Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		3.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		5.0

Apocalypse Now 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman August 29, 2019

Apocalypse Now was among the first really “big”, as in iconic, movies that came across my review queue here at Blu-ray.com, way back in 2010. That release got an almost completely perfect score from me at the time, and now Lionsgate is seeing if napalm smells any different in the morning in 4K UHD (that was said and/or typed with tongue firmly in cheek, lest that not be evident). It's been a running joke of mine that Lionsgate's 4K UHD releases seem to be tied to remainders of old 1080p Blu-rays they must find in various nooks and crannies in some Raiders of the Lost Ark-esque warehouse, but in this case (as actually as in a couple of other recent cases of "old" Lionsgate releases getting a 4K UHD upgrade), Lionsgate is providing presentations culled from new masters on both the 4K UHD and 1080p Blu-ray discs included in this nicely appointed package.

For my thoughts on the film (or, frankly, films, considering the three versions offered here), as well as an accounting of the bounteous extras on the original Blu-ray release, most of which reappear here, please click on the following link:

Apocalypse Now Blu-ray review

Apocalypse Now 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: Screenshots are sourced from the 1080p Blu-ray.

Apocalypse Now is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Lionsgate Films with 2160p transfers in 2.39:1. All three versions stem from the same 4K restoration, and I frankly noticed no huge quality variances between them in either their shared or different footage. Before I get into my reactions to the 4K presentations, I should take a moment to mention that our Forum devoted to this release has quite a few complaints about the compression on the 1080p Blu-rays included in this set, and so for those concerned about those particular presentations, I refer you to some of our typically well informed members who have posted about it, while also noting I'm docking my score for the 1080p Blu-ray presentations in this set when compared to the older 1080p Blu-ray release from Lionsgate. The good news is whatever complaints some may have about the 1080p presentations, I can't imagine anyone harping too much about any of the 2160p presentations, as I found them to be largely stunning, with clear upticks in detail and (especially) fine detail, some interesting if subtle highlights added courtesy of Dolby Vision, and a definite improvement in shadow detail generally throughout the many dark sequences in the film. The one niggling qualm some may have with this presentation is one that has "afflicted" (if that's the right word) previous home video incarnations of this title (in any of its now many forms), namely a rather wide variance in grain thickness due to the prevalence of old school opticals. Coppola uses quasi-montage repeatedly throughout the film, often superimposing images to create a near psychedelic ambience, and as such grain expectedly spikes, sometimes quite significantly. The opening several minute sequence is just the first of several examples that can be cited where grain is positively chunky, often colored either yellowish or brownish, and thick enough that it can mask fine detail. When, for example, the film finally cuts out of this first set of opticals at around the 3 minute mark, an immediate improvement in clarity along with a much more finely resolved grain field is instantly apparent, and aside from reoccurrences of similar opticals (and there are quite a few), the improvement is consistent for the duration of the presentation. Detail levels are quite impressive throughout, and some of the fine detail upticks really surprised me — for just one minor but telling example, you can actually read the text in the little plastic enclosed name tags that Lucas and Corman (think about that for a minute) wear when they are recruiting Willard to go hunt for Kurtz.

The palette is often gorgeously suffused in 4K UHD, and some of the highlights are noticeably different, if subtly so, from earlier presentations and even from the 1080p Blu-rays included in this package. Oranges and yellows in particular have some interstitial tones that I didn't notice as being quite as prevalent in the 1080p presentations, and several scenes have an almost peach hue to them now. Some of the jungle scenes feature blue and teal tones that are extremely evocative, and the final act with Kurtz sees more "mundane" yellows slowly being burnished into impressive gold tones as the scenes continue. Shadow detail in this final sequence of scenes gives at least a little more information in frames that are often shrouded in darkness.

While the grain field is rather widely variable, and there are the added "challenges" of huge wafts of dust and smoke blowing through many scenes in addition to the "background" of grain, compression on the 4K UHD discs is excellent, with no major anomalies that I noticed. There are a few very minor blemishes that have made it through the restoration guantlet, but in my estimation they're nothing of any real import.

Apocalypse Now 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

As impressive as the video element is on these new 4K UHD discs, the Dolby Atmos tracks all three versions have are completely immersive, with floorboard rumbling LFE and nice verticality that's apparent from the very first panning sounds of a helicopter rotor clearly passing overhead and around the listener. Source cues like a certain Richard Wagner "hit tune" sound fantastic in this presentation, and the glut of explosions and gunfire also punctuate the soundfield with extremely directional effects that consistently maintain a realistic ambience. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout these excellent and hugely enjoyable presentations.

Apocalypse Now 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

"One man's supplement may be another man's main feature" would be my maxim for this release, and so I'll detail the complete contents of each disc below:

4K UHD Disc One

• Final Cut (2160p; 3:01:58)


• Introduction by Francis Ford Coppola (UHD; 4:23)

4K UHD Disc Two

• 1979 Theatrical Version (2160p; 2:27:11)


• Apocalypse Now: Redux (2160p; 3:16:03)


• Audio Commentary by Francis Ford Coppola is available on the Redux Version only.

Note: Both of the above discs have 1080p Blu-ray counterpart discs with the same content in 1080p. Additional 1080p Blu-rays include the following two discs (and at least a bit more information about many of these supplements can be found in my old Apocalypse Now Blu-ray review):

Special Features from Apocalypse Now (1979 Version) and Apocalypse Now Redux 1080p Blu-ray

• An Interview with John Milius (1080p; 49:45) features Francis Ford Coppola as Milius' conversation partner.


• A Conversation with Martin Sheen and Francis Ford Coppola (1080p; 59:26)


• Fred Roos: Casting Apocalypse (1080p; 11:44)


• The Mercury Theater On the Air: Heart of Darkness - November 6, 1938 (36:34) is an audio supplement. The Menu has a tiny but kind of ironically funny typo that I didn't repeat here.


• The Hollow Men (480i; 16:57)


• Monkey Sampan "Lost Scene" (480p; 3:03)


• Additional Scenes (480i; 26:28)


• Kurtz Compound Deconstruction with Credits (1080p; 6:06)


• The Birth of 5.1 Sound (480i; 5:54)


• Ghost Helicopter Flyover (480i; 3:55)


• Apocalypse Now: The Synthesizer Soundtrack by Bob Moog is a reproduction of a magazine article.


• A Million Feet of Film: The Editing of Apocalypse Now (480i; 17:57)


• The Music of Apocalypse Now (480i; 14:46)


• Heard Any Good Movies Lately? The Sound Design of Apocalypse Now (480i; 15:22)


• The Final Mix (480i; 3:09)


• Apocalypse Then and Now (480i; 3:44)


• 2001 Cannes Film Festival: Francis Ford Coppola (1080i; 38:35)


• PBR Streetgang (480i; 4:09)


• The Color Palette of Apocalypse Now (480i; 4:06)

Hearts of Darkness Plus New and Archival Special Features 1080p Blu-ray

• Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse (1080p; 1:36:00) features an optional commentary by Francis Ford Coppola.


• Tribeca Film Festival Q & A with Francis Ford Coppola and Steven Soderbergh (1080i; 47:34)


• Super 8mm Behind the Scenes Footage (1080p; 21:39)


• Dutch Angle: Chas Gerretsen and Apocalypse Now (1080p; 31:44)


• Apocalypse Now: Remastering a Legend in Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos (1080p; 2:50)


• Apocalypse Now: A Forty Year Journey (1080p; 2:21) is a fun tour through various previous home video incarnations.


• Sensual Sound Technology from Meyer Sound (1080p; 3:52) is kind of hilariously presented in Dolby Digital 2.0.


• John Milius Script Excerpt with Francis Ford Coppola (00:51) reprints pages from the script.


• Storyboard Collection is an image gallery.


• Photo Archive

  Unit Photography (1080p)

  
  

  Mary Ellen Mark Photography (1080p)

• Marketing Archive

  1979 Teaser Trailer (1080p; 1:29)

  
  

  1979 Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 3:56)

  
  

  1979 Radio Spots (2:05)

  
  

  1979 Theatrical Program (1080p) features images of the program.

  
  

  Lobby Card and Press Kit Photos (1080p)

  
  

  Poster Gallery (1080p)

Apocalypse Now 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There are a number of significant pluses to this release, along with one perhaps major minus: a lot of fans who have gotten this are less than thrilled with the compression on the 1080p Blu-rays included in this set. I personally found the 2160p presentations to be stellar for the most part, with an understanding that the prevalence of opticals leads to a rather wide variance in grain structure and resolution. Lionsgate has provided a release with solid technical merits on the 4K UHD discs and virtually all of the supplements from the previous Blu-ray release, along with a few new ones that are rather interesting. Highly recommended.