7.4 | / 10 |
Users | 4.1 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.1 |
Good girl Sandy and greaser Danny fell in love over the summer. When they unexpectedly discover they're now in the same high school, will they be able to rekindle their romance?
Starring: John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing, Jeff Conaway, Barry PearlComedy | 100% |
Romance | 83% |
Musical | 69% |
Teen | 43% |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
German: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Italian: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Japanese: Dolby Digital 2.0
Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0
Brazilian Portuguese; Spanish=Castilian 5.1 and Latin American Mono
English, English SDH, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, Cantonese, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Greek, Hungarian, Korean, Mandarin (Simplified), Mandarin (Traditional), Norwegian, Swedish, Thai, Turkish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
UV digital copy
4K Ultra HD
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Paramount first released Director Randal Kleiser's world-famous Musical phenomenon 'Grease' to Blu-ray in 2009 to fair result at a time when the format was still in its relative infancy. For the film's 40th anniversary, now in the UHD era's relative infancy, the studio has released the film to the 2160p format. A companion Blu-ray has also launched simultaneously with this UHD, and both contain the same Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack. A few new extras are included on the bundled Blu-ray, as well as all of the legacy content from the 2009 release.
The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc. Watch for 4K screenshots at a later date.
Grease's 2160p/Dolby Vision UHD presentation makes for a solid, occasionally even huge, step forward over the standard 1080p Blu-ray,
which by all
accounts is sourced from the same restored image as this. "The original negative was scanned and received extensive clean up and color correction
using
previously unavailable digital restoration tools such as high dynamic range technology," Paramount boasts in its press release. The improvement in
clarity and color alike are obvious from the get-go, viewing the 4K presentation almost immediately following a 1080p screening. Grain is a little more
pronounced on the UHD, extending a more dynamically enjoyable filmic appearance that wasn't quite so prominent on the Blu-ray. Textures are much
more
complex, and usually significantly so. Skin details are particularly revealing, but so too are costumes and various environments, from dark exteriors
to
well-lit gymnasium interiors where, for example, its polished floors seen during the dance sequence in chapter 10, as the students arrive for the
National Bandstand gig, is highly impressive in terms of its ability to convey the shine and wooden textured surface. Various shots come across as
somewhat pasty by comparison to the naturally sharp elements that dominate. Some of the drive-in shots in chapter 13 look a little smooth and
artificial, as Danny and Sandy sit in the parked car, with Danny looking for a way to get his arm around his date. But when the image is on, it looks
incredible. Sharpness is unparalleled, clarity and textural refinement are striking, and while some softer-focus edges are readily apparent throughout,
such are inherent to the film proper.
Color dynamics are wonderful, and the Dolby Vision enhancement allows for some significant pop and expert balance. Whites are a major highlight.
The
"Beauty School Dropout" song in chapter nine, with white backgrounds, white salon chairs, and silvery and off-white attire, dazzles in terms of its
brilliance and stability (it's also one of the most inherently sharp stretches in the movie, a definite reference moment for both clarity and color on this
UHD). White T-shirts under black jackets are also superb examples of white refinement in the movie. More robust colors are otherwise very well
saturated. Depth is improved over the Blu-ray, and there's a greater sense of color nuance and intensity in play on the UHD. Reds are bolder and
deeper, blues more lively, pinks more showy. Black level depth is a strength, and examples of crush are minimal. This is a considerably more
enjoyable image compared to the Blu-ray, which is largely fine but cannot match the color intensity or structural integrity the UHD offers. UHD makes
the image sing, so to speak (and apropos to the movie), and fans are going to be ecstatic with the 2160p/Dolby Vision presentation. This is far and
away the best Grease has ever looked at home, easily besting even the brand-new companion Blu-ray by a healthy margin.
For its 40th Anniversary UHD release, Paramount has not changed the encode or channel configuration from the 2009 Blu-ray, but the studio has nevertheless tinkered with the track. For this new take on the Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack, "audio was enhanced from a six-track mix created for an original 70mm release." The track is hardly a revelation, but it offers a solid enough foundational listen. The track is fairly front-heavy, but the musical numbers are satisfyingly rich and wide. The American Bandstand segment in chapter 11 stretches the system and offers impressive instrumental clarity throughout the range. There's not much immersion, even as surrounds are engaged (though listeners would be hard-pressed to really notice), but the aggressive frontside push minimizes the missing impact of a more effective wraparound sensation. A few basic sound effects present with enough distinction and stage presence to please, such as deep, rumbly engine revs during the race near film's end. Dialogue is largely fine and sonically defines much of the movie beyond song and dance numbers interspersed throughout. That said, it does have its moments of struggle, perhaps the most notable coming just prior to that aforementioned race where words are notably harsh-edged and slightly garbled. Much like the video presentation, this is an imperfect soundtrack, but it certainly serves the film well enough, and during its critical music moments in particular.
Grease's 40th Anniversary Edition UHD ships in standard format packaging and does not receive the DigiBook or SteelBook options its 1080p
counterpart enjoys. The bundled Blu-ray contains many extras, most of which carry over from the previous "Rockin' Rydell" release, and several of
which are new.
New
extras are marked as such, and reviewed (note that I do not have access to a copy of the original 2009 release and markings of what extras are new
is
based on the Blu-ray.com review of that 2009 disc, written by another reviewer, as well as the press release provided by Paramount). No extras of
any
kind are included on the UHD disc. A UV/iTunes
digital copy code is included with purchase.
Grease was a hit when it released and has become a cultural icon with serious staying power, now 40 years since its debut. For the film's milestone anniversary, Paramount has released the favorite on UHD with a brand-new 2160p/Dolby Vision transfer and a new multichannel soundtrack (though in the same Dolby TrueHD 5.1 configuration as the previous release). A few new extras are included on the bundled Blu-ray on top of the prodigious pile of supplements from the previous edition. Unfortunately, the UHD is not available in DigiBook or SteelBook packaging, as is the Blu-ray. Nevertheless, it comes highly recommended for the new 4K transfer.
Rockin' Rydell Edition
1978
Rockin' Rydell Edition
1978
Paramount 100th Anniversary
1978
Rockin' Rydell Edition
1978
Rockin' Rydell Edition
1978
40th Anniversary Edition
1978
1978
1978
2012-2013
2016
Sing-Along Edition
2018
2-Disc Shake and Shimmy Edition
2007
2009
2006
2011
10th Anniversary Edition
2008
1982
2018
Director's Cut on BD
1990
2008
2008
10th Anniversary Edition
1999
20th Anniversary Limited Edition Packaging
2004
2010
1999
2015
Extended Edition
2007
2020