Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

Bad Boys II 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Sony has released 'Bad Boys II' to the UHD format with new 4K/HDR video and a new Dolby Atmos soundtrack. The film was previously released as a 'Mastered in 4K' Blu-ray. The UHD adds no new supplements. It is also currently only available in a bundle with 'Bad Boys.'

Bad Boys II 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.

Bad Boys II was a beast on Blu-ray. The "Mastered in 4K" release delivered one of the most exceptional pictures that format could possibly produce, squeezing out every last ounce of picture quality excellence possible. It's difficult to imagine the movie seeing much improvement in true 4K and, indeed, the net result on UHD is an image that takes what the Blu-ray had on offer and refines it with the added boost to resolution and HDR color grading. Revelatory this is not, fine-tuned this is. Textures are boosted with mild, but critical, added clarity. Facial textures, dense and deep on the previous release, enjoy a boost in terms of tangible intimacy and small but noticeable increases in razor-sharpness. The grain structure is perhaps a little sharper, too, slightly more refined and, not that it wasn't before, absolutely cinematic. The entire image is really much the same, texturally, throttling up from "wow" to, um, wow-plus?. That's really the short-and-sweeet of it. Just imagine the Blu-ray plus a little more.

The HDR color grading offers a more significant, but still not monumental, shift from the Blu-ray. Color grading runs a little punchier, and the signature Michael Bay contrast boost remains in full effect. Colors are absolutely intense, with blue skies, for example, a centerpiece in several scenes that reproduce a shade of eye-popping purity and brilliance. The film is abundantly colorful, even in darker scenes, where the palette maintains that Bay punch and black levels remain thick and dense as the filmmaker seemed to envision. Whites are amongst the most obvious improvements, finding another gear for purity and brilliance. Skin tones run a bit warm, as they should.

Bad Boys II looks darn near perfect on UHD, with no immediately obvious print issues or distracting encode flaws. The UHD is top-notch, subtly improving on one of the all-time great reference Blu-ray releases.

Bad Boys II 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Bad Boys II features a Dolby Atmos soundtrack that's just killer from start to finish. It's massive, unyielding in its command of the entire stage, taking full advantage of every speaker to make each detail present in full effect. Like the UHD video, it's not a sonic revelation over the film's previous 5.1 lossless track, but the increase in fluidity, spacial awareness, and precision are the greatest improvements. Don't expect a barrage of discrete overhead elements, either, but do expect a complimentary use of the upward positions, creating a more stable, fluid, and accurate sense of place in quieter scenes and chaotic immersion in the film's many, complex, and loud action scenes. The track is never shy about blasting away, either, offering prodigious volume, endless surround content, and tight and responsive bass. Dialogue is firm and well prioritized through all of the madness and, certainly, in quieter exchanges. This is a very fulfilling listen from Sony.

Bad Boys II 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Bad Boys II's UHD disc holds no extras beyond the cast and crew stills tab. The bundled Blu-ray is identical to the "mastered in 4K" release from 2015 and includes all the same extras. For convenience, below is a list of what's included. For full supplemental reviews, please click here. A Movies Anywhere digital copy code is included with purchase.

• Deleted Scenes
• Production Diaries:
• Genesis
• Training Days
• Swamp
• Night Club
• Intersection Shootout
• Get Into My Office!
• Hugs and Kisses
• Poolside
• Jordi Mollá
• First Date
• Crime Lab
• Captain's House
• A Couple of Cameos
• Train Dodging
• Joey Pants
• The Russian Is Coming
• Home Invasion
• Bringing Down the House
• Shanty Town
• Sequence Breakdown
• Stunts
• Visual Effects
• Music Video
• Theatrical Trailers

Bad Boys II 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Bad Boys II doesn't reinvent the wheel, it just makes it bigger, faster, and more attractive. The film is little more than a collection of high intensity action scenes with tons of irreverent humor and mild characterization tossed in between. It's slick, high energy fun and a huge success for what it is and wants to be, which is, essentially, the quintessential Michael Bay experience. Sony's UHD release of Bad Boys II just didn't have much room to best what was one of the top handful of Blu-ray's out there. The UHD does slightly refine the image, fine-tuning it to absolute cinematic perfection, with slight upticks in clarity and sharpness and modest adds to color punch and depth, but it's not a revelation, and rightly so. For fans wanting the absolute best quality possible for the film at this point in time, this is it. For those happy with the Blu-ray, there's not an immediate need to upgrade, even with the excellent Atmos soundtrack.