It 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

It 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Penny Wise, 4K Foolish

The box office success of director Andy Muschietti's It, the first of two planned chapters, virtually guaranteed that Warner Brothers would add the film to its rapidly expanding catalog of UHD offerings. But the result confirms that not every film is worth the effort, especially when it's a recent release that's already received a first-rate Blu-ray presentation. After spending a lot of time recently with UHD discs that have been mastered from genuine 4K sources, I am becoming more sympathetic to those who question the efficacy of upconverting 2K digital intermediates for the latest in home video formats. Certainly there are instances where the benefits of HDR grading make the effort worthwhile, but It is not one of them.

It 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

(Note: Screenshots accompanying this review are 1080p captures from the standard Blu-ray. Additional 1080p screenshots can be found here.)

It was shot digitally and finished on a digital intermediate at 2K, and it is immediately evident, when one compares the image to that of the Blu-ray, that upconversion to 4K has not provided the minute increase in visible detail that my colleagues and I have often noted in UHDs derived from 2K sources. Comparison between Warner's 2160p, HEVC/H.265-encoded UHD and the Blu-ray only reveals just how good the Blu-ray is at rendering the story's manifold environments, characters and textures. Whatever improvement is visible on the UHD is entirely due to its HDR grading, which offers subtle (very subtle) enhancements to depth and contrast in the many dark environments that cinematographer Chung-hoon Chung (Stoker and the original Oldboy) was challenged with lighting to achieve the appropriate balance between essential visibility and scary indefiniteness.

Thus, for example, at the beginning of the film, when Georgie ventures hesitantly into the forbidding Denbrough basement, the surroundings are just as dim, but the shapes of the shelves and stacks are better defined. In the rabbi's study, where we first see Stanley terrorized by the painting of which he's always been frightened, the texture of the paint on the canvas is mildly accentuated. When the gang of Losers ventures into the dank sewers looking for answers, the bricks that form the tunnels are somewhat more distinct and textured, even as the light falls away. In the extended climactic sequence, where the Losers confront Pennywise in his lair, the piles of clothing, toys and childhood bric-a-brac that have accumulated over many centuries of the evil clown's predations are more readily visible and you can better make out individual shapes in the various heaps.

As I noted in the Blu-ray review, colors in It have been mildly desaturated, draining the environment of vibrancy just as Pennywise has been draining the town of life. (Note how much bluer the sky becomes once the Losers have banished the monster.) The HDR colorist has resisted the temptation to dial up It's colors, but there are a few interesting exceptions, especially in the red portion of the spectrum. The balloons that signal Pennywise's presence pop in the frame with a little more intensity; the inflated upside-down triangle that greets Andy behind the Neiboldt house is especially bright. The geyser of blood that erupts from a bathroom sink (shades of Carrie) is a more intense red. Even Beverly's hair gets a slight red push, so that her auburn locks make her stand out from the crowd even more (which is no doubt the opposite of what the tormented teen would want). In general, though, the UHD disc's palette remains consistent with that of the Blu-ray. With no increase in detail and only tiny tweaks to color, black levels and contrast, the 4K presentation provides a viewing experience that's little changed from It's 1080p rendition.

Note that It has also been encoded with Dolby Vision, as an alternative to standard HDR. Blu-ray.com is currently evaluating options for Dolby Vision playback and review.

It 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The UHD disc contains the same powerful Dolby Atmos track that was previously reviewed. It also offers the same option of a DTS-HD MA 5.1 track as the Blu-ray. However, in a bizarre quirk of mastering, the Blu-ray defaults to the Dolby Atmos track, while the UHD defaults to DTS-HD MA, and Atmos must be specifically selected from the menu, either before or after hitting "play". This is not the first time we have seen this oddity with Warner 4K discs, and I hope the studio's UHD group catches up soon with its Blu-ray producers. It reminds me of the early Warner Blu-rays that defaulted to lossy Dolby Digital when a lossless track was available.

It 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The UHD disc contains no extras. The included standard Blu-ray contains the extras previously discussed here.

It 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It is a fine Stephen King adaptation, but you get the same impact on Blu-ray as on UHD. Unless you just have to have the film on the latest format, you can skip the 4K version and not miss out.