Days of Thunder 4K Blu-ray Movie

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Days of Thunder 4K Blu-ray Movie United States

30th Anniversary Edition / 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital Copy
Paramount Pictures | 1990 | 107 min | Rated PG-13 | May 19, 2020

Days of Thunder 4K (Blu-ray Movie)

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Movie rating

6.6
 / 10

Blu-ray rating

Users4.1 of 54.1
Reviewer3.5 of 53.5
Overall3.5 of 53.5

Overview

Days of Thunder 4K (1990)

Talented but unproven stock car driver gets a break and with the guidance of a veteran driver turns heads on the track.

Starring: Tom Cruise, Robert Duvall, Nicole Kidman, Randy Quaid, Cary Elwes
Director: Tony Scott

Action100%
Sport22%
RomanceInsignificant
DramaInsignificant

Specifications

  • Video

    Video codec: HEVC / H.265
    Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
    Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
    Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1

  • Audio

    English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
    German: Dolby Digital 5.1
    Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
    Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
    French: Dolby Digital 5.1
    Italian: Dolby Digital 5.1
    Japanese: Dolby Digital 2.0
    Portuguese: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
    Spanish=España y Latinoamérica, Portuguese=Brasil

  • Subtitles

    English, English SDH, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, Arabic, Cantonese, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Greek, Icelandic, Korean, Norwegian, Romanian, Swedish, Thai

  • Discs

    Blu-ray Disc
    Single disc (1 BD)
    Digital copy
    4K Ultra HD

  • Packaging

    Slipcover in original pressing

  • Playback

    Region A (B, C untested)

Review

Rating summary

Movie2.5 of 52.5
Video0.0 of 50.0
Audio4.5 of 54.5
Extras1.5 of 51.5
Overall3.5 of 53.5

Days of Thunder 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman May 27, 2020

Paramount has released 1990's NASCAR drama 'Days of Thunder,' Directed by Tony Scott, to the UHD format. Specifications include 2160p/Dolby Vision video, a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack, and a couple of extras.


Car dealer Tim Daland (Randy Quaid) risks everything on a young hotshot race car driver named Cole Trickle (Tom Cruise), fresh off the open wheel circuit and eager to get into stock car racing. Daland propositions former NASCAR crew chief Harry Hogge (Robert Duvall) to watch Cole race and, ultimately, build him a winning stock car. Cole impresses everyone at his trial, including Winston Cup star and two-time champion Rowdy Burns (Michael Rooker). Cole and Hogge team up on the new City Chevrolet-sponsored car but fail to win their first several races, thanks in part to Rowdy's aggressive racing style that frustrates Cole and the rookie driver's inability to follow Hogge's instructions. Finally, with Cole accepting his role as a member of a team and not simply an individual in a stock car, he begins to win races and takes the NASCAR world by storm. However, a destructive on-track crash leaves both Cole and Rowdy in the hospital, their futures as drivers in question. While they recover, Cole falls for his doctor, Claire Lewicki (Nicole Kidman), and the burgeoning star must deal with shifting loyalties as a promising new young driver, Russ Wheeler (Cary Elwes), drives Cole's car and catches team owner Daland's eye.

For a full film review, please click here.


Days of Thunder 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality  n/a of 5

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

Paramount's UHD release of Days of Thunder looks very good, but it's not perfect. The new 2160p/Dolby Vision presentation compliments the film nicely in total well, delivering an oftentimes striking presentation that is absolutely faithful to the picture's shot-on-film roots. It boasts an intact grain structure which does demonstrate a propensity to push a bit sharp in some of the more challenging scenes, particularly in low light (Harry Hogge building the car in chapter four) or some of the challenging shots on the race track. Some of the more intense grain fields can push more noisy and swarming rather than organic; look at the 10:50 mark as Trickle takes the car around the track. The sky looks like it's dancing with clumpy noise; the effect is much less subdued, if noticeable at all, on the Blu-ray. When Trickle gets out of the car and shakes hands with Buck, the background looks incredibly harsh-edged, processed, and digital, particularly the black horizontal line running across the screen. The same doesn't look anywhere near as harsh on the Blu-ray. One could make the case that the Blu-ray edges out the UHD in this area, at least. Unfortunately Paramount has not included it in this set to make that comparison easy; it's only available as part of the studio's "Paramount Presents" line.

Generally speaking, though, the resolution boost does allow textures to breathe a little more. Skin details are tack-sharp, as are clothing lines, including Trickle's denim jacket, various racing suits, and environmental elements both natural and manmade, on the track and away from it. And when the grain is consistent, as it is for the majority of the picture, it ranks as one of the better looking images, in terms of film-like texturing, on the format. The Dolby Vision color grading brings with it a heightened sense of realism to tones, at least within the film's lighting structure. Parts of the movie push somewhat warm while others thrive in dynamic low light conditions, particularly when the opportunity presents for a bright light source to penetrate the shadowy surroundings. Colors find excellent fidelity and faithfulness, offering improved saturation without dialing up contrast too far or fundamentally altering a core color temperature. Tones are deeper in general, offering more favorable fullness and dynamic range, extending across essentials like skin tones, clothing hues, and environmental shades. The City Chevrolet car and corresponding uniforms seen in the first act jump off the screen with beautifully dynamic green and yellow tones and perfect gradations. There's just enough added color oomph to bring them to more vivid life compared to the otherwise excellent Blu-ray, which is itself certainly not lacking on color stability and output abilities; this is just a fortified version thereof. Whites are more dynamic and brilliant here and blacks are deeper without sacrificing shadow detail. The image looks excellent overall. There are some odds and ends that might give less forgiving viewers pause but the majority of the movie looks great.


Days of Thunder 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality  4.5 of 5

Days of Thunder's UHD disc does not conclude a Dolby Atmos soundtrack but rather a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack, the same found on the concurrently issued remastered Blu-ray. The track is agreeably guttural and dynamic, offering a healthy, vigorous compliment to the movie's racing scene needs. Cars dart around the track with impressive feel for natural movement and the throaty engine depth engages the low end forcefully but with commanding balance and authenticity. Combined with energetic music, stretching far and boasting excellent definition throughout the range, and the racing scenes dazzle. The track finds firm command of less intensive score in dialogue scenes, which also boast fine atmospheric elements in support of the spoken word, which presents with natural positioning and clarity. It's a shame Paramount didn't make the effort to expand the track into the Atmos configuration, which would have only boosted the feel for immersion during races and allowed the public address announcements heard during the climactic race to take on a more natural dispersal and top end positioning, but as it is the 5.1 track handles the content with the intensity and depth it demands.


Days of Thunder 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras  1.5 of 5

The previously issued Blu-ray release of Days of Thunder included only the film's trailer. Paramount has dropped that extra for this UHD release but added two new ones. A digital copy code is included with purchase.

  • Filmmaker Focus: Days of Thunder (1080p, 6:39): This is a new retrospective with Jerry Bruckheimer who explores Tony Scott's work on the film, the dynamics of NASCAR racing and how it translated to film, cast and performances, and the film's legacy.
  • Isolated Score Track (Dolby Digital 2.0): Watch the film with only its score. This supplement does not appear under the "Extras" tab but rather the "Settings" tab.


Days of Thunder 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation  3.5 of 5

Days of Thunder's UHD races towards victory lane with fresh tires and a new coat of paint. There are a few potholes along the way but most will assuredly be thrilled to put this one into the winner's circle. The UHD picture is strong, the 5.1 track is excellent, and the studio has added a couple of bonuses to boot. Recommended.