With thousands of hours of TV and hundreds of recent movies on tap, there’s no shortage of top entertainment available to Sky TV subscribers over the festive break. But what shows will deliver the necessary entertainment while also making the most of your 4K TV and Dolby Atmos sound system?
We’ve picked five of the best TV series and films currently available to Sky Q, Sky Stream and Sky Glass subscribers, across Sky Max and Sky Cinema. All are available in 4K Ultra HD with immersive Dolby Atmos audio and are guaranteed to offer a viewing experience that’s a cut above the ordinary.
Dim the lights, engage your preferred picture preset and crank up the volume on your sound system. Home theatre nirvana is just a play button away…
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The Lazarus Project (Sky Max)
Gloriously convoluted, this high-octane time-looping action TV series will wrap your brain in ever tighter knots - and it’s an awesome audio-visual spectacle too, with a top-notch 4K presentation (the locations alone are worthy of a Bond adventure) and bombastic Dolby Atmos sound.
As the second season unfolds, George (Paapa Essiedu) is firmly ensconced as an agent of the Lazarus project, a secret organisation charged with protecting the planet from extinction by resetting the timeline, except he’s committed the cardinal sin – resetting the clock for personal reasons. Then things start to get messy when everyone finds themselves trapped in an ever-shortening time loop.
Propelled by elaborate action set pieces and pithy dialogue, this is a show to binge as quickly as possible if only to keep track of the multiplicity of twists.
Height and surround channels are used to great effect during the time travel sequences, while the gunplay will give your subwoofer plenty to be getting on with.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods (Sky Cinema)
Ignore the haters, this underrated superhero sequel is a 4K, Dolby Atmos encoded, spandex treat. Magically gifted Billy Batson and his foster family are juggling their teenage lives as adult superheroes, and it’s not going well. Turns out superheroing is no easy gig.
The movie’s opening bridge rescue sequence may be a bust for Billy, but it’s visually stunning, with huge amounts of fast-moving, fine detail certain to test the chops of any motion interpolation processing. Then the Daughters of Atlas, a trio of ancient gods (Helen Mirren, Lucy Liu and Rachel Zeglerled), arrive on Earth and the spectacle ramps up a notch.
The gags are genuinely funny throughout, but much like the first movie, director David F. Sandberg squanders no opportunity to add a darker edge (look out for a cameo from horror icon Annabelle). The sound design is magical too. When characters get slammed into buildings there’s a deeply satisfying bass thump to their impact.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves (Sky Cinema)
Adapting the cult board game, Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves is a fast-paced, light-hearted fantasy romp with some clever set pieces and inspired sound work. Chris Pine and Michelle Rodriguez are the titular thieves in search of a lost relic, while Hugh Grant chews scenery with relish, as the villain of the piece.
Presented by Sky in 4K, the movie balances candy colours with atmospheric detail. Shot on location in Northern Ireland and Iceland, it also makes full use of the dramatic vistas. The Atmos sound mix is a genuine system stretcher, particularly the first appearance of the Owl Bear.
Then You Run (Sky Max)
A dark thriller involving gangsters and serial killers, this British-German collaboration makes for a gritty, cinematic watch. Circumstances conspire to see a quartet of London teens pursued across Rotterdam by gangsters eager to retrieve a stash of heroin.
A mash-up of road trip, heist and horror thriller, the show is fittingly dark, with a driving Atmos sound mix: it opens with a snowstorm that engulfs the soundstage, before a pounding electro beat kicks in. The soundtrack is peppered with needle drops, which straddle Europop and dance. Emily in Paris, this is not.
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (Sky Cinema)
Visually inventive, this highly rated Shrek spin-off features Antonio Banderas reprising his role as the devil may care feline with a flashing blade. It seems Puss is now down to his final life and loath to retire from his high-risk lifestyle, he sets out to restore his full quota by tracking down a magic wishing star – but he’s not the only one looking for this magical boon.
The movie is a tour de force of (post Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse) animation styles, depicted rich in ribald colour with dynamic 4K detail. The opening party sequence in particular is a feast of wideband colour, with gold coins to challenge the fidelity of all but the best displays.
The Dolby Atmos soundtrack is similarly joyous, with every channel utilised for sonic drama. Puss’s blade whistles overhead, objects are placed all around, and the LFE channel adds weight to every pratfall. The sheer velocity of movement will make your AV system purr.
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