Purple Rain 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		0.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Purple Rain 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Pancakes, blouses, etc.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III June 21, 2024

Returning to their anniversary-celebrating roots, Warner Bros. has finally issued Albert Magnoli's campy 1984 film Purple Rain on the 4K UHD format, replacing two earlier HD editions: the old VC-1 encoded 2007 Blu-ray and a visually tweaked 2016 Blu-ray easily identified by its appropriately purple keepcase and flowery border. Both discs had different 1080p transfers and most of the same extras, but this new 4K-only version ups the ante with a fresh 2160p/HDR10 overhaul and a similarly rebuilt lossless 5.1 mix in addition to the (debuting) original theatrical 2.0 audio. The only sacrifice is a pile of missing extras, which can be easily remedied by hanging onto either old Blu-ray.

As for the film? Well, let's just say your mileage may vary. Anyone hoping to get more than base-level "guilty pleasure" enjoyment out of Purple Rain is going to have to approach it as an established fan of the late legend... and as my score above indicates, I'm a lot closer to Casey Broadwater's opinion than Michael Reuben's, both of which can be read in full at the linked reviews above. Needless to say, Purple Rain is not a great example of bulletproof entertainment from this particular era, even if it basically defines a specific time and place in the artist's formidable career. The gritty visuals are effective and the numerous musical performances are as tawdry and (mostly) accomplished as ever, but that's really all it brings to the table in my opinion. Much like Empire Records, Batman Forever, Spawn, and probably even The Crow if I'm being honest, this is a clear case of a soundtrack far outpacing the actual movie it was written for.

Purple Rain 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

This review's screenshots are sourced from the 2016 Blu-ray with its notably open-matte 1.78:1 aspect ratio.

Warner Bros.' new 2160p/HDR10 transfer is anything but an upscale of existing material. Specifically, the studio had this to say in their recent press release: For the 40th Anniversary of Purple Rain, the film has been completely restored digitally from an 8K scan of the 35mm Original Camera Negative (OCN). The picture was also conformed to the original theatrical release aspect ratio of 1.85:1 to provide the most authentic theatrical presentation framing ever to be released to the home. The digitally restored picture was color graded in High Dynamic Range (HDR).

Whatever your opinion of either previous Blu-ray edition (which, for the record, I found somewhat lacking for different reasons), it's pretty easy to see that WB's 4K restoration effort has produced what looks to be the definitive version of Purple Rain on home video -- at least for the foreseeable future, as it's been decently well-represented in years past. It's a quality effort that seems to aim for as accurate a picture as possible, one that respects Donald E. Thorin's gritty cinematography and sporadically vibrant color palette that give it an era-specific visual charm. Fine detail is quite good, which extends to faces and other elements during the film's numerous -- almost constant, really -- close-ups and mid-range shots, which combined with the corrected 1.85:1 aspect ratio give certain scenes an appropriately chaotic and even claustrophobic atmosphere. Shadow details and black levels are much better realized this time around, with more pronounced details in faint shadows and mid-range detail that, in comparison, rendered the 2016 disc more of a drab and dialed-down affair. Improved grain is a natural extension of this, with most sequences showing light but prevalent values although others, such as a small number of brief scenes -- perhaps 5-10 minutes of footage total -- are grittier with much lower levels of fine detail. (These moments are apparently the result of missing sections of the original negative where a rough-looking 35mm workprint ended up being the best surviving source material.)

As for the colors, they're almost far and away the most notable improvement... yet also a reason why I hesitated to award this 4K a full five stars. For the most part, they're nicely saturated and obviously kick into overdrive during most of the film's on-stage musical moments, as well as neon-lit signage and other more expressive light sources. Skin tones are likewise accurate depending on location, and perhaps most importantly the overall color timing does not appear to have been altered in any significant way. (I say this somewhat cautiously, however, given the film's history on home video.) However, I feel that the HDR10 is a bit too aggressive in certain situations, especially the brightest reds; there's slight color bleeding and a few similarly-hued lighting schemes just seem to stick out. Given the film's tone and subject matter, some may not mind this 4K transfer's commitment to such heightened color values. I feel otherwise, but overall this is still a very strong picture and, for die-hard fans, may be like seeing Purple Rain for the first time.

As for the content encoding, it's capably done and fits snugly onto this dual-layered (66GB) disc while maintaining a bit rate in the mid to high 50Mbps range, at least in the handful of times I checked. Personally I wouldn't have minded a full-strength 100GB disc, but no obvious compression-related issues could be spotted along the way.

Purple Rain 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

WB had this to say about the 4K's new DTS-HD 5.1 MA mix, which differs from both earlier Blu-rays: "The film's audio was also restored from the original Dolby Stereo (LCRS) archived 35mm magnetic film source elements containing the separate dialogue, music, and effects (DME) tracks. These restored elements along with the 20th anniversary's 5.1 multi-channel print master were used to complete a newly remastered 5.1 presentation for the film."

The result is, as expected, an incredibly rich and vibrant sound stage... at least during the film's numerous high-octane musical performances, which absolutely come alive in the main three channels and occasional spill over into the rears for a convincing you-are-there concert atmosphere. Conversations are routinely clean and crisp, with occasional drops in clarity during those stray "workprint" moments mentioned above, and low end levels can be quite considerable when and where it counts. It's about as seamless and full-bodied an effort as you could expect from original source elements remixed for full 5.1 surround and, though decidedly front-heavy overall, will likely be the go-to audio option for all but the most staunch purists. (Luckily those folks will be happy to know that Purple Rain's original 2.0 theatrical mix is also offered here as an alternate audio track, and likewise encoded in lossless DTS-HD MA 2.0 to boot.)

Optional subtitles, including English (SDH), are offered during the main feature and limited extras listed below.

Purple Rain 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a disappointingly black keepcase with iconic poster-themed cover art (a rarity for the studio), a matching glossy slipcover, and a Digital Copy. The extras are surprisingly minimal, carrying over a little less than half of the extras from the 2007 Blu-ray -- which were later mostly recycled for WB's 2016 Blu-ray -- while sadly omitting two featurettes ("Purple Rain: Backstage Pass" and "Riffs, Ruffles and a Revolution: The Impact and Influence of Purple Rain"), as well as the vintage "MTV Premiere Party" and even the trailer, all of which were promised on WB's press release. Disappointing, to say the least... but when paired with the 2016 Blu-ray, you'll get everything.

• Audio Commentary with director Albert Magnoli, producer Bob Cavallo, and cinematographer Don Thorin

• First Avenue: The Road to Pop Royalty (12:24)

• Music Videos for "Let's Go Crazy", "Take Me With U", "When Doves Cry", "I Would Die 4 U/Baby I'm a Star", "Purple Rain", "Jungle Love", "The Bird", and "Sex Shooter"

Purple Rain 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Purple Rain is a mixed bag and a pure product of its time. The film itself is loaded with campy dialogue, questionable acting performances, and memorable music, and as a whole will feel more "guilty" than "pleasure" for all but the late legend's most die-hard disciples. Warner Bros.' UHD package is similarly mixed, leaning hard on its admittedly terrific A/V merits but failing to include even all the modest bonus features from earlier home video editions (and of course a 1080p disc). It's therefore more of a companion piece to this release and for established fans only.