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 be any grades either, just comments and a purchase recommandation in the conclusion.
The Movie
I imagine that most of the home theaters fan will have already seen Gravity once it initially came out and are looking at this Diamond Luxe Edition blu-ray because of the new Atmos track. If you did not see it, well it tells the story of two astronauts, played by Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, who end up stuck in space after a debris field hit them while doing a space walk to upgrade the Hubble Telescope.
Video Presentation
Gravity is presented in its original 2.40:1 ratio and there is clearly nothing to complain about visually. As dark a movie as this one is, there is always a very good level of details which result in a high quality presentation.
Audio Presentation in Dolby Atmos
Gravity became the 9th movie to be presented with a Dolby Atmos soundtrack and it was a long awaited one as it was announced by Warner a while ago. The soundtrack is a significant upgrade from the DTS Master Audio 5.1 track available on the first editions of the movie.
If you have a Dolby Atmos setup, now you have your new goto disc for demonstrations. The soundtrack of Gravity is just simply stunning and really demonstrate the potential of object based audio in the home theater.
The positioning of sound, all around the viewer is really impressive and what makes it different is really the fact that is extensively used for voices. The movie pans voices all around the sound field and really integrates the viewer at the core of the experience, as if you were there in space with them.
The other very impressive element is how much the movies plays with volumes. The initial intro does that marvellously while the volume ramps up critically and all of a sudden the movie switches to plain silence. I tested with an SPL meter and even watching 20 db below reference level, I got a final peak around 100db (which is higher that what it should be, probably my subwoofers being a little too hot) and then down to my room ambient noise (projector fan mostly) only. It’s very breathtaking, almost physically hurting, to sense that huge drop of volume all of a sudden.
Bonus Features
Gravity Diamond Luxe Edition is offered with the following special features :
- Aningaaq : short film
- Collision Point: The Race to Clean Up Space : documentary
- Gravity: Mission Control : documentary
- Gravity: Silent Space : a soundtrack for the movie without the music, sadly in Dolby Digital 5.1 only
- Gravity: The Human Element : documentary
- Looking to the Stars: The Evolution of Space Films : documentary
- Sandra Birthday Wish : birthday card from Bullock to the movie director
- Shot Breakdowns : documentary
Conclusion
Definitively, Gravity is THE movie you need to show everyone so that they understand the potential of Dolby Atmos.