Review: Venom (4K)

Venom 4K ReviewThe perfect holiday gift, Venom arrives filled with engaging bonus materials that will give fans even more of the action that they loved in theaters with over an hour of new content. The special features include an exciting Venom Mode, where fans will be able to engage with informative pop-ups throughout the film to reveal hidden references to the comics, deleted and extended scenes, a mini documentary called From Symbiote to Screen that covers the history of Venom in comics and his journey to the big screen.

Also a behind-the-scenes peek at some of the stunts, a look at Ruben Fleischer’s journey behind the lens, a featurette about what it took to create Venom on screen called Designing Venom.Symbiote Secrets reveals Easter Eggs and hidden references in the film Other bonus materiales include multiple pre-visualizaton versions of some of your favorite scenes, Eminem’s incredible video for his hit song “Venom,” “Sunflower” from Post Malone and Swae-Lee (from Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse), and an early sneak peek at Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.

Plot: Journalist Eddie Brock is trying to take down Carlton Drake, the notorious and brilliant founder of the Life Foundation. While investigating one of Drake’s experiments, Eddie’s body merges with the alien Venom — leaving him with superhuman strength and power. Twisted, dark and fueled by rage, Venom tries to control the new and dangerous abilities that Eddie finds so intoxicating.

Director:  Ruben Fleischer

Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1

Runtime: 112 min (More like 92 minutes, with super-long credits)

Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 29% & IMDB 6.9/10

Packaging (see below)

Venom 4K Review

Special Features:

  • Venom Mode: When selecting this mode the film will engage informative pop-ups throughout the film to provide insight on the movie’s relationship to the comics, and to reveal hidden references that even a seasoned Venom-fan may have missed!
  • Deleted & Extended Scenes: These deleted and extended scenes will give fans even more of the Venom action they loved in theaters!
  • Ride to Hospital – Eddie and Venom take a ride to the hospital.
  • Car Alarm – Let’s just say that Venom is not fond of car alarms.
  • San Quentin – Extended post-credits scene at San Quentin.
  • From Symbiote to Screen: A mini documentary about the history of Venom in comics and his journey to the big screen.
  • The Lethal Protector in Action: Go behind the scenes with the production crew and learn the secrets behind the awesome Motorcycle stunts, wire stunts, and drones.
  • Venom Vision: A look at how Ruben Fleischer came to the project, gathered his team, and made Venom a reality. Utilizes interviews from cast, crew, and producers as well as Fleischer himself.
  • Designing Venom: Designing and creating Venom meant a huge challenge for VFX artists; follow the amazing journey.
  • Symbiote Secrets: Blink and you may have missed it! Enjoy the hidden references throughout the film.
  • 8 Select Scenes Pre-Vis sequences: See the progression of the visual effects, storyboards and fight chorography compared to the finished film.
  • “Venom” by Eminem – Music Video
  • “Sunflower” by Post Malone, Swae Lee (From Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse)
  • Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Sneak Peek: Meanwhile in another universe…

Review & Conclusion:

This movie was shot in both 2.8K & 8K from various cameras and I believe it was given a true 4K presentation. As usual, it was given a HDR color grade in both HDR10 and Dolby Vision for your viewing pleasure. There are some soft shots in this film, but nothing that takes away from the overall effect it was going for.

This UHD disc is a jump from the standard Blu-Ray, but not by leaps and bounds. What this 4K edition does well is bring out the highlights in all the light and dark scenes, plus tons of added detail and stronger black levels. When it comes to the detail specifics; you will see it highlighted in facial features, beard stubble, sweat and even in the stitching of the characters clothes. When Venom emerges you can discern individual veins and creases all over his body. Little things like that will always be seen on the UHD, and it does just that.

As you can expect, this is a darker movie so the black levels will look extra solid on the UHD. You will see this in various scenes around San Francisco… even if Eddie’s just simply walking to store or something more intense like in Chapter 9 when the big chase scene happens and they’re wreaking havoc across the city. While the darkness of night will hold throughout this movie, the touches of HDR look great. For example, you’ll see this in the bright glow of the neon signs in the city to the faint glow of the street lights. Sitting on solid black levels lets these little things shine through the dark.

This 4K UHD sic will not blow you away, but it’s a nice addition to the format.

If you want to read my initial review of this movie, outside of the picture quality, check it out here. The plot and the way the story was told can be up for debate, but this disc boasts a solid picture and I definitely give it my recommendation and a thumbs up. We are just a few days before Christmas morning, so grab a copy and throw it in a stocking.

Cheers,

Matt.

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