Robin Hood 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Robin Hood 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

No doubt in an effort to capitalize on character interest with the pending release of Lionsgate's own 'Robin Hood' film, Universal has released the 2010 Ridley Scott film 'Robin Hood' to the UHD format. The disc features new 2160p/HDR video and a new DTS:X soundtrack. The UHD also features two cuts of the film. No new supplements are included, and the bundled Blu-ray is identical to that released in 2010.

Robin Hood 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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

Robin Hood's UHD release is impressive but at the same time imperfect. The film-sourced image comes from a 4K digital intermediate. Grain is generally refined and complimentary, though the movie does occasionally look a little flat and mildly processed with some spikes in grain density and some dips in both grain visibility and textural tack-sharpness. Overall, though, sharpness is impressive and the picture appears largely filmic and true to source. Textural efficiency is very high. Whether considering skin textures, barren terrain, weathered woods, chain mail, furs and other fabrics, stone work, or many other visually interesting surfaces that benefit from the increase in resolution and the resultant sharpness, the image can often be a treasure trove of high yield textural delights. King John's regal attire and the somewhat battered crown seen at his outdoor coronation in chapter six are of particularly impressive complexity and an example of the image's firm improvement over the Blu-ray, which even at eight years old is no slouch but certainly lacking well behind this tighter, more intimate presentation.

The HDR color enhancements generally impress. A fireball seen at the 8:40 mark makes the leap from a fairly bland yellow-dominant color on Blu-ray to a delightfully deep and intense orange on the UHD, a much punchier and realistic presentation that is also sured up by the added color depth to the surrounding bleak gray castle walls and barren terrain. The movie is rendered a good bit darker and denser overall. Skin tones are bleaker, more gray, and in line with the movie's predominantly stark color scheme. Take a look at a close-up of Godfrey in chapter three at the 19:31 mark. The shot stands as a good, clearly defined example of the UHD's improvements over the Blu-ray. The skin tone is much more gray and more tonally authentic, the complex facial textures are refined and sharper, and the chain mail is shinier, more clearly dense, and more visibly complex. The often rather despondent and desaturated palette looks very good under the HDR parameters, delivering a much more tonally complimentary feel to the movie. On the flip side, black crush is evident at the outset, with shadowy corners inside a barn devouring any detail therein. Blacks are deeper and denser on the whole compared to the Blu-ray, with that entire opening nighttime shot a good example of the added absorption and density that does sometimes result in crush. On the contrary, whites are impressively bright and one of the true highlights in the film, notably white garments worn by religious figures.

Additional imperfections appear throughout. Edge enhancement appears in small quantities and the rare speckle can be seen on the screen from time to time. Overall, though, despite these and a few additional drawbacks noted above, this is a fairly nice, highly watchable 2160p/HDR image. There's still some room for improvement, but fans should be pleased with the end results, the occasional wart and all.

Robin Hood 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Robin Hood's UHD presentation features a DTS:X Master Audio soundtrack, which adds several back and top layer channels to the original Blu-ray's 5.1 presentation. The first large-scale battle is a sonic delight. The track never wavers or fails to deliver a loud, engaging listen. Expansive battle din surrounds the listener. Whooshing arrows emanate from, and fly through, ever speaker and position throughout the stage, with some healthy overhead zip to boot. Crashes, screams, and other battle din are nicely integrated and bass-intensive as necessary as well, while music is loud and widely spaced both in the fronts and in the rears, but never to the point that it drowns out critical dialogue or battle effects. It's a very well balanced parade of wonderfully engaging, healthy, deep, and perfectly positioned cinema sonic bliss. Such holds true throughout. There's a wonderful sense of balance to be heard, with every element polished, properly positioned, and unafraid of dialing it up without overextending. Musical clarity remains a delight while its spacing is also brag-worthy. This is a wonderfully engaging track that never holds back but never suffocates the listener or fails to distinguish sounds or present them clearly. Rounded into form by center-positioned and crystal clear dialogue, this is a thoroughly enjoyable top-tier UHD soundtrack from Universal.

Robin Hood 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Universal's UHD release of Robin Hood contains no on-disc content, but the bundled Blu-ray, identical to that released in 2010, does include all of the original Blu-ray bonus features. For convenience, below is a list of what's included. For full supplemental content reviews, please click here. The UHD does offer two cuts of the film: Theatrical (2:20:20) and Director's (2:35:48). The release ships with the rare Universal non-embossed slipcover.

• Director's Notebook Version
• Deleted Scenes
• Rise and Rise Again: Making Ridley Scott's Robin Hood
• The Art of Nottingham
• Marketing Archive

Robin Hood 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This Robin Hood may not be the definitive Robin Hood, but it's a quality, well-made picture by a master craftsman who casts a master at his own craft as the title character. It is perhaps the bleakest and grittiest of the Robin Hood film adaptations. It's more concerned with history, political intrigue, intimate character beats, a gritty texture, and bloody action and less the more generic story lines and character qualities of popular story lore. In other words, it's a far cry from the more playful, and probably more popular, Kevin Costner film, and it's a welcome addition to the character's legend on film. Universal's UHD is imperfect but, like the movie, a good watch and a nice boost from the Blu-ray. Both picture and sound are strong, though the former is not without its flaws. No new supplements are included, but Universal has at least offered both cuts on the UHD disc. Recommended.