, and learn who some of their filmmaking heroes are.

 

Conclusion

Antlers is a compelling horror film with a high quality 4K video presentation and wonderful 5.1 audio mix with insightful extras. Highly recommend.