Serenity 4K (2005) Ultra HD 2160p REMUX

Captain Malcolm Reynolds, a hardened veteran (on the losing side) of a galactic civil war, who now ekes out a living pulling off small crimes and transport-for-hire aboard his ship, Serenity. He leads a small, eclectic crew who are the closest thing he has left to family--squabbling, insubordinate and undyingly loyal. When Mal takes on two new passengers--a young doctor and his unstable, telepathic sister--he gets much more than he bargained for. The pair are fugitives from the coalition dominating the universe, who will stop at nothing to reclaim the girl. The crew that was once used to skimming the outskirts of the galaxy unnoticed find themselves caught between the unstoppable military force of the Universal Alliance and the horrific, cannibalistic fury of the Reavers, savages who roam the very edge of space. Hunted by vastly different enemies, they begin to discover that the greatest danger to them may be on board Serenity herself.

Serenity 4K (2005) Ultra HD 2160p REMUX Review
Serenity flies onto Blu-ray with a middling and fairly disappointing 2160p/HDR-enhanced UHD presentation. The picture is certainly watchable, and occasionally soars, particularly in terms of raw increases in detailing along the way, but there's no mistaking the transfer's deficiencies. It's almost certainly been sourced from an older master. The movie was reportedly finished at 2K, not a surprise given its effects-heavy visuals, but it was shot on film. Nevertheless, there's a somewhat digital, processed, artificial, even flat look to it. While raw detailing -- pores and bumps on skin, clothes, sets -- generally offer a satisfying level of complexity, the larger picture reveals a less pleasing, less natural appearance. Grain often appears less than organic, though, again, there are moments -- many, in fact -- where the image enjoys a pleasing filmic texture. Fluctuations rule the day, between stout and pure and flat and pasty. The HDR color palette shines brightest when adding some real, eye-popping punch to a bright blue sky above the first planet in the film. A number of impressive color accents pop in along the way, but the movie is more often inherently dark than it is lively and well-lit, leaving serious color punch and saturation not a highlight component by the film's very nature. A bright daytime sequence in chapter 14 does appear a smidgen blown out. The digital effects stand out as artificial but are fine for what they are; at the 1:12:10 mark, however, some shimmering is visible along ship's edges during an outer space effects shot. Black levels fluctuate across the spectrum, encapsulated in a sequence around the 45-minute mark where they are prone to appearing soupy and dense, too bright or mildly purple, and a little snowy all within a few seconds span. Flesh tones occasionally take on a warmer shading and reveal some pastiness. Serenity was another difficult-to-score release; there are times that an argument for a 3.5 or even a 4.0 could be made, there are times when a 2.5 seemed more appropriate; the end score is probably closer to 3.25. Note that "5" video score reflects the original Blu-ray.com review of the included 1080p disc. That score was awarded in 2008.

Is there such a thing as "too intense?" Serenity's DTS:X soundtrack makes a case. It's generally in good working order, with some amazing sonic cues along the way, but its most aggressive action scenes tend to border on overdone. Right off the bat, as the ship descends for the first time, the sonic intensity at reference level is off-the-charts. Full stage saturation and intense, room-rattling bass plop the listener not into the action, but seemingly right inside the ship's thrusters. At the same time, music pushes through with its own might, spilling through every speaker with raw, unadulterated power but enough clarity to please. A space battle in chapter 15 is another example of the track's unflinching eagerness to make itself the loudest home viewing experience one will encounter. Even with all the mayhem, spacial awareness and detail are always key, even when the track is throwing the proverbial sonic kitchen sink at the listener. Small ticks and rattles inside the ship are always evident, and the top end engages in both the action excess and in support of the finer environmental cues that often give the show an added layer of charm. Dialogue is just fine and plays as the most balanced element in the film. This is a very fun and hugely aggressive track; just keep that finger on the volume button.