The Amazing Spider-Man 2 appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.40:1 on this 4K UHD Disc. I felt consistently pleased with this presentation.
Sharpness worked very well, with virtually no softness on display. This meant the flick looked tight and well-defined.
I noticed no shimmering or jaggies, and the image lacked edge haloes. Print flaws also failed to appear.
Colors tended toward a blue feel. This meant a lot of teal as well as a cooler blue that fit within Electro’s universe. Other hues materialized as well – especially orange - though all within a stylized feel, so don’t expect natural tones here. Within the movie’s design parameters, the colors seemed solid, as the 4K’s HDR capabilities made them bold.
Blacks looked dark and dense, while shadows showed good clarity and smoothness. This turned into a satisfying image.
Downconverted to Dolby TrueHD 7.1, the Dolby Atmos soundtrack of Amazing 2, even more, as it created a dynamic affair. With all the movie’s action scenes, the mix offered plenty of chances for lively material and it took good advantage of them.
Many components cropped up around the various channels and blended together in a satisfying manner. Expect plenty of involving moments through this well-integrated soundscape.
Audio quality also pleased. Music seemed robust and full, while speech sounded distinctive and clear.
Effects worked best, as they showed terrific punch and power throughout the movie. Everything combined here to form a vivid, engrossing mix.
How did the 4K UHD compare to the Blu-ray version? The Atmos audio added more involvement and pep compared to the Blu-ray’s DTS-HD MA 5.1 material, and the visuals showed upgrades.
This meant the 4K UHD offered superior definition, deeper blacks and improved contrast. Colors also came across as brighter and more dynamic. I felt pleased with this high-quality 4K UHD.
The 4K UHD disc provides an audio commentary from screenwriters Alex Kurtzman and Jeff Pinkner and producers Matt Tolmac and Avi Arad. They all sit together for a running, screen-specific look at story/character/screenplay areas, sets and locations, cast and performances, effects, music, and other filmmaking areas.
This chat turns into a generally good commentary but not one that excels. On the positive side, it focuses a lot on character/story domains and provides nice insights into the decisions made in that realm.
Other aspects of the track seem less successful, though, and create a lack of consistency. Still, it’s a perfectly listenable piece with a fair amount of worthwhile material.
The set includes a Blu-ray copy, and it provides all the remaining extras. 13 deleted scenes run a total of 23 minutes, one second.
Usually when Blu-rays give us cut footage, it tends to be insubstantial, and some of these clips fall into the category of “minor additions”. However, we get a few with greater impact, including one that presents the return of a major character. You won’t find the excised Mary Jane shots here, but the stuff we find seems good.
We can watch the scenes with or without commentary from director Marc Webb. He tells us a bit about the sequences and lets us know why they got the boot. Webb offers useful information and makes me wish the disc included a director’s commentary for the feature film.
Under The Wages of Heroism, we find a collection of six featurettes; all together, they occupy a total of one hour, 43 minutes and 42 seconds. Across these, we hear from Arad, Webb, Kurtzman, Tolmach, Pinkner, co-creator/executive producer Stan Lee, costume designer Deborah L. Scott, location manager Justin Farrar, production designer Mark Friedberg, executive producer E. Bennett Walsh, special effects supervisor John Frazier, NAC Company’s Marc Noel, stunt coordinator Andy Armstrong, costumer Deborah Zimmerman, makeup artist Sarah Rubano, key stunt double Ilram Choi, stunt double Jennifer Caputo, makeup effects designer Howard Berger, Weta Workshop’s Joe Dunckley, visual effects supervisor Jerome Chen, CG supervisors Bob Winter and Chris Waegner, animation supervisor Dave Schaub, senior CG supervisor John Haley, digital effects supervisor David Alexander Smith, composer Hans Zimmer, musician Tom Holkenborg, music producer Stephen Lipson, editor Pietro Scalia, and actors Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Dane DeHaan, Jamie Foxx and Paul Giamatti.
“Wages” covers aspects of the movie’s development and screenplay, story/character choices, cast and performances, costumes, sets, locations and production design, stunts, action and various effects, music and editing.
One might assume a nearly two-hour documentary would cover a movie well, but that doesn’t always prove to be true, as I’ve encountered some forgettable, not-especially-informative “marathon” programs.
Happily, “Wages” uses its time effectively. It covers a wide variety of filmmaking areas and does so in a concise, enjoyable manner. Add a ton of great behind the scenes footage and this becomes a terrific show.
Next comes a music video for Alicia Keys’ “It’s On Again”. It shows a few shots from the movie but mostly concentrates on lip-synch performances and a vague story line of its own. The video never threatens to become memorable, but it’s better than most that accompany songs from films.
The Music of Amazing Spider-Man 2 goes for eight minutes, nine seconds and presents an interview with Marc Webb. He gives us his thoughts on what he wanted from the movie’s music and how the composers executed it. This seems a bit redundant after the segments in “Wages” but it comes with a few good thoughts.
After a disappointing first movie, I hoped The Amazing Spider-Man 2 would offer an improvement. It does, but not to an enormous degree; a good third act redeems it somewhat but it remains a disappointment overall. The 4K UHD presents excellent picture and audio along with some informative bonus materials. Amazing 2 has its moments but doesn’t deliver a consistently satisfying movie.
To rate this film, visit the original review of AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2