American Sniper 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		0.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

American Sniper 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Warner Brothers has released a new UHD disc for the hit 2014 War film 'American Sniper,' directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller, Luke Grimes, Jake McDorman, Cory Hardrict, and Kevin Lacz. New specifications include 2160p/HDR video. For this release, Warner Brothers has ported over the existing Dolby Atmos soundtrack originally released with the 2015 Blu-ray. Note that that Blu-ray is not included; this is simply a UHD (and digital)-only release. All of the extras from the 2015 Blu-ray are ported over while also including the material (minus a trailer) that Warner Brothers later released in 2016 in The Chris Kyle Commemorative Edition and appear on the UHD disc. Finally, two new extras appear on this UHD disc. See below for a review of the new video presentation and the two new extras. Note also that Warner Brothers has also released a companion and concurrently released SteelBook packaging variant.

American Sniper 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from the original 2015 1080p Blu-ray disc.

Warner Brothers brings American Sniper to the UHD format with a 2160p/HDR presentation. The UHD is upscaled to 4K and offers a serviceable image. It's certainly the superior image compared to the aging, but still very good, 1080p Blu-ray. Texturally, it's easy to see that the UHD is a glossier looking image. It's smooth but doesn't lose detail. Instead, there's a very obvious sheen to it, capturing the digital source imagery for just about all it's worth. Facial definition is boosted, clothing clarity is amplified, and environmental details are heightened (especially some of the jagged, worn, and war-torn structures that are prominently featured in the film). These are appreciable gains when directly compared to the Blu-ray, but the UHD is not so monumentally improved over the Blu-ray as to make a world of difference. It's an upgrade, but not a significant gain for the movie.

The HDR color grading also offers gains, albeit gains that are more subtle than they are overt. Color expressiveness is boosted, and tonal accuracy and yield are bolstered, but not to such a massive degree as to put the Blu-ray out of business. The UHD offers a refinement of urban grays and beiges, military uniforms, and some natural greens and red blood. Fulness and saturation are elevated but not dramatically so. Skin tones can sometimes look healthy and at times mildly pasty. Black levels are nice and deep and white balance is better than the Blu-ray.

The UHD appears to be free of all but a trace amount of noise. I did not spot any encode artifacts along the way, either. This is a good looking UHD image, but it's not such a massive upgrade that fans should be tumbling over one another to buy it. I'd wait for a Black Friday sale before upgrading.

American Sniper 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

As noted above, this UHD release of American Sniper simply ports over the existing Dolby Atmos soundtrack that first appeared with the 2015 Blu-ray. Though it is nine years old it remains an exceptional listening experience. Please click here for a full review of the Dolby Atmos soundtrack. Note that this link points to "The Chris Kyle Commemorative Edition" that Warner Brothers released in 2016.

American Sniper 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This UHD release of American Sniper includes the extras found on "The Chris Kyle Commemorative Edition" that Warner Brothers released in 2016. That incudes both the two extras from the 2015 release and the additional extras from that 2016 release. The only absence is the trailer that appeared on the 2016 release. Additionally, this release incudes two extras not found on either release. Below is a list of what's included on the UHD disc. The two new extras are noted and reviewed (note that these may have been included on a previous release that Blu-ray.com has not covered). For full coverage of the on-disc supplemental content, please click here for the content from the 2015 Blu-ray and please click here for the extras that were released on "The Chris Kyle Commemorative Edition" in 2016. A digital copy code is included with purchase, but Warner Brothers has selected not to include a Blu-ray copy. This release also ships with a slipcover.

• One Soldier's Story: The Journey of American Sniper
• Chris Kyle: The Man Behind the Legend
• NEW! Clint Eastwood: A Cinematic Legacy -- The Heart of a Hero (1080p, 15:22): A look through Eastwood's cinematic legacy through the perspective of the real and fictional heroes who appear in his films. This piece focuses on American Sniper, exploring the real and screen realized Chris Kyle, the story, the cast, and Eastwood's direction.
• Navy SEALS: In War and Peace
• Bringing the War Home: The Cost of Heroism
• The Making of American Sniper
• NEW! Guardian (1080p, 4:30): A quick piece that is part making-of and part trailer that explores Cooper's performance, the core narrative elements, making the film in the wake of Kyle's murder, and is built from interview snippets, clips from the film, and text-based praise for the film.

American Sniper 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

American Sniper remains a modern classic in the War film genre, and Warner Brothers has done well by its first UHD release, timed to coincide with the film's 10th anniversary. The studio has carried over a very effective and impactful Dolby Atmos soundtrack by bringing over the legacy extras from the two previous Blu-ray releases while also including two extras that were not on either one of those editions. The new 2160p/HDR UHD video presentation is not a game changer, but it's a decent upgrade to the Blu-ray. Recommended, but wait for a sale.