Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Digital & Disney+ Review

After the typical three-month wait, Disney has released Black Panther: Wakanda Forever on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, DVD, Digital, and Disney+.

For a full review of the film, please see my review from when I saw the film in theaters here.

Video Quality

Having seen the film three times on three different types of screen (IMAX, M1 Pro MacBook Pro, and a 24" TCL HDTV), I've gotten the broad strokes of how Wakanda Forever scales its resolution, color depth, HDR, aspect ratio and all the things that make up the visual representation of the film. At both 1080p and 4K resolution, the image lacks fine details, such as the costumes. Another thing I found lacking was the transfer's use of HDR to further contrast ratio and widen its color range. At times, especially in dark underwater sequences, blues take on a pitch-black tone that only recovers after turning HDR off. However, I did find these problems to be even worse when viewing in 1080p, so I'm not sure if the problem is the HDR implementation or the overall transfer.

Heads up: the IMAX Enhanced version (the version of the film that includes the IMAX ratio) is only available on Disney+.

★★★

Audio Quality

Likewise, the sound profile of the home media & Disney+ transfer leaves much to be desired.

The DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track on HD versions is nothing to write home about, with an overall flatness to the sound and no real depth, intensity, or volume.

Surprisingly, the Dolby Atmos track found on the 4K versions of the film isn't that much better. The improvements are primarily due to Atmos' ability to move audio around in a 360-degree space instead of simple stereo tracks. So in most cases, you'll be hearing dialogue and music from the center channel and not much else.

If there is a highlight from both audio tracks, I didn't have to fiddle with the volume constantly.

★★★

Special Features and Extras

The home media release of Wakanda Forever is laughable regarding bonus features. Outside of the usual featurettes, gag reel, deleted scenes, and commentary track, there isn't anything else to keep buyers entertained after they finish watching Wakanda Forever.

• Envisioning Two Worlds (1080p, 10:55): Returning to and expanding on the world of Wakanda, sets, Ryan Coogler's work on the film, costumes, character design, new cultures represented in the film, photography, and more.

• Passing the Mantle (1080p, 5:50): Exploring this film's character evolutions, focusing on the prism of losing the T'Challa character.

• Gag Reel (1080p, 2:28): Humorous moments from the shoot.

• Deleted Scenes (1080p, 10:11 total runtime): Included are Outside the Scope, The Upstairs Toilet, Daughter of the Border, and Anytime, Anywhere.

• Audio Commentary: Writer/Director Ryan Coogler, Writer Joe Robert Cole, and Cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw discuss the film.

The Disney+ difference: As has been the case since WandaVision, there is an episode of Marvel Studios: Assembled that covers the making of Wakanda Forever. While I understand the need to keep Disney+ subscribers happy with extra content, these episodes feel like they should be included with the home media releases. With the addition of the IMAX ratio being included under the "versions" tab of the film's Disney+ page, it feels less like Disney is trying to bolster the content available on Disney+ and more like they're trying to force those who'd usually buy the physical or digital versions of a Disney film to stream it instead.

★★

Score and Recommendation

Judging the film on its own merits, it would be a no-brainer to recommend that fans of the film should buy the physical or digital version of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

However, given its merely average transfer that seems to lose all the detail from the theatrical release, substandard sound, and an overall lack of bonus features, I cannot recommend the home media release. Instead, I would turn you towards the Disney+ version of the film so you can experience the film's IMAX segments and the Marvel Studios: Assembled episode.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is now available to stream on Disney+ as well as available for purchase from physical retailers like Best Buy, Disney Movie Club, Target, and Walmart. Digitally, the film is available on Amazon Video, AMC Theaters on Demand, Google Play Movies, iTunes, Microsoft Movies & TV, Movies Anywhere, and Xfinity Stream.

★★★

Until next time!

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