To be clear, this version of Dune 2021 is native 2160p with HDR10 and Dolby Vision. There’s no upscaling from 2K, no dithering, no checkerboarding. It’s the real deal and arguably the best looking Blu-ray we’ve seen since the Game of Thrones 4K package. The difference between this disc edit and the 4K streamed version is immediately noticeable, with a pristine, crisp image, no shimmering, no artifacts in dark corners of the screen, and proper HDR. Right off the bat, the explosions in the opening sequence where the Fremen fire on Harkonnen spice harvesters look amazing and stand out as intended by the filmmakers. On 4K Blu-ray, Dune 2021’s undeniable beauty comes across as unmitigated as possible. This is a big sci-fi effects and sets movie, and if you’re not watching it in the best format available you’re essentially shortchanging yourself.
Detail benefits immensely from the real 4K treatment. When you can actually count the hairs in Oscar Isaac’s beard, you know things are looking up. This is a gorgeous Blu-ray and one more demo for the standard, which sadly is losing ground to the convenience and ready availability of streaming services. We’re a long way from streams looking as good as physical media, but they do look good enough in most cases, making it that much harder for Blu-ray and any possible future physical forms to maintain their position.