Everest 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.5

Everest 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Universal previously released 'Everest' in both 2D and 3D Blu-ray formats in January of this year. The film has now received a UHD release that includes the basic 1080p Blu-ray, but not the 3D disc.

Everest 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc. Watch for 4K screenshots at a later date.

According to IMDB, Everest was photographed at 3.4K and 6K but finished at 2K, making this, presumably, an upscale to 4K from the 2K digital intermediate. The previously released 2D Blu-ray looked fantastic already, and without coming from a true 4K source, one must wonder what, if any, real benefit there may be from a movie of this sort on UHD. The short answer is that it offers a nice, albeit rather subtle, uptick in quality, not a leaps-and-bounds improvement. Everest's primary asset is its color scheme. With a predominantly white background beyond some opening minute sequences and occasional turns to locations beyond the mountainside or basecamp, the image is home to plenty of bright, cheery, high visibility colors contrasted against bright white backgrounds. The UHD takes those colors and refines them. It's a bit brighter overall, and the HDR enhancement adds some punch and vitality to a palette that's already brimming with it. It never looks gaudy, but it does look more realistically saturated, maintaining the same look and feel while adding some juice to an already impressive color scheme. Compare most any of the early basecamp shots or scenes. With the bright white background, clear visibility, and colors abundant, any scene will provide evidence of the UHD/HDR improvements. Detailing and clarity earn nice boosts, too. Facial textures appear much more refined, whether stubble, full beards, pores, or even, later in the move, frozen-on chunks of ice. It's not evident right away, especially not having seen the movie since January. But there's no mistaking the UHD's improvements on a side-by-side comparison. Every close-up detail is truly more refined, to the point that the Blu-ray can look a bit smooth in comparison. A good example comes at the 1:35:45 mark. A character is freezing and dying on Everest, and even as there's some blustery snow blowing atop the shot, one can still clearly see how the UHD improves every layer -- pores, hair, ice, and attire -- to a level not substantial over the Blu-ray, but noticeably more complex. Is it enough to get really excited about? Yes, but with the understanding that -- and this gets bandied about a lot in these reviews -- it's not substantial.

Everest 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

When Everest first released to Blu-ray, it featured a Dolby Atmos soundtrack. At the time, Blu-ray.com reviewers were not equipped to review that track. Things have changed, and this is a fresh audio review of the movie's Atmos presentation that's also been carried over to the UHD. The extended overhead presence doesn't make a huge impact on the track as a whole -- it was already very dynamic and exciting in its 7.1 configuration -- but there's a positive sense of heightened immersion nonetheless. Blustery winds blows hard through the stage. The effect is very detailed, but it's still a mass of sound pushing hard, and regularly. The added height speakers do a fair job of building on the already immersive sensation, but the additional layering doesn't make such moments substantially more dynamic. The track squeezes in a few lighter overhead details throughout, though as with my Atmos track, the overall effect feels more complimentary than absolutely necessary, i.e. the listener won't be bombarded with discrete overhead effects in Everest. The remainder is largely identical, with well spaced music that's crystal clear. The low end packs a very heavy wallop on numerous occasions. Dialogue clarity is fantastic, and it's well prioritized even over crackling radios or coming through those heavy blowing winds.

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

Everest contains all of its supplemental content only on the included 1080p Blu-ray disc, with the exception of the Baltasar Kormákur commentary track, which is featured on both discs. Please click here for a review. A UV/iTunes digital copy code is included with purchase.

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

Everest definitely looks better on UHD, but the improvement isn't leaps and bounds over the Blu-ray. There's no question colors pop with more natural grace and dynamism and that details are tighter. This is definitely the way to watch the movie, but with the Blu-ray already so fantastic, UHD capable viewers who already own the BD should wait to replace it when this goes on a good sale. For newcomers to the film, pick this one up. It comes with the 1080p Blu-ray, so even for those who have yet to upgrade to 4K, this release is currently as future-proof as it gets.