The Meg appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.40:1 on this 4K UHD Disc. The movie looked very good, though it came with one drawback.
That issue related to the use of HDR in terms of whites, as the 4K UHD bolstered those elements to “11”. This became a liability for daytime exteriors, as skies looked too bright – they lost the blue portions and just appeared white.
The jacked-up whites also damaged some definition, as they threatened to overwhelm faces. Interiors suffered from none of these problems, but daytime exteriors were too bright.
Otherwise, this became a top-notch image. Sharpness worked fine, with virtually no softness on display. This meant the majority of the film was accurate and well-defined.
I saw no signs of jaggies or moiré effects, and the film lacked edge haloes or print flaws.
If you suspected Meg would come with a mainly teal palette, you’ll get what you expected. We got occasional splashes of reds and other hues as well, but teal dominated.
I’d like to see action flicks dispense with that conceit, but given their restraints, the colors looked appropriate here. The 4K UHD’s HDR capabilities added punch to the hues and made them more vivid.
Blacks came across nicely, as dark tones were deep and rich, without any muddiness or problems. In addition, low-light shots gave us smooth, clear visuals. Without the elevated whites, this would be an excellent presentation, but the unbalanced contrast created distractions.
Downconverted to Dolby TrueHD 7.1, the movie’s Dolby Atmos audio made good use of its sonic possibilities. A tale of a killer shark comes with plenty of room for action, and the mix took us on a lively journey.
During underwater scenes, the track managed a great sense of environment, and various action sequences brought out vivid material as well. The soundscape opened up in a vivid, immersive way that added punch to the proceedings.
Audio quality satisfied. Music was lively and full, while speech appeared natural and concise, without edginess or other issues.
Effects became the most dominant aspect of the mix, and those components excelled. These elements appeared accurate and dynamic, with crisp highs and deep lows. I felt very satisfied with this engaging soundtrack.
How did the 4K UHD compare to the Blu-ray version? Audio remained identical, as both discs provided the same Dolby Atmos track.
Though the 4K offered an upconverted version of the 2K master, it nonetheless showed improvements. Definition looked tighter, while colors were more dynamic.
However, the 4K showed elevated white levels during the daytime exteriors I mentioned. I compared to the Blu-ray and thought whites seemed more balanced there.
In terms of preference, I found it tough to choose. On one hand, the 4K UHD offered clearly superior delineation, but man, those jacked-up white levels created a distraction. I’d still probably opt for the 4K but it’s not a slam-dunk.
No extras appear on the 4K UHD itself, but the included Blu-ray disc throws in some components, and we start with Chomp On This, a 12-minute, nine-second featurette. It offers notes from director Jon Turteltaub, producer Lorenzo Di Bonaventura, stunt coordinator Allan Poppleton, executive producer Barrie M. Osborne, and actors Sophia Cai, Rainn Wilson, Page Kennedy, Ruby Rose, and Li Bingbing.
“Chomp” looks at cast, characters and performances, stunts and action, shooting on the water, and related areas. Though a bit unfocused, “Chomp” still offers some useful notes
With Creating the Beast, we get a 10-minute, 25-second piece with Turteltaub, Di Bonaventura, concept artist Sue Dorrington, visual effects supervisor Adrian De Wet,
As implied by the title, the program looks at the design and execution of the Megalodon. It’s a moderately informative reel.
Finally, New Zealand Film Commission goes for one minute, 53 seconds and features Wilson, Rose, Osborne, Turteltaub, Kennedy,
dive coordinator Dave Morrell, producer Belle Avery, production designer Grant Major, SFX assistant supervisor Scott Harens and actor Cliff Curtis.
They give us a few notes about the shoot but mainly promote New Zealand as a movie location. Yawn.
The disc opens with ads for Aquaman and Shazam. No trailer for Meg appears here.
A moderate box office success, The Meg attempts to update the killer shark movie for the 21st century. Unfortunately, it gives us a slow, lackluster tale without the figurative bite it needs to pack a punch. The 4K UHD gives us terrific audio along with a few minor supplements and generally excellent visuals marred solely by elevated white levels. Meg ends up as a fairly forgettable effort.
To rate this film, visit the prior review of THE MEG