REVIEWS: ENCUENTROS EN LA TERCERA FASE
Ten years since the last home video invasion, producers of the sci-fi epic return to Devils Tower to celebrate the groundbreaking classic's 40th Anniversary with a new full restoration of the original camera negatives. All three versions of the film were scanned and remastered at 4K resolution for this commemorative release, which also enjoyed a short, limited theatrical run as part of the celebration.
The results are astounding and simply beautiful, to say the least, making contact on Ultra HD thanks to a strong HEVC H.265 encode that surprisingly surpasses all previous home video arrivals. However, like its predecessors, the presentation is awash in a noticeable layer of film grain, which naturally looks a bit thicker in many nighttime sequences and ultra-fine thin during daylight exteriors. Thankfully, for those who appreciate it, this only provides the Spielberg classic with a lovely film-like quality that's consistent and expected given its age and past releases. Like before, due to how Vilmos Zsigmond originally shot the movie, a few scenes suffer from poor resolution and look considerably softer than others, originating from the condition of the source rather than a fault in the encode. On the whole, the transfer is significantly sharper with distinctly-defined lines in the clothing, surrounding foliage and the various computer equipment. Some of the finer details of the spaceships are more visible, and lifelike textures in the faces of the cast reveal pores, minor wrinkles and other negligible blemishes. Sadly, some of the more astute observers will notice some very mild instances of aliasing along the sharpest edges in a few areas.
The more appreciable improvements, of course, come by way of the higher dynamic range, providing the 2.40:1 image far more dimensionality than before and giving the 4K presentation a stunningly cinematic appeal, as though watching it for the first time on the silver screen. One of the better-improved areas are the brightness levels delivering richer, silkier blacks, not only during the many nighttime sequences but also in poorly-lit interiors with deep, dark shadows that don't take away from the finer details in the background. The overall picture is markedly brighter with brilliantly radiant whites in the clothing and the fluffy clouds in the sky, allowing for the tiniest fold and furrow to remain visible from a distance. The specular highlights are, at times, quite dramatic, giving faces and metallic edges a realistic shine while the brightest spots on the spaceships appear tighter and more compact, making it possible to again better make out the finer details of each ship's design. The original photography never showed a varied palette to begin with, emphasizing more natural earth tones, but primaries are nonetheless bolder and more dazzling with secondary hues, such as yellows, oranges, and browns, providing a more intense glow.
For fans of this sci-fi epic, the Spielberg classic has never looked better than it does on Ultra HD.
FONTETE
Sony's UHD release of
Close Encounters of the Third Kindbrings home audiences closer than ever to the movie. The film -- all three cuts thereof (Theatrical, Special, Director's) -- receive the 2160p/HDR treatment for this release, all included on the same UHD disc. The presentation is unsurprisingly excellent, similar to another classic Spielberg film to recently release on the 4K format,
E.T.. The picture is gorgeously filmic, retaining a natural, critical grain structure that accentuates the innate qualities of its source photography. Presentation is largely even, though it feels a bit sharper at the outset as it swirls about during a sandstorm. A few darker corners, which cannot hold true black, also feature grain that takes on a somewhat snowier appearance. On the whole, however, the image's organic film-quality presentation is wonderful. Details are fantastic, with only the occasional softer shot or visual effects breaking up the precision. Faces are expertly presented, boasting intimate pores and complex hairs with no strain. Definition is striking elsewhere, such as during Roy's first close encounter in his truck or when Jillian's house falls under nearby alien influence and items jump out of the refrigerator and other things turn on, unscrew, and so on. Environments are crisp and there's plenty of detail to be found in the alien suits at film's end. The HDR color palette offers a pleasant boost to depth and saturation. Never does this not look like
Close Encounters. There are no drastic alterations to the palette or a major tweaking of any one shade. The HDR colors are complimentary, offering an upgrade in terms of core qualities rather than redefining them. Black levels hold deep beyond a few edges that inch more towards paleness. Flesh tones are steady and some of the characters who partially turn red as a result of alien encounter are nice and flush. The image shows no compression or print anomalies of note. In direct comparison to the Blu-ray, grain is more prominent, details are much sharper, colors are significantly firmer...a noteworthy point of comparison comes during a sequence in chapter five, around 40 minutes into the film, in India. Terrain is significantly sharper, the yellow attire is noticeably more vibrant and well saturated. The UHD presentation is a very positive upward boost for the film
FONTETE
Esperemos que en la versión disco el grano no sea el pastiche inmundo de la versión streaming
Sin embargo:
A few darker corners, which cannot hold true black, also feature grain that takes on a somewhat snowier appearance. On the whole, however, the image's organic film-quality presentation is wonderful.
Y teniendo en cuenta, que en mi experiencia desde que va de formato estos excelentes profesionales han coincidido siempre con lo que yo he visto, doy por hecho sin haberla visto que la Imagen es de gran nivel y perfecta codificación
