Notting Hill 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Notting Hill 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Penned by Richard Curtis after his fantastic work on the bulk of the 'Blackadder' series, as well as the much-loved 'Four Weddings and a Funereal', and just before 'Bridget Jones's Diary', his 1999 romantic comedy 'Notting Hill' arrives on 4K UHD disc courtesy of Universal. The picture finds Julia Roberts ('Pretty Woman') as movie star Anna Scott opposite Hugh Grant's (Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves') persistently flustered everyman William Thacker. The film also features Tim McInnerny, Gina McKee, and Hugh Bonneville, and features brief appearances from Mischa Barton and Emily Mortimer. 'Notting Hill 4K' features a pleasing 2160p presentation with Dolby Vision, and an improved Dolby Atmos sound track as well. All meaningful legacy on-disc supplemental features have been brought forward to this release. A Blu-ray disc, an embossed and foil-enhanced slipcover, and a Digital Code redeemable via Movies Anywhere are also included.

When the world's most famous movie star wanders into to a small book shop, it sparks an unlikely romance between the glamorous Anna Scott (Julia Roberts) and the mild-mannered William Thacker (Hugh Grant). While a spark between the unlikely couple ignites, missteps by both along with media pressures threaten to extinguish it before it can grow. Can Thacker's stalwart group of friends convince him to do the right thing, and can the pair find love under the scrutiny of the ever-present press?

Notting Hill 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Upon its intital Blu-ray release, Notting Hill's 1080p transfer was quite average. Depressingly so, in fact. Things are much better for it's 2160p presentation with Dolby Vision, and improvements across the board are quite noticeable. Skin tones are very healthy with faces revealing a pleasing amount of detail from pores to fine lines and wrinkles. Facial hair is well-defined on Thacker's roommate Spike, as is the rampant stubble on Alec Baldwin's face during his limited screen time. Colors are nicely saturated and quite eye-catching at times. The double-decker busses are a vibrant red, as are the phone boxes, with the greens of the flower arrangements that adorn Anna's suite being quite lush. Blacks are satisfactorily deep and whites approach brilliance. Image depth is pleasing. While it sports a nicely crisp and filmic look, there is a bit of occasional and inherent softness to the image, but based on the subject of the shots in question, and their framing, these seem to be intentional stylistic choices. Fine detail levels are satisfactorily high with the various items that clutter William Thacker's book store, it's bulletin board, and the messy flat being open for investigation, from the spines of multitudes of books to the remains of several meals that he hastily cleans up when he invites Anna Scott into his place for the first time. Fabrics present with great tactile realism, with fuzzy sweaters, chunky ribbing on Grant's corduroy jacket, and nicely textured leathers. Stonework and pavement are authentically rough. I did not observe any banding, compression artifacts, or other issues. Fans should be pleased.

Screenshots are sourced from the 4K UHD disc and downscaled to 1080 and are in SDR.

Notting Hill 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Audibly, the Dolby Atmos mix offers an improvement over what came before on the previous Blu-ray from over a decade ago. Elvis Costello's "She" fills the room as the film opens with precise keys and vocals that possess a rich echoing quality. Score elements are consistently pushed through surrounds, sometimes with subtlety and sometimes more forcefully. When the the music is pushed to the fore, the track really shows what it can do, such as the soulful rendition of "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart", which is quite impressive and delivers the intended emotional punch. These, though, are the audio track's most immersive and sonically involved moments. As one would expect, the track with it's 1990s origins is decidedly front-heavy as is typical for a romantic comedy from the era. Dialogue is clear and cleanly rendered and presented without defect. Contemporary sound effects are realistic with buses, footsteps, and doorbells, sounding authentic. Directionality is spot-on and viewers are able to track people and vehicles as they move through the field. The track is not an ambitious one when compared to modern sound design, which is as it should be, but it is nonetheless a decided step up from what was heard on its initial release.

Notting Hill 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

All of the legacy features from the original Blu-ray release are carried over here with one exception; the international trailer has been deleted. No new features have been crafted for this release. For details about these legacy features, please follow this link.

Notting Hill 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It's been quite some time since I've screened 1999's Notting Hill. Viewing it now, I believe the film has held up rather well, losing none of its appeal. Slowly paced, the film affords plenty of time for scenes to develop and breathe, allowing emotions to simmer and jokes and sight gags to fully resolve before moving on. Roberts is quite charming in her movie star role her, once again finding an unlikely love match with someone who is definitely not in her orbit. Grant, for his part, had his adorably flustered persona down pat at this point of his career, and has audiences alternately cheering for him or climbing the walls with frustration at his lack of confidence and the resultant poor choices it fuels. With a supporting cast that is equally quirky and endearing, it is a consistently entertaining film. Given the audio and video upgrades, Notting Hill 4K is highly recommended to its fans.