Last Action Hero 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Last Action Hero 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Sony has released Director John McTiernan's 1993 satirical Action film 'Last Action Hero' to the UHD format. New specifications include 2160p/HDR video, Dolby Atmos audio, and several supplements. The bundled Blu-ray is identical to the disc Sony released back in 2010.

Last Action Hero 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc.

Last Action Hero's UHD release, sourced from a new 4K scan, brings a fine series of visual upgrades from the aged Blu-ray to the screen. The picture is perfectly filmic, retaining a steady, satisfying grain structure that recreates a natural cinematic flavor in the home. The film is not the most visually attractive ever made -- the real world scenes are grimy and downtrodden though packed with detail even in depressed light -- but the UHD brings out the best of whatever it's working with in any given scene. There's a new depth and dimensionality to the image missing on the flatter Blu-ray. Here, the world comes alive with a striking level of location authenticity to the ragged theater interiors, grimy and grim city exteriors, and the well worn interior inside the Madigan apartment home. Lighting doesn't allow for effortless clarity but the boost over the Blu-ray is immediately obvious and substantial. The improvements to the little areas make for a big difference, and the UHD's benefits are only amplified in some of the better lit scenes in the movie world, like the video store interior where the box art and other niceties leap off the screen with amplified and refined textural finesse. Of course, essentials like facial details and definition are a big area of improvement here, and viewers will note additional fine detail on Slater's jacket and Madigan's attire, for example, as well as improved clarity on the various artificial eyes seen throughout the film.

Color reproduction enjoys a boost under the HDR parameters, too. With the film's aesthetic favoring downcast colors in the real world, color amplification is less the area of concern and stability more so the point of concern. The palette enjoys improved depth and accuracy even to darker shades of dim gray and beige, bringing more naturalistic nuance to the proceedings. Black levels, here, are likewise improved while even modest light sources enjoy a more lifelike representation. In the movie world, the color spectrum grows richer, brighter, more diverse, and here the HDR also proves its worth but in a different way, adding tonal intensity and flavor without removing core color integrity. Slater's red shirt, brown jacket, and jeans are a steady color presence throughout the film and serve as a good example of the boost HDR brings over Blu-ray while still holding steady to realistic shading. Some brighter bursts of color -- explosions -- enjoy very fruitful punch and vigor and accuracy as well. Flesh tones appear accurate for the duration. The print is free of major source blemish and there are no obvious encode issues of note. Last Action Hero is not reference UHD material because the movie's natural state is not one of vivid color output and refined clarity, but nevertheless the format brings the very best out of the material; longtime fans are going to be pleased with what is a very stable and polished presentation.

Last Action Hero 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Dolby Atmos soundtrack delivers the film's big, explosive audio with all the muscle is demands. The track is almost comically amplified at times, blending together Hard Rock music, gunfire, explosions, and all of the familiar action movie audio cue clichés for maximum effect. It's bold and intense, not at all timid, and it works every speaker hard. Overhead extension is here in more of a help capacity than it is a source of discrete information. The fuller stage -- which also includes the added back-center channels -- drops the listener into the movie with a delightful sense of place and intensity. Surround usage comes frequently, home to both discrete effects as well as aggressively blended sounds that create a steady stream of action delight. Clarity is rock-solid within every element, from intense music and gunfire to collected city din. This is just a parade of Action audio bliss from beginning to end. Dialogue is clear, center positioned, and refined for the duration. No problems here.

Last Action Hero 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The original Blu-ray, which is included with this package, contained no supplemental content, but the new UHD disc includes a slate(r) of bonuses new to high definition disc. A Movies Anywhere digital copy code is included with purchase.

• Original Behind the Scenes Featurette (1080p upscaled, 6:36): A vintage piece that takes a quick look at the plot, the characters, the movie's surprising depth, and more. It is made primarily of film clips and cast and crew interviews.
• Deleted & Alternate Scenes (2160p/HDR, 9:08 total runtime): Included are You're My Partner, What if You're Right, It's Payback Time, Resist the Temptation, Plan A, and Alternate Ending.
• Big Gun by AC/DC (1080p upscaled, 4x3, 4:46): A music video tie-in.
• Audio Commentary: Director John McTiernan records this track some time after the film's 1993 premiere. It's a bit slow and dry and monotone but covers some valuable information about the nitty-gritty filmmaking process and detail, as well as speaking on problem areas within the film, which is often more interesting than the nuts-and-bolts production details and broader commentary cliché elements. There are some silent stretches throughout, too. McTiernan is a terrific filmmaker but this is not a very listenable track.
• Theatrical Trailer (1080p, 1:27).

Last Action Hero 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Last Action Hero is not a film of grand cinematographic artistry and pleasing aesthetical tones. It's a somewhat flat and depressed film that even in its "movie magic" scenes lacks real punch and visual zeal, but even so the UHD artists at Sony have done a fine job with this one, bringing out the very best the film has to offer. The new Atmos soundtrack is a blast, too, and it's nice to have a proper assortment of extras, even if the featurettes are old and the commentary is dry. Highly recommended, and be sure to check out the SteelBook packaging variant which streets a few weeks before this.