Game Night 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		0.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.5

Game Night 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Grab the Tostitos!

Reviewed by Randy Miller III August 27, 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 rather than popularity-based, 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. Perhaps the most random of the bunch is 2018's Game Night, a free-wheeling black comedy that far outperformed its late-February "dumping ground" theatrical window and was rushed to Blu-ray only a few months later.

For a synopsis of Game Night, please see Michael Rebuen's 2018 Blu-ray review linked above. Based on our ratings scale, I'm probably a bit more fond of the film than Michael was (and obviously a lot more so than Brian Orndorf), but I can certainly see why it may not be everyone's cup of tea. I, however, really enjoyed it (as did my significant other), as the film's confident mix of comedy, action, intrigue, and drama really clicked from start to finish. There were maybe one or two spots where Game Night veered slightly off the narrative rails... but it immediately recovered both times and the ending -- complete with a fantastic coda during the credits -- only seems to encourage repeat viewings.

Co-directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein (Horrible Bosses) and the cast -- led by returning Bosses star Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams -- deserve plenty of credit, but so does writer Mark Perez: his IMDB page claims that he was hired by Disney as a member of their Writer's Program, and his two movie scripts for that company (2002's Country Bears and 2005's Herbie Fully Loaded, both largely considered awful) seem to support that statement. In any case, Perez sadly hasn't written anything else since Game Night... but at least he has that on his résumé.

Needless to say, this one's an underrated near-classic and a keeper in my book so, if you haven't seen Game Night already or are a really big fan, a jump to 4K might be in order. That said, this UHD disc really only improves upon the Blu-ray's already-great 1080p transfer and that's all, so it's not for everyone at the current $25 price point.

Game Night 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.

Michael Reuben's review of the 2018 Blu-ray awarded high marks to that disc's 1080p/SDR transfer, praising the crisp appearance and stability of this digitally-shot production that was finished at a 2K intermediate. I've mentioned before that UHD releases of such titles are often criticized for being "just an upscale", but this 2160p/HDR10 (Dolby Vision compatible) transfer certainly makes a case for itself from start to finish. Dutifully encoded on a dual-layered disc, the main feature's bit rate is regularly at least double that of its Blu-ray counterpart and plays without a hitch at every turn. Black levels are ink-deep, shadow detail is finely resolved, contrast levels are suitably more refined, and of course fine detail gets a decent but perhaps not transformative boost. More often than not, what we have here is a thicker and more impactful version of an already-great HD presentation. Colors are given a tangible boost as well, from the moody lighting of back rooms and underground fight clubs to the neon signage at a bar, piercing car headlights, cool blue pool water, and more; not only does the wide color gamut come into play here, but there's a more striking relationship between specific hues and darker backgrounds to boot. Overall, this is a very nice little upgrade indeed, "upscale" or not, and clearly proves that films from any genre can benefit from a tighter visual presentation.

Game Night 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

This DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix is likely the exact same one featured on the 2018 Blu-ray, so please see Michael Rebuen's linked review for more details. Bottom line, it's a solid and surprisingly active effort that gets the job done. Please note, however, that this 4K release omits the foreign dubs and subtitles found on that older disc.

Game Night 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a keepcase with recycled cover artwork, a very basic menu, and of course no slipcover or Digital Copy are included. The slim extras carried over from the Blu-ray haven't been improved upon, either.

• An Unforgettable Evening: Making Game Night (3:48)

• Gag Reel (6:48)

Game Night 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Maybe it's not for everyone, but I'll go to bat for John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein's Game Night, a wild and unpredictable black comedy with a great script by Mark Perez, quotable one-liners, solid performances all around, and a brisk pace that goes down easy. Replay value, too! That said, this surprising but welcome 4K UHD edition from Warner Bros. (which arrives more than six years after their Blu-ray) only really improves upon an already-great 1080p transfer, so it might be a tough sell for all but the film's biggest fans. That said, it's Recommended to the right crowd.