Great War, The

"The Great War" is the story of a regiment of daring African-American "Buffalo Soldiers" during the final days of World War I. The soldiers are trapped deep behind enemy lines. After one of these soldiers manages to escape, he's ordered to join a select team of white troops, led by a battle-scarred officer, to find and rescue the survivors. Casting aside their racial differences, the determined men join forces to find their lost comrades. (Gary Reber)

Special features include upfront previews and a digital code.

The 2.39:1 1080p AVC picture, reviewed on a Sony Bravia Z9D 4K Ultra HD HDR display, upconverted to 2160p with greater resolution and luminance, was photographed digitally using the Red camera system and sourced from a 2K master Digital Intermediate format. The picture is earthy in tone with vivid accents such as green foliage, the American flag, blood and the soldiers' bluish helmets and officer hats. Everything appears pretty natural, such as uniform and rifle and machine gun weaponry. Fleshtones are naturally hued. Black levels are naturally realistic with revealing shadow delineation. Highlights convey natural bright daylight scenes and effective interior accents. Resolution is excellent with fine nuanced detail revealed in uniforms and clothing stitching, helmets, weapons, interior object textures, and facial features, including hair, mustaches, beards and complexions. This is a nicely crafted period visual experience. (Gary Reber)

The DTS-HD Master Audio™ 5.1-channel soundtrack is dynamic sounding with an aggressive enveloping and directionalized surround presence. The surround envelopment never lets up and at times intensifies during battle scenes. Atmospherics are realistic and sound effects also sound realistic, such as gunfire and explosions, which are a virtually constant presence. The orchestral score is nicely recorded with a wide and deep soundstage that extends to the surrounds. Bass is deep and powerful in the .1 LFE channel with extension to sub-25 Hz frequencies, yet natural sounding and never exaggerated. Dialogue is intelligible and effectively integrated spatially. This is a soundtrack that could further effectively be enhanced by engaging the upmix capabilities of AuroMatic, which takes the sonics to new heights. This is a very satisfying holosonic® soundtrack with excellent fidelity and soundfield envelopment. (Gary Reber)