Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Warner Brothers' UHD release of 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire' follows up on a few high quality Blu-ray releases from over the years with a solid (upscaled) 4K image that's more notable for its somewhat drastic and distinguishing HDR color enhancement than it is for raw clarity boosts. Audio has received an upgrade to a top-notch DTS:X presentation. Several extras are included.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc. Watch for 4K screenshots at a later date.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is another in the franchise shot on film but finished at 2K, and industry insiders have confirmed that this UHD is indeed an upscale from that source. The UHD picture shares much in common with Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. The movie is dark by nature and the UHD's HDR10 color profile has solidified the palette and darkened it even further, at least when comparing the previously available Blu-ray (also included in this set). Blacks are deeper, shadow details more richly resolved, and the fine-tuned darkness only accentuates the film's many low-light locales and generally moody atmosphere. Indeed, even without the benefit of a direct comparison, simply watching the film outright on UHD before diving into the A-B back-and-forth, it's easy to see that the HDR desaturation is in full effect, perhaps not yielding an image quite as intensely drained and all but devoid of cheerful primaries as Azkaban, but it's close. The Goblet's blue flame certainly enjoys a modest boost in intensity, the blinding bright light signaling the beginning of a Quidditch match delivers a more vigorous pronouncement with wider spectrum and deeper saturation atop the accompanying character's face. Colors are firmer, more nuanced, just less intense, sometimes by a good bit.

One of the most telling points of comparison comes when Harry speaks to Hermione at the 54:48 mark, he inside a tent, she outside, the two separated by a roughhewn cloth yet both characters are fully present in the shot. On the Blu-ray, the day appears to be in a full sun high in the sky. On the UHD, it appears as if a drab, overcast day. Potter's skin coloring borders on grayscale. His red meshy shirt, seen on his right shoulder and arm, is drained of the modest intensity on the Blu-ray, its color on the UHD extremely subdued. And there's little difference in texturing when looking at the piece of fabric separating the characters. That holds true for practically the entire UHD image. Textural improvements are often subtle. Skin tones are a little firmer, clothing textures a mite finer, Hogwarts interiors mildly more clear. The image is certainly very filmic, and the UHD's grain structure, here a little more reserved than Azkaban, is very complimentary and, with the colors, the film plays very nicely on the format, delivering a highly enjoyable cinematic feel and flavor. To this reviewer, the drastic HDR tuning enhances the film's feel and it plays much more organically and beautifully on the UHD; others' mileage may vary.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire's new DTS:X Master Audio soundtrack delivers a large and very satisfying and complimentary listen. Much like the track accompanying Azkaban, this one's room-filling intensity and definition are superb. The track often explodes into a shower of high energy that's precisely located and delivers perfectly detailed engagements. The party's travel to the Quidditch World Cup is met with impressive swirling, bass-happy intensity, and upon arrival the carnival-like locale springs to life with an agreeable din filling the air. Players swoop about the stage, fireworks explode above, all with seamless movement and positioning, all with a tangible, but not overpowering, top-end presence that, combined with the additional rear speaker engagement, delivers a hugely satisfying sequence that transformers the listing area into the bleachers and the aerial playing field. Overheads promote significant environmental support as well, such as raining and rolling thunder around the 19-minute mark. The track's high energy and precision engagement remains through every action scene throughout, and listeners will be hard-pressed not to find a moment of some sort of agreeable sonic delivery. Supported by clear and well prioritized dialogue, Goblet of Fire's DTS:X soundtrack delivers a high-yield listen that is itself nearly reason enough to upgrade from Blu-ray.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire contains supplements on both included Blu-ray discs, one featuring the movie and the other dedicated to additional extras. A digital copy code is included with purchase.

• In-Movie Experience (Blu-ray Disc One): From the disc: The Weasley Twins Will take you on a hilarious ride to see behind-the-scenes action.
• Behind the Story (Blu-ray Disc Two): Creating the World of 'Harry Potter' Part 4: Sound and Music, Conversations with the Cast, 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire:' Behind the Magic, Inside 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire', 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire:' The Adventure Continues, 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire:' Some Animal Magic, and 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire:' Dark Matters, New Masters.
• Deleted Scenes (Blu-ray Disc Two): Students Sing the Hogwarts Hymn, Durmstrang Dating Etiquette, Harry Misses Cho, The Yule Ball Band (Extended), Karkaroff and Snape at the Ball, Mad-Eye Warns Harry (Extended), Debating Crouch's Murder and Clues, and Investigating Snape and Karkaroff.
• Trailers (Blu-ray Disc Two)

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is a solid follow-up to Azkaban, this film a little less moody and a little more action-oriented. That suits the UHD just fine, allowing for the DTS:X soundtrack to shine and the UHD's HDR color enhancement to double down on the film's darker mood. The 2160p picture isn't all that more texturally stout than its Blu-ray counterpart, however. A good collection of bonus content is included. Recommended.