Apollo 13 (1995) 4K Ultra HD 2160P REMUX

It had been less than a year since man first walked on the moon, but as far as the American public was concerned, Apollo 13 was just another "routine" space flight- until these words pierced the immense void of space: "Houston, we have a problem." Stranded 205,000 miles from Earth in a crippled spacecraft, astronauts Jim Lovell, Fred Haise and Jack Swigert fight a desperate battle to survive. Meanwhile, at Mission Control, astronaut Ken Mattingly, flight director Gene Kranz and a heroic ground crew race against time-and the odds- to bring them home.

Apollo 13 (1995) 4K Ultra HD 2160P REMUX Review
Apollo 13 was shot on film and the transition to UHD has resulted in a very pleasing, organically filmic image with little room for major complaint. Grain retention lends a satisfying textural grace to the image. Some may find it a hair on the sharp side, but there's no mistaking the picture's cinematic bona fides. Skin textures appear organically complex, featuring a tangible increase in raw definition over the previous Blu-ray. Complex pores, stubble on the astronauts' faces, and wrinkly lines on an older character are amongst the most evident of the boosts to skin's textural bounties. Additionally, the image's boost in clarity and resolution allows for greater command of fine object detailing as well, including space suits, bulky computer consoles at Houston, and the complex array of buttons and electronics in the shuttle. The shuttle interior's cramped size and density allows every scene inside the craft to be a treasure of ultra high definition exploration. The HDR color palette offers another example of tasteful, complimentary boosts. The palette never betrays the movie's color scheme, accentuating and keeping core shades, like the green computer consoles at Houston command or various accents on space suits or clothes -- particularly some of the more period-colored oranges and browns -- true but more naturally adept in presentation. Skin tones are full and healthy, perhaps pushing a little rosy at times. Black levels are fine. This is a very good image; scoring was a bit tough, with 4.0 and 4.5 both reasonable figures. Either way this is a positive upgrade over the previous Blu-ray.

Apollo 13 blasts onto Blu-ray with a thunderous DTS:X soundtrack that's also more than capable of delivering nuanced sound elements. This is a movie that benefits from the added surround speakers and overhead layer. Musical placement and stage wrap are wonderful. Clarity is a driving force in the track's excellence, but so too is its organic flow and total engagement, with its complimentary surround and subwoofer usage. The track is awash in small but critical sound effects, including little hums and beeps inside the simulator that spring up from all over the stage. PA announcements following a training session in that simulator early in the film emanate from a clearly defined overhead position. A cacophony of blaring alarms, shattering glass, gusting winds, and other impactful elements completely saturate the stage, top end included, about 13 minutes in. A jet flies distinctly overhead soon thereafter. The shuttle's blast-off sequence is of reference quality. Thunderous gusts of raw power flood the stage with total saturation but pinpoint clarity or highly aggressive details. The subwoofer works overtime to deliver crisp but powerful and balanced bass. Alarms signal the beginning of trouble on the craft after takeoff. The various malfunctions create a serious stir in the listening area, some of which effortlessly encircle the listener to striking, terrifying effect. Small little sonic components both on the ship and at Houston pull the listener into the terror and chaos, and with different sensations both in the tight quarters on the ship and in the more expansive control center. Dialogue is clear and well defined and prioritized with firm center placement for the duration.