How Reviews Are Done On NextGenHomeTheater.com : Here are some ground rules for review on this site. The first thing is that the movie itself will never be reviewed, as this is not the intention and tastes and opinion regarding movies are up to the viewer. Furthermore, the review will concentrate on the next generation element of the content, so in this case the Dolby Atmos track, while presenting the other aspects. A Blu-Ray 4K would for example be reviewed for visual performance only. There will not by any grades either, just comments and a purchase recommandation in the conclusion.
The Movie
John Wick tells the story of a retired hitman who needs to go back to work after a bad gang hurt the little things he still had and loved in life. The movie tells a story of revenge, with a linear but efficient storyline and a great visual universe.
Video Presentation
The movie is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.40:1 and was shot originally in digital. The video presentation, even with a large usage of greens and blues and dark scenes, is solid and stays visually appealing for the whole movie. It’s an intimate movie, always in the dark, but with clever usage of colored lightning in the different scenes.
Audio Presentation in Dolby Atmos
John Wick becomes the fifth movie released with a Dolby Atmos track in English, on top of the Dolby True HD 7.1 track. Again, only the orignal English version gets the Atmos treatment as the other languages track are offered in Dolby Digital 5.1.
After seeing large scale special effects movies like Expendables 3, TMNT and Terminator 4 being released in Atmos, it’s interesting to see how the format can support a movie like John Wick, which is still using a lot of action, but also contains very intimate scenes. The result ? Very impressive.
It’s not really that you will be thrown away by discrete surround effects or a great usage of the height speakers, but the movie ambiance is always well represented by the soundtrack. The movie uses music extensively, often in a more prominent way than the effects themselves and the room gets filled with great sounding songs.
The usage of the surround and height speakers is generally used for ambiance, but some instances shine more than others like the rain scenes, the usage of the height for John’s alarm clock sounds and the metal doors closing behind him at the hotel. Small things, not large deployments, that does not get you out of the feel of the movie, but have you smile.
Bonus Features
John Wick is offered with the following special features :
- Audio Commentary
- Don’t F*#% With John Wick : documentary
- Calling in the Cavalry : documentary
- Destiny of a Collective : documentary
- The Assassin’s Code : documentary
- The Red Circle : documentary
- N.Y.C. Noir : documentary
- Trailer : the movie trailer
Conclusion
John Wick is a good example of what Atmos can do for movies without large scale special effects. The ambiance generated and the surrounding effect from the sound bubble is impressive and definitively worth the price of admission.