Harry and the Hendersons 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

Harry and the Hendersons 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 1, 2026

William Dear's "Harry and the Hendersons" (1987) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new audio commentary by William Dear and filmmaker Douglas Hosdale; exclusive new new audio commentary by critic Joe Ramoni; archival documentary; deleted scenes; original trailer; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Harry and the Hendersons is related to E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial in the exact same way Orca: The Killer Whale is to Jaws. Also, even though the great Italian producer Dino De Laurentiis was not in any way involved with it, Harry and the Hendersons works just as hard as Orca: The Killer Whale to establish an identity of its own. In other words, old claims that Harry and the Hendersons is a shameless copycat are every bit as unjustified as the old claims that Orca: The Killer Whale is one.

On the way back from an enjoyable picnic somewhere in the Cascade Range, the Henderson family -- George (John Lithgow), Nancy (Melinda Dillon), Sarah (Margaret Langrick), and Ernie (Joshua Rudoy) -- hit with their station wagon something unusually big, furry, and very, very smelly. After George chooses not to fire his rifle to ensure the thing is dead, little Ernie declares they have knocked out Bigfoot, and someone else decides they ought to bring it back to Seattle.

Several hours later, at the Henderson family’s suburban home in Seattle, the thing regains consciousness and, while looking for food, begins causing massive damage. Somehow, after quickly overcoming their natural fear of the thing, the Henderson family falls in love with it, and, while the thing reciprocates their feelings, they begin learning to coexist under the same roof. However, it is not long before the expanded Henderson family is forced to hide and protect its newest member, who has started responding to the cute name Harry.

Harry and the Hendersons is a classic summer comedy that uses the most straightforward PG material these types of films tend to juggle. This is why it is entirely predictable. However, it is neither boring nor unbearably silly. It is just a very, very safe summer comedy, which is perfectly fine.

Like its famous relative, Harry and the Hendersons produces casual jokes galore and targets the heart. The jokes, a good portion of which feature decent innuendo, are used to make the melodrama easier to digest and, where appropriate, telegraph various messages about love, tolerance, and the importance of belonging. Because everything else is too transparent, these jokes are responsible for the only genuine surprises.

Despite being an entirely predictable summer comedy, Harry and the Hendersons leaves a lasting impression for two very simple reasons. First, it oozes that unmistakable 1980s feel-good atmosphere that all films like it possessed, including the bad ones. This feel-good atmosphere is what now makes it effective as a nostalgia fix. Second, it is a very good-looking film. This, of course, is also an entirely predictable development because William Dear shot it with Allen Daviau, who lensed E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial.

The cast also includes Kevin Peter Hall, M. Emmet Walsh, Don Ameche, William Ontiveros, Lainie Kazan, David Suchet, and David Richardt.

Harry and the Hendersons 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Kino Lorber's release of Harry and the Hendersons is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack release. The 4K Blu-ray is Region-Free. However, the Blu-ray is Region-A "locked".

Please note that all screencaptures included with this review are taken from the Blu-ray. We have not provided screencaptures from the 4K Blu-ray.

The release presents an exclusive new 4K restoration of Harry and the Hendersons, sourced from the original camera negative. In native 4K, the 4K restoration can be viewed with Dolby Vision and HDR grades. I chose to view it with Dolby Vision. Later, I spent time with its 1080p presentation on the Blu-ray.

The new 4K restoration of Harry and the Hendersons is another all-around stunner from the folks at Universal Pictures. As far as I am concerned, it is every bit as impressive as the recent 4K restorations of Sea of Love and Uncle Buck. I mention all of this because I do not have a copy of this Blu-ray release in my library. However, if I did, I would not have wasted any time performing comparisons with it because the quality of the 4K restoration and its native 4K and 1080p presentations is such that an older master quite simply cannot replicate it.

On my system, all visuals boasted enormously impressive delineation, clarity, and depth. The outdoor footage was particularly striking. However, everywhere I looked, there was too much to like, which is exactly how a proper 4K restoration should impress. There are no traces of any problematic digital corrections. Color reproduction and balance are impeccable. All primaries and supporting nuances are properly set. As a result, the entire film has a gorgeous, very faithful period appearance. I thought that the Dolby Vision grade helped the darker indoor and nighttime footage look significantly stronger than the brighter daylight footage. There is one particular sequence in which the police capture Bigfoot's biggest nemesis that looked absolutely stunning on my system. However, the strength of the 4K restoration is such that the gap in quality between the native 4K and 1080p presentations is extremely small. Image stability is excellent. The entire film looks immaculate as well.

Harry and the Hendersons 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I viewed the entire film with the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. The original soundtrack is very active, making it pretty easy for the 5.1 track to create the impression that it does a lot exceptionally well. Because I do not own a copy of the previous Blu-ray release of Harry and the Hendersons, I do not know if the 5.1 track is newly remastered. However, this is likely an irrelevant detail anyway. All dialogue is very clear, sharp, and easy to follow. While viewing the film, I did not encounter any encoding anomalies to report in our review.

Harry and the Hendersons 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary One - in this new audio commentary, writer/director William Dear reveals that the original idea for Harry and the Hendersons emerged in the 1970s and why the original screenplay that was presented to him was modified. Dear also confirms that director of photography Allen Daviau recommended he meet Steven Spielberg at Amblin Entertainment, who later helped him make Harry and the Hendersons. Later in the commentary, Dear also shares interesting information about the casting choices that were made, the different locations where parts of Harry and the Hendersons was shot, Bigfoot's image and personality, the overlapping of comedy and melodrama, etc. The commentary is moderated by filmmaker Douglas Hosdale.

• Commentary Two - in this new audio commentary, critic Joe Ramoni states that Harry and the Hendersons is one of his favorite family comedies and, while sharing plenty of information about its production, explains why it works well. Ramoni also correctly points out that Steven Spielberg was not closely involved with the conception of Harry and the Hendersons, but it was because of him that its production was greenlighted. Later in the commentary, there is also good information about the special effects and character transformations.

• Commentary Three - this archival audio commentary was recorded by writer/director William Dear. The commentary has appeared on other Blu-ray and DVD releases of Harry and the Hendersons.

BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary One - in this new audio commentary, writer/director William Dear reveals that the original idea for Harry and the Hendersons emerged in the 1970s and why the original screenplay that was presented to him was modified. Dear also confirms that director of photography Allen Daviau recommended he meet Steven Spielberg at Amblin Entertainment, who later helped him make Harry and the Hendersons. Later in the commentary, Dear also shares interesting information about the casting choices that were made, the different locations where parts of Harry and the Hendersons was shot, Bigfoot's image and personality, the overlapping of comedy and melodrama, etc. The commentary is moderated by filmmaker Douglas Hosdale.

• Commentary Two - in this new audio commentary, critic Joe Ramoni states that Harry and the Hendersons is one of his favorite family comedies and, while sharing plenty of information about its production, explains why it works well. Ramoni also correctly points out that Steven Spielberg was not closely involved with the conception of Harry and the Hendersons, but it was because of him that its production was greenlighted. Later in the commentary, there is also good information about the special effects and character transformations.

• Commentary Three - this archival audio commentary was recorded by writer/director William Dear. The commentary has appeared on other Blu-ray and DVD releases of Harry and the Hendersons.

• Harry... Finding the Missing Link - this archival program takes a closer look at the production of Harry and the Hendersons. Included in it are clips from interviews with William Dear and designer Rick Baker, as well as raw footage from the shooting process in the Seattle area. In English, not subtitled. (18 min).

• Making of - this archival program gathers a couple of short interviews with cast members and raw footage from the filming of Harry and the Hendersons. In English, not subtitled. (6 min).

• Newswrap - a short promotional piece using some of the interview clips from the Making of program, listed above, and adding a few more. In English, not subtitled. (6 min).

• Deleted Scenes - presented here are several deleted scenes. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Trailer - presented here is an original theatrical trailer for Harry and the Hendersons. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

Harry and the Hendersons 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Virtually everything you may read about Harry and the Hendersons will inevitably link it to E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial and ALF, and for a variety of legitimate reasons, too. However, Harry and the Hendersons is not a copycat. The similarities are there because they are impossible to avoid. Today, Harry and the Hendersons is most effective as a nostalgia fix because it oozes plenty of that special 1980s feel-good atmosphere, and, understandably, this may not be enough for some viewers. It was enough for me. Kino Lorber's combo pack presents another outstanding 4K restoration, completed at Universal Pictures, on 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray. RECOMMENDED.