Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.5

Joy 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

In our original Joy Blu-ray review, I mentioned that it was a little surprising at least that Jennifer Lawrence could have wrangled out some trophy wins and/or nominations for such a generally lightweight film (and performance). Similarly, some early adopters of 4K UHD may be wondering about how much Joy itself might "deserve" a 4K upgrade, given its inherently small scale visuals. The answer proves to be perhaps a little surprising, some of which is due to cinematographer Linus Sandgren's kind of unusual choices in shooting and processing (as detailed in the original review).

Joy 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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

Joy is presented on 4K UHD courtesy of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment with an HEVC / H.265 encoded 2160p transfer in 1.85:1. Though finished at a 2K DI, there's a considerable uptick in fine detail in this new rendering, with immediately noticeable elements like the snow in the opening sequence or, later, the fabric of Joy's kind of tweedy overcoat offering better levels of precision (the snow in fact almost assumes a 3D quality at times). What was immediately striking to me, however, was the grain resolution—for whatever reason, the grain is much more of a presence in this new version, giving the film a thicker texture but perhaps ironically giving a more cinematic look to the supposed "broadcast" moments featuring the soap opera (at least when they're delivered full screen, instead of being watched on a television). The grain is especially noticeable in both the black and white sequences as well as the later moments when Joy and Walker are in the almost futuristically white television studio. The other major difference comes courtesy of HDR, where there's a clear increase in gradation of tones, as well as a more marked offering of contrast in moments like the sailing sequence where Sandgren's almost bleach bypass look is more intense than on the standard Blu-ray. Shadow detail is incrementally improved in some of the dimmer moments like the table gatherings in Joy's home where product details are discussed. There's also a wider variety of texture and (purposeful) softness on display in terms of the some of the intentionally "tweaked" video like the flashback to the wedding or even the sequence with Joy and Tony singing onstage as teenagers. In fact the whole dichotomy between flashbacks and contemporary happenings is more visually arresting in this presentation due to the more obvious differences in the presentational aspects.

There were no handshake issues with this disc, and commendably very little (virtually none in fact) of the judder I've been experiencing in other early 4K UHD releases.

Joy 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 4K UHD disc features the same DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track offered on the standalone Blu-ray.

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

There are no supplements on the 4K UHD disc. The included standard Blu-ray disc includes the same supplements as the standalone Blu-ray release.

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

Joy is an unabashedly lightweight offering that still seems to be hinting at something more profound. That profundity may in fact be lacking in the film itself, but Linus Sandgren's really unusual choices in shooting and processing this film give it a fascinatingly unique look, albeit one that's virtually subliminal at times (as I discussed in the original Blu-ray review). This new 4K UHD version offers a surprising uptick in detail while also offering a pronounced increase in tonal variety. There's also a more prevalent grain field on display, something that should warm the hearts of those who yearn for pre-digital capture days. While this hardly qualifies as a reference quality disc due to the kind of intentionally small scale visuals being offered, it's nonetheless a rather interesting one for the reasons detailed above. Recommended.