Both a spectacle on-screen and in sound, this movie thrills if you are not into the typical superhero storyline but still want the epic display of explosions in your sound field. Focused on engaging the audience into the movie, you can expect crystal clear and natural dialogues to channel out from the front array. Explosive bass and gunfires are driven around your sound field to immerse fully into the sequence. Not forgetting the overhead channels, in-air motions are precisely placed and tracked, giving you a complete 360-degree surround experience that matches up to its appealing narration and jokes.
The Grand Budapest Hotel (R)
Desserts come in many forms, and the good news is that this is not loaded with calories. Dialogues in this movie dominate the center channels that provide an active mix of both high and mid frequencies to keep you constantly glued to the aesthetically pleasing visuals. Luscious and balanced spatial surround effects provide a comfortable ambient experience, especially if you have physical discrete speakers. Music scores add the extra punch of liveliness that paints your room in the color, happy. Overall, this is definitely a dessert we would not mind having every week, after any meal.
IMMERSIVENESS RATING: ⭐
The Grinch (Dr. Seuss' - 2018) (PG)
From the creators of despicable me, follow this animated series as a grump seeks to stop Christmas from happening. The sound of Christmas ambiance, carols and jingles will fill your room, with the sound of each of this grump's quirky antics perfectly replicated on your frontal channels. Later, The quiet yet audible sounds of this sneaky grump stealthily taking all things Christmas in the middle of the night add weight to the seriousness of what this grump is doing. This Movie is currently available on Amazon Prime Video and will be available on Netflix from January 1, 2021.
IMMERSIVENESS RATING: ⭐
Hocus Pocus (PG)
Let the amock by the Sandersons Sisters run free in your surround channels. A clean and simple story plot entertains with witty humor that is delivered crystal clear. Atmospheric sounds of potions bubbling and magic twinkling are texturally richer, and evidently leaves its trail in the soundscape. Gushing winds and in-air flying activities offer better encapsulation as compared to the previous. Underlying rumbles from the crackles of thunder slips itself into your room to complete the Hocus Pocus magic. You be the judge if this is a trick or treat!
IMMERSIVENESS RATING: ⭐
How to Train Your Dragon (PG)
We love Dragons in all shapes and sizes because it represents 1 thing: Overhead Sound. Multiple motions sweep in its full glory leave trails for head-turning moments. As the plot evolves and Hiccup tries to work with a Toothless, the fury of the initial resistance will make its presence known through dynamic sound motions that seize your attention from your surround channel - all this done with a majestic concert band playing in the background that highlights the majestic unison of the Dragons and Vikings.
IMMERSIVENESS RATING: ⭐ ⭐
Hubie Halloween (PG-13)
Expect the sound of carelessly aimed eggs and garbage thrown overhead to envelop your listening environment early in the movie to mark the start of a halloween themed adventure. Slightly comical dialouge that add to the hubie-unique comical moments will come through clearly through your center channels, all while werewolf howls, dramatic music, horrified screams and creepy halloween scares emanates through your front channels to complete this horror and comedy movie mashup to gets everyone at home in the mood for Halloween.
IMMERSIVENESS RATING: ⭐
Hawkeye (PG-13)
We couldn't have asked for more from Disney this holiday season! Hawkeye tries to get back to his family in time for Christmas - but the underworld is back to haunt him. As he meets a fellow archer aspiring to be a superhero, watch as they conquer all odds to come home in time for the most wonderful time of the year. With precision arrows flying past your seat over a colorful Christmas movie set, this series is not to be missed this holiday season!
IMMERSIVENESS RATING: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Raya and the Last Dragon (PG)
As Raya embarks on a seemingly impossible adventure to find the last dragon and end a war, follow her on an exciting journey as she fights against enemies and odds to succeed in her mission. Every fist punch thrown can be clearly felt through your subwoofers, with the energetic clashing sounds of sword fights and magic in this realm going off with pinpoint accuracy that is relative to the screen, with enough atmospheric effects to bring the movie scenes to life in your living room
IMMERSIVENESS RATING: ⭐ ⭐
Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (PG)
You would not have expected that a movie targeted at a younger audience to check the box of a good surround sound mix. It displays excellent spaciousness in the various sound effects that include main dialogues, ambient chatters, streetcar chases, and bullets whizzing, to create a larger-than-life soundstage to match the on-screen activity. Dramatic explosion will leave evidence of resounding trails from your subwoofer(s). Swooshes from ambitious circus maneuvers add not only depth in sound but create excitement to enhance the overall circus activity. Listen for the subtly layered ambient effects from your surround channels when happy pop music emanates from your center channels. This movie is perfect to start cultivating your kids’ love for surround sound.
IMMERSIVENESS RATING: ⭐
The Incredibles (PG)
Incorporating highly familiar everyday sounds (Think: dinner at the table, breakfast before school, etc.) can be tricky but the 2 sequels in this franchise showcase what tactful sound engineering can enable you to experience, when done correctly. Explosion scenes are perfectly pressurized to suck the air from the room to release a wall-shaking outburst. The famous 100mile dash by Dash in the first sequel displays the magical harmony exchange of exemplary directional sounds. It heightens every pixel of tension from the screen to make sure you duck from the swift overhead Velocipods. Sibling bickering is not only keen, but realistic enough for you to feel like you are the mediator. Spatial sounds are especially evident when you step into Edna Mode’s mansion. Every scene captivates you even more so than the last, to make sure you fall more deeply in love with one of America’s most relatable superhero family.
IMMERSIVENESS RATING: ⭐ ⭐
Monster House (PG)
"There are no ghosts", Everyone would say. As the angsty voice of an unfriendly neighbor and family members being apathetic towards the warnings of a mere boy wavers through your center channels, expect horrified screams as the monster house rudely unleashes its paranormal abilities against the grown-ups. As the main cast battles to be free from this evil house, expect a captivating Halloween experience as the main cast engages in daring escapades, with the impact and debris from paranormal abilities and careless retaliation being clearly felt through every surround channel.
IMMERSIVENESS RATING: ⭐ ⭐
Night on Earth (TV-PG)
EPISODE: MOONLIT PLAINS (28:45 - 33:39)
The cover of darkness works like a double-edged sword. In this pilot episode – Moonlit Plains, watch how a lioness takes advantage of her prey’s poor vision in the cover of darkness, before being ambushed by a clan of hungry hyenas. In the background, you will hear all the subtle details of a night in the African Savanna, overflowing with the chirps of crickets and animal movements, while in the thick of things, you will feel the intensity driven by deep, loud animal grunts and growls that will put your center channel and subwoofers to the test. Followed by high-pitched hyena laughter from all directions for a thrilling surround sound experience.
IMMERSIVENESS RATING: ⭐ ⭐
Kung Fu Panda (PG)
An absolute treat to listen to and fun for the whole family, this animated movie features excites with general kung-fu mayhem that travels effortlessly from one surround speaker to the next. Exploding fireworks taunts and the impact from each deft martial art (or clumsy) move is substantially delivered through your subwoofers to demand your attention to feel its warmth. Lines are delivered with every nuance of pitch change expertly picked up by quality center speaker drivers.
IMMERSIVENESS RATING: ⭐
The Lion King (PG)
A Disney classic that stirred up waves of excitement before its official launch is nothing short of a spectacular display of sounds that matches up with its reference video presentation. It paces each ambient sound intricately to its on-screen motion. The movie slowly increases its intensity and emphasis to draw out the emotional attachment as you watch the cubs move from the different stages of their lives. Directional stomps from the wildebeest’s migration layers as the main base for the other subtleties of ambient sounds to slot themselves in position. Every detail of every aspect is well-looked after and interpreted to create a marvelous realistic sensory experience that redefines what true surround sound is.
IMMERSIVENESS RATING: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Red Notice (PG-13)
Armed with a star studded cast, featuring Dwayne Johnson, Gal Gadot and Ryan Reynolds, this Netflix movie became the most watched film on Netflix during its debut weekend, and for good reason! The movie's huge production budget translated into fast-paced, yet entertaining action on screen that makes great use of your surround speakers, as a tussle ensures in the fight to claim ownership of a priceless bejeweled art piece.
IMMERSIVENESS RATING: ⭐ ⭐
Soul (PG)
Disney is known to pay very close attention to creating a realistic soundscape for every animated movie, and SOUL is no exception. Leveraging on Dolby Atmos, SOUL makes full use of every speaker channel to engulf you with lush, ethereal ambient cues that virtually seem to transport you out of this world. Every musical note is beautifully rendered through your frontal channels, going in sync with the main character's deft finger movements. So much attention has been given to the original musical scores for this movie, that it's musical scores have already won multiple awards for being some of the best musical pieces ever created for a movie.
IMMERSIVENESS RATING: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
The Sound of Music (G)
Effortlessly twirling in to demand the very best from your surround system, this restoration of the old-time favorite is bound to make your feet tap and lips sing. The original 6 track recording is further expanded to demand more out of today’s spatial sound technologies. You will notice that the frontal array has distinct sound object placement that provides your ears a map to track whose voice belongs to whom in the video presentation. Musical notes that flow through your drivers are filled with vigor and energizes the room to create a shoulder-to-shoulder comparison with the on-screen mood. It is a remastered nobody asked for, but desperately in need of, and we are glad, someone took up the challenge of taking this happiest feel-good film to better heights!
IMMERSIVENESS RATING: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (PG)
Hailed as the “Greatest Spidey Movie of Them All” by Rolling Stone, the surround sounds is just as reflective of its stunning visual. It gave us hair-raising and ting-a-ling sensations at the movie peaks and with every build-up, footsteps, and echoes that are lucidly produced by your surround speakers. If you have overhead or up-firing speakers, prepare to dodge the webs that are shot in the air, towards you and feel Spider-Man swinging past you. Not leaving music lovers behind, the soundtracks that accompany this movie will have your feet unknowingly tapping to the thumping rhythmic beats from your subwoofer(s).
IMMERSIVENESS RATING: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
WALL-E (G)
If you thought a movie that centres around a forgotten robot could never qualify for having great surround sound, here's a surprise. Nominated and winning multiple awards for it's intricate and detailed sound mix, this movie cleverly makes use of the quieter, seemingly dull moments to realistically recreate the sound and echoes from the crushed litter on otherwise quiet and deserted earth, with romantic 60's music accompanying our isolated robot as he trudges through the day. Later, As the robot chases his newfound partner from outer space, feel love rise in the air, as the direction of this pair of robots whizzing around outer space is clearly replicated and accurate to the direction that each is moving on the screen