Fast & Furious 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Fast & Furious 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Universal has released the fourth film in the Fast franchise, 'Fast & Furious,' to the UHD format. The new release includes a 2160p/HDR video presentation and a DTS:X Master Audio soundtrack. No new supplements are included but the bundled Blu-ray, identical to that which Universal released a decade ago, carries over all of the legacy content.

Fast & Furious 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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

Ah. 4K beauty again! After the major letdown that was Tokyo Drift's DNR-heavy UHD, Fast and Furious speeds onto the UHD format with a glorious 2160p/HDR-enhanced presentation. It's firm, filmic, and fully attractive. Grain is retained in full; there's not a trace of scrubbing or any heavy-handed processing. Textures are lively and filmic, and the clean source and high resolution allow viewers to soak in every skin detail, clothing nuance, and environmental tidbit with steadfast precision, intimacy, and total clarity. Whether in low light interiors, dark exteriors, or under full sun, the screen-commanding clarity, accuracy, and faithfully film-like presentation sees the image quickly ascend to and remain at a very welcome perch of visual excellence. It's far more commanding and beautiful than the Blu-ray, which is itself no slouch, but the UHD tightens grain, hones textures, and enhances clarity and sharpness. It's no contest.

HDR colors do run with high contrast, with flesh tones appearing very warm. The palette is pushed to its limit but it's an agreeable look for the movie, and the HDR certainly does its job by amping up the spectrum, considerably. A truck explodes a few minutes into the movie. The fireball enjoys significant adds to boldness and intensity. The previous Blu-ray cannot approach the level of saturation the HDR provides. In the next scene, a beachside nighttime gathering, black levels prove perfectly balanced and deep. Flesh tones hold warmth but Dom's and Letty's white shirts enjoy far greater crispness and purity than the same seen on the decade-old Blu-ray. Cars are again the finest examples of the HDR's excellence, finding fantastic sheen and intensity to, as always, a pleasing array of colors that leap off the screen with picture perfect polish. This is arguably the best UHD in the series through the first four films. The only blemishes come in extremely rare speckles that don't diminish the sheer joy of Universal's latest UHD winner.

Fast & Furious 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

For its first few minutes, the entirety of the truck chase sequence, Fast & Furious' DTS:X Master Audio soundtrack proves itself the anti-Disney track. At reference volume, it's thunderously loud. Too loud for even this reviewer's ears and probably too loud for the majority of listeners. It's absolutely engaged through the entire stage -- as is the entirety of the track -- but turn the volume down and save those ears. Once the title card appears, the track's volume evens out. Back at reference level for the following nighttime beach party scene both enveloping atmosphere and soft music offer a nice reprieve from the madness preceding it and a respite from the sonic assault to follow. The track maintains a more balanced volume output for the duration. Action scenes are sonic spectacles, with all of the usual franchise hallmarks in play, including fluidly spaced and aggressively tuned music that enjoys muscular stances throughout, flowing around with precision placement and total listener engagement, including a perfectly blended top layer. Action scenes, mostly cars zipping around various locations, play with perfect engine growls and signatures and general verve. The feel for low end is pronounced and perfectly balanced while zip and zoom and stage traversal come flawlessly. Gunfire during a shootout in chapter 11 enjoys rich, accurate pop with shots naturally emanating from every speaker. Dialogue is perfectly positioned and prioritized. This track is a full-on assault that maintains clarity and precision for the duration. Like the other tracks, this one is much like the car engines: finely tuned and adjusted to be in peak working order.

Fast & Furious 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Fast and Furious' UHD disc only includes the legacy Justin Lin commentary track. That track, plus all of the other extras, can be found on the bundled Blu-ray. For convenience, below is a list of what's included. For full supplemental content coverage, please click here. A Movies Anywhere digital copy code is included with purchase.

• Gag Reel
• Original Short Film: Los Bandoleros
• Under the Hood: Muscle Cars & Imports
• Getting the Gang Back Together
• Driving School with Vin Diesel
• Shooting the Big Rig Heist
• Races & Chases
• High Octane Action: The Stunts
• South of the Border: Filming in Mexico
• Virtual Car Garage
• Fast & Furious Video Mash-Up
• "Blanco" Music Video by Pitbull Featuring Pharrell
• Trailers
• Feature Commentary with Director Justin Lin
• U-Control: Take Control
• U-Control: Virtual Car Garage and Tech Specs

Fast & Furious 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

After a misstep with Tokyo Drift, Universal has righted the ship with Fast & Furious. The UHD presentation is glorious, visually and aurally alike. While no new supplements are included, the bundled Blu-ray carries over plenty of legacy content. Recommended.