Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.0

Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Paramount has released the lame-brained 2013 film 'Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters' to the UHD format. New specifications include 2160p/Dolby Vision video. The UHD simply ports the existing Dolby TrueHD audio track. The UHD disc is featureless but the bundled Blu-ray is identical to the 2013 issue and includes the trio of legacy extras. A fresh digital copy code is included. Note that this UHD only offers the theatrical cut, which runs a scant 1:27:56. Only the Blu-ray offers the unrated cut, which runs exactly 10 minutes longer (1:37:56). Also note that this set includes only the 2-D Blu-ray; the 3-D disc is not included.

Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc.

Paramount unleashes Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters to the UHD format with new and improved visuals. The disc boasts 2160p resolution and Dolby Vision color grading, both of which make for a pleasing, well rounded improvement over the 2013 Blu-ray, though it is certainly the latter that makes the bigger visual impact. The resolution increase does bring with it some advantages, too, particularly in overall clarity. The image appears crisper, cleaner, more efficient on this format. Add to that a modest, but obvious, improvement to object sharpness and intimate definition -- and the movie is rich with opportunity to soak in fine-pint details on makeup, complex attire, and various environments -- and this is a much improved surface and appears to bring out the very best the material has to offer.

The Dolby Vision color grading actually brings a very nice improvement to the image as well. Perhaps most immediately evident are the vastly superior black levels. Look at a nighttime scene at the 1:58 mark. On the old Blu-ray, blacks look red and noisy. Not here. The UHD offers a much better picture, offering true black depth, excellent shadow detail, and removes the red push from the black elements. The green foliage in the scene, even in darkness, is brighter yet not in a way that seriously betrays the nighttime setting, and the lantern's light source is more intense and true as well. The candy house in the moments to follow offers more intense rainbow colors for pop and overall improvements to shot brightness as well. The entire movie is significantly brighter, obvious even in daytime scenes. Whites are abundantly richer and more intensely luminous while blacks, again, appear more richly deep and pure. Overall, colors leap off the screen with impressive command, notably natural greens but even earthy colors in downtrodden towns and clothes. This is a well rounded improvement from the Blu-ray and probably approaches best case scenario for this film's UHD presentation. Fans are going to be delighted.

Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

For this UHD release of Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, Paramount has foregone what must have been the incredible temptation to re-encode the soundtrack for Dolby Atmos or DTS:X, instead leaving well enough alone and including the existing Blu-ray's Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack. This remains a fine listen, but for fans hoping for something new, well, sorry. For a full audio review, please click here.

Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Paramount's UHD release of Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters includes all three of the extras on the bundled Blu-ray, which is identical to the 2013 release. See below for a list of what's included and please click here for brief reviews. This release does ship with a fresh digital copy code and a non-embossed slipcover.

• Reinventing Hansel & Gretel
• The Witching Hours
• Meet Edward the Troll

Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters isn't exactly a movie that, it is safe to guess, a whole lot of people were wishing for on 4K, particularly with all of the great films in the Paramount catalogue awaiting the UHD treatment or even simply considering some of the great 4K remasters the studio has been dropping on Blu-ray via its "Paramount Presents" line (Nashville, Breakdown, and 48 Hrs. being just three recent releases to that line which are far more "deserving" than this). Nevertheless, fans will be pleased to find that this film does look a good bit better, particularly because of the more vibrant and stable Dolby Vision color grading but also thanks to some marginal gains in overall image clarity and sharpness. For those fans, this release comes recommended.