Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		0.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Focus 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Clearer than ever?

Reviewed by Randy Miller III August 30, 2024

In recent months, Warner Bros. has stepped up their 4K catalog output... but there are a few catches. Not only are these titles seemingly random choices, but they're authored with a plain-wrap interface that has no chapter selection menu, no "resume" function, and no new extras. Most of them are also titles long since released on Blu-ray that often fell within the timeframe to have a UHD option on release day. So while the "delayed double dip" may leave a bitter aftertaste, these are uniformly well-encoded discs that look much better than their Blu-ray counterparts.

Will Smith's recent *ahem* comeback and Margot Robbie's Barbie boost last year are the likely reasons why 2015's Focus is part of this recent wave, but it was still a fairly divisive film upon its theatrical release almost a decade ago. Our on Brian Orndorf was fairly critical of Focus in his theatrical review while Kenneth Brown warmed up to it quite a bit in his coverage of the Blu-ray edition later that year. I'm closer to the latter but, based on my rating above, not quite as enamored with the film as Ken was. I'll just say that it's a decently watchable but somewhat uneven production that's nonetheless slightly underrated if we're going by average viewer scores. Yet it's still difficult to recommend this 4K disc to all but the film's biggest fans at its current price point, which is more than triple that of the Blu-ray.

Focus 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

NOTE: As this release does not include a Blu-ray, these screenshots were sourced from the 4K disc and downsampled to 1080p/SDR. For that reason, they're not an accurate gauge of the true UHD presentation.

Like the other two films in WB recent mini-wave of 4K catalogue upgrades, Black Mass and Game Night, Focus earned high marks on Blu-ray for its 1080p/SDR transfer, but this UHD upgrade gives it a new lease on life. Smoothly encoded on a dual-layered disc, the film's suitably slick cinematography -- which, like the Blu-ray, is somewhat surprisingly still framed at 1.78:1 open-matte -- looks better than ever with a consistently high bit rate that often more than doubles its 1080p counterpart. In his review of that older disc, Kenneth Brown praised Focus' overall aesthetic and its seamless transition to the home video realm, and there's no doubt that the 2015 release still holds up perfectly fine on small to mid-sized displays. But technology marches on, including screen resolution and size, and the 4K disc's fresh 2160p / HDR10 (Dolby Vision compatible) transfer -- which presumably uses the same 2K source elements -- simply elevates that terrific existing effort to new heights. Fine detail and textures are tightened, color reproduction looks quite a bit more fine-tuned with no obvious timing changes (it's perhaps a touch warmer and less "teal" in some scenes, though possibly only noticeable in a direct comparison), and black levels and contrast are likewise much more dialed in due to high dynamic range. Of course, some of these elements may be dependent on your equipment's capabilities including local dimming and brightness levels... but on a suitable setup, Focus should look quite dazzling on UHD.

Given that no perceivable compression artifacts were visible on the old Blu-ray, you can bet the same holds true for this release as well; it far exceeds any streaming option with energy to spare. Like the others, Focus makes for a very nice home video upgrade indeed, "upscale" or not, even if only a select group will be able to appreciate it fully.

Focus 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

This DTS-HD 7.1 Master Audio mix sounds to be an identical match for the Blu-ray edition despite a slightly lower base volume level, making this the rare "extended surround" track that doesn't get an Atmos treatment. Regardless, it's still a quality effort that gets the job done perfectly well. Please note, however, that like all of WB's other recent 4K UHD catalog upgrades, all foreign dubs and subtitles have been removed. I'm really not sure why this is being done, seeing as how the format is region-free by default and thus more readily accessible to worldwide customers.

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

This one-disc release ships in a keepcase with recycled cover artwork; no slipcover or inserts are included (or a Digital Copy, unlike the Blu-ray). The limited on-disc extras mostly mirror those from the Blu-ray edition.

• Masters of Misdirection: The Players in a Con (10:25)

• Will Smith: Gentleman Thief (5:52)

• Margot Robbie: Stealing Hearts (4:08)

• Deleted Scenes (10:30) - Almost three minutes longer than the Blu-ray? There's a catch... see below.

• Alternate Opening (2:43) - Mistakenly duplicated as a deleted scene above. Whoops!

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

Glenn Ficarra and John Requa's Focus is a slick and watchable but somewhat shallow heist comedy-drama with solid lead performances by Will Smith and Margot Robbie. It was a fairly divisive film upon its 2015 theatrical release, with many detractors taking issue with its style-over-substance approach, but there's enough here to make it at least worth a once-over. Focus is one of the most belated entries in Warner Bros.' recent wave of no-nonsense 4K catalog upgrades alongside other titles from that decade such as Game Night and Black Mass, but for obvious reasons -- which include the price tag -- I can only recommend this one to die-hard fans despite its tangible visual improvements.