Across the Universe 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Across the Universe 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Sony has released Director Julie Taymor's Oscar-nominated 1960s Beetles Musical 'Across the Universe' to the UHD format. The film features a "digitally restored" 4K transfer with HDR color that offers a solid upward boost to an aging, but still rather nice looking, Blu-ray, which was released in 2008. The film has also earned a brand-new Dolby Atmos soundtrack. No new extras are included, but the bundled Blu-ray houses all of the previously released content.

Across the Universe 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc. Watch for 4K screenshots at a later date.

Across the Universe makes the leap to the UHD format with another hugely impressive 2160p/HDR-enhanced presentation from Sony. The upgrade to color and clarity, to richness and vitality, to filmic standout over the previously released Blu-ray, which came out way back in the Blu-ray format's infancy in early 2008, is evident right off the bat. The picture retains its inherent grain structure and reveals it with very light and very complimentary evenness and stability. Textural wonders abound, including brick, metal, and pavement at the ship yards seen early in the film and later, in the States, beautifully revealing many tangibly textured urban environments, college campus buildings, worn woods in barrooms, and other complex elements. Each and every surface reveals practically impeccable texturing, reach-out-and-touch complexity where even the flat 2D surface seems to come to life with depth and dimensionality and an innate sharpness that is becoming the calling card of these wondrous and wonderfully organic shot-on-film native 4K transfers. Likewise, skin textures and clothing lines and density are wonderfully accurate and complex. The HDR-enhanced color palette doesn't appear to fundamentally alter the movie's tonal complexion, but it is a rather dark and dim image. The film plays with a noticeably golden hue about it, which is reflected in skin tones, but the essential colors are pleasantly detailed and deeply saturated, including green grasses, a yellow taxi cab during Jo-Jo's arrival, storefronts around the city, and various costumes. Black levels are absorbingly deep. Print wear is essentially nonexistent and other source or encode shortcomings are practically nil. This is a fantastic UHD release from Sony.

Across the Universe 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Across the Universe features a new Dolby Atmos soundtrack that delivers the movie's musical numbers with impressive efficiency, clarity, and spacing. The film is, of course, heavily reliant on music to construct narrative, support tone, define characters, and create emotion, and the Atmos track is up to the challenge of presenting lyrics with abundant detail and instrumentals with seamless clarity and full-stage saturation. Musical balance is precise even as it's fluid and flowing. Speakers largely disappear in favor of a pleasantly organic stage immersion that takes full advantage of every speaker with even some modest overhead support. The top end carries a few good effects, some more intense, some more complimentary, but as with the music the sense of environmental precision and full-stage saturation is remarkable, particularly as every element seems so finely positioned and placed and organic. Dialogue, certainly prominent but equally sharing time with music and lyrics, is healthy, enjoying natural front-center positioning and fine prioritization.

Across the Universe 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Across the Universe's UHD release contains the cast and crew still photos tab but does away with the "moments" that have been a staple of the studio's 4K releases. The bundled Blu-ray is identical to the 2008 release. For convenience, below is a list of the supplements included thereon. A digital copy code is included with purchase.

• Audio Commentary: Julie Taymor and Elliot Goldenthal.
• Creating the Universe
• Stars of Tomorrow
• All About the Music
• Moving Across the Universe
• FX on the Universe
• Extended Musical Performances
• Deleted Scenes -- And I Love Her
• Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite (1080p): Two takes on a colorful musical performance. Included are Eddie Izzard Live Alternate Take #1 (2:50) and Eddie Izzard Live Alternate Take #1 (2:52). Note that this extra was not listed in the 2008 review.
• Don Nace Art Gallery:

Across the Universe 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Across the Universe is not for every taste, but it features a contagious Beetles-centric beat, a group of interesting characters, and strongly defined and occasionally even visionary technical construction, all set against the backdrop of the tumultuous 1960s. For fans of the music, the Musical genre, or the time period in which the film is set, it's well worth watching. Sony's new UHD release is terrific. The 4K video transfer is gorgeous (if not a bit dark) and the new Atmos track makes for a strong compliment to a film that's heavily reliant on its music. Highly recommended.