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Review: Hellboy (2004)

review | Hellboy (2004)

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It might not be as faithful to the comics as the 2019 remake, but del Toro’s take is by far the better movie

by Dennis Burger
updated June 10, 2023

Try as we might to be objective, the truth is that those of us who make at least part of our living reviewing films bring some significant biases to the table. So, I should likely go ahead and show my cards in this case: I’m a massive fan of Mike Mignola’s comic-book series Hellboy and all of its spinoffs, from B.P.R.D. to Abe Sapien to Lobster Johnson to Frankenstein Underground.

I tell you that not because it really has any bearing on the quality of Guillermo del Toro’s 2004 big-screen adaption of the comic, but more as a heads-up that things might get a little geekier than usual in this review. The thing is, when Hellboy hit theaters, most people had probably never heard of the comic book, and so had little concern for how faithful it was to the source.

Times have changed, though, and fandom has become more toxic across the board in almost every respect, so it’s become trendy to bash the movie for taking some significant liberties. There’s still no denying that in bringing the characters and mythology of the Mignolaverse to the screen, del Toro decided to adapt and interpret rather than be a slave to the printed page.

And to that I say, “Thank goodness.” You only need to look at the most recent cinematic adaptation of Hellboy—Neil Marshall’s unimaginative regurgitation of the comic stories “Darkness Calls,” “The Wild Hunt,” and “The Storm and the Fury”—for proof that translating material between two mediums isn’t as simple as copying and pasting. The 2019 Hellboy reboot is truer to the storylines, dialogue, and even the overall structure of the comic than the 2004 film. But the new film, in its attempt to be a gritty R-rated gorefest, overlooks the comic book’s profoundly ironic humanity.

That emotional human core is exactly what del Toro latched onto it formulating his own version. And most of the deviations from the comics storyline it leans heavily on, “Seed of Destruction,” ultimately boil down to bringing themes about family to the forefront and building the rest of the story around them. This motivation results in some substantial character changes—Selma Blair’s Liz Sherman, for example, bears only the most superficial resemblance to her comic-book counterpart.

A subtler deviation comes in the form of a slight genre shift. Whereas del Toro’s Hellboy maintains the gothic horror and action elements of its inspiration, the comic’s folklore underpinnings do get dropped in favor of pure fantasy. But all of these modifications work in service of Hellboy as a movie no matter what you want to say about their effect on it as an adaptation.

For its 15th anniversary, Sony Pictures has graced Hellboy movie with a ground-up 4K restoration, which serves as the source of Kaleidescape’s recent UHD/HDR release. This release proves once again that films shot on 35mm film stand to benefit more from UHD/HDR than do newer, all-digital efforts.

The imagery here is sumptuous—reference-quality in virtually every respect, with the exception of a handful of computer-generated effects that don’t quite stand up to the quality of their practical counterparts. But even the worst of Hellboy 2004’s CG effects look better than the best of Hellboy 2019’s, so don’t take this as too harsh a criticism. Overall, this new remastered transfer is simply stunning.

Unsurprisingly, the high dynamic range transfer really flexes its muscles in portraying the film’s shadows, of which there are plenty, although it does take the opportunity to dazzle at times. The biggest improvement over the decade-old 1080p transfer, though, is in the more refined handling of the mostly muted color palette. Though there’s no denying that there’s oodles more detail onscreen here than we’ve ever seen on any previous home video release of Hellboy. Textures, too, get a big boost, all the way down to the fine organic grain structure of the original film elements.

I’m not quite as sweet on the new Dolby Atmos remix of the movie’s soundtrack. But if you like tons of overhead sound effects, you’ll be in heaven, because the remix never misses an opportunity to employ the height channels to their fullest effect. It often does this in the interest of atmosphere, which is where this remix really worked for me. When the action cranks up, though, so do the height channels, and I found it to be a little too distracting, although that’s a common complaint on my part when it comes to object-based surround sound.

The good new is, over-done though it may be, the Atmos remix is utterly seamless, and sounds exactly the way I imagine the movie would have sounded if modern audio technology had existed in 2004. The new mix maintains all the dynamic oomph that has made this movie a go-to home theater demo since the DVD days, and it does so while also maintaining excellent dialogue intelligibility and unimpeachable fidelity for the movie’s memorable score.

If, on the other hand, you fall into my camp when it comes to Atmos, you may be disappointed to find that the new Dolby TrueHD 7.1 surround remix available on the recent UHD Blu-ray release is missing from the Kaleidescape download. The only other soundtrack options here are low-bitrate Dolby Digital (not Plus, just Dolby Digital) 5.1, and DTS-HD Master Audio stereo.

The UHD/HDR download is also missing not one, but two new audio commentaries recorded for the theatrical cut of the movie, which is also missing here. The Kaleidescape version includes the Director’s Cut only, which—to be fair—is a substantially superior cut of the movie, even if its differences mostly amount to five or six seconds of footage here and 30 or 40 seconds of footage there. Also missing is a 15th-anniversary retrospective called To Hell and Back, along with a brief new introduction by director Guillermo del Toro.

But buying the UHD version on Kaleidescape also gives you access to the Blu-ray quality download, which brings with it a cornucopia of wonderful bonus features, most notably the six-part documentary The Seeds of Creation, which at 143 minutes runs longer than the movie itself. So you’re really not missing out on too much unless you’re an audio commentary junky like I am.

If you’re not a bonus feature completist, there’s really nothing about this release to criticize. Hellboy is a fun, beautifully shot, often sweet, and utterly charming movie that’s better served by this new 4K remaster than any previous home video effort. The improvements in picture quality—especially in terms of color, shadow detail, and black levels—cannot be overstated.

Dennis Burger is an avid Star Wars scholar, Tolkien fanatic, and Corvette enthusiast who somehow also manages to find time for technological passions including high-end audio, home automation, and video gaming. He lives in the armpit of Alabama with his wife Bethany and their four-legged child Bruno, a 75-pound American Staffordshire Terrier who thinks he’s a Pomeranian.

PICTURE | The imagery is sumptuous—reference-quality in virtually every respect, with the exception of a handful of computer-generated effects

SOUND | The Atmos remix is utterly seamless, and sounds exactly the movie would have sounded if modern audio technology had existed in 2004

Review: Dora and the Lost City of Gold

review | Dora and the Lost City of Gold

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This imaginative live-action translation of the Nickelodeon series offers an adventure-filled family night at the movies

by John Sciacca
update June 7, 2023

Based on the animated Nickelodeon series Dora the Explorer, Dora and the Lost City of Gold modernizes many of the beloved characters and puts them on a jungle adventure. My oldest daughter, Lauryn, used to watch the animated series, so I was familiar with the main characters: Dora (Isabela Merced), her cousin Diego (Jeff Wahlberg, nephew of those other Wahlbergs), Swiper the stealing fox (voiced by Benicio Del Toro), and Boots the monkey (voiced by Danny Trejo). I also knew about Dora’s talking Map and Backpack, whose voices are reprised by original voice actors Marc Weiner and Sasha Toro respectively.

Fortunately, you aren’t required to know anything about the animated series to enjoy City of Gold, but those who are will appreciate some of the clever overt and subtle nods and references to the series sprinkled throughout, such as how Dora occasionally turns to the camera and says things like, “This is a golden poison frog. Can you say, ‘severe neuro-toxicity?’” which is one of cartoon-Dora’s signature educational moves.

There’s a fair bit of action for a kid’s movie, certainly enough to keep adults entertained, but most of it is fairly tame. And while there is some peril, there are no fatalities or gunplay. Much of the adventure is Goonies-style, with rolling logs, underground water slides, and different puzzle-traps to solve. It also reminded me a bit of Lara Croft-lite, with adventuring Dora taking point and using her wits and skills to lead the group.

Both Boots and Swiper are animated in a far more cartoony style than the hyper-realistic animals featured in The Lion King (2019) but this is by design. However, a couple of other animals (namely a boa constrictor and pair of scorpions) also show their CGI-origins. The film does contain one fully animated scene, which is a great homage to the original series.

Dora on 4K HDR looks way better than any kid’s movie has any right to. My first note on the film was, “Image is super clean and sharp.” Filmed in ArriRaw in 3.4 and 4.5K, Dora is taken from a true 4K digital intermediate, and the image quality definitely shows. Closeups reveal individual strands of hair, the texture of clothing fabric, and the detail of the jungle terrain.

Colors are also vibrant, with lots of bright yellows, greens, blues, and reds. This is especially true in the closing credits song-and-dance number, where the school student body comes together in multi-colored outfits. The bright, daytime jungle scenes also look terrific. And there are a few shots of bright fires and blazing sunsets that also benefit from the wider color gamut, as well as the brilliant, lustrous gold of statues and idols.

HDR is used throughout to deliver deep blacks, especially during the night scenes or when the gang is inside some location solving a puzzle. In one scene, they need to use sunlight and mirrors to bounce bright light around a room using reflective bowls, producing both dark blacks and piercing brightness.

Sonically, Dora also benefits from a fairly dynamic Dolby Atmos soundtrack. The jungle is filled with atmospheric sounds like birds, insects, and dripping water that immerse you in the location. During one scene, arrows whip past and overhead or thunk into walls. The sound team takes other opportunities to get creative with the sound placement, like a ringing school bell, Boots racing around the jungle treetops, water flooding the room, or voices. Bass is also appropriately deep and engaging when called for, especially during the finale at Parapata.

Dora and the Lost City of Gold makes for a fun family night at the movies—entertaining and humorous for adults (my wife especially liked the “dig a pooh hole” song), without being too intense or mature for kids. It’s a film younger viewers may want to visit more than once, drawn to Dora’s infectious charm. It also has the bonus of looking and sounding terrific in your home system, making it a real win in my book.

Probably the most experienced writer on custom installation in the industry, John Sciacca is co-owner of Custom Theater & Audio in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, & is known for his writing for such publications as Residential Systems and Sound & Vision. Follow him on Twitter at @SciaccaTweets and at johnsciacca.com.

PICTURE | Dora on 4K HDR looks way better than a kid’s movie has any right to, with images that are super clean and sharp

SOUND | Dora also benefits from a fairly dynamic Dolby Atmos soundtrack, with the jungle filled with atmospheric sounds like birds, insects, and dripping water that immerse you in the location

Review: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

review | Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

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Tarantino takes a self-reflexive look at his body of work in his ninth film, which stays true to the look of its era

by Dennis Burger
updated June 5, 2023

There’s a truism about golf that focusing on your grip and overthinking your swing is the easiest way to sabotage your game. I’m not really sure how true that is because the closest I’ve ever gotten to a golfball field was the Mountasia mini-golf course that used to sit where my favorite barbecue joint now resides. But I’ve heard the same said of everything from tennis to endurance racing to sex so I’ll assume there’s some validity to it.

Given that, it’s sort of amazing Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Quentin Tarantino’s ninth and reportedly penultimate film, isn’t an absolute swing-and-a-miss. Throughout the film’s 160-minute runtime, it’s pretty obvious Tarantino obsessed over every aspect of not just this film but his entire oeuvre, as well as every single trope that has defined his style.

I won’t dig too much into the plot for numerous reasons but suffice to say the story centers on the relationship between an actor who is past his prime and the longtime stuntman who functions as his right hand, confidant, and personal assistant of sorts. The interactions between these two—played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Bratt Pitt, who turn in some of the best work either has ever committed to the screen—form the bedrock of what could almost be described as a tone poem about the end of an era, personally, culturally, and politically. It’s a rumination on the changing landscape of Hollywood and of society as a whole at the end of the turbulent 1960s.

While DiCaprio and Pitt stand at the center of this loose tale, though, they can’t really be described as its heart. That function belongs to Margot Robbie, who positively mesmerizes as Sharon Tate, one of a number of real-world figures who populate the wholly (and I do mean wholly) fictionalized world of Tarantino’s film.

His handling of Tate as a character is honestly one of the film’s most fascinating elements. He doesn’t put her on a pedestal, objectify her, or turn her into some magical, mythical, or tragic creature. He instead humanizes her, to a degree I’ve never seen in any of the fictionalized or dramatized portrayals of her. Combined with Robbie’s pitch-perfect portrayal, this gives her a presence that feels somewhat out of proportion with her relatively limited screen time, not to mention the minuscule amount of dialogue given to her.

Once Upon a Time leans hard on a number of tried-and-true Tarantino tropes, though not always in the expected ways. As always, pop music plays a huge role in the soundtrack, though Tarantino seems less interested in digging up long-forgotten deep cuts like “Stuck in the Middle with You” or “Flowers on the Wall,” relying instead of iconic cuts that evoke the era and the personal emotions he’s exploring.

Another trope he seems to be consciously grappling with is violence. I’ll admit, I’ve never had the problem with his use of gore and splatter as some critics, if only because it’s generally so over-the-top and obviously cartoonish that there’s only the most tenuous relationship between his violence and real-world bodily harm. In Once Upon a Time though, not only is the violence massively downplayed, it’s also shockingly realistic. That combination—the overall lack of bloodshed combined with an undeniable lack of glorification or sensationalism when it does appear—honestly makes the two or three brief violent scenes the exact opposite of cartoonish. In fact, they’re so brutal as to be difficult to watch.

It seems to me this is intentional. Indeed, one of the minor recurring themes is the representation of violence in movies and TV (including Tarantino’s own previous efforts). Unsurprisingly, it’s a theme he handles with a hefty helping of Gen X irony, but the fact that he’s handling it so blatantly in the first place can’t go unnoticed.

You also can’t help but notice that Tarantino agonized over the look of the film. Shot on a combination of 8mm, 16mm, and 35mm film stock, the color portions are outright dazzling, even if the image seems to be a revolt against current digital video standards. If you’re a videophile, be prepared for some seriously crushed blacks, overly ruddy skin tones, primary colors that sizzle with near-neon intensity, and a defiant lack of dynamic range, especially on the lower end of the value scale.

I don’t say this as a criticism of the home video transfer. The Ultra HD/HDR presentation on Kaleidescape seems absolutely true to Tarantino and cinematographer Robert Richardson’s artistic vision. I’m merely giving you a heads-up that if you go in expecting near-infinite shadow detail and subtlety in the color palette, you’re going to be a bit taken aback by what you see here.

On the other hand, this is one of the few modern films that genuinely takes advantage of Ultra HD resolution, since it was finished in a 4K digital intermediate. The wider color gamut, as compared with the older HD home video standards, allows the extra intensity of those vibrant primary hues to shine through unscathed.

Interestingly, despite the overall lack of dynamic range on display, there is one very dark scene that would have benefited from the dynamic metadata of Dolby Vision HDR. I know a Dolby Vision master was created for digital cinema exhibition, although the best we have on home video is an HDR10 grade that does a wonderful job of handling the one or two rare instances of high-intensity brightness, most notably in the TV-pilot-within-a-film that comprises so much of the second act.

Overall, it’s a gorgeous film that is well-served by this home video presentation. It simply isn’t what most people would consider home theater demo material, because it has absolutely no interest in acting as such.

The lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack accompanying the Kaleidescape download also does a wonderful job of delivering the film’s mix, which runs the gamut from safe and unobtrusive to unapologetically playful, depending on the needs of the scene. There are creative uses of the surround soundfield that will likely go unnoticed unless you’re taking notes and critiquing the mix from a technical perspective, and other, more obvious surround-sound tricks that seemingly serve Tarantino’s meta-purposes of making a film about filmmaking. But all of this really takes a backseat to what matters most: The fidelity of the soundtrack music and the intelligibility of the dialogue, both of which are unimpeachable.

For those who love some of Tarantino’s films and outright loathe or are bored to tears by others, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is an interesting work. It isn’t perfect or consistent, but it is utterly captivating—so much so that I’ve been unable to think about much else since watching it.

Will it stand the test of time? Who knows? I will say this, though: After taking a bit more time to sort out my own thoughts on the film, I’m eager to dive back in and explore it at least one more time.

PICTURE | This gorgeous film is well served by Kaleidescape’s Ultra HD/HDR presentation, which seems absolutely true to what Tarantino and cinematographer Robert Richardson intended

SOUND | The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack does a wonderful job of delivering the film’s mix, which runs the gamut from safe and unobtrusive to unapologetically playful, depending on the needs of the scene

Review: Superman: The Movie

review | Superman: The Movie

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The 4K HDR release smooths down the rough edges while keeping the charm of the original, 1978 film intact

by Dennis Burger
updated June 3, 2023

Let’s talk about courage for a moment—not the courage it took for Ilya and Alexander Salkind to make a sentimental and sincere big-budget superhero film when there was no precedent for that sort of thing. Nor the courage it took for director Richard Donner and casting director Lynn Stalmaster to take a risk on unknown Christopher Reeve for the lead role, when so many other famous names were contending for the red cape and spit curl. You’ve no doubt heard those stories before.

Let’s talk instead about the courage it took for Warner Bros. to release a 4K HDR version of Superman: The Movie in 2018 that preserves all of the celluloid flaws (and charms) of the original cinematic release in an era where so many studios are glossing up, de-noising, sharpening, and generally attempting to modernize the standouts in their classic-film catalogs.

This is one of those films I buy on any new home video format the day it’s released, which isn’t to say every home video release has been a major improvement over the ones before it. This is an intentionally soft and heavily filtered film, after all. It lacks rock-solid blacks and there’s a prominent graininess to the image, especially in special-effects shots.

If Kaleidescape’s 4K HDR release weren’t true to all of that, it would be a bit of a betrayal. So why release it in 4K HDR at all? What stands out most in this release as compared with previous efforts (including the Blu-ray quality 1080p version of the film, also included with the Kaleidescape download) is the richness and saturation of its colors, especially in the early sequences in Smallville.

Before that, the scenes on Krypton also get a nice boost from the enhanced brightness afforded by HDR. I finally think I get what Donner was going for with those silly reflective suits Jor-El (Marlon Brando) and Lara (Susannah York) wear as they ponder the fate of their infant child before rocketing him off to earth. They have a pop and sizzle here they’ve never had on home video before.

Other than that, it’s as if a layer of haze has been wiped off of the film. Granted, what was buried under the haze was a late-’70s work of photochemical film. It’s fuzzy, it’s muted,and its effects shots look kinda laughable. But that’s long been part of the charm of this film, so kudos to Warner for having the cajones to release it as such, and kudos to Kaleidescape for delivering it with all of its textures and nuances intact.

This isn’t the movie you’re going to whip out if you simply want to show off all of your projector’s or TV’s pixel-pumping, high-contrast capabilities. Still, it’s hard to deny that this is the best that Superman: The Movie has ever looked or will likely ever look. I daresay the original 70mm print didn’t shine this brilliantly the first time it was spindled through the projector on opening night in 1978.

One thing worth noting is that the Kaleidescape version doesn’t include the new Atmos remix included with the UHD Blu-ray disc. I’m not sure how you feel about that, but I don’t miss it. The new DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix that is included is a big step up from previous efforts, especially with its rich, bombastic delivery of John Williams’ iconic score. The fidelity here is flawless yet it isn’t an outright betrayal of the film’s original aesthetic.

Am I alone in this, though? Would you rather see a classic like Superman: The Movie presented as a product of its time, in the best possible light of today’s home video technology? Or would you prefer that the studio iron out the grain, sharpen up the edges, slap on a fresh coat of paint, and try to make the film look (and sound!) more like the current crop of superhero flicks that owe so much to this cherished classic?

PICTURE | The 4K HDR release preserves all of the celluloid flaws (and charms) of the original cinematic release while bringing richness, saturation, and a new vividness to the colors

SOUND | The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix is a big step up from previous efforts, especially with its rich, bombastic delivery of John Williams’ iconic score

Review: Jumanji: The Next Level

review | Jumanji: The Next Level

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This sequel mixes things up inventively from the original, resulting in a solid videogame-like adventure

by John Sciacca
update June 2, 2023

It’s really no surprise that 2017’s Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle received the sequel greenlight. As star Jack Black, returning to portray game character Professor Shelly Oberon, quips in one of the special features, “After the first film made $900 million, I wasn’t really surprised when they called us back to do another.”

For those unfamiliar with Jumanji, these latest films are a reboot of the 1995 original, which starred Robin Williams. Jumanji is a game (of the board variety in the original, and modernized as a video game here) where players are magically and literally sucked into the game, forced to play as one of several avatars with different skill sets, and have to work together to solve problems and survive in order to complete a quest before they can exit the game back to the real world. Each character has three lives, allowing them to die (repeatedly) in a variety of usually humorous ways.

Along with Black, the rest of the Jungle quintet returns in The Next Level to reprise their roles , including Dwayne Johnson as Dr. Smolder Bravestone, Kevin Hart as Mouse Finbar, Nick Jonas as Seaplane McDonough, and Karen Gillan as Ruby Roundhouse. Jake Kasdan returns as director. Joining the crew is new character, thief extraordinaire Ming Fleetfoot, played by Awkwafina. We also get a new villain in the form of Jurgen the Brutal, played by Game of Thrones’ The Hound, Rory McCann.

Instead of rehashing the first film with a different adventure, the writers really mix things up when the game glitches, causing the avatars to be inhabited by different players. This gives the adventurers completely different personalities and allows the actors to really have fun with their roles. On top of the new adventure—to end a massive drought impacting Jumanji by recovering a magical necklace known as the Falcon Jewel, stolen by Jurgen—this new “casting” makes the film feel fresh, and provides lots of opportunities for hilarity.

At just over two hours, Level has enough time to develop a quest that feels of videogame epic length, with enough time to travel to a variety of new environments, such as a Lawrence of Arabia-esque desert, a Moroccan-type village, and a snow-topped castle. But it never felt too long or like it was wearing out its gags, keeping me interested throughout.

Sony Pictures consistently delivers terrific home video releases, and Level continues this high standard. Shot on ArriRaw at 3.4K, images consistently look terrific, with closeups that bristle with detail and razor-sharp focus. Black wears a tweed vest that has a fine plaid print with each check clearly visible. You can also see the cracks and texture in the backgrounds and costumes, and count individual strands of hair on actors’ heads.

Blacks are deep, clean, and noise-free, and there are many nighttime and indoor scenes that benefit from the use of HDR. The night scenes in the Moroccan village of the Oasis look especially good, with brilliant neon lights along the streets, as well as warm interiors lit by candles and lamps, giving the film a natural, organic look. Interiors of the castle Fortress feature dark rooms lit by shafts of bright light or sun rays streaming through windows, and the snowy mountainside looks appropriately bright without crushing any detail.

Sonically, the Dolby Atmos track is dynamic and active, looking for nearly every opportunity to immerse you in sound. Beyond the big action scenes, there are lots of little environmental sounds like wind blowing, birds chirping, and insects buzzing. One of the recurring sonic elements is the sound of deceased players re-entering the game, with a chime that sounds overhead and has them dropping back into the game from the ceiling. Bass is also solid and weighty, whether from explosions or punches or the jungle drums that resonate from all around to indicate danger. As is typical of Dolby Atmos soundtracks, dialogue is centered and easily intelligible throughout.

Beyond a bit of swearing and some non-bloody videogame violence, Jumanji: Next Level makes a great family night at the movies, offering a plot that will keep everyone engaged and entertained, while looking and sounding great in a luxury home environment.

PICTURE | Images consistently look terrific, with closeups that bristle with detail and razor-sharp focus

SOUND | The Dolby Atmos mix is dynamic and active, looking for nearly every opportunity to immerse you in sound

Review: Jaws

review | Jaws

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The film that launched Spielberg’s career gets a respectful 4K HDR/Atmos restoration

by John Sciacca
updated May 30, 2023

I was five when Jaws came out in the summer of 1975, and for my dad thought it would be a good idea to take our family to see it at a drive-in theater. So, I remember Jaws for absolutely ruining night swimming for me for my entire life, and for giving me a fairly unhealthy fear of the water that persists.

So, yeah. Jaws has been a part of my life for just about as long as I remember. And you know what? The film still holds up. The acting, the dialogue, the chemistry, the editing . . . it’s all still great. The best parts of the film are aboard the Orca with Quint (Robert Shaw), Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss), and Sheriff Brody (Roy Scheider). The dynamic between the three of them is fantastic, and Quint’s monologue about surviving the USS Indianapolis is still powerful and compelling .

Of course, John Williams’ Academy Award-winning score retains all its tension and drama, but even the shark scenes and effects remain believable and frightening. Sure, there are scarier, more brutal, and bloodier shark films out there today, but Jaws sets the standard for scary things in the water, and the bar remains high. About the only thing that really dates the film are the suits worn by Mayor Vaughn (Murray Hamilton) and the variety of clearly out-of-fashion swimwear seen on the beaches of Amity.

For its 45th Anniversary release, Universal Studios has given Jaws a full 4K HDR restoration, and this transfer is taken from a new 4K digital intermediate. The transfer retains the look of the 35mm film’s photochemical origins, with grain visible in the pale blue and low-lit evening or sunsetting skies, but it’s as if layers of age have been wiped away to produce images that are just clean and new-looking. This isn’t a movie with lots of sharp, detailed edges—though it appears to look sharper and more detailed later in the film aboard the Orca—or one that has micro-details leaping off the screen, but rather a transfer that retains the best of both its film and digital look to present something that looks both new and correct for its period.

Closeups occasionally reveal plenty of detail, with one shot of the Mayor’s anchor-festooned suit revealing fine, sharp blue single-line pinstriping detail that was horizontal on the lapel and diagonal on the breast and arms; and foreground objects have nice defined edges.But this transfer is more about the overall pristine look than moments of single-strands-of-hair pixel resolution. Some shots look a bit soft and defocused, but this appears to be more an issue with the original focal point during filming than a lack of resolution in the transfer.

They took a pretty delicate touch with the HDR grading, with occasional bright highlights such as the opening flames of the beach fires, or bright lights aboard ships, but the added dynamic range lends itself to more natural and realistic-looking images as light levels get low, and we retain deep blacks but still plenty of shadow details. There are several underwater scenes with a variety of lighting, or with bright lights probing through smoke and mist on top of the water that could cause banding issues, but images remain clean and distortion-free.

When I heard Jaws had been given a Dolby TrueHD Atmos audio makeover I was . . . curious. What could an immersive sound mix do with a 45-year-old mono master short of possibly being used to gimmicky effect that spoiled a classic? Well, much like the video, the new audio track takes the best of the Jaws soundtrack and uses modern technology to expand and improve it. This is most noticeable in John Williams’ fantastic score, which is now lifted above the front channels and mixed into an enveloping canopy overhead, filling the room and surrounding you in the iconic music.

Beyond that, they’ve used audio cues to subtly enhance other moments throughout the film. There are bird chirps, ocean waves crashing or lapping against things, wind sounds, or creaks and groans of the boat rolling in the water that all place you in scenes. On the beach, we get a nice mix of radios playing, and a helicopter flyover as it patrols the waters for sharks.

Dialogue is mostly clear and understandably—especially with Williams’ score given room up in the height speakers—except for a few moments where many people are talking or shouting at once in some of the crowded exterior scenes. Also, don’t expect much from your subwoofer, though it does get a little room to show off during the finale.

The best word I can use to describe this 45th Anniversary release is “restraint.” They used technology where available to improve the experience while careful not to do anything that would be detrimental to the Jaws so many of us remember.

While the Kaleidescape download doesn’t include any of the fairly extensive extras that accompany the 4K Blu-ray disc—which includes two near feature-length documentaries, The Making of Jaws and The Shark is Still Working: The Impact & Legacy of Jaws—these are the same extras included with the 2012 Blu-ray release, so if you have that, you aren’t missing out on anything new.

Jaws is one of my favorite films and this newly restored version illustrates why it remains a classic that belongs in every collection.

PICTURE | The transfer retains the look of the 35mm film’s photochemical origins but it’s as if layers of age have been wiped away to produce images that are just clean and new-looking

SOUND | The Atmos mix takes the best of the Jaws soundtrack and uses modern technology to expand and improve it

Review: Spirited Away

review | Spirited Away

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The 1080p presentation is able to capture the look of this anime classic without compromise

by Dennis Burger
Updated May 28.2023

Hayao Miyazaki’s masterpiece, Spirited Away makes me long for a time machine. Not necessarily so I could dial back the last 18 years and view the film again for the first time (although that would be a treat) but so I could capture my impressions after having just seen the film with fresh eyes.

I say this only because I come to Spirited Away with so much baggage that I find it difficult to discuss the film in and of itself. After nearly two decades of reading doctoral theses about linguistic symbolism, of devouring literary and film analyses, of falling down rabbit holes of spiritual, religious, and philosophical themes and the their interconnections it isn’t easy to simply sit back and consume the film as a work of art.

So I did the next-best thing. I sat beside my wife this weekend as she experienced this weird and captivating journey for the first time. Glancing out of the corner of my eye to see her giggle and applaud, weep and gasp, I was reminded of that first viewing. And I was also reminded that you don’t need to know a damned thing about Spirited Away to appreciate it as one of the best animated films ever made.

So forget all of the symbolism and the film’s deep ties to Shintoism and Japanese cultural norms (some admirable, some deplorable). What makes Spirited Away work as a two-hour adventure ?

The animation certainly helps. Not only is this Miyazaki’s most visually stunning work, it also represents perhaps the most artful (and subtle) marriage of hand-drawn 2D and computer-rendered 3D animation ever committed to the screen. The worlds of the ten-year-old hero Chihiro (both the material and spirit worlds) seem more real and tangible than most cinematic settings captured in live action.

But it isn’t merely the animation that creates this perception,. What makes Miyazaki a master filmmaker is that he understands how to lead the viewer through a story and its world in such a way that it doesn’t feel like a passive viewing experience.

Perhaps the best example is the denouement, in which Chihiro must travel to confront the twin sister of the sorceress who stole her name and employed her in a bathhouse for gods and spirits. In most films—especially fantasy films—her journey would have been written as an epic quest, fraught with danger and excitement. But in Miyazaki’s hands, though, it is a quiet and contemplative train ride. This shouldn’t work, but it does, on two levels: It gives both little Chihiro and the viewer alike a chance to reflect and to catch our breaths together.

It’s a technique Miyazaki employs in most of his films, and one he describes using the Japanese word ma, which roughly translates into “pause” or “gap”. But no film—by Miyazaki or any other filmmaker—makes such effective use of this technique as does this scene. And it works so well here because this ma isn’t simply a quiet break from the action. It also gives the viewer the opportunity to revel in Spirited Away on the level of pure audiovisual experience. It may be the first time most viewers fully appreciate how seamlessly the 2D and 3D animation are blended. It might also be the first time you have room to truly meditate on Joe Hisaishi’s melancholic score.

Spirited Away has been likened to stories like The Wizard of Oz and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland with good reason. It is, on one level, an amazing coming-of-age tale. But, despite its deep roots in Japanese mythology and folklore, there’s something uniquely universal about Spirited Away.

The film rewards further exploration, sure, but that would be pointless if it wasn’t worth watching over and over again purely on its own terms, with its obvious themes about greed and kindness and the nature of the self. Force me to construct a list of films that demand to be owned rather than merely rented and Spirited Away would be on it.

Thankfully, Kaleidescape’s download is a wonderful way to own the film. We’re presented with both the original Japanese soundtrack and the surprisingly good English-language dub (overseen by Pixar’s John Lasseter) in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. The film defaults to Japanese with English subtitles, but if you’re watching with younger viewers (or simply refuse to read captions), the English dub maintains the delightful score, as well as the effective and atmospheric sound mix. Both versions use the surround channels and subwoofer to extend the worlds of the film out into the room, and to give both weight and depth to the onscreen action.

Kaleidescape does present the film without the bonus features found on both Disney’s 2015 Blu-ray release and the 2017 follow-up by GKIDS, but those bonus goodies did little to enrich the film. What’s more important is that the Kaleidescape presentation is superior to the already excellent 2017 Blu-ray. You could complain that Spirited Away isn’t available in 4K but this better-than-Blu-ray-quality 1080p presentation lacks for nothing in terms of capturing all the details of the original animation. There’s a second or two here or there that might benefit from a wider color gamut but without the ability to A/B this transfer against a hypothetical 4K re-scan of the film elements, I can’t say that for sure.

What I can say is that this belongs in your collection whether you’re a fan of Japanese animation or not. Just don’t be surprised if you find yourself so enraptured by Miyazaki’s magical worlds that you end up exploring the rest of his catalog almost immediately. If you’re looking for a little guidance, I would suggest next diving into My Neighbor Totoro and Howl’s Moving Castle, both of which are also available on Kaleidescape, along with rest of Studio Ghibli’s long-form catalog.

PICTURE | This better-than-Blu-ray-quality 1080p presentation lacks for nothing in terms of capturing all the details of the original animation

SOUND | The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix uses the surround channels and subwoofer to extend the worlds of the film out into the room, and to give both weight and depth to the onscreen action

Review: The Bridge on the River Kwai

review | The Bridge on the River Kwai

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The 4K HDR/Atmos version surpasses all previous home releases, breathing new life into the David Lean classic

by Dennis Burger
updated May 26, 2023

The Bridge on the River Kwai has never been a great-looking film, at least not in my lifetime. Whether via VHS, widescreen VHS, LaserDisc, DVD, or even high-definition Blu-ray, it has long been plagued by an overly contrasty, crushed, murky look that didn’t quash its emotional impact but nonetheless seemed like a missed opportunity, especially given the film’s lush setting.

Given that the biggest problem marring the look has been blacks that are too black and highlights that are too bright, an HDR release may seem somewhat pointless—or even perhaps detrimental. But if anything, The Bridge on the River Kwai’s 4K HDR release via Kaleidescape does a wonderful job of conveying the difference between contrast and dynamic range. The HDR grade does darken the darks a little, and brightens the highlights spectacularly, but the most important thing it does is introduce more steps between those two extremes, breathing subtlety and richness into the shadows and bringing the image to life in ways I never would have imagined possible. In short, it delivers the nuances inherent to the original film that have never survived before now in the transition to home video.

That’s not to say that the film now looks perfect. Kwai was shot with cobbled-together CinemaScope cameras without the benefit of zoom lenses. As such, the very first scene we see, of a soaring and circling hawk, was quite obviously blown up extensively, resulting in an overly grainy, noisy mess.

Thankfully, such scenes are rare. A more common occurrence, though, are the optical fade transitions between scenes. These have always looked rough but here they look even rougher, if only by comparison to the gorgeous presentation of the rest of the film. It appears that these fade transitions weren’t sourced from the original negative that served as the basis for the bulk of the restoration but look at least a generation removed, and my guess is that in restoring the film, they had to pull the fades from a print. So you’ll go from a vibrant, gorgeously textured scene into an overly contrasty, noisier fade, then right into another lovely scene.

Until you get used to this, the transitions can be a little more jarring in the 4K HDR presentation than they are in the Blu-ray-quality download also included with this release. So, you’re left with a choice: Do you watch the film in truly lovely quality with the occasional, fleeting downgrade to a second-generation source or do you opt for a sort of bleh-but-acceptable presentation that’s more consistent from beginning to end?

I’ll opt for the former any day, secure in the knowledge that this is absolutely the best The Bridge on the River Kwai will ever look. I’m guessing the original negatives for those fade transitions were damaged beyond repair in post-production, so there’s no good source for additional restoration. But once you accept the fact that a second or two here and there will look a little less than stunning, the HDR download—released here in its proper 2.55:1 aspect ratio, not 2.40:1 as the tech specs would indicate—is an absolute revelation.

The Kaleidescape download is also supported by a 5.1 surround soundtrack that seems to be identical to the 2010 Blu-ray release (which itself was based on the restored and enhanced audio track I believe I first remember hearing on the 1994 LaserDisc release). There are some additional ambient sound effects I don’t remember hearing on the VHS releases, which I no longer have the ability to play. The good news is, this isn’t one of those ham-fisted surround remixes that attempt to make the film sound more modern. Everything in the mix evokes the original (which I think was a four-track magnetic soundtrack).

I almost completely skipped the Atmos soundtrack included with this release since I’m not fond of that format for movies to begin with, much less 60-year-old classics. But I’m glad I gave it a listen on a whim. It sounds like the mix was mostly based on the 2010 remix, which itself was based on the 1993 reconstruction of the original audio elements, but there are a few key differences. Dialogue that was obviously overdubbed sounds less obviously overdubbed, and the height channels open up the sound field and expand the film’s ambience in a truly subtle but effective way. If you’re looking for a soundtrack that pushes your ceiling speakers to their extremes, keep on looking. But if you’re looking for an audio experience that’s true to the original, just with some extra breathing room, give this one a listen—even if you like Atmos less than I do.

As for extras, you’ll have to download the Blu-ray-quality version from Kaleidescape to check them out but it’s worth the extra effort. In addition to a trio of period promotional materials, as well as a short documentary about film criticism made for USC film students, there’s a fantastic retrospective documentary by Laurent Bouzereau made for the two-disc collector’s edition DVD release from 2000. While somewhat glossing over the film’s historical inaccuracies, the doc is a bit more forthright than most retrospectives and is certainly worth a look.

Even if you don’t care about supplemental material, though, The Bridge on the River Kwai belongs in any good film collection. This isn’t one you want to wait for TCM to air, since it rewards repeated viewings. Consider, for example, how its complex themes evolve as you shift attention from William Holden, Alec Guinness, and even Sessue Hayakawa, and focus on one above the others as the story’s main driving force. It isn’t really until you watch it again, placing all three on equal footing, that you can get to the heart of what the film is about: The consequences of ideology crashing into principles, when neither completely comports with reality.

And unless you’re still buying discs, Kaleidescape is about the only way to own this 4K HDR presentation, since for whatever reason Vudu, Amazon, and many other digital providers are limited to the HD release.

Again, The Bridge on the River Kwai isn’t a technically perfect film, but Kaleidescape’s presentation so far exceeded my expectations that all of the above nitpicking feels like pedantry. For the first time, the film lives in a form that’s worthy of the best display in your home. And if for whatever reason you’ve never seen it, I’m a little jealous that this is how you get to experience for the first time.

PICTURE | The HDR grade introduces more steps between the dark and bright extremes, breathing subtlety and richness into the shadows and bringing the image to life in ways that weren’t possible on home video before now

SOUND | The Atmos mix makes dialogue that was obviously overdubbed sound less obviously overdubbed, and the height channels open up the sound field and expand the film’s ambience subtly but effectively

Review: Easy Rider

review | Easy Rider

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Helped by a 4K HDR upgrade, this counterculture classic proves to be surprisingly relevant to the present

by Dennis Burger
updated May 24, 2023

The last time I sat down to watch Easy Rider was sometime in 1990. Sixties nostalgia was in full swing since grunge hadn’t really exploded and given the burgeoning decade something resembling its own identity. I was in my late teens and the film was barely in its twenties, and yet it felt archaic to me—a time capsule, if you will. Which isn’t to say it wasn’t compelling, but I think I mostly saw Easy Rider as something akin to a 95-minute music video for some of the best tunes dominating classic rock radio at the time. And sure, I understood its lasting influence on American New Wave cinema, but it still struck me as little more than a nostalgia trip and a disjointed one at that.

Fast-forward 30 more years, and Easy Rider feels relevant to me in ways I couldn’t have imagined before digging into Kaleidescape’s 4K HDR release. For me, Easy Rider isn’t just a hop into the Wayback Machine. It’s a relatable portrait of a turbulent and divided America; of senseless violence and othering; of rage and misplaced resentment boiling over into identity politics and spilling out into interpersonal strife; of the end of an era.

And sure, it’s not quite like looking out the window—the clothing looks more like costumes and some of the characters feel more like caricatures. But, despite all that, Easy Rider still feels like it has something to say about our present moment in history for perhaps the first time since its release in 1969. (I’m reminded of a popular adage in geek culture: “All of this has happened before, and it will all happen again.” I’m also reminded of the oft-quoted observation by Marx: “All great world-historic facts and personages appear, so to speak, twice . . . the first time as tragedy, the second time as farce.”)

Part of the film’s reinvigorated applicability may have something to do with its structure—a series of loosely connected vignettes that barely add up to a plot. According to legend, most of what was left on the cutting-room floor when the film was whittled down from 220 to 95 minutes could be considered story. And what we’re left with is more of a moment-to-moment experience than anything else. And I think this forces a bit of reflection on what the film leaves unsaid: The racial tensions of the era, the conflict in Vietnam, the political infighting. Despite the fact that it doesn’t mention any of the above, all of this looms large over Easy Rider. And since they’re not explicit, it’s easy to impose some of our own sociopolitical strife in their place.

The new 4K HDR transfer also helps immensely, at least when it comes to getting immersed in the weirdness of Easy Rider. If you know the film well, you may be wondering what the enhanced resolution does for the imagery. The short answer is: Not much. In large part, really nothing. But the expanded dynamic range and enhanced color gamut bring the cinematography to life in ways home video simply hasn’t been capable of doing until recently.

I’m reminded of my observations about the new 4K HDR release of The Wizard of Oz. In similar respects, Easy Rider benefits not only from more vibrancy and purity of colors, but also from the selective intensity of primary hues. In past transfers, the entire palette had to be boosted or muted, brightened or darkened universally. With HDR, dazzling Crayola-colored reds and blues comfortably share the screen with more subdued pastels and weather-worn pigmentations, and intense flashes of light comfortably share the frame with deep shadows that nonetheless contain nuance. Peter Fonda’s flag-adorned chopper practically glows against a backdrop that’s more often than not dull and dingy. For the first time, the home video presentation of Easy Rider actually looks and feels like film, and thankfully the restoration efforts—while cleaning up dirt and scratches and other ravages of time—have done nothing to rob the footage of its wonderfully organic and grainy photochemical chaos.

Of course, there’s not much that could be done with the sound mix. The iconic soundtrack music sounds amazing in both the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and stereo mixes. But the dialogue and other on-set audio still sound as if they were recorded with a couple of tin cans and some string, and there’s not much to be done about that short of egregious meddling.

The Kaleidescape download also comes with a couple of bonus goodies: An audio commentary with Dennis Hopper and an hour-long documentary from 1999 called Shaking the Cage. I would recommend skipping the former, since it provides a rather unbalanced perspective on the making of the film. Perhaps if Sony Pictures owned the second commentary track included with the Criterion Blu-ray release—featuring Hopper, Peter Fonda, and production manager Paul Lewis—it would be worth a listen.

You get everything you could want from a commentary and more from Shaking the Cage, which should be viewed as an essential companion piece—almost more like annotations for Easy Rider than a traditional making-of retrospective. You don’t get much in the way of insight into the themes and mysteries of the film, but rarely have I seen a more unbridled examination of the personality conflicts, fights, compromises, and sheer pandemonium behind the making of any film. In some ways, it’s almost more entertaining than Easy Rider itself.

PICTURE | The 4K HDR transfer’s expanded dynamic range and enhanced color gamut bring the cinematography to life in ways home video hasn’t been capable of until recently

SOUND | The iconic soundtrack music sounds amazing in both the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and stereo mixes, but the dialogue and other on-set audio still sound as if they were recorded with a couple of tin cans and some string

Review: Elf

review | Elf

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This Will Ferrell vehicle has become a Christmas classic—and deservedly so—even though it’s actually not a very good movie

by Michael Gaughn
updated May 22, 2023

You’re going to need to bear with me here because I will get around to recommending that you watch Elf. But I first need to point out that it’s just not a very good movie.

The story is contrived and soulless, the casting—with one very obvious exception—is tone deaf, it’s badly shot, and the practical effects are so unconvincing that they would have been better off going with early-‘00s CGI instead.

Every character except Will Ferrell’s is one-dimensional and pretty much interchangeable. Any irascible middle-aged actor could have played the James Caan role, Mary Steenburgen is just there to be stereotypically empathetic, the kid that plays their son is just unpleasant, and a very anemic and kind of homely (before she went full Kabuki and became an “It” girl) Zooey Deschanel is just there to admire Ferrell—Nicoletta Braschi’s thankless job vis à vis Roberto Benigni in Life is Beautiful, although not quite that bad.

Everything about Elf feels half-baked, like a Tim Burton movie. The ending is a completely botched deus ex machina, with every kind of contrivance thrown at the audience, all but forgetting about Buddy, ladling on a ton of fake drama because the filmmakers hadn’t been able to generate any real drama before then—the kind of thing that happens when the so-called creatives only have other movies to draw on for tactical support because they don’t have any bearings in real life.

It might seem misguided to beat up on a 17-year-old film, but I’m trying to make a point about why we watch Elf, and should watch Elf.

This movie has become a tradition because it’s great holiday wallpaper, meant to be played in the background during Yuletide celebrations, but liberally sprinkled with “O wait!” moments that momentarily draw your attention back to the screen—like “O wait! This is the scene where he eats the Pop Tarts with the spaghetti” and “O wait! Here’s that thing where he gets attacked by the midget.” In other words, A Christmas Story, except made with some intelligence and a modicum of taste.

In retrospect, it’s obvious that Elf anticipated and helped create the current age of maximum repetition and redundancy where the last thing we want from a movie or a series is to be shown anything challenging or new. It’s meant to be big, warm, and fuzzy like a well-worn security blanket, something utterly predictable and familiar you can wrap yourself in so you don’t have to feel anything, except coddled.

What would seem to be the movie’s greatest vice is actually its saving virtue. Elf is ultimately nothing but a Will Ferrell vehicle. He doesn’t just carry the film, he is the film. And that’s not a bad thing but a great thing—a cause for celebration—because he’s able to pull it off, and in spades, turning an otherwise by-the-book studio effort into a virtuoso one-man show.

Ferrell has Peter Sellers’ ability to make cartoonish, completely impossible, characters feel more real than than the more realistic characters around him. And his investment in Buddy is so complete that he’s able to rise above the incredibly tepid and inept script (which apparently everybody but the second grip worked on) and energize enough scenes to make it worth tolerating all the many areas where the movie sags.

I know that’s a really back-handed recommendation, but it’s a very sincere one. It’s definitely worth anyone’s time to watch Elf and just hone in on and savor and sit in amazement of what Ferrell is able to pull off. He makes Buddy so completely embody Christmas that Santa, the elves, the North Pole, and all the other traditional trappings seem not just threadbare but unnecessary.

Elf looks surprisingly good viewed in HD on Kaleidescape. I can’t see any point in rushing this movie into a 4K HDR upgrade—it would likely just make it look even more poorly executed than it already does. The only real flaw in HD are the crawling corpuscles that appear whenever there’s a bright white patch, like the blown-out sunlight seen through the doors at Gimbel’s or out the window in Caan’s apartment.

The soundtrack is nothing special, just serviceable, but you can hear all the lines so I’ve got to give it credit for that. The extras? (of which there are many). Let’s not go there.

Nothing I’ve said is going to make even the slightest dent in Elf’s reputation as a latter-day Christmas classic. But hopefully I can jog the perception of it just enough that it seems less like an obligation, like sweaters and fruitcake, and more like a genuine source of holiday cheer.

Michael Gaughn—The Absolute Sound, The Perfect Vision, Wideband, Stereo Review, Sound & Vision, The Rayva Roundtable, marketing, product design, some theater designs, a couple TV shows, some commercials, and now this.

PICTURE | Elf looks surprisingly good viewed in HD on Kaleidescape, with the only real flaw the crawling corpuscles that appear whenever there’s a bright white patch

SOUND | The soundtrack is nothing special, just serviceable, but you can hear all the lines so you’ve got to give it credit for that

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