5.6 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.2 |
A quest that begins as a personal vendetta for the fierce Cimmerian warrior soon turns into an epic battle against hulking rivals, horrific monsters, and impossible odds, as Conan realizes he is the only hope of saving the great nations of Hyboria from an encroaching reign of supernatural evil.
Starring: Jason Momoa, Stephen Lang, Rachel Nichols, Ron Perlman, Rose McGowanAction | 100% |
Adventure | 71% |
Fantasy | 53% |
Comic book | 35% |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby Atmos
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: Dolby Digital 2.0
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
English, English SDH, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
UV digital copy
4K Ultra HD
Region A (locked)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
My The Cabin in the Woods 4K Blu-ray review mentioned how Lionsgate is seemingly randomly going through its vast catalog and upgrading certain titles for the 4K UHD format. Looking back on it now, these sometimes strange choices included August’s release of The Lincoln Lawyer 4K, but Lionsgate's 4K UHD release strategy (?) really caught my eye in September, with RED 4K and RED 2 4K accompanying The Cabin in the Woods 4K on its early September release date. Now Lionsgate is back in mid September with two more kind of odd choices for 4K UHD upgrades (in addition to this, Lionsgate is also bringing out The Legend of Hercules 4K), at least in terms of how the films have been received critically and with regard to boxoffice appeal.
The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc. Watch for 4K screenshots at a later date.
Conan the Barbarian is presented on 4K UHD courtesy of Lionsgate Films with a 2160p transfer in 2.40:1. Shot on film and finished at a 2K
DI, Conan the Barbarian often looked pretty spectacular in 1080p on standard Blu-ray (I gave top marks to it in my review), and as with many
other 2K upgrades, there are noticeable if at times rather subtle upticks in detail levels and, when lighting conditions allow and close-ups prevail, fine
detail levels as well. Some of the most striking differences, though, come courtesy of HDR, which lends new presence to the kind of desaturated,
charcoal gray sensibility that informs the film's opening scenes. Some of the more sun drenched material has a slightly warmer appearance than the
Blu-ray version. Interestingly, some of the background paintings assume more of a Frazetta-ish quality than in the 1080p version. Grain can
occasionally look just slightly noisy, typically in some of the more brightly lit outdoor moments where blue skies predominate and slightly swarm like
arrays are more noticeable.
Both this release and The Legend of Hercules 4K have been upgraded with Dolby Atmos audio, and the results on Conan the Barbarian are apparent from the get go, with Morgan Freeman's narration wafting clearly overhead in a way that isn't quite as noticeable on the already fantastic sounding DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 mix. The fight scenes offer a glut of midair activity, and the film's rather enjoyable score also offers a lot of surround presence. As I mentioned in the Conan the Barbarian Blu-ray review, the film's huge climactic showdown provides some of the most awesome sound design in the feature, and the Atmos track ups the ante in both terms of extremely forceful LFE and a glut of discrete channelization.
The 4K UHD disc ports over the supplements detailed in the Conan the Barbarian Blu-ray review. That said, note that the 1080p Blu-ray disc provided in this package is the standalone 2D version, a disc that contains no supplemental material (other than trailers for other Lionsgate properties) and 5.1 audio (instead of the 3D Blu-ray disc's 7.1 audio).
It's hard to outright recommend a film as silly and cliché ridden as Conan the Barbarian is, but its presentation on 4K UHD is often quite striking visually and probably even more frequently astounding from a sonic standpoint. Lionsgate hasn't provided the 3D version of the film on Blu- ray, for fans looking for that element.
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