Beverly Hills Cop III 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		0.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

Beverly Hills Cop III 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Paramount has released 1994's disappointing franchise film 'Bevery Hills Cop III,' directed by John Landis and starring Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, and Hector Elizondo, to the UHD format. New specifications include 2160p/Dolby Vision video. The film was previously released to Blu-ray in 2020, but only as part of a three film 'Beverly Hills Cop' bundle. That disc was sans special features, and this presentation is likewise absent any supplemental content. Also, this release includes the same DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack as was found on the previous release. The film is available both in this standalone release as well as in a new three film 'Beverly Hills Cop' UHD collection, but with one (for some critical) difference; see the 'Special Features and Extras' section of the review below for more on that.

Beverly Hills Cop III 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc.

Quite simply, Beverly Hills Cop III looks stunning on the UHD format. Even if the movie is the least in the series, it arguably looks the best. The picture quality is absurdly good, taking on a practically picture perfect and almost endlessly filmic appearance that gives the film a look as if it's straight from theaters, day one. Grain is ever present and faithfully presented. It's consistent in density, which is very flattering and naturally occurring. If there is any processing, it's all but impossible to spot. The result is a crisp, enormously satisfying picture with razor-sharp textures across the board, boasting exceedingly wonderful textures to faces and clothes but also a myriad of locations, from the opening shootout inside a chop shop with all of its ragged and jagged edges, to a carnival area seen often, and prominently, though much of the film's middle stretch. Everything looks strikingly rich and complex; there are no downturns beyond a handful of shots that look slightly smoother, for whatever reason, but the sum total, and the vast majority of the picture, is nothing but cinematic beauty and wonderful 2160p workmanship on display.

The Dolby Vision colors are just about perfect as well. The palette is as rich as they come, featuring the most stable, the most vivid, and the most accurate colors anyone is going to find for this film. This is a very neutral color scheme, with plenty of bold and vivid tones to enjoy, but there's not filmmaker-intended contrast or temperature adjustments to give the film a warm or cool appearance or anything other than a healthy, tonally neutral look. Compard to the previous Blu-ray, color density is greatly improved, presenting rich reds, natural greens, and bold blues with a great big boost to saturation, depth, and density. Every shade is far more vivid and lifelike than before on the 2020 Blu-ray, though never appearing over cranked or in any way removed from the naturally intended color scheme for the film. Likewise, white balance is brilliant with improved crispness and brightness. Black level depth is firmer and very rich, whether in low light nighttime exteriors (see the film's opening shootout) or a black suit and black police tactical gear seen in daylight (look around the 54-minute mark). Skin tones are very good with only the odd example of pastiness in a few shots, usually the same when the grain structures wanes.

There are also no print blemishes or encode faults or failures. This is a very faithful image that is all but perfect, a few fleeting shots notwithstanding. Fans are going to be beyond thrilled with this one.

Beverly Hills Cop III 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

This UHD release of Beverly Hills Cop III contains a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack, which is the same presentation that Paramount issued with the 2020 Blu-ray. The audio quality is fantastic; fans are going to be delighted, even considering the absence of an Atmos track (which is now more or less standard for Paramount on catalogue UHD releases). For a full audio review, please see the review of the 2020 Blu-ray by clicking here.

Beverly Hills Cop III 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

As with the 2020 Blu-ray, this UHD release of Beverly Hills Cop III contains no supplemental content. The main menu screen offers a static image with no musical accompaniment. Options include only "Play," "Settings," and "Scenes." No Blu-ray copy is included, but Paramount has bundled in a digital copy voucher. Note that this standalone release appears to ship with a slipcover. I am reviewing the film as it is found in the three film UHD bundle, which ships in a slip box with all three films in unique Amaray cases, but they do not include slipcovers. So, fans who want that slipcover will have to buy this individual release version rather than the version that comes with the other two films on the UHD format.

Beverly Hills Cop III 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

While the only change here over the 2020 Blu-ray is the addition of 2160p/Dolby Vision video, it's enough to warrant a repurchase. The boost in texture and the gains in color, even over what was (and still is!) an excellent Blu-ray, make this an easy purchase for fans of the film, the series, and for Eddie Murphy film collectors. Recommended. Enjoy!