Ocean's 8 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.5

Ocean's 8 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Glamor in HDR

Warner has made some odd choices in its 4K offerings, but thankfully it has given the latest addition to the Ocean's franchise a beautiful UHD rendering. The ritzy environs in which Danny Ocean's sister plots and executes her elaborate heist deserve the most gorgeous possible treatment, and Warner has obliged with a 4K image that does full justice to the film's glamorous locales and star-studded cast.

Ocean's 8 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

(Note: Screenshots accompanying this review are sourced from the 1080p Blu-ray. Additional 1080p screenshots can be found here.)

As noted in the Blu-ray review, Ocean's 8 was shot digitally, but there's a surprising dearth of information about the resolution at which it was finished. Judging from the image on Warner's 2160p, HEVC/H.265-encoded UHD, I will hazard a guess that post-production was completed at 2K, which is still the most common format for digital intermediates. But that doesn't mean the 4K disc isn't a meaningful upgrade. On the contrary, the HDR colorist has taken full advantage of the film's vibrant palette to subtly intensify colors, deepen contrast and gently add highlights to cinematographer Eigil Bryld's (In Bruges) glittering images. Whether it's the sparkles on the diamonds around Anne Hathaway's delicate neck, the shimmer on the gold lamé of Mindy Kaling's evening gown as she makes her escape from the Met Gala, or the refined skin tones in any closeup of the uniformly attractive cast, the HDR grading offers a richer, deeper, more engrossing experience. Even the marble crypt where Debbie visits her brother's remains (if he's really dead, which she doubts) gains in depth and texture. And the scenes at the Met are a profusion of wonderful colors and textures, both before and during the ostentatious gala. Even the disc's red menu background radiates additional warmth.

In my Blu-ray review, I noted that the 1080p video presentation of Ocean's 8 didn't quite live up to the intensity of the image I experienced theatrically, but the UHD does so. In fact, it's even better. In a film (and a series) that relies so heavily on the visual appeal of the characters and their surroundings, the UHD showcases every artful nuance.

(Note that the disc also includes DolbyVision encoding, which will be the subject of a separate review.)

[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.]

Ocean's 8 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 4K disc offers the same conservative Dolby Atmos track as the standard Blu-ray.

Ocean's 8 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The UHD disc contains no extras. The accompanying standard Blu-ray contains the same extras discussed here.

Ocean's 8 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Now that Warner has provided such a fine treatment of the latest Ocean's outing, it's time for the studio to return to the first three films, all of which need new 1080p presentations as well as UHD versions. Next to Ocean's 8, on either Blu-ray or UHD, the existing bit-starved, VC-1/encoded Blu-rays look worse than ever. The series deserves the best possible treatment. For proof one need look no further than this UHD disc, which is highly recommended.