Rating summary

Movie		1.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		2.5

Point Break 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Sharper Trash with More Interesting Colors

Reviewed by Michael Reuben June 8, 2016

Warner suggested earlier this year that it plans to issue UHD releases of non-catalog films day-and-date with their Blu-ray counterparts, but this has not been the case so far. Since the studio's initial batch of four UHD discs on March 1 (San Andreas, The LEGO Movie, Pan and Mad Max: Fury Road), only one new title is being offered with a simultaneous UHD release: the divisive blockbuster, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Now, I'm not suggesting that anyone should weep for the absence of a UHD version of How to Be Single or Barbershop: The Next Cut (although I wouldn't mind a 4K Midnight Special). The point here is that one should always take PR promises with a large grain of salt.

Dipping a second toe into the 4K waters, Warner is now releasing three of its "big" titles from 2015 on UHD. One of them (Creed) was a surprise hit, but the other two (Point Break and In the Heart of the Sea) were deservedly box office bombs that no amount of increased resolution and HDR encoding can salvage.

Screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc. Watch for 4K screenshots at a later date.

For a review of the film, please see the Point Break Blu-ray. The film is less disappointing on a subsequent viewing, but only because of lowered expectations.

Point Break 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc. Watch for 4K screenshots at a later date.

Point Break 4K UHD was sourced from a 2K digital intermediate, but resolution isn't the story with this release, which might more accurately be termed a "reinterpretation". Although the very nature of HDR makes an apples-to-apples comparison almost impossible, it appears that the creators of the UHD have not-so-subtly regraded the film to tone down the intense stylization that I called a distraction in the Blu-ray review. Largely gone are the frame-wide washes of cyan and yellow that homogenized the visual texture. They have been replaced by a color scheme that, while not remotely natural, is at least more varied and balanced, with warm and cold tones allowed to alternate in the frame. Greenery is less yellow, snow is less blue and the image is less visually monotonous, inviting the viewer to look around at the details of the (admittedly) impressive landscapes where the film was shot.

Additional enhancement is provided by HDR's sharper contrast. It's particularly noticeable in long shots during stunt sequences like the wingsuit flight and the climactic rock-climbing chase, where the tiny figures of stuntpeople stand out more distinctly against the intimidating hazards they are challenging. Not every film would benefit from this kind of "pop", but Point Break's stunts are its strongest element, and they look even more impressive when the viewer's eye is immediately drawn to the extreme sports enthusiasts who are assaying the impossible.

Point Break 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The UHD release of Point Break features the same DTS-HD MA 7.1 track previously reviewed.

Point Break 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The UHD disc contains no extras. The accompanying standard Blu-ray is identical to the initial release and contains the same extras discussed here.

Point Break 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Point Break remains a terrible film, but it looks better on UHD. One can only hope that Warner has bigger plans for the format than re-releasing a failure in the hope that first adopters have so little product to choose from that they may break down and buy it. Still not recommended.