For years, streaming has been holding out on us.One of the best perks of physical media isn't a limited-edition slip cover or box set; it's the options.Director's cuts, alternate editions, versions that changed the mood of the film, or revealed the filmmaker's real intent, not squashed by the studio.
The problem is that all those extras have traditionally lived in plastic—bonus discs, collector sets, and under layers of menus.That's why Prime Video's upcoming live-action Marvel series, , feels like a small but meaningful shift.The bold new show is being offered with two ways to watch—"Authentic Black & White" and a color version that the studio is calling "True-Hue Full Color." No chasing down Blu-rays or one-off theatrical events; Prime Video is offering the choice at launch on May 27.
Fine, it may be a marketing hook.But it's also a neat creative decision that makes total sense for the Spider-Verse that comes from, and it's excellent to see streaming embracing it.What is "True-Hue," exactly? If you're familiar with the 1930s hard-boiled private investigator/super hero Spider-Noir character and aesthetic from the Spider-Verse animated films (voiced by Nicolas Cage, who now plays him, live), it makes sense that the series would follow the same black and white monochromatic aesthetic (more on this later).
It's this version that is considered the primary "intended" experience of the series.So that leaves the question—what is True-Hue Full Color? While it doesn't appear to be an established format or new technology—it's not Dolby Vision, HDR10+, or some secret Prime Video codec—what we do know from interviews and reports is that it's a distinct, intentionally designed (and branded) color master.The folks behind the show have described the color version as stylized, not normal color, but something closer to vintage.
"It looks like a black and white film that's been kind of colorized,” one of the show's co-producers, Oren Uziel, told ."That was one of the inspirations for how to do it." And just one look at the True-Hue trailer (above) and you can see how its subtle, oversaturated tone creates a different feel when compared to the black and white version.It's this contrast and choice that the filmmakers and the studios are hoping will appeal to different audiences.
"The color is super saturated and gorgeous," Cage also told ."I think teenage viewers will appreciate the color, but I also want them to have the option.If they want to experience the concept in black and white, maybe that would instill some interest in them to look at earlier movies and enjoy that as an art form as well." Why the dual release is so great Creatively, is a prime candidate for a dual release.
Yes, it is definitely a branding and marketing gimmick (they even created logos and fonts for each), but each version's coloring (or lack of) can totally set its emotional temperature and vibe.The stylized color version pushes the pulp/comic book vibe that's more playful and maintains the serial energy of, say, Dick Tracy.The black and white version, on the other hand, follows a darker, more sinister path with deeper shadows, harsher silhouettes, accentuated by Cage's gruff voicing.
More deliciously, for Prime Video, though, is how well the marketing will serve them.Dual versions instantly create a conversation around "Which version should I watch?" and evoke debate—"Which one is better?" It also makes the series stand out from pretty much everything else streaming at the moment.For the viewers, too, it's a marketing tool that's actually beneficial.
In a world of streamers promising premium experiences and failing to deliver as they continuously raise their prices, this is a tangible bonus that's fun, immediate, and addresses the fact that viewers want options.Offering dual versions on streaming is something more streamers should be doing, and it's totally doable.It turns the whole ethos of the "alternate cut" into a normal choice.
isn’t just a neat gimmick; it’s demonstrating a model streaming should use more often.Spider-Noir isn't the first, but streaming makes it feel new is actually part of a modern tradition of studios and creators offering alternate versions of their films and, in rare cases, TV shows to emphasize, perhaps, a different tone or feel, or just a version that a director or filmmaker wasn't allowed to release as the main version (looking at you, Zack Snyder).The difference is that those versions have often been more difficult to find than they should be.
With that being said, while we wait for 's May 27 Prime Video release (May 25 on MGM+), here are a few standout examples of some great dual versions worth checking out and where to find them.Mad Max: Fury Road—Black and Chrome George Miller's high-octane wasteland adventure epic, , was also offered in a stunning high-contrast black-and-white edition that pushed the film's silhouettes and chaos to some interesting new limits.You won't find it on any streaming platforms, though, so you'd best get your hands on the Blu-Ray release.
Mad Max: Fury Road R Action Adventure Science Fiction Release Date May 15, 2015 Where to watch Close WHERE TO WATCH RENT BUY Cast Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Josh Helman, Nathan Jones, Zoë Kravitz, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Riley Keough, Abbey Lee, Courtney Eaton, John Howard, Richard Carter, Iota, Angus Sampson, Jennifer Hagan, Megan Gale, Melissa Jaffer, Melita Jurišić, Gillian Jones, Joy Smithers, Antoinette Kellerman, Christina Koch, Jon Iles, Quentin Kenihan Runtime 121 minutes Director George Miller Writers Brendan McCarthy, George Miller, Nico Lathouris Producers Doug Mitchell, P.J.Voeten Prequel(s) Mad Max, Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome Sequel(s) Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Mad Max: The Wasteland Franchise(s) Mad Max Main Genre Action Budget $150 Million Studio(s) Village Roadshow Pictures, RatPac-Dune Entertainment, Kennedy Miller Mitchell Distributor(s) Warner Bros.Pictures Executive Producer(s) Bruce Berman, Christopher DeFaria, Graham Burke, Iain Smith, Steven Mnuchin Powered by Expand Collapse Logan–Logan Noir Widely considered the greatest film about the Wolverine ever made, James Mangold's also got the monochrome "Noir" treatment that really upped the film's gritty Western-noir mood.
It's also a bit hard to come by, having only been released on the 2017 Blu-ray release, which you can still find on Amazon.Logan R Action Drama Sci-Fi Superhero Release Date March 3, 2017 Where to watch Close WHERE TO WATCH Streaming RENT BUY Cast Hugh Jackman, Dafne Keen, Patrick Stewart, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Boyd Holbrook, Stephen Merchant, Richard E.Grant, Stephen Dunlevy, Eriq La Salle, elise neal, Quincy Fouse, Al Coronel, Frank Gallegos, Anthony Escobar, Reynaldo Gallegos, Krzysztof Soszynski, Daniel Bernhardt, Ryan Sturz, Jef Groff, Brandon Melendy, Oren Hawxhurst, Jeremy Fitzgerald, Chris Palermo, Paul O'Connor, Clinton Roberts Runtime 137 Minutes Director James Mangold Writers James Mangold, Scott Frank, Michael Green Producers Hutch Parker, Joseph M.
Caracciolo Jr., Josh McLaglen, Lauren Shuler Donner, Stan Lee Prequel(s) X-Men Origins: Wolverine, The Wolverine Franchise(s) X-Men Main Genre Adventure Budget $97–127 million Studio(s) 20th Century, Marvel Distributor(s) 20th Century Powered by Expand Collapse Godzilla Minus One—Minus Color Just when you thought that 2023's couldn't get any more stylized, Toho and Legendary Pictures actually recreated the film shot-for-shot in monochrome as a tribute to the original 1954 which was released in conjunction with its 70th anniversary in 2024.The version brings a distinct documentary-like feel to the movie, making everything feel like historical footage.Luckily, Netflix is hip to the dual-version game already and is currently offering both to stream.
Godzilla Minus One PG-13 Science Fiction Horror Action Release Date November 3, 2023 Where to watch Close WHERE TO WATCH Streaming RENT BUY Cast Ryunosuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe, Yuki Yamada, Munetaka Aoki, Hidetaka Yoshioka, Sakura Ando, Kuranosuke Sasaki, Saki Nakatani, Mio Tanaka, Yuya Endo, Kisuke Iida, Kenji Anan, Kenji Mizuhashi, Kunihiro Suda, Shota Taniguchi, Ippei Sasaki, Ozuno Nakamura, Sho Nishigaki, Tsutomu Osabe, Yuji Komatsu, Yosuke Minokawa, Sentarou Kusakabe, Kota Kawabata, Kiyomi Aratani, Yukio Tsukamoto, Shoji Omiya Runtime 124 minutes Director Takashi Yamazaki Writers Takashi Yamazaki Producers Keiichiro Moriya, Kazuaki Kishida, Kenji Yamada Franchise(s) Godzilla Main Genre Action Studio(s) Toho Studios, Robot Distributor(s) Toho Studios Executive Producer(s) Shuji Abe, Minami Ichikawa, Hisashi Usui Powered by Expand Collapse The takeaway? Sure, Prime Video is using True-Hue and Black & White as a marketing gimmick, but I'm OK with that.The point is that the streaming giant is actually offering its subscribers an alternate presentation to stream that feels like a premium add-on, and not something they need to hunt for in rare Blu-ray releases—they should be doing this more often.How-To Geek Report: Subscribe and never miss what matters Unlock your tech-savvy potential and master the digital world with How-To Geek.
Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.You can unsubscribe anytime.If sticks the landing and is the success that I hope it's going to be (Cage looks amazing, and I've been anticipating him taking the Spider-Verse role live-action!), then it's not hard to imagine Prime Video, or even other streamers, offering all kinds of cool and unique options.
For once, streaming is borrowing from physical media in the best possible way, and it's about time.
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