It’s time to test your skills with one of these wonderful films.
SOUND FROM ALL SIDES
Movie buffs know it: the sound effects coming from all directions immerse you in the film. Surround was already convincing, but the latest generation of 3D techniques ( Dolby Atmos or DTS:X) offers more. You are in the middle of a 3D sound bubble. Hollywood attaches such importance to it that after the shooting, the soundtrack is reworked for months. You can enjoy it at home with a suitable soundbar. Now find out what surround is all about with the biggest movies and these six blockbusters are a good start.
READY PLAYER ONE
This Steven Spielberg blockbusterhas one of the best Dolby Atmos soundtracks; While some films stand out with spectacular scenes, RPO is made up of strong moments from start to finish. We are quickly amazed from the start of the first frantic race where many things happen. The starting shot is a firework display fired from the Statue of Liberty. And that’s it for the whole movie. Cars explode, crash into subways and crash into trucks with required sound effects around you. Watch out for explosions, but also for more subtle things like parts escaping from wrecked cars that Parzival, the main protagonist, has to pick up. This film is based on a best-selling science fiction novel and is mostly set in a virtual world. Which explains why a T-Rex disrupts some races and King Kong crashes a motorcycle. You have to see it, the show is on, before the film even begins.
ATOMIC BLONDE
Nostalgia reigns in this gripping thriller starring Charlize Theron. She looks like two drops of water to Blondie and it’s not a coincidence. The film takes place in Berlin, in 1989, just before the fall of the wall. As CIA agent Theron plays a dangerous game with the KGB, hits from the ’80s roll on. This mixture of explosive violence (see her fight on the stairs where you hear every blow) and hits from Bowie, The Clash and George Michael make this film captivating. It exudes the atmosphere of the 80s and hits like ’99 Luftballons’ and ‘Major Tom’ could not be missed.
THE STAR WARS SAGA
Watch the 9 episodes of the Star Wars saga and experience an exciting adventure, but also discover special effects, extraordinary ships, in polystyrene for some, in computer graphics for others. The explosion of the Death Star, the sound of a T-Fighter, the heavy breath of Darth Vader, the swoosh of laser swords… In the latest episode, The Rise of Skywalker, the surround sound is masterful, especially during the passage to the water planet where Rey, in a rage, rummages through the remains of the Death Star and goes after Kylo Ren. Note the pounding of the waves. And as if that weren’t enough, the Star Wars Saga is also synonymous with the music of John Williams. The Imperial March can be hummed at the North Pole and an Eskimo will say “Hey, the Empire is back”.
ROME
Sound effects and surround sound are often associated with action movies and other epics. The latest technologies like Dolby Atmos make sound three-dimensional and lifelike, expanding the scope of its action. Take ‘ Roma‘ on Netflix. This film deals with the youth of director Alfonso Cuaron in Mexico in the 1970s. Here, the most important thing is the emotion that grabs you by the throat. But if you shed a tear at the end of the story, it’s also because the soundtrack is particularly successful. Observe, for example, how the sounds of the house (the radio, the birds…) follow the camera or the sound intensity of the forest fire. Cuaron also directed ‘Children of Men’ and ‘Gravity’, as well as the third ‘Harry Potter’, all works that deserve attention from their soundtrack.
FAST & FURIOUS
An F&F film is always made up of the same elements: gleaming cars, improbable stunts (the looping of a tank or a car coming out of a plane), the penetrating gaze of Vin Diesel and the enticing comments of the speakers. The F8 puts your soundbar to the test, especially during the spectacular final scene. We also love the spin-off F&F Presents which features an impressive Helen Mirren, but also a believable Jason Statham and The Rock in the fight against gangsters. In terms of sound experience, all the chases with cars crazier than each other are to be experienced. Because these cars are the real stars of Fast & Furious
A QUIET PLACE
Making noise during this movie is a bad idea. We might therefore be surprised to talk about it in an article on surround, but as with ‘Roma’, you will experience this horror film more intensely thanks to the relative silences of the soundtrack. Snuggled up in your sofa listening to the silence until the next burst. A child knocking over a lamp is enough to cause an adrenaline rush. The dance to Neil Young’s Harvest Moon is cleverly shot. And when the monster wanders around the house before hiding in the basement, you almost automatically look up at your ceiling, even though you know no one is there.
