Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		2.0

Fatale 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman August 8, 2022

Mea culpa, mea maxima culpa. Here I've been joking over the past couple of weeks about another fresh (?) rash of bizarre choices Lionsgate has made with regard to its 4K UHD releases, and I hadn't even noticed Fatale was released a few weeks ago in the 2160 format, making Lionsgate's choices all the more bizarre (in my humble opinion, of course). This release presaged the latest three Lionsgate 4K UHD outings I've covered, namely Gamer 4K, Primal 4K and The Kid 4K in having not just a brief title, but having been offered by Lionsgate as a "standalone" 4K UHD release without an accompanying 1080 disc in the package.

For my thoughts on the film, please consult our Fatale Blu-ray review. Once again Lionsgate has nicely ported over the supplements from the 1080 release, though again kind of head scratchingly the timings may not be exactly the same.

Fatale 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: Screenshots are sourced from the 1080 disc. Lionsgate has not included a 1080 disc in this package.

Fatale is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Lionsgate Films with a 2160p transfer in 2.39:1. I've mentioned how I approach trying to ferret out technical specs on various outings in other reviews, and with that context in mind, I am overtly stating that I have no authoritative information on the resolution of the DI for this film, though as I get into in our Fatale Blu-ray review, a technical spec the IMDb does provide is a "negative format" of Redcode RAW at a source resolution of 8K, which suggests to me that a 4K DI was prepared. As always, I welcome authoritative information one way or the other. Kind of interestingly in terms of "all that 4K UHD can offer", this disc kind of strangely gave me a Dolby Vision prompt at disc boot, something that most definitely has not happened on any of the other 4K UHD catalog offerings from Lionsgate, some of which (as is detailed in various reviews) only had SDR! That said, once the film started, my player at least didn't discern Dolby Vision, but at least this does have HDR, which adds a bit of luster to one of the film's chief assets, the almost lurid at times palette offered by Dante Spinotti. Some of the intense greens and blues in particular attain an interesting new nuance in this version. One thing that might argue against a 4K DI is some kind of surprising shimmer and near aliasing I spotted in this 4K UHD version on things like parallel lines on urban skyscrapers, something that didn't rise to the same level of perception in 1080. Another potential problem area in this version is the appearance of digital grain, which is especially noticeable in some of the beachside scenes and which did not look particularly realistic or organic to my eyes. Detail levels are marginally improved here, with HDR probably aiding and abetting things in some of the many darker moments.

Fatale 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Once again Lionsgate simply ports over the existing track from the 1080 disc, in this case a perfectly rambunctious DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, so I'll simply repeat my comments from my original review. You wouldn't expect a freight elevator to provide floor rumbling LFE, but that's just one of the kind of pleasant surprises to hear in Fatale's often nicely rendered DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. There is in fact a big climax aboard just such a freight elevator, which slowly descends in the wake of considerable mayhem, and which, blended with huge washes of almost ambient sound underscoring, provides unexpected oomph from a sound design perspective. The film utilizes the side and rear channels in expected moments like the big nightclub scene where Derrick first meets Valerie, but even in some more intimate dialogue scenes there can be at least intermittent engagement of the side channels in particular to establish spatial relationships and provide background noises. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout this problem free track. This is the relatively rare Lionsgate release on Blu-ray of recent vintage that features additional audio tracks in French and Spanish (both lossy Dolby Digital 5.1), and also offers optional French, Spanish and English SDH subtitles.

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

While Lionsgate has not been offering previously released 1080 discs with these latest 4K UHD offerings, they have tended to at least port over all of the supplements from their 1080 versions, and that's once again the case with regard to Fatale, though again kind of weirdly like on some of the other Lionsgate 4K UHD releases, the timing can vary by a second or two here:

• Audio Commentary with Director / Producer Deon Taylor and Producer Roxanne Avent Taylor


• Making Fatale (HD; 9: 52) has some relatively interesting interviews with the Taylors.


• Deon Taylor: The Right Direction (HD; 6:02) features snippets from the film and interviews touting the skill of Taylor.


• Cinematography: Finding the Killer Look (HD; 6:59) focuses (sorry) on director of photography Dante Spinotti.


• Alternate Ending (HD; 1:41) is literally the exact opposite of the way the film concludes in its final form, and strains credulity just about as much.

Additionally, a digital copy is included.

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

On the plus side, Fatale is well made, with high production values and at least one marquee star. On the minus side is some rote plotting and completely preposterous situations which so remove the story from any feeling of reality that it ends up not really mattering who's threatening whom for what reasons. Fans of the cast may want to check this out, and this 4K UHD presentation offers generally secure technical merits and the same supplements as the 1080 release, for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.