Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		0.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Sony has released the 2000 film 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,' directed by Ang Lee and starring Chow Yun-fat and Michelle Yeoh, to the UHD format. New specifications include Dolby Vision video. No new audio or supplements are included; both audio and supplements are ported over from the 2016 UHD. No Blu-ray disc is included; all extras are found on the UHD disc. At time of writing, this release is exclusive to the eleven-film Sony Pictures Classics: 30th Anniversary Collection boxed set.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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

Sony's 2160p/Dolby Vision UHD presentation of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon looks marvelous. Like the previous issue, the 2160p resolution brings perfect textural elegance and complexity to the screen. For this segment of the review, comments on the 2016 UHD suffice, so be sure to read there. In short: incredible clarity, lifelike detail, and elegant grain are the mainstays and main takeaways here. It's a perfect cinematic image.

The Dolby Vision color grading is the big upgrade here, and even over the previous HDR the improvements are evident. There is a rush of depth and intensity, of realism and accuracy, that surpass even the HDR grading. The sense of absolute tonal realism, accuracy, and elegance are on fine display throughout, particularly in the ornate clothing seen throughout the film. Colors are vivid but never oversaturated. There is a very real sense of precision and naturally occurring boldness at work. Natural greens delight with a sense of punchy reality and tangible depth that is second to none. Flesh tones are perfect, black levels depth is exquisite, and whites are brilliant. This is a breathtaking image from Sony; watch it on as large a screen as possible for maximum impact and wow factor.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

For this UHD release, Sony has simply ported over the previous UHD's Dolby Atmos soundtrack. For convenience find below the text from the original Blu-ray review:

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon's Atmos soundtrack is superb. The film's elements play in expert harmony, with the added middle-back and top layer sound emplacements adding a greater sense of depth and immersion to the proceedings. The musical track in particular plays with a grandiose flair and balance, held up by a strong foundational low end and a wide sense of depth of delivery and width of engagement around the stage. Instrumental clarity is stellar, particularly in some of the more impactful, deeper lines that pulse through the movie and play like the lifeblood of many action scenes. The listener will feel centralized in the orchestra and hear it as richly as one would expect in real life. Sword clanks yield impressive clarity through a range of light pings and heavy gongs. Movement about the stage -- whether flowing characters or gentle breezes -- enjoys a precision of excellence and pinpoint placement that perfectly aligns with the on- and off-screen action. With firmly planted and realistically clear dialogue, this track is nothing short of a pleasure in every regard. Few are as good as this.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This UHD release of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, as it ships in the Sony Pictures Classics 30th Anniversary boxed set, includes the same extras from the 2016 UHD, minus the now-extinct "Cast and Crew" photos and "Moments" collage. See below for a list of what's included and please click here for full coverage. As it ships in that boxed set, a non-embossed slipcover is included.

• Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: A Retrospective
• Anniversary Edition Introduction by Director Ang Lee
• Deleted Scenes: Now with Dolby Vision
• Audio Commentary: Director Ang Lee and Writer/Producer James Schamus
• Audio Commentary: Cinematographer Peter Pau
• The Making of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
• Music Video: A Love Before Time (English Version)
• Music Video: A Love Before Time (Mandarin Version)
• A Conversation with Michelle Yeoh
• Photo Gallery
• Theatrical Trailer

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Simply put, the film looks incredible on UHD, as it did before. Now, with Dolby Vision color grading, it looks even better. Fans are going to be absolutely delighted with this release. Very highly recommended!