We, The Marines - 4K Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

We, The Marines

Movie:
4K Video:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score: ​

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Movie
I have a special place in my heart for the Marine Corp, more so than any other branch of the U.S. Military. My grandfather was a member of the Corp back in World War II, and two of my brothers were Marines as well. That’s not to say I don’t have relatives and direct family members in other branches of service as well, but the Marines has been the most respected and most revered branch in U.S. history, putting out some of the finest marksmen and soldier’s on the planet. It’s been a few months, but Shout Factory is back with another IMAX shot documentary that gives us just a taste of what happens behind the scenes of the devil dogs, all narrated by former Marine Gene Hackman (a move which is kind of surprising since Hackman has often joked that he was a lousy Marine due to his trouble with authority, and was actually demoted three times over his career for leaving his post without permission), and given a glossy looking 4K UHD disc with stunning technical specs.

We, The Marines is like most of the IMAX documentaries that Shout Factory puts out. They are not heavy duty documentaries that are meant to truly go into the nitty gritty details about what they’re exploring, but rather use IMAX cameras to act as visual eye candy and give a general level analysis of the subject matter. This one follows the exact same pattern as the rest, with a 38 minute doc that gives us the highlights of the Marine life and what they endure. Unlike most military documentaries, this one isn’t a giant recruitment poster for the Marines. At least not by design. Instead it acts as a memorial to those who have fallen, and a living salute to those young people who choose dedicate 4, 8 or more years of their life to service in one of the largest brotherhoods known to man.

We get to see some of the basic training of the Marine babies, as well as a look into the different training styles of officers, downed helicopter scenarios as well as some basic history of marines from past decades and past wars as well. Hackman’s fantastic narration really sells the whole thing, as you can feel a genuine sense of warmth and pride that the man takes in honoring his fellow Marines. His enthusiasm and honest respect for his brethren seeps through from every pore and second of the film, and the information given is worth the 38 minute watch.

There’s nothing wild and extravagant about We, The Marines, but it really survives off of the obvious enthusiasm from Gene Hackman, as well as the typical eye candy that these documentaries provide. If you’re looking for an in depth documentary on Marine history, or Marine life, I’d probably look elsewhere. But if you really enjoy these eye candy documentaries in 4K with a glimpse into one of the most prolific branches of the U.S. Military, then We, The Marines more than fits the film.




Rating:

Not Rated by the MPAA




4K Video: Video:

These 4K UHD documentaries are pure eye candy and I love checking them out. Filmed on an authentic 15 perf 70mm negative and then transferred to home theater with a native 4K master, We, The Marines looks stunning on my 4K TV. The film advertises HDR on the cover, but it also includes the option to manually choose SDR for those still living without HDR enabled 4K TVs (although those are becoming very few and far between these days, and is more of a legacy feature for the last of the converts from early edition 4K sets). Everything is glossy and shiny sharp to the extreme, with jaw dropping use of HDR for the colors. It’s almost like being able to reach through the set and touch everything you see, everything is just so life like and clean. The benefits of HDR enhancements are amazing when compared side by side with the SDR option. Colors literally pop off the screen in comparison, and the black levels are so black and rich that it’s not even a comparison. Details are so lifelike and real that reaching through the screen is a constant desire, and I have to say. This is one of THE best looking discs that I’ve seen from the IMAX documentaries.







Audio:

The Dolby Atmos track for We, The Marines is a bit more on the restrained side, but it is still an excellent track all around. The surround usage is phenomenal, with sounds of helicopters, gun fire and even voice commands coming from a radio fully encompassing the listener. There’s a scene with radio commands going to a helicopter that actually uses some really incredible pinpoint precision tones to shift direction at the drop of a hat. LFE is punchy and powerful, but never wild and too exuberant, fading into the background when not needed. The overhead usage is a bit on the restrained side, which is why it’s more of a 4.5/5 than a 5/5, but we still get some good shots of helo’s over head, as well as some mild ambient sounds to round it out.





Extras:

• We, The Marines Addendum – Behind-the-Scenes Interviews/Footage

Final Score:
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We, The Marines is poignant and inspiring documentary detailing some of the highlights of our service men and women. It’s not overly deep, but it does wonders for those interested in military service as well as provides a memorial and salute to those who are already in the corp. Shout Factory’s 4K UHD disc is nothing short of jaw dropping, with eye candy visual specifications and a truly amazing Atmos track as well. Definitely worth checking out if you have enjoyed the previous 4K UHD documentaries from Shout.



Technical Specifications:

Starring: Gene Hackman (Narrator)
Directed by: Greg MacGillivray
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1, HEVC
Audio: English: Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Core), English DTS-HD MA 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH
Studio: Shout Factory
Rated: NR
Runtime: 38 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: December 11th, 2018

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• Michael Scott
• May 11, 2017

Recommendation: Good Watch

 

[JBrax]

Semper Fi!

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. Will check it out.