Office Christmas Party 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Office Christmas Party 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Paramount has released the 2016 raunchy Christmas film 'Office Christmas Party,' directed by Will Speck and Josh Gordon and starring Jason Bateman, Olivia Munn, T.J. Miller, Jennifer Aniston, Kate McKinnon, and Courtney B. Vance, to the UHD format. New specifications include 2160p/Dolby Vision video. Audio has been downgraded from the 7.1 lossless soundtrack found on the 2017 Blu-ray to, here, a 5.1 lossless soundtrack. No extras are included on the UHD disc, but the 2017 Blu-ray is included and contains all of the legacy extras. Also note that this UHD contians only a film's theatrical cut; the Blu-ray offers the theatrical and extended cuts.

Office Christmas Party 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc.

Office Christmas Party arrives on the UHD format with a new 2160p/Dolby Vision UHD transfer that upgrades the Blu-ray image to good, and to at times striking, levels. The Blu-ray maintains a high level of visual excellence even several years after its release, but the UHD amplifies and fine-tunes the experience. The higher resolution sees the image take on some gains to core clarity. Facial and clothing elements are several degrees shaper, capturing more robust and intricate definition to fabric basics and facial hair. The improvement is not dramatic, but it is very obvious and a very nice gain, enough that seasoned viewers will be able to spot the difference in practically any shot, scene, or sequence. Overall clarity gains allow for greater immersion into the character moments and the broader environment, though to be sure when the lights are low and the frame is packed with drunk and merry office workers, there's not a substantial feel for boosted clarity. The most obvious moments take place away from the party, especially early on in good light and less screen clutter and chaos.

The Dolby Vision color grading renders the image a bit brighter in those early moments, but there is much more to the grading than that. There is a significant sense of color grading amplification. Look at a conference room scene at the 14:30 mark. The UHD trounces the Blu-ray for color fullness and vitality. Clothes and office accents are much more robustly colored on the UHD, and skin transforms from surprisingly pasty and flat on the Blu-ray to fuller and healthier on the UHD. Such amplification is commonplace throughout. The colors are bolder, more vivid, fuller bodied, more satisfying to the eye. Even better, white balance is improved on the whole and black levels are deeper and more satisfying throughout the film. The image does not see any source or encode maladies, either. This is a good upgrade, especially in the Dolby Vision arena.

Office Christmas Party 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

For this UHD release of Office Christmas Party, Paramount presents the film with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Rather than upgrade to Dolby Atmos or at least maintain the status quo, Paramount offers an audio downgrade for the film; the previous Blu-ray, which is also included in this set, features a DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 lossless soundtrack. The big question is why? It's not like the 5.1 track is a major downgrade for the film, but this is nevertheless something of a head scratcher (this is also not the first time this has happened with Paramount; see the Jack Ryan: Season One Blu-ray and UHD releases). As it is, the 5.1 presentation is largely fine. It lacks the immersive dynamics in the party sequences, but there is still a full sense of spatial immersion within the 5.1 parameters. Clarity is sufficient to carry the heavier material. The track is fine in the opening act, which is mostly dialogue intensive. Basic verbal clarity is good, and light ambient effects are pleasantly integrated, like background music at a restaurant during a business meeting at the 25-minute mark.

Office Christmas Party 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This UHD release of Office Christmas Party contains all of the legacy extras on the included Blu-ray disc. There are no supplements on the UHD disc. Please see below for a list of what's included and please click here for full coverage. A digital copy code and a non-embossed slipcover are also included.

• Audio Commentary
• Throwing an Office Christmas Party Featurette
• Outtakes
• Deleted Scenes

Office Christmas Party 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Office Christmas Party doesn't redefine its genre. It's a fairly straightforward movie, maneuvering through all of the raunchy, boozy, sexy, drug-induced madness audiences expect of these sorts of films. It's a good midlevel representation of what the genre is all about, enjoyable for the most part and overcoming its core staleness thanks to a very enthusiastic ensemble. Paramount's UHD is an exercise in laziness, featuring an admittedly good UHD video upgrade, but everything else is less than impressive. The audio track is downgraded for this release, no extras appear on the UHD disc, and the UHD lacks the extended cut. Hardcore fans of this film will find the picture quality upgrade worth the cost of a rebuy, but everything else about this release disappoints. Skip it.