Love Actually 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

Love Actually 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman December 4, 2023

Universal has released the fan-favorite 2003 RomCom 'Love Actually,' directed by Richard Curtis and featuring an all-star cast which includes Hugh Grant, Alan Rickman, Laura Linney, Emma Thompson, and Colin Firth, to the UHD format. New specifications include 2160p/HDR video and Dolby Atmos audio. Universal has also included the previously released 10th Anniversary Blu-ray in this package.

Plot synopsis from Kenneth Brown's review of the 10th anniversary edition: Recounting Love Actually's cast of lovable losers and lovelorn romantics is a daunting chore sure to leave some readers overwhelmed before they even sample the film. Rest assured though, Curtis' steady hand keeps everything in check, making his rather sprawling romcom a seemingly effortless endeavor. It all begins with Billy Mack (Bill Nighy), an aging rock star struggling to insert the words "Christmas" and "snow" into a classic Troggs song and, to the dismay of his longtime manager (Gregor Fisher), being transparent with every radio host and television personality he encounters. From there we meet Jamie (Colin Firth), a dimestore novelist who discovers his girlfriend is sleeping with his brother. Heartbroken, he retreats to the countryside where he meets Aurelia (Lúcia Moniz), a softspoken maid who doesn't understand English. Liam Neeson plays Daniel, a recent widower tasked with burying his wife and raising his young, reclusive stepson, Sam (Thomas Sangster). However, he soon learns Sam isn't depressed because of his mother's death (which had been expected for some time), but because he's in love with a girl (Olivia Olson) that doesn't know his name. Daniel's sister Karen (Emma Thompson) is facing a personal crisis as well. As Christmas quickly approaches, she begins to suspect her husband (Alan Rickman) is falling for the wiles of his secretary (Heike Makatsch), a suspicion that proves to be all too true.


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Love Actually 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from the 10th anniversary Blu-ray disc.

Love Actually arrives on the UHD format looking good at-a-glance but showing some signs of struggle beyond the facade. One of the chief problems here is grain management. While the image does not look overtly scrubbed down (i.e. textures do not look waxy), there has been some severe grain manipulation at work. The image looks very harshly digitized, with grain all but wiped away and replaced with a morass of chunky digital blocking. Look at the 15:26 mark for one of the most horrifically offending shots in the film. It looks like there's a digital wicker basket on top of the film. Sadly, the same scene looks much better on the 10th anniversary Blu-ray. The grain is much better managed, imperfectly perhaps and not quite as sharp as the UHD offers, but much closer to a truly filmic appearance. This holds true for most of the film. While there are some sporadic shots and scenes that hold up to casual scrutiny at normal viewing distances, they fall apart upon closer inspection. Overall detail is good, however, and the image is definitely sharper and more robust in terms of aw definition considering the 2160p resolution, but that grain management...yikes!

The HDR color grading offers a very nice boost to the image, at least. Look at the same scene as mentioned above, now at the 15:26 mark, a quick reaction shot showing Emma Thompson's Karen. The old Blu-ray looks hopelessly pale and washed out while the HDR UHD delivers a healthier, livelier, fuller, more lifelike appearance to skin and the clothing and the entire frame. On the UHD, colors enjoy a nice sense of fullness sand depth, never overexaggerated but certainly gaining over the comparatively flat Blu-ray. The result are more vivid primaries, deeper blacks, crisper whites, and much healthier skin tones. It is clear that some minor clean-up has been performed on this UHD as well, removing some of the errant pops and speckles. However, that grain management is just, much of the time, hideous. When the image is on, it looks very nice. When it's off, it looks terrible. If only Universal could have just left the transfer alone from the 10th anniversary Blu-ray and added the HDR color grading...that would have been a much better experience.

Love Actually 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Universal releases Love Actually to the UHD format with a good Atmos track, albeit one that doesn't take significant advantage of the new channels at its disposal. As a 20-year-old RomCom the elements remain in fine shape, but the expanded work area is not really much of a factor. Sure, when music swells when Hugh Grant, as the British Prime Minister, takes it to Billy Bob Thornton, playing the U.S. President, there is a sense of grand spacing and stage fill, but comparing it to the Blu-ray the expanded channel output does not make a major difference. Sure, it's a bit fuller, but the size difference, or the clarity difference, are not really at all great. The track is very comfortable as a straightforward experience with subtle atmosphere filling the stage and music (even more gentle elements) playing with the sort of spot-on clarity one would expect to find in a quality film made in the last 20 years. It is a dialogue driven experience, however, and listeners can rest assured that the spoken word comes through clearly and efficiently from a natural front-center position.

Love Actually 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Universal releases Love Actually to the UHD format with a new retrospective extra and all of the carryover extras from the 10th anniversary Blu-ray on the UHD disc. Everything but the new retrospective are, of course, also included on the Blu-ray. Curiously, there is no chapter select option on the UHD's main menu screen. A Movies Anywhere digital copy code is included with purchase. This release ships with an embossed slipcover.

• NEW! Making Love Actually (1080p, 29:32): Cast and crew, including Writer/Director Richard Curtis, reflect on the film's place in Curtis' career, Curtis' draw to film's with multiple characters and storylines, writing the film and developing scenes, casting, cast and performances, the film's iconic moments, production details, music, and more.
• Deleted Scenes with Introduction by Richard Curtis
• The Music of Love Actually with Introduction by Richard Curtis
• The Storytellers
• Kelly Clarkson "The Trouble With Love Is" Music Video
• Billy Mack "Christmas Is All Around" Music Video
• Audio Commentary: Director Richard Curtis and actors Hugh Grant, Bill Nighy, and Thomas Sangste.

Love Actually 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Love Actually has aged well and matured into a dependable Christmas RomCom. Universal's new UHD presentation delivers troubled 2160p/HDR video and a fine Dolby Atmos soundtrack. Universal has also included a new 30-minute retrospective. However, the quality of the UHD video is just not good enough to warrant a purchase, and the sweeteners aren't enough to overcome it.