Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Marrowbone 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Brighter Day, Darker Ghosts

Reviewed by Michael Reuben August 15, 2018

Magnolia Home Entertainment is venturing into the brave and now not-so-new world of UHD with Marrowbone, the directorial debut of Sergio G. Sánchez, screenwriter of The Orphanage and The Impossible. The title is an interesting choice for a 4K/HDR upgrade, because it's not an action spectacle or an effects extravaganza. Still, the UHD provides a subtle but noticeable visual improvement over the standard Blu- ray of this unexpectedly disturbing tale.

For a feature discussion of Marrowbone, please see my review of the standard Blu-ray. My colleague Brian Ordorf offers his take here, which is less favorable.

Marrowbone 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

(Note: Screenshots accompanying this review have been captured from the standard Blu-ray. Additional 1080p captures from that disc can be found here.)

The image on Magnolia Home Entertainment's 2160p, HEVC/H.265-encoded UHD of Marrowbone appears to be the result of an up-rez from a 2K digital intermediate. Nowhere does the UHD disc reveal a significant addition to the resolution and detail of the already impressively detailed 1080p Blu-ray. Nor does the HDR grading noticeably alter the film's generally subdued palette, except perhaps in the greenery of forests surrounding the isolated Marrowbone house, which are even more lush and inviting in this presentation.

Where the 4K disc shines is in the film's stark contrasts between light and dark, especially between the light that streams into the house through windows, doors, even cracks in the roof or is provided by interior lamps. Working within the limitations of his avowed intention to rely on natural light, cinematographer Xavi Giménez has achieved wonderfully expressive compositions by balancing these light sources against areas of darkness and figures dimly outlined. The capacity of HDR to accentuate both the light and the dark adds new contrast to Giménez's painterly frames and intensifies the sense of a battle between the secret interior world of the Marrowbone family and the outside world that they are fighting to keep at bay, even as they contend with even greater darkness inside. The extended sequences in the house's attic that dominate the film's final act take full advantage of HDR's finer delineation of blacks to make the dire events clearer and more intelligible (I'm being deliberately vague to avoid spoilers).

Marrowbone's UHD treatment doesn't offer an eye-popping makeover, but it does what a good 4K/HDR presentation should do, which is to improve the visual experience while maintaining its essential character.

[System calibrated for UHD using (a) a Klein K-10A Colorimeter with a Custom Profile made in CalMAN using a Colorimetry Research CR250 Spectroradiometer; (b) Murideo Fresco SIX-G UHD signal generator with HDR10 and Dolby Vision capability; and (c) SpectraCal CalMAN Software v. 5.8.2.85. Calibration performed by Kevin Miller of ISFTV.]

Marrowbone 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The UHD contains the same Dolby Atmos track previously reviewed.

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

Unlike most major studios, Magnolia has included the same supplements on the UHD disc that appear on the standard Blu-ray. The sole differences are in the additional trailers, where the two features from Shudder Films have been dropped, and the omission of the vestigial BD-Live feature. (All of these can still be found on the included 1080p Blu-ray.)

• Deleted/Extended Scenes (1080p; 2.39:1; 29:15): The scenes are not separately listed or selectable, and there are no title cards or other text to identify them. Many of the trims were obviously made because they gave away too much too soon. The scene with the bear invading the house was probably deemed extraneous. The most interesting lift is the introduction of the matchmaking aunt and disapproving uncle with whom Allie lives; in the final cut, they do not appear.



• Marrowbone Behind the Scenes (1080p; 1.78:1; 29:28): This is an unusually detailed and informative EPK featuring interviews with all of the principal cast (in English) as well as director Sánchez, executive producer Bayona, cinematographer Xavi Giménez, composer Fernando Velázquez and several other producers (all in Spanish with English subtitles). Multiple topics are explored, including development of the story, the casting process, the challenge of creating a Maine country house and landscape in Asturias, Spain, and the meticulous design of the Marrowbone home, for which the interiors were real but the exteriors and surroundings were almost entirely CG.



• Marrowbone Effects Reel (1080p; 2.39:1; 1:46): This is a compilation of before- and-after clips seen in the "behind the scenes" featurette.



• Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 2.39:1; 2:12).



• Also from Magnolia Home Entertainment: A trailer for Higher Power, plus promos for The Charity Network and AXS TV. These also play at startup.

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

It's always encouraging when another publisher embraces the latest format, and Magnolia's venture into UHD should be applauded. While the label's first outing may not fall into the "must have" category, it's a worthwhile upgrade for anyone who is a fan of Marrowbone (or thinks they might be). It's certainly the best available presentation of the film and, therefore, recommended.