Breakdown 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Breakdown 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Paramount has released the incredible 1997 film 'Breakdown,' starring Kurt Russell, J.T. Walsh, and Kathleen Quinlan, and directed by Jonathan Mostow, to the UHD format. New specifications include 2160p/Dolby Vision video. The UHD disc carries over the same Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack from the film's Blu-ray debut, a Paramount Presents discs released in 2021. There are no extras on the UHD, but the bundled Blu-ray, which is that same Paramount Presents disc, includes all of the legacy Blu-ray extras. At time of writing, this UHD release is only available as part of the four film Paramount Scares: Volume 2 collection.

Breakdown 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from the UHD disc output at 1080p. They are not representative of the UHD/Dolby Vision image you will see on your screen.

Breakdown took a long time to get to Blu-ray...about 15 years, give or take, since the format's debut to the film's release, but at the wait was well worth it. The 2021 Paramount Presents disc was fantastic, and here it is not 15 more years for the UHD, but just about three. So, the question is, does Breakdown fall down on the UHD format, or does the image build on what was an excellent Blu-ray debut?

The fair answer is sort of. To both questions. To be sure, the new Dolby Vision color grading deepens the colors and gives even bright outdoor shots a sense of tighter foreboding, leaving the image certainly and obviously darker. Look at the scene when the Jeep breaks down around the 8-minute mark. The shot on the road is much darker, and the red jeep is rendered a fair bit deeper on the UHD, where the Blu-ray is many shades brighter and the red Jeep much more gaudy. The deeper colors and the darker appearance are really the signature elements here. And, honestly, I'm not sure I prefer the Dolby Vision grading over the Blu-ray's SDR grading. The whole movie just look like it's taking place at dusk, and some lower light interiors are rendered much harder to see, such as the diner interior scene in the 16-minute mark. Some of the lower light shots are nicely dark with good shadow detail, notably in the third act. It looks fine, but I'm not sure how much more accurate it is. I think this one will come down to viewer preference.

The 2160p resolution doesn't elevate the image to look worlds sharper than its Blu-ray counterpart, either. In fact, the picture looks bit smooth, not scrubbed down or anything but grain is not dense and the image can look fairly flat and pasty, but still with suitably dense textures. Closeups of dusty cars and desert terrain fare well enough, as do various examples of clothing, but never to any kind of radical degree to truly distinguish this image from the Blu-ray. It's sharper, yet not astronomically so. There are moments of high end sharpness, and others where the UHD seems to just piddle along without much gain over the Blu-ray

The image is free from any obvious print anomalies and encode flubs, so that much is good, but I found myself really frustrated with this one. I'm glad the UHD ships with the Blu-ray, too, because I honestly don't know which one I prefer: the UHD at times, the Blu-ray at other times.

Breakdown 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

For this UHD release of Breakdown, Paramount has opted to simply port over the Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack that accompanied the film's 2021 "Paramount Presents" Blu-ray release. It's a solid track, though there will certainly be a vocal fanbase lamenting the absence of a Dolby Atmos option. For full coverage of the included audio track, please click here.

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

This UHD release of Breakdown contains no extras on the HUD disc, but the bundled Blu-ray does include all of the extras from the 2021 "Paramount Presents" disc. See below for a bulleted list of what's included and please click here for full written reviews of the extras. As it ships in the second volume of the Paramount Scares collection, a slipcover (which matches the other films in the set) and a digital copy code are included.

• Filmmaker Focus: Director Jonathan Mostow on Breakdown
• Victory Is Hers: Kathleen Quinlan on Breakdown
• A Brilliant Partnership: Martha De Laurentiis on Breakdown
• Alternate Opening
• Alternate Opening with Commentary by Director Jonathan Mostow
• Trailers
• Audio Commentary
• Isolated Score

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

This is one of my favorite films, something I can put on at any time and be riveted from start to finish, even if I've seen it well over a dozen times. I love it, but I'm not in love with the UHD. The 2160p resolution doesn't bring it to life above and beyond the Blu-ray, with mostly only modest gains to sharpness, at times with some more obvious gains, and at others almost no gains at all, while the Dolby Vision grading offers some deeper colors but leaves the movie mostly just looking a lot darker. It's not exactly what I expected, and I'd label it as "adequate" at best. The audio is fine, and the carryover extras are very good.