Just because you can watch a blockbuster movie at home does not mean you’re getting a cinematic experience. A small flat-panel television cannot replace the immersive image delivered by a large projection screen. Over the past few years, this article has listed some of the best streaming movies available each month to watch on a projection system. Since there are so many great movies available, we decided to take a look each month at one of the most notable titles being introduced and our experience viewing it on a projector.
Given that blockbuster movies are released in theaters or on streaming services during the summer, we thought this was the perfect opportunity to kick off our experience and reviews of the best streaming movies available.
The Blue Angels is a documentary that takes viewers inside the world of the U.S. Navy’s elite flight squadron, showcasing their thrilling aerial maneuvers with unmatched visual and auditory immersion.
It was originally filmed for IMAX, bringing the grandeur of these high-speed jets to home theater enthusiasts who demand the best in picture and sound quality. Directed by Paul Crowder and produced by J.J. Abrams and Glen Powell, the film is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video as of May 23, 2024.
For home theater enthusiasts, The Blue Angels perfectly showcases the amazing picture quality a modern 4K HDR projector can deliver. The film’s IMAX origins ensure that every detail—whether it’s the rivets on a jet or the vapor trails they leave behind—is rendered with impeccable clarity.
The aerial stunts benefit from wide-angle shots that stretch the limits of your screen, and the expertly mixed sound design takes full advantage of Dolby Atmos capabilities. Viewers with high-end setups can expect nothing less than a cinematic experience in their living rooms.
The Blue Angels follows the personal journeys of the pilots, mainly focusing on their rigorous selection process, grueling training regimens, and the teamwork required to perform perfectly synchronized aerial routines. Moreover, the camera work—from wing-mounted shots to cockpit angles—delivers multiple perspectives that heighten the feeling of flight. The film’s combination of crisp visuals and immersive audio will leave you breathless.
In addition, the film offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the lives of the Blue Angels, culminating in their intense show season, during which they dazzle crowds with their precision flying. Alongside the veteran Blue Angels pilots approaching their final flights with the squadron, the film also features new pilots who have been selected as their replacements.
One of the more compelling narrative elements of the film is the introduction of the first female demonstration pilot, Lt. Amanda Lee. The documentary explores her historic role as part of the team, adding a layer of human interest to the aerial spectacle.
BenQ provided me with one of their flagship W5800 Home Theater projectors to use as my reference projector. The BenQ W5800 is a 4K DLP projector designed for demanding home cinema enthusiasts who value accurate color reproduction and better optics over maximum brightness and smart features.
The unit's 2600 ANSI lumens of brightness combined with BenQ's proven CinematicColor technology delivers a bright image with accurate colors when viewing SDR and HDR content. This projector, combined with my 123-inch Screen Innovation slate screen and my Marantz and Bowers & Wilkins audio system, delivered an experience that rivals most small theater metroplexes.
What makes The Blue Angels notable is its exceptional cinematography, made possible by cutting-edge camera technology. Much of the film was shot using the Sony VENICE 2 camera system, also utilized for high-octane films like Top Gun: Maverick.
The VENICE 2 offers 6K resolution, ensuring crystal-clear, immersive footage that looks stunning on large projection screen. Additionally, the Sony Venice's ability to separate the sensor block from the body made it even more versatile for tight spaces like a cockpit, which was a key factor in achieving the intense and immersive flight sequences in the movie.
In addition to the ground-to-air and air-to-air shots, the filmmakers mounted compact Insta360 One RS cameras directly onto the jets. These cameras, capable of capturing 5.3K video in a 16:9 aspect ratio, provided incredible cockpit views. The high resolution and lack of image stabilization added a touch of realism, especially during high-G maneuvers.
A Phantom camera was also used for the most spectacular visuals, shooting at 1,000 frames per second to capture mesmerizing shots of water vapor and extreme-speed effects. Slowed down to showcase the sheer force behind the jets, these sequences will leave home theater enthusiasts in awe.
This movie demonstrates massive leaps in CGI capabilities. In previous movies, Kong and Godzilla were only shown at night or in darker scenes because the CGI was easier to render. The new movie has more scenes of them in bright daylight, so details such as Godzilla's skin and King Kong’s fur are more defined. Every creature in the movie has lived a hard life, and because of the massive sharp image provided by the W5800’s 4K DLP imager and high-quality optics, every scar and scratch is clearly visible.
The film is available for streaming in HDR10 and Dolby Vision, and the soundtrack is available in Dolby Atmos. While the W5800 does not support Dolby Vision, it does an excellent job of tone mapping the HDR10 version, so the projector does a good job displaying bright, highlight detail while maintaining good full-screen brightness.
Since most streaming titles are mastered in HDR, accurate color reproduction and wide color gamut coverage are critical. I chose the W5800 as my reference projector because BenQ calibrates each unit before it leaves the factory. According to the calibration report included with my W5800 sample, the average delta error is just 1.1, which is extremely low. The W5800 can also reproduce 100% of the DCI-P3 color gamut.
The movie uses a more muted color palette, except for a few scenes. However, the colors are more vibrant in scenes showing Godzilla's purple radiation blasts or occurring in the Iwi village.
This documentary offers far more than dazzling aerial footage—it’s an immersive experience that brings the viewer into the heart of a Blue Angels performance. The unprecedented access to cockpit views, the use of IMAX-grade camera systems, and the inclusion of Dolby Atmos make this film a standout on Amazon Prime Video.
Whether you’re a fan of military documentaries or want to test the capabilities of your 4K projector and Dolby Atmos sound system, The Blue Angels is an exceptional choice. For home theater enthusiasts, The Blue Angels is an experience you won’t want to miss. So, grab your popcorn, crank up the volume, and get ready to be wowed.
Combining the enveloping imagery provided by the BenQ W5800 with my high-end Dolby Atmos sound system pulls you into the action. So, viewing The Blue Angels on your projection-based home theater system will undoubtedly provide a thrilling, immersive A/V experience.
This is just one of the notable streaming titles released in September/October, so you should explore some other movies below. Also, make sure you continue to check out our Best Streaming Movies article because we add great new movies every month.
