Audition 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		0.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		5.0

Audition 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 10, 2026

Audition remains something of a "signature" piece for the frequently provocative Takashi Miike, and the intervening years (decades by this point) since its original release have done little if anything to lessen its visceral impact. Kind of cheekily exploiting the "fake casting calls" that are part and parcel of one subgenre of porn (or so I've been told), Audition may arguably fall into a bit of "torture porn" material itself as it documents a cat and mouse game between a grieving producer and the woman he's supposedly thinking of offering a role, only to find out the woman has plans of her own. Audition has had a couple of prior 1080 releases, but Arrow Video is now revisiting the film with a new 4K restoration from the original Super 16mm camera negative, and with Arrow's typically nice assortment of enjoyable supplements, including all of the previously available bonus items Arrow included on their old 1080 release along with a couple of new ones. This disc along with its 4K upgrade also has three audio options, two more than Arrow's older 1080 disc.

As mentioned above, Audition has had a couple of 1080 release in Region A. Ken Brown's Audition Blu-ray review covers a 2009 release from Shout! Factory, and my own Audition Blu-ray review covered Arrow's 1080 release from ten years later.

Audition 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: This release does not include a 1080 Blu-ray, so these screenshots are taken directly from the 4K UHD disc and downscaled to 1080 and SDR. Color space in particular is therefore not accurate, and I recommend those interested to look at some of the screenshots in either of the above linked 1080 reviews for a probably better representation of the palette. Since this release does not include a 1080 disc, the 2K video score above has been intentionally left blank.

Audition is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Arrow Video with an HEVC / H.265 encoded 2160p transfer in 1.85:1. Arrow's insert booklet contains the following information on the presentation:

Audition has been exclusively restored by Arrow Films and is presented in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio with Dolby SR stereo, LCRS 4 channel surround and 5.1 audio.

The film is presented in 4K resolution in HDR10 and Dolby Vision.

The original Super 16mm camera negative was scanned at 4K / 16 bit at Imagica, Japan. The film was restored in 4K and colour graded by Dragon Post Production, Wales.

Audio restoration of the stereo mix was completed by Bad Princess Productions. Audio restoration of the 4.0 surround mix was completed by Þorsteinn Gíslason.

Source materials for this project were sourced from Coproduction Office.

This presentation has been approved by Director of Photography Hideo Yamamoto.

This release may be a fascinating little home investigation project for enthusiastic videophiles in terms of Arrow's 1080 presentation, which was sourced off of a 2K scan of an interpositive. One might reasonably think that moving on to a 16mm negative and upping the ante the 4K (not to mention HDR / Dolby Vision) would end up with a veritable sea of splotchy grain, but kind of remarkably I'd rate grain resolution as substantially better looking in this presentation, even if, yes, it can be quite heavy at times. The HDR / Dolby Vision grades are also maybe a bit surprising as they tend to actually make the palette a bit more subtle at times rather than florid, though certain sequences like some of the cobalt blue drenched vignettes have some appreciable new highlights in the HDR grades. Arrow's 1080 presentation strikes me as a bit flushed and orange-yellow looking now, and while pretty noticeably modulated here, the palette is still natural looking and generally very robust.

Audition 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Audition features DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, DTS-HD Master Audio 4.0 and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 options. As I mentioned in my original review of the 1080 disc (which only had the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track), there may not be huge, bombastic low end (as Ken also noted with regard to the disc he reviewed), but there's otherwise quite compelling surround activity that adds measurably to the film's spooky content. There's almost all of that same surround activity present in the newly offered DTS-HD Master Audio 4.0 track, and since the 5.1 track doesn't shake the floorboards with LFE, it may sound even more similar. There's still probably wider imaging and more convincing directionality on the 5.1 track. The stereo track suffices perfectly well and delivers all elements in a well prioritized fashion. Dialogue is cleanly rendered on all three tracks. Optional English subtitles are available.

Audition 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This release repeats the enjoyable supplements that Arrow offered on its 1080 release, some of which were new then, along with a couple of "new new" supplements offered here. Note that the new interview with Ishibashi is in 4K.

• Audio Commentaries

  Commentary by Takashi Miike and Daisuke Tengan

  
  

  Commentary by Tom Mes

• Callback: Ryo Ishibashi on Audition (UHD; 8:00) is a 2026 interview. Subtitled in English.


• Deeper Deeper Into Audition (HD; 11:18) is a 2024 audio essay by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas which plays to a static image of key art.


• Interviews

  Takashi Miike: Ties that Bind (HD; 30:07)

  
  

  Ryo Ishibashi: Tokyo - Hollywood (HD; 16:15)

  
  

  Eihi Shiina: From Audition to Vampire Girl (HD; 20:10)

  
  

  Renji Ishibashi: Miike's Toy (HD; 20:57)

  
  

  Ren Osugi: The Man in the Bag Speaks (HD; 16:27)

• Damaged Romance: An Appreciation by Tony Rayns (HD; 35:22) features Rayns discussing a wide range of issues, including Miike's overall career.


• Trailers comes replete with a warning that the Japanese version has spoilers and that those wanting to avoid revelations should stick to the International version:

  Japanese Trailer (HD; 1:40)

  
  

  International Trailer (HD; 1:18)

• Gallery (HD)


• Introduction (HD; 1:16) can be found under the Play Menu, and offers Miike himself shyly giving an "audition interview" of sorts.

Arrow's insert booklet contains three good essays by Jennie Kermode, Jamie Graham and Anton Bitel. While the actual keepcase is black and therefore it's a bit hard to see, the sleeve is reversible, and packaging also features a slipcover.

Audition 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The back cover of this release rightly touts it as "one of the most notorious J Horror films ever made", and for those unacquainted with the twists and turns this story takes, a certain amount of steeling might be well advised. This new 4K edition offers solid technical merits and appealing supplements. Highly recommended.