Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Risen 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman May 26, 2016

Director Kevin Reynolds' (Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, WaterWorld) Risen attempts, and largely succeeds in the effort, to explore the concept of faith through the eyes of a worldly nonbeliever who finds himself a firsthand witness to Christ's miracles. But it's not simply another straight Biblical retelling. The movie intermixes Biblical scripture with some dramatic license as the movie explores Christ's crucifixion, His resurrection, and the miracles that occurred in the days following. By this approach, even as the film doesn't deviate from, but rather adds to, the story, it humanizes it in a way never before experienced on the screen, resulting in a unique and, in some ways, more impactful narrative arc that gives more relatable, "outsider" eyes and ears to some of the key details, teachings, miracles, and foundational faith elements from Christianity.

It starts at the end.

Roman Tribune Clavius (Joseph Fiennes) is tasked with overseeing Christ's (Cliff Curtis) crucifixion. He grants Joseph of Arimathea (Antonio Gil) permission to take the body and bury it in a family tomb. Pontius Pilate (Peter Firth) fears rumors of Christ's resurrection, and all that would mean, and orders the tomb sealed. But it's opened, anyway, and the body vanishes. Clavius is ordered to investigate the disappearance. The investigation ultimately less him to Christ's disciples and, to his surprise, Christ (called "Yeshua" in the film) Himself, alive and showing the wounds to his hands, feet, and side, just as Clavius saw Him dead on the cross. As the Roman wrestles with what he's seen, he bears witness to both the disciples' devotion to Christ and Christ's own miracles. He must come to terms with his growing acceptance in Christ's divinity.

Risen clearly derives its substance from Scripture, but at its core is a mystery movie that follows the main character who oversees Christ's crucifixion and is later tasked with investigating the body's disappearance. The film follows classic genre permutations. He explores the evidence and interviews suspects on the trail. But it's in the film's second half that it deviates from standard procedural elements but nevertheless maintains its investigative mystery styling. As Clavius comes to know the truth of Christ's whereabouts and, more important, His divinity, he's faced with a new task, not for the Empire but for himself: to understand what he sees, to figure out the power of faith, to grasp the importance of all he witnesses. It's here where the movie shines, offering a unique examination of faith and acceptance as much by the soul as with the eyes and ears. Clavius certainly has the added benefit of the physical senses supporting the burgeoning truths that surround him, but the film smartly focuses more on the inner dilemmas and the growing sense of belief that Christ is more than a man who died on a cross. Risen easily, craftily, and smartly intermixes outward sensations with inward revelations that not only offer a new perspective on the story but, in its own unique way, reinforce its teachings.

The movie may not be a technical wonder -- it's rather straightforward in construction -- but Director Kevin Reynolds does use light as an imagery tool to strong effect. The film is otherwise carried by its blend of narrative uniqueness and creativity and, particularly, its performances. Joseph Fiennes dominates in the lead role, more exploring his inner journey rather than his outer journey. His emotions are tangible, but changes in them are subtle, particularly in the film's first and second acts before the more revelatory third. He carries the character with a necessary cold edge to begin but also exhibits a mild vulnerability that leaves him believably open to all he witnesses as the film progresses. He intermixes stoicism, confusion, wonder, self-reflection, and ultimately acceptance and belief very well. Peter Firth is excellent as Pilate and Cliff Curtis is a natural as Christ, the latter bringing just the right look and temperament to the part, bringing a warm outward humanity but an inner confidence and sense of power and love to the role, necessary components when portraying Christ and particularly in the brief timeframe the film explores. Curtis' performance so far seems to lack the resonance of some others who have portrayed Christ, but the performance is not to be missed or forgotten; he's excellent.

Risen 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Risen's 2160p/HDR-enabled UHD presentation offers an honest upgrade from the movie's 1080p counterpart. At least going on the early returns here, this appears to be a very good representation of the sort of upgrade one should expect of a UHD release, particularly one that was, by all accounts, up-sourced from a 2K digital intermediate. The image remains ever faithful, even in its colors (by-and-large), and the improvements are evident without making the experience in any way grossly different. Unlike other recent 4K releases, like The 5th Wave, where any uptick in quality was negligible, Risen reveals better defined textures and punchier, but still reserved and within the movie's intended parameters, colors. The 1080p transfer occasionally struggled with softer, maybe even very mildly smeary, details. Weathered faces, raw earthen terrain, and rough structural elements never quite found that finishing touch. Here, improvements in those details are immediately obvious. Faces -- pores, stubble, sweat, blood, dirt -- are much more complex. Terrain is sharper, including pebbles and plants alike. Stone façades are tactile and naturally sharp. Garment textures and particularly frays are another area where the UHD reveals clear and convincing increases in definition. The color palette, while firmer and deeper, doesn't betray the film's otherwise fairly cold, at times, and earthy, at others, look. Reds are certainly a bit fuller and more aggressive, but in no way to the detriment of the movie's intended appearance. Black levels hold up and flesh tones likewise look good. Noise remains, but seems less perceivable and heavy throughout.

Risen 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Risen's audio likewise receives a boost for its UHD release, but the difference isn't quite so immediately obvious, and sometimes dramatic, as with the video. Forgoing the 1080p Blu-ray's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack for a Dolby Atmos track, the UHD boasts a more immersive listen that's not overbearing with the added channels, but fuller and more complimentary to the source. Music finds a richer delivery and deeper space. More than the added overhead channels (this review is based on an 11.1 setup with four "overhead" channels added to the more traditional 7.1 setup), it's the back-rear channels that make the most difference. Spacing is more refined and the sense of immersion greater. More subtle musical detail and depth is obvious. Rolling thunder at the beginning likewise benefits from a greater field, as does crowd noise at the crucifixion; the general sense of place and immersion is impressive. The opening battle scene, a point of some moderate disappointment in 5.1 lossless, is a bit improved upon here. Surrounds still carry some swooshing, but the overheads add a small sense of greater range as arrows and pila almost seem to pass overhead, however briefly or lightly the effect may be. Bass is a bit more deep and detailed here, and the heavy shield clanking in formation fuller and more satisfying. Buzzing flies swarm to good effect at the mass gravesite just beyond the crucifixion area, and a swarm of birds later in the movie pushes through the stage, mostly along the left hand side but with a clear, but not overpowering, sense of added overhead depth. The earthquake near film's start rattles with a little more density in the listening area. Dialogue is clear and well prioritized, with only a slight bit of garbling during the battle scene near the beginning.

Risen 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

While Risen contains no new "supplements" on the UHD disc (the commentary track is available on the UHD disc), it does offer a slick new menu system (and presumably the early standard for Sony UHD releases) in which different pages are selected by scrolling up and down and side-to-side. Beyond the usual scene selection and language tabs, there's also an option to watch character-specific highlights, dubbed "Moments," for Clavius (15:29), Yeshua (17:33), Lucius (6:12), and Pilate (9:35), all of which are presented in 2160p video and Dolby Atmos sound. There's also a Cast & Crew tab that only offers a still image accompanied by character and actor name. All of the 1080p-only edition's supplements carry over on the included 1080p Blu-ray disc. Below is a list of what's included:

• Audio Commentary: Producer Patrick Aiello and Writer Paul Aiello offer a balanced and informative track, covering basics such as shooting locations, the film's structure and style, cast and performances, sets and shooting locations, editing and photography, themes, and more. Much of this is covered in lesser detail in later supplements, but for a more fleshed-out insight into the movie, this is the best place to go on the disc.
• Deleted Scenes (1080p, Dolby Digital 2.0): This Was Revenge (1:01), He Was a Disappointment (1:03), The Search Continues (0:48), He Should Have Returned (0:28), and I Want to Understand (1:22).
• The Mystery of the Resurrection: Making Risen (1080p, 11:14): A look at film origins, creating a character not from the Bible, the film's structure and style, Kevin Reynolds' direction, shooting the crucifixion scene and its importance to the movie, and the apostle characters and the actors that portray them.
• Creating A.D. Jerusalem (1080p, 9:29): A closer look at the movie's production design, set pieces, details behind the crucifixion sequence, shooting in Spain for the Sea of Galilee, Pilate's palace, and more.
• The Battle of the Zealots Deconstructed (1080p, 5:03): A short look at the details behind making a battle scene that takes place near film's start, including a bit of history behind the real event depicted in the film.
• Script to Screen (1080p, 3:57): A short discussion of what separates this film from others about Christ's death, Joseph Fiennes' performance, ensuring a "scripturally harmonious" film, and more.
• Previews: Additional Sony titles.

Risen 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Risen may not have the raw, visceral impact of The Passion of the Christ, and it may not ever find the same legacy as The Greatest Story Ever Told, but it's a unique and engaging motion picture that shakes up traditional formula and explores the key tenants of Christian salvation from a new perspective. The film boasts solid production values and several top-quality performances, particularly from Cliff Curtis as Christ. By all accounts, this is a very good example of UHD done right. It's offers an honest improvement over a 1080p transfer that was good, but not great. Part of that is the source, but the UHD takes it all a step or two further in a noticeable way. For a movie that's apparently been up-sourced from a shoot that wasn't native 4K (or higher) or from film, this, at this point in the game, seems like about the best case scenario improvement. The Dolby Atmos track, while not aggressive by the movie's nature, shows a little more range, depth, and detail, mostly by way of the added back rather than height channels but also a slight perceivable uptick in clarity. No new extras have been added, but what's available on the 1080p disc is quite good. Very highly recommended.