The transfer is absolutely first rate and the image on the certainly enters the realm of demonstration quality. Like any new big budget Hollywood movie coming off of theatrical release, the image and film element used for the transfer are flawless. The picture is razor sharp and minutely detailed, which only serves to make many of the CGI effects look even better. Colors are very vibrant, without ever appearing over saturated, plus the flesh tones are always appealing. There is no evidence of chromatic distortion or bleeding during the presentation.
Blacks are right on the money and the image boasts a marvelous amount of shadow detail and depth.
Digital compression artifacts are perfectly concealed by excellent dual layer authoring. The Dolby Digital 5.1 channel soundtrack is every bit as good as the impressive image quality. Mixed to be loud and aggressive, the track makes the most of the discrete encoding. Split surround effects are prominent, but not in such a way that they distract one from the forward soundstage. There is clean channel separation across the front, with effective panning of effects.