Ambulance appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.39:1 on this 4K UHD Disc. Given the stylistic choices, the Dolby Vision image did fine.
Sharpness worked well. Even with a lot of “on the fly” photography, the movie felt accurate and well-defined.
No signs of moiré effects or jaggies occurred. The movie also lacked edge haloes or print flaws.
In terms of palette, Ambulance favored a strong sense of teal, with a bit of amber as well. Those choices came as no surprise – heck, Michael Bay “invented” the modern palette - and the disc reproduced them in a satisfactory manner, with an extra boost from HDR.
Blacks showed strong depth, and shadows were good, with nice opacity and clarity. Whites and contrast got a nice jolt from HDR. Expect a dynamic visual presentation here.
I felt consistently pleased with the immersive Dolby Atmos soundtrack of Ambulance. Downcoverted to Dolby TrueHD 7.1, the soundscape offered frequent room for information to emanate from the various speakers.
The mix used those chances well. The soundtrack delivered auditory material that spread out across the speakers in a satisfying manner and that blended together nicely.
This meant an active track in which the surrounds kept the mix humming. Plenty of action moments made this an impressive soundfield that also brought out environmental elements nicely.
Audio quality satisfied, as speech was natural and concise. Effects turned into the primary factor, and those elements appeared accurate and vivid.
Music played an active role as well, and the score came across as intended. Expect a strong sonic experience here.
How did the 4K UHD compare to the Blu-ray version? Both came with the same audio.
A true 4K product, the Dolby Vision image offered a more accurate and dynamic affair than the Blu-ray. While the latter looked fine, the 4K UHD kicked it up a notch.
Six featurettes fill out the disc, and Bayhem runs six minutes, 14 seconds. It provides info from from producer Bradley L. Fischer, executive producer Michael Kase, production designer Karen Frick, 2nd unit director/stunt coordinator Mike Gunther, writer Chris Fedak, and actors Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Eiza González.
“Bayhem” looks at the alleged greatness of director Michael Bay and the crazed nature of his approach to the material. Expect a lot of praise and little substance.
Pedal to the Metal spans nine minutes, 34 seconds and involves Gyllenhaal, Abdul-Maheen, González, Kase, Fedak, Frick, Gunther, Fischer, transportation/picture car coordinator Joey Freitas, Falck Director of Marketing and Communications Jeff Lucia, and actor Jackson White.
Here we cover the movie’s titular vehicle and shooting action in/around it. Though still fluffy, “Metal” at least delivers a few decent insights.
Next comes Aerial Assault, a five-minute, eight-second reel with Kase, Gyllenhaal, drone coordinator Davis Dilillo, FPV drone pilot Alex Vanover, and supervising location manager Rob Gibson.
“Assault” discusses the use of aerial photography. It proves moderately informative.
After this we go to Finding Ambulance, a five-minute, 34-second reel that includes remarks from Gyllenhaal, Abdul-Mateen, González, Fedak, Fischer, Kase, and Falck Director of Clinical Operations Dannie Wurtz.
In this piece, we get notes about the source and its adaptation, story/characters, cast and perfornances. We find mostly happy talk here.
Chase Capital of the World lasts three minutes, 58 seconds and offers comments from Gyllenhaal, González, Abdul-Mateen, Fedak, Fischer, Kase, Frick, Gibson, and producer Ian Bryce.
“World” discusses the movie’s locations. It adds a few decent notes.
Finally, we get a six-minute, 54-second Tribute to First Responders. It features Gyllenhaal, Fedak, González, Fischer, Wurtz, Lucia, Kase, Bryce, Gibson, LAPD consultant/actor Jamie McBride, retired Navy SEAL/actor Remi Adeleke, and actors Garret Dillahunt, Cedric Sanders, Olivia Stambouliah and Colin Woodell.
As expected, we get praise for first responders, though told within the production’s context, so we get info about how the filmmakers attempted accuracy. It becomes a passable overview.
A second disc provides a Blu-ray copy of Ambulance. It includes the same extras as the 4K.
The Blu-ray opens with ads for The Outfit, Blacklight and Studio 666. No trailer for Ambulance appears here.
Given his natural over the top style, it seems unclear if Michael Bay can go too far. If he can, then he does so with Ambulance, a frantic affair more annoying than entertaining. The 4K UHD comes with strong picture and audio as well as a mediocre roster of bonus materials. Bay used to make fun movies but Ambulance finds him on cruise control.
To rate this film visit the Blu-ray review of AMBULANCE