Lionsgate released the epic singularity franchise, The Hunger Games series on 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack, which includes both Blu-ray and Digital HD. All in all, it is an amazing product for such a gripping story.
As most remember, Jennifer Lawrence stars as Katniss Everdeen, the girl on fire, who took the world by storm with a four-film cumulative worldwide box office of 3 billion cash flow.
Fans can see the movies with four times the resolution of Full HD and High Dynamic Range (HDR) that delivers the brightest, most vivid and realistic color and greatest contrast from 4K Ultra HD. However, similar to other 4K movies I have reviewed, the whole movie’s vivid, realistic color and contrast are not consistent. I find in the hand-held camera scenes of these 4K movies, the technical potential is limited, if not a bit shaky.
Don’t get me wrong. Checking out Lionsgate’s catalog 4K titles, I am impressed with the products so far. It makes watching movies at home so much better with the Dolby Atmos track sounds, which are incredible because it utilizes every speaker.
Now the quality of the look is a bit unforgiving because the effect is over the top. Noticeably, in the first half of The Hunger Games. The colors are saturated and nearly grainy. Watching the scene when the District 12 team is eating before the games is a good example where the colors, black levels, and overall clarity are below standards for the quality hype.
Disappointingly, just about every scene at The Capital looked saturated. When the movie arrives at the Games, I was impressed and in awe over the rich details of the overall setting in the forest and the way everything looked pristine. It made watching the 4K version worth it.
One thing that didn’t help the 4K, as mentioned earlier, was the shaky-cam style. In the first mad dash for supplies in the games, the camera was all over the place and the 4K clearness was like a second thought to the scene. Even though about half the movies technical quality didn’t appear any better, if slightly worse, the other half of the movie is a pristine, vibrant upgrade and fun to watch.
The 4K version special features offer extras, which includes a commentary with Stephen Mirrione, Sheena Duggal, and Lon Bender. Even though they are not the stars or director, their passion for the movie come through, creating a worthwhile commentary.
Directed by Francis Lawrence, Catching Fire 4K
Ultra HD had the same technical issues I mentioned in The Hunger Games 4K Ultra HD. The scenes in the training room and outside are clear and pristine like a gemstone. The crystal clear and the 4K upgrade really stands out. Yet, the scenes in The Capitol, mostly most CGI, are saturated and almost blurry at times. I noticed there is a bit more of an upgrade compared to The Hunger Games. I am curious as to why that is so.
The audio sounds perfect like the first film. The Dolby Atmos track is a wonderful upgrade and sounds faultless.
The 4K Ultra comes without exclusive features, but the package includes a copy of the Blu-ray.
