Christine 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Christine 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Sony has released the John Carpenter film 'Christine' to the UHD format. The film has twice been released before in the United States, once in 2013 by Twilight Time and again in 2015 by Sony. Sony's new UHD delivers 2160p/HDR video and a new Dolby Atmos soundtrack. The 4K disc includes the film's teaser and theatrical trailer, which were not previously included with either release. The bundled Blu-ray is identical to that released by Sony in 2015 and includes all other supplemental content. Like the 2015 Sony disc, this release still does not include the isolated score track from the Twilight Time release.

Christine 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.

Christine's opening, grainy 1957 Detroit factory scene offers the first look at the HDR color's punch when the titular car, freshly red and super shiny, arrives on the line with tremendous saturation and vitality. The color is so much deeper than the Blu-ray. The image is, overall, darker too, with greatly improved shadow depth and back levels under the car and behind the front tire, for example. But it's a very impressive improvement that renders the car's color almost a deep blood red. The shot absolutely, in every way, blows the Blu-ray away; it's amazing what a critical difference HDR makes on this one. The next time the audience sees Christine, the car is sitting in a field, its paint worn down, its grill dented, weed growing around and through it, rust and holes pocking its metallic flesh. The paint is still much deeper here without betraying the idea that the car appears long past its prime. And nearly every color example from here on out, the car or otherwise, dazzles. Color depth throughout the entire film soars above the Blu-ray, which appears pasty, too bright, far less perfectly saturated in comparison. Natural greens are wonderfully deep and dense. Clothes are impressively solid. Black levels throughout the film are deep and true, intense without devouring any details, though some shots do come close (26:00, a scene in which Arnie and Dennis chat in Dennis' car at night).

Textural efficiency is raised, too. The 2160p "true" 4K image reveals every detail within the car's interior, whether fresh on the factory floor, dilapidated when Arnie buys her, and later as she's been restored. Elsewhere beyond the car the image absolutely delights. Grain is presented with a finesse and filmic structure that's very impressively complimentary, with only the odd moment spiking in intensity. Details are more stabilized on the UHD, finding another gear of naturalism and intimacy that even a very good Blu-ray cannot produce. Character skin offers more tangible depth and various environments, whether that factory floor from the opening minutes, the salvage yard where Arnie works on his love, or school hallways that reveal every small scratch and dent in lockers, are often showcases for this native 4K picture to shine.

This UHD...it's almost like a time machine. Christine looks as pristine as it must have on the day it theatrically released, if not better. Sony's dominance on the UHD landscape continues with what is a new crown jewel in the catalogue. An argument could probably be made for a score of 4.5, but the image is so impressive, so filmic and fluid, it's hard to allow just a couple of insignificant bumps in the road to numerically detract from an otherwise picture-perfect release.

Christine 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Christine's new Dolby Atmos soundtrack doesn't reinvent the movie's audio but it does reproduce it without flaw and with a little more flair than the Blu-ray's 5.1 presentation. The presentations are not radically different. Spacial awareness is heightened a bit with the Atmos track. When the bullies pick on Arnie early in the movie -- ruining his lunch and stomping on his glasses-- vocals reverberate with an appreciable sense of wide-open space, with a nice little filtering through the top as well. Some of the movie's more potent effects, while they lack in the sort of absolute clarity that define today's tracks, enjoy enough vroom and depth and satisfy, offering a surprising amount of stage-filling goodness. Music is presented with impressive fidelity and fluid spacing, whether considering popular songs or Carpenter's synth soundtrack. Dialogue is clear and stationary in the center beyond examples of natural reverb. This is a very nice compliment to the A+ visuals.

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

Christine's 4K disc includes the films' Teaser (1080p, 1:31) and Theatrical (1080p, 0:52) trailers, which are new. Otherwise, all supplemental content is carried over on the bundled Blu-ray, which is identical to that Sony released in 2015. 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. The release ships with a non-embossed slipcover.

• Audio Commentary: Director John Carpenter and Actor Keith Gordon.
• Deleted Scenes
• Christine: Fast and Furious
• Christine: Finish Line
• Christine: Ignition

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

Christine is a showcase for an older film given brand-new life on UHD. It's not that the previous Blu-ray was in any way poor, but it's impressive just how much room the image had to grow. Texturally, the UHD firmer, finer, sharper, and the grain structure is nearly perfect. In terms of its HDR color scheme, the image is given brand new life, with the titular car a particular beneficiary of the color format's performance. It's difficult to imagine the movie looking any better than this, to imagine Sony squeezing out any more life from the movie. Fans are in for a real treat and picture quality enthusiasts are, too. The Atmos track is fine and the (mostly) carryover extras are solid. Very highly recommended.