Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.5

47 Ronin 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Universal has released the 2013 Keanu Reeves film '47 Ronin' to the UHD format. New specifications include 2160p/HDR video and DTS:X audio. No new supplements are included.

47 Ronin 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc.

Universal brings 47 Ronin to the UHD format with a handsome 2160p/HDR-enhanced presentation. The picture is very attractive start to finish, immediately notable in its first scene, which is very cinematic and true. Details are dense, clarity is terrific, colors jump off the screen: it's a microcosm of the excellence to come. Both textures and colors excel, but where this UHD shines brightest is in its HDR color grading. It's a fine accompaniment and compliment to the film, particularly as it enhances red attire and natural greens -- and many more additional tones throughout the world, ranging from garments to tents and other structures -- with noticeably deeper contrast and tonal efficiency. Compared to the Blu-ray, there is no contest. Colors on this UHD appear richer, denser, bolder and more brilliant. The adds to depth are quite striking, and the film's colorfully steady output impresses at every turn and in any light. Indeed, low light scenes prove to be some of the most dramatically improved. Look at chapter six, a nighttime interior scene that on Blu-ray looks disproportionately pale and lacking shadow depth. On the UHD, the scene is transformed for the better, boasting a natural feel for shadow detail and black level definition. It's also proof of the UHD's superior noise management. Add in refined flesh tones and the film certainly hits a new gear of color grading excellence under the HDR specifications.

Less dramatically boosted, but boosted nevertheless, are the movie's textures and overall clarity. The film was reportedly photographed at a resolution of 2.8K and finished at 2K. The upscaled elements still shine on UHD, offering steady, albeit relatively modest, improvements over the existing, but excellent, 1080p image. Facial close-ups here are a delight, revealing intricate hairs and intimate pores with resplendent clarity. Extremely fine stubble in close-up is practically tactile, and the smooth, slick clarity allows for incredible opportunities for intimate study. The same can be said of the period costumes and armor. Fabrics never want for greater clarity up-close, and armor elements show every material bump and ridge and intricate line with startling attention to detail. The movie is teeming with textures worthy of exploring; the production design is certainly well served by the UHD resolution, and even if it's not a drastic improvement over 1080p, it's enough to satisfy fans looking for the very best presentation currently possible.

47 Ronin 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Universal's DTS:X track delivers everything one could want from a top-rate sonic experience. The film offers a wide variety of sound elements, from light atmosphere to rushing, intense action. The former is rich and immersive. Throughout the film, lightly falling rain, blowing winds, and other natural elements thrive with perfectly balanced and positioned immersion. The track takes full advantage of the added back channels in particular to encircle the listener with realistic sound details, while the top end carries additional supports that don't dominate but rather gently add lifelike detail. Music soars across the front while wrapping in surround integration with finely precise balance. Clarity is superb throughout the range, supported by a prominent, but never overbearing, low end accompaniment. Action scenes delight and serve as the most prominent highlight. Never wanting for added vigor, clarity, or spacing, the track unfolds each of its most intense moments with startling depth, elemental movement, and general intensity. Everything is prominent and powerful but in a balanced, believable manner. Dialogue is delivered with faultless clarity. It is well prioritized as it flows from the front-center channel.

47 Ronin 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

47 Ronin's UHD disc contains no supplemental content, but the bundled Blu-ray, identical to that which Universal released in 2014, includes all of the legacy content. See below for a list of what's included and please click here for full coverage. A Movies Anywhere digital copy code is included with purchase. This release ships with a slipcover.

• Deleted Scenes
• Re-Forging the Legend
• Keanu & Kai
• Steel Fury: The Fights of 47 Ronin
• Myths, Magic & Monsters: The FX of 47 Ronin

47 Ronin 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

47 Ronin is a densely and beautifully constructed but errantly paced and narratively flawed film. It's teeming with potential that it never realizes, but genre fans may very well find in it some intrinsic value for its superficialities and potential. Universal's UHD, on the other hand, is quite capable, delivering high yield 2160p/HDR video and a wonderful DTS:X soundtrack. No new extras are included but the bundled Blu-ray carries over the scant assortment originally seen on the 2014 disc. Worth a look in general and recommended for fans who want to see and hear the movie in the best possible presentation parameters.