Creature from the Black Lagoon 4K + 3D Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Creature from the Black Lagoon 4K + 3D Blu-ray Movie Review

Universal has released the classic 1943 film 'Creature from the Black Lagoon,' starring Richard Carlson and Julie Adams and directed by Jack Arnold, to the UHD format. New specifications include 2160p/HDR video. This set includes the same primary audio track and the same supplements from the 2013 Blu-ray. Note that the Blu-ray also includes a Blu-ray 3-D presentation of the film in addition to the standard 2-D presentation. All of the extras also appear on the UHD disc. Note that, at time of publication, this disc is exclusive to a second volume of the four-film Universal Classic Monsters collection (please click here for more on volume one).

Creature from the Black Lagoon 4K + 3D Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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

Universal brings Creature from the Black Lagoon to the UHD format with a 2160p/HDR transfer. As with the other black-and-white (and the color, for that matter) films in this collection, the HDR pass does wonders for the movie's tonal yield. And as with the other titles sharing space with Creature from the Black Lagoon in this second Classic Monsters UHD collection, the evidence for the HDR grading's superiority is apparent right out of the gate with the title card at the 19-second mark. The transformation is significant for brightness and the white balance and brilliance on the letters. It's a word I throw around often, but it is applicable, again: the Blu-ray looks pale and creamy in comparison. The HDR grading brings newfound white level vividness and intensity to the screen, and the contrast behind with reinforced grays and superior smoky whites make the title card alone a beautiful sight to behold. The HDR grading proves its worth throughout, offering more of these same brilliant whites in addition to excellent shadow depth and detail and superior grayscale renderings. This is a revelation compared to the 2013 Blu-ray.

Also a revelation is the increased crispness, clarity, textural might, and grain presentation compared to the 2013 Blu-ray. The movie thrives at this resolution where the grain is very nicely rendered, holding a naturally filmic appearance, even through most of the challenging underwater scenes. On the surface, in bright sun, the picture looks incredibly filmic. The grain is naturally occurring and light but also flattering and critical. There is no evidence of noise reduction, and the result are super-sharp details throughout. There are quite a few softer, fuzzier shots (look at the 43:25 mark, for example, going all the way 43:36, comprising two total shots). Ken Brown addresses these same concerns in his Blu-ray review, but like Ken I hold to the belief that these are inherent to the source rather than a fault of any step along the transfer process, not with surrounding material looking so breathtakingly good. There are a few stray speckles here and there, but even with some inherent shortcomings this is a beautiful image from Universal.

Creature from the Black Lagoon 4K + 3D Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

This UHD release simply repurposes the DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono lossless soundtrack from the 2013 Blu-ray. Please click here for a full review.

Creature from the Black Lagoon 4K + 3D Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This UHD release of Creature from the Black Lagoon includes all of the legacy extras from the 2013 Blu-ray. All of the extras can be found on the included Blu-ray, which is identical to the 2013 release, and on the UHD disc itself. As it ships in the Universal Classic Monsters boxed set, a digital copy code is included with purchase. For full coverage of the supplemental content, please click here.

• Back to the Black Lagoon
• Production Photographs
• Audio Commentary
• Trailer Gallery
• 100 Years of Universal: The Lot

Creature from the Black Lagoon 4K + 3D Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Despite some unsightly shots inherent to the source, Creature from the Black Lagoon looks marvelous. Add in legacy audio and supplements and this is a top-flight UHD from Universal. Highly recommended.