Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.39:1 on this 4K UHD Disc. This became a consistently strong image.
Sharpness always remained positive, as the movie exhibited fine delineation and accuracy. Any softness remained negligible in this tight presentation.
The film lacked moiré effects or jaggies, and it also didn’t suffer from any edge haloes. Print haloes remained absent.
Colors favored a mix of teal, green and amber, with an emphasis on the last two given the jungle settings. The hues came across as well-developed, and the disc’s HDR capabilities added verve and zest to the tones.
Blacks seemed deep and dense, while shadows appeared smooth and concise. Contrast and brightness also benefited from the HDR. Everything about the image satisfied.’
Downconverted to Dolby TrueHD 7.1, the film’s Dolby Atmos soundtrack proved to be top-notch, with a vivid, involving soundscape. The movie boasted a slew of action scenes, and those used all the channels in a lively, engaging manner that brought out a good sense of the material.
Audio quality pleased, with speech that seemed natural and distinctive. Music fared well, as the score appeared bold and rich.
Most importantly, effects came across as accurate and dynamic, with tight, dynamic low-end response. The soundtrack gave the movie an extra level of life and fun.
How did the 4K UHD compare to the Blu-ray version? The Atmos track added life and involvement to the BD’s 5.1 mix.
In addition, visuals showed growth, as the 4K UHD appeared better defined and showed superior colors and blacks. The Blu-ray looked and sounded terrific, but the 4K UHD became a clear upgrade.
No extras appear on the 4K UHD itself, but the included Blu-ray copy offers a few components. A Gag Reel runs two minutes, 25 seconds and consists of goofs and giggles. With comedians on the set, I expected more funny improvisations, so this becomes a forgettable collection.
Five featurettes follow, and we start with Journey Through the Jungle: The Making of Jumanji. It lasts 14 minutes, 54 seconds and includes notes from director Jake Kasdan, production designer Owen Paterson, location manager Laura Sode-Matteson, costume designer Laura Jean Shannon, producer Matt Tolmach, visual effects supervisor Jerome Chen, Legacy Effects’ Robert Ramsdell,and actors Dwayne Johnson, Nick Jonas, Karen Gillan, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, and Bobby Cannavale.
“Journey” looks at Kasdan’s work on the production, sets and locations, connections to the original movie, costumes, creatures and effects. It creates a decent but not especially deep view of the subject matter.
During the seven-minute, eight-second Meet the Players: A Heroic Cast, we hear from Johnson, Hart, Gillan, Black, Kasdan, and Tolmach. As expected, “Meet” discusses cast and performances. It throws out a few good shots from the set but fails to deliver much useful information.
Next comes Surviving the Jungle: Spectacular Stunts, a five-minute, 47-second reel with Gillan, Kasdan, Tolmach, stunt coordinator Gary M. Hymes, 2nd unit director Jack Gill, and motorcycle coordinator Justin Kell. Inevitably, “Surviving” gets into stunts and action. It becomes another moderately interesting piece.
Attack of the Rhinos goes for three minutes, 56 seconds and features Johnson, Black, Kasdan, Chen, director of photography Gyula Pados, helicopter tech advisor Doug Scroggins, and editor Mark Helfrich. “Rhinos” delivers specifics about the creation of one movie scene. Though brief, it becomes a pretty informative clip, especially because we see lots of “before/after” footage.
Finally, Book to Board Game to Big Screen & Beyond: Celebrating the Legacy of Jumanji occupies four minutes, 44 seconds and delivers info from Johnson, Hart, Kasdan, Black and Gillan. “Legacy” looks at the original film and its expansion with Jungle. It lacks substance.
A Music Video called “Jumanji, Jumanji” takes up three minutes, 35 seconds. A duet between Jack Black and Nick Jonas, it offers an intentionally cheesy spoof of movie theme songs. It’s not hilarious but it’s amusing enough.
The disc opens with ads for The Star, Peter Rabbit, The Emoji Movie, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Angry Bird Blues, The Swan Princess: A Royal MzTery and Hotel Transylvania 3. No trailer for Jungle appears here.
An unexpected box office hit, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle offers a fun update on the source. Though it never becomes anything special, it still delivers enough laughs and action to satisfy. The 4K UHD provides strong picture and audio as well as a serviceable set of supplements. The 4K UHD turns into the most effective release of the film.
To rate this film visit the prior review of JUMANJI: WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE