Lone Survivor 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.5

Lone Survivor 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

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

Universal previously released 'Lone Survivor' to 1080p Blu-ray in June 2014. This UHD release marks Universal's debut into the 4K disc era, alongside 'Oblivion' and 'Lucy.'

Lone Survivor 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

According to the film's IMDB tech spec page, Lone Survivor was photographed at 5K but finished at 2K, making this, presumably, an upscaled-to-4K release. Nevertheless, the results are quite impressive. Universal's previous 1080p transfer stands apart as one of the finer on its format, yielding remarkable balance of detail and color with outstanding clarity as the hallmarks. The UHD presentation is much the same, though the end result isn't noticeably far greater than the 1080p release. Certainly, it's an image that's appreciably fantastic. The opening shot after the SEAL training montage is breathtaking. A distance terrain shot, it boasts remarkable stability and clarity that stretches back into the first reaches of the frame. Detailing soars. Facial textures are intimate and revealing down tithe absolute finest pore, strands of facial hair, and sweat. As battle takes it toll on the men, gashes in faces reveal tangible depth and intimate blood and dirt stains. Light wear on the radio set and satellite phone; well-worn, scratched, battered, and painted rifle stocks; heavy military web gear; and frays around the brims of their boonie hats pass as absolutely real. Pine tree leaves, rough terrain, cliffside and rocks, and structural elements later in the film are realistically revealing, naturally sharp, and believably presented on the screen. Colors are excellent. Much of the movie favors earthy browns and rocky grays, accentuated by very vibrant natural greens and plenty of red blood. Brighter colors pop with ease, even small little color details, like a red patch on Murphy's sleeve or red material inside the choppers. The HDR color palette proves complimentary, not pushing the shades beyond an attractively natural scheme. This is a terrific image, though not quite one that stands head-and-shoulders above a reference 1080p transfer. It's more revealing, more clear, and more precise to be sure. It's just not quite a standard-bearer of the UHD format or a vast jump in quality over basic Blu-ray.

Lone Survivor 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Unlike the UHD releases of Lucy and Oblivion, which featured Dolby Atmos soundtracks, Lone Survivor delivers a DTS:X soundtrack. This review is based on an 11.1 setup, adding four "height' channels to the traditional 7.1 layout. This is a very good upgrade from the Blu-ray's DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The opening SEAL training montage is accompanied by big, widely dispersed music, room filling and seamlessly clear, even at an aggressive volume. Similar music placement and aggression remains throughout the movie, always maintaining stability and clarity even through the sometimes prodigious delivery. Support details are fantastic. A cargo planes rumbles directly overhead with a noticeable top layer movement and plenty of weight to it as well. During insertion, a detailed and aggressive helicopter presence is heard, and practically felt, overhead. Deep, room-shaking bass and wide dispersal -- sounds stretch all around the listener without any gaps in coverage -- solidify a fantastic moment in the track. Light atmospherics are seamlessly integrated, with full-on surround detail recreating the calmer environmental moments in the movie. Most of the true high points, however, come during action scenes. Gunfire hits very hard and bursts from all over the stage. Bullets whiz through and above the listening area, impacting surfaces all over the soundstage. The chaos of battle is fluid and realistic. Whether suppressed rifle fire or heavy machine gun blasts, the presentation never wants for more authenticity. RPG rockets zoom through the stage, and explosions send debris flying every which way, some of it even seeming to fall from above. Dialogue delivery is clear and detailed, whether casual conversation, hushed whispers, or desperate screams. This is a terrific DTS:X presentation from Universal.

Lone Survivor 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Universal's UHD Blu-ray release of Lone Survivor contains no supplemental content on the 4K disc. The included 1080p disc carries over the bonus material from the previous release. Please click through the link at the top of this review for more information. A voucher for a UV/iTunes digital copy code is included with purchase.

Lone Survivor 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Lone Survivor is one of the great, moving, emotional, and memorable War films of its, or any, generation. Universal's UHD release does the movie proud, delivering a high quality 2160p/HDR-enabled transfer, an amazing DTS:X soundtrack, and supplemental content on the 1080p Blu-ray disc. Highly recommended to UHD owners and listeners equipped to hear DTS:X soundtracks, particularly for the audio.