7.6 | / 10 |
Users | 4.4 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.4 |
Harry Potter is a ten-year-old orphan who has been living under the stairs in the house of his cruel and abusive aunt and uncle. But on his eleventh birthday, Harry receives a letter informing him that he has been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he learns not only that his parents were wizards, but also that he is destined to become a powerful wizard himself. Along with his new friends Ron and Hermione, Harry hones his magical powers and uncovers the secret of the Sorcerer's stone, which leads him into a confrontation with the evil wizard who murdered his parents.
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, John Cleese, Robbie ColtraneAdventure | 100% |
Fantasy | 79% |
Family | 63% |
Epic | 61% |
Mystery | 34% |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS:X
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Mandarin: Dolby Digital 5.1
Cantonese: Dolby Digital 2.0
Korean: Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
English: Dolby Digital 5.1
English DD=narrative descriptive
English SDH, Spanish, Cantonese, Korean, Mandarin (Traditional)
Blu-ray Disc
Three-disc set (3 BDs)
Digital copy
4K Ultra HD
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
(Revised on November 28, 2017, to reflect additional information from Warner Brothers.)
Warner Brothers has completed its migration of the Harry Potter saga to 4K UHD with the
addition of the first four films in the series, joining the back-end four released last March (and
reviewed here, here, here and here). Unlike the
previous Potter UHDs, all of which were upscaled
from 2K digital intermediates, two of these derive from new 4K scans of the camera
negatives—and it shows. The first set of Potter UHDs was noteworthy primarily for changes in
the color grading ranging from subtle to overt, but fresh scans reveal new layers of detail and
intensity in the earliest films.
All of these UHDs are replacing bit-starved VC-1 encodes prepared for
release on both Blu-ray and the now-obsolete HD-DVD format. Warner has been reissuing these
outdated presentations for years, and it's unfortunate that the studio has not seen fit to accompany
the new 4K discs with remastered standard Blu-rays, especially when new scans are available—a
practice that is becoming distressingly common with Warner's catolog UHDs. But for Potter fans
with a 4K setup, these discs are a must-have. Their image blows the dust off the early adventures
of Harry and his friends.
Warner's 2160p, HEVC/H.265-encoded UHD of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone derives
from a new 4K scan of the film's original camera negative, followed by extensive color
correction and HDR encoding. The result is an image of exceptional detail and clarity, with new
intensity in the many shadings of color in the environs in and around Hogwarts. The early entries
in Harry's series are set primarily in dormitories, halls, classrooms and grounds of the now-famous school of wizardry, where sedate English tradition
has been reimagined by M.C. Escher
and H.R. Giger. Perhaps the most noteworthy effect of the UHD's increased detail and enhanced
contrast is the image's balance in the many scenes of students and teachers bustling to and fro;
individuals remain distinct, even as innumerable eccentric details in Hogwarts' often dim halls
are clearly revealed. The long shots of the cavernous dining hall with its vast tables crowded with
budding wizards and witches are particularly impressive. Closeups pick up tiny variations in skin
texture, fabric details and individual strands of hair (check out Dumbledore's flowing white
beard). All of this fine detail is presented discreetly, without overemphasis or digital harshness.
Distant figures in darkened halls remain visible for just as long, and to precisely the extent, as
intended by director Chris Columbus (Home
Alone) and cinematographer John Seale (Mad
Max:
Fury Road). Even effects-heavy sequences like Harry's extended Quidditch match benefit from
the UHD's more vibrant colors and refined definition (although some of the effects shots can't
help but look dated compared to the more sophisticated efforts of the series' later entries).
Switching to the old Blu-ray after watching the UHD makes you realize just how badly dated it
is, with its soft image and murky texture. The 4K presentation of Sorcerer's Stone instantly
supplants the Blu-ray as the definitive visual presentation of the film that launched the franchise.
[System calibrated for UHD using a Klein K10-A Colorimeter with a custom profile created with
a Colorimetry Research CR250 Spectraradiometer, powered by SpectraCal CalMAN 2016 5.7,
using the Samsung Reference 2016 UHD HDR Blu-ray test disc authored by Florian Friedrich
from AV Top in Munich, Germany. Calibration performed by Kevin Miller of ISFTV.]
The initial Blu-ray release of Sorcerer's Stone featured a PCM 5.1 soundtrack, and the "Ultimate Edition" offered a 6.1 remix in DTS-HD MA that Ken Brown praised as a "sonic standout". But these prior audio presentations have been superseded by the new DTS:X track on the UHD. While DTS:X has been criticized in technical circles for failing to provide a true "object-based" sound format ŕ la Dolby Atmos, there's no disputing the exceptional power and precision of the audio engineers' achievement with this track. In scene after scene, the entire room is filled on all sides with activities, such as the blizzard of letters inviting Harry to Hogwarts and the room full of flying keys guarding the hiding place of the titular stone. Perhaps no scene more effectively demonstrates the exceptional power of this remix than the deadly game of giant "wizard's chess", in which massive stone chess pieces smash the opposing pieces that have been taken. As the huge statues shatter thunderously, the soundtrack maintains a tight focus on individual sounds of dust and sand scattering, chunks of rock flying through the air and fragments landing on the ground. The previous DTS-HD MA track, though still impressive, sounds muddy by comparison. (It doesn't hurt that the DTS:X version has been mixed at a higher volume.) None of these enhancements come at the expense of the dialogue or of John Willliams' charming score. In short, the UHD of Sorcerer's Stone provides a sonic upgrade worthy of its visuals.
The UHD disc has no extras. The accompanying "Special Features" disc is a reprint of disc 2 from the "Ultimate Edition" with 2009 file dates. Ken's review itemizes its contents. Disc 3 of the Ultimate Edition, which was a DVD, is not included.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone remains one of the weaker films in the Potter franchise,
freighted with such a burden of prologue and backstory that it barely has a time for an
independent plot. But the film has been given an effective makeover on UHD, because the
creative team did it right: a new 4K scan from negative, an effective but respectful HDR
treatment and a BD-100 to ensure sufficient bandwidth. The result is a gorgeous image that
breathes new life into the first chapter of Harry's journey, accompanied by an equally memorable
soundtrack. The only negative is the failure to remaster the standard Blu-ray, thereby abandoning
those who haven't yet upgraded their equipment to a wan and outdated image from the early days
of the format. With these new Potter discs joining first-class catalog 4K titles like Blade Runner
and Unforgiven, Warner is giving fans a
meaningful incentive to invest in home video's latest
format. Highly recommended.
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