Flashdance 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Flashdance 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Paramount has released 1983's 'Flashdance' to the UHD format. The film was previously released to Blu-ray by Warner Brothers in 2013 and as a remastered 2020 Blu-ray which was part of the prestigious 'Paramount Presents' line. This new UHD release includes 2160p/Dolby Vision video. It repurposes the 2020 DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack and features that disc's supplemental content on the included Blu-ray, which is identical to the 2020 issue. As with the 2020 issue, it is missing some of the extras from the Warner Brothers release.

Flashdance 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from the 2020 1080p Blu-ray disc, which is identical to that which is included with this release.

Paramount's 2160p/Dolby Vision UHD release of Flashdance looks rather solid on this format. The picture is satisfyingly filmic, delivering a good, healthy grain structure that is a bit dense and which might turn off those who prefer their images to be digitally clean, but for fans of the film medium this should prove to be a satisfying image. To be sure, grain can appear somewhat clumpy at times, but even still there is no overt, destructive scrubbing at work to devastate the image's filmic roots.

The result is a picture that is nicely textured, not so razor-sharp as other film-based UHD images on the market but offering a well-defined picture that captures essential human skin detail, fine period clothes, and a varied assortment of environmental interiors and exteriors with enough textural definition to satisfy. The picture sees some decent sharpness gains compared to the Blu-ray, which has a much flatter appearance when conducting a direct A-B comparison. The grain is not as pronounced and naturally occurring on the Blu-ray, either, resulting in a picture at 2160p that is more elegantly true to the film resolution and that format's inherent richness and definition. Hairs are more complex rather than flatly defined, clothes are better resolved, faces are sharper, and environments and objects are more revealing. These are not extraordinary gains over the Blu-ray, but they are ample gains that audiences will appreciate.

The image is certainly darker on the UHD format. The Dolby Vision grading renders colors deeper, resulting in less brightness and gaudiness, finding a more tonally balanced image overall. It's a little grayer and a little less warm, but it still renders brighter colors exceptionally well, now with added realism and mood, better lighting contrasts, and superior shadow depth and detail, though with some flirtations with crush in evidence (see a dance routine in the 33-minute mark). Skin tones are healthy here with more tonal balance and realism.

Some compression issues crop up here and there and the aforementioned movements towards black crush are hinderances, but the picture is otherwise fairly solid and a good upgrade over the 2020 Blu-ray.

Flashdance 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

This UHD release of Flashdance includes the same DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack from the 2020 Blu-ray. For convenience that review is repurposed below:

The enthusiastic, energetic 1980s musical beats define the track and dance out of the speakers with impressive positioning and beautiful fidelity. The track lives within the construct of its tunes and the 5.1 track is up to the challenge of breathing newfound life and vitality into several now vintage, classic songs. But it's not all about Pop; big, bold score enters the stage at the 27-minute mark with startling orchestral dazzle. Clarity is wonderful, front width is terrific, and while the music dominates across the front there's just enough rear side support to help fully immerse the listener in the moment. City and workplace atmospherics flow freely as necessary and always at proper positional placement and pinpoint volume for natural immersion. Dialogue is generally clear with only a few hiccups where it loses that organic edge for a more compressed, digital sounding output, such as at a quiet dialogue scene in the 10- and 11-minute mark. These are relatively few and far between; the track is commanding, musically invigorating, and a pleasure from beginning to end.

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

This UHD release of Flashdance includes all of its supplements on the Blu-ray disc; the UHD disc is featureless. Below is a list of what is included. Please click here for full coverage. This release also ships with a digital copy code and a non-embossed slipcover.

• Filmmaker Focus: Director Adrian Lyne Discusses Flashdance
• The Look of Flashdance
• Releasing the Flashdance Phenomenon
• Theatrical Trailer

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

Flashdance, Footloose, Saturday Night Fever...for a while there in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Paramount was practically synonymous with the dance genre, producing some of the finest such pictures in cinema history. Now, Flashdance has earned a new 2160p/Dolby Vision UHD to bring it into the future. The picture looks solid. It's imperfect, but it's nicely filmic and captures the image's essential elements quite well. The carryover 5.1 lossless track and supplements are fine. Recommended. Packaging collectors should consider the companion UHD SteelBook release.