‘Civil War’ 4K UHD Blu-Ray Review – A Knockout Examination Of The Fragility Of Normalcy

From filmmaker Alex Garland comes a journey across a dystopian future America, following a team of military-embedded journalists as they race against time to reach DC before rebel factions descend upon the White House.

For in-depth thoughts on Civil War, please see my colleague Larry Fried’s review from its original theatrical debut here.

Video Quality

Civil War thrives with a 2160p/Dolby Vision presentation in 1.85:1 on this 4K UHD Blu-Ray disc. The level of clarity on display here is often astounding with a favorable uptick in detail in the textures of the wartorn locales, costumes, and production design. This presentation digs deep when assessing the black levels that are deep and detailed with digital noise completely absent from the screen. Numerous shadowy shots show no evidence of crush. Brighter scenes like those showing the daytime excursions wow with occasionally grotesque clarity and a strong handle of highlights that show no signs of blooming. 

The 4K presentation provides a depth of field that cannot be replicated as well with the accompanying Blu-Ray. This transfer reveals a commendable amount of detail in even the smallest facets of any object in the frame. Skin tones look consistent throughout and show a grand amount of facial detail including perspiration and facial hair. Color highlights are another area of significant improvement compared to the Blu-Ray thanks to the implementation of Dolby Vision. Colors look more nuanced and natural in this presentation with moments of fiery explosions radiating off the screen with force. This 4K UHD presentation elevates this film to its full potential. 

Audio Quality

This disc unleashes a Dolby Atmos presentation that proves to be one of our favorites of the year so far. The sound design of this film is quite a sonic onslaught, and the implementation of environmental noises is executed very effectively. Sounds are carefully rendered with pinpoint directionality from the more explosive scenes to the dialogue-driven expository moments. Dialogue is presented crisply and clearly without ever being drowned out by any of the competing sonic elements. 

From the opening moments, you can tell this is a track that is going to be truly enveloping. It is not only the sounds of explosions that dominate the height channels but also the subtle moments that sneakily draw you into a three-dimensional world that will take you out. The low end is engaged exceptionally well during the plethora of action sequences. The score conjures an appropriate tone that complements the emotional beats. The mix here is extremely well done with nice engagement of all the channels, so those with a good system should be thrilled. Optional English SDH and Spanish subtitles are provided. 

Special Features

• Torn Asunder – Waging Alex Garland’s Civil War: A terrific six-part, 57-minute documentary in which the cast and crew discuss the themes and development of the film, assembling the cast, the qualities of the characters, the direction of Alex Garland, the shooting locations, and more. 
• Theatrical Trailer: The two-and-a-half-minute trailer is provided. 

Final Thoughts

Civil War is another great effort from Alex Garland that survives the political minefield that surrounded it in the lead-up to the release. Some will be disappointed that there is not a heavy-handed declaration of the political leanings of the film, but this narrative transcends such limiting classifications. You get enough evidence to draw certain conclusions while other thematic underpinnings are allowed to flourish. The performances are really great across the board including the powerhouse combo of Kirsten Dunst and Cailee Spaeny. Some narrative elements could have used a bit more fleshing out, but this still remains one of the strongest pictures we have seen this year. Lionsgate Home Entertainment has released a 4K UHD Blu-Ray that sports a demo-worthy A/V presentation and insightful supplements. Recommended 

Civil War is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-ray, Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Lionsgate Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.