Se7en 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		0.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Se7en 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

The eighth sin is AI.

Reminding us all just how old we are, Warner Bros. has finally issued David Fincher's seminal thriller Se7en to 4K UHD, roughly 15 full years after the film's Blu-ray debut. Armed with a new Fincher-endorsed 2160p/HDR10 transfer sourced from a recent 8K scan and even a brand-new 5.1 mix supervised by original sound designer Ren Klyce, it also carries over just about every existing extra from previous versions dating back to the Criterion laserdisc. Of course it wouldn't be a 4K release without a little bit of controversy, and this time we get a handful of subtle (and not-so-subtle) CGI and AI-assisted tweaks to the film... also overseen by Fincher. Somebody wake me up when he's done.

Se7en 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

NOTE: These screenshots are sourced from the new 4K disc but have been downsampled to 1080p/SDR. Therefore, they should not be considered an accurate representation of the UHD image. (And yes, they're a few shades darker than they actually appear on-screen, perhaps even more than usual due to its lower max nit levels.)

The funny thing about this new 2160p/HDR10 transfer of Se7en is that the actual base-level image itself isn't the most noteworthy thing about it. In all respects, on the surface it looks like an optimized version of the still impressive 2010 Blu-ray with no glaring color changes applied. Instead, what we've got is a cleanly encoded presentation sourced from a recent 8K scan of the original source elements, one that reveals much tighter shadow detail and more exacting color representation than its Blu-ray counterpart. The HDR is tastefully applied and offers a significant boost to color depth and contrast, which is downright essential due to Se7en's relentlessly gloomy atmosphere. Shot on Super 35 film stock with extremely fine grain levels, close inspection reveals that said grain is largely apparent from start to finish; it varies in some shots, of course, but never goes away completely. The film runs at an exceedingly high bit rate that seems to hover in the 70-80Mbps range, and of course no compression artifacts could be spotted. In almost every respect, it offers a solid upgrade over the Blu-ray and should look quite nice on medium to large displays.

Now, about those CGI tweaks: Se7en arrives with a few revisions overseen by director David Fincher, a noted visual perfectionist who has the curious mindset of being faithful to a film's original version in some ways but clearly not in others. He's historically been fairly subtle with his use of CGI (either the first time around or with later revisions like these) and prefers it to be undetectable... but the existence of multiple earlier home video editions and a little bit of sleuthing means that Fincher can't get away with everything. Simply put, these changes range from sensible (altering a wide shot of Kevin Spacey's stand-in near the end so it more resembles the actor, adding in a few clouds to tie together scenes shot at different times) to oddly obsessive ("fixing" a burnt-out light bulb in David and Tracy's apartment) and even downright strange (adding an open door to one scene, as well as stray power lines to an establishing shot). A few targeted AI-assisted tweaks are also present and were mostly done to aid shot tracking on a few occasions. On their own these individual elements aren't distracting or even noticeable, but seeing them side-by- side with earlier versions will lead to a full range of mixed reactions depending on the viewer's opinion of such digital alterations. I'm personally not up in arms over the wide majority of these changes since they're rarely the focal points... but if nothing else, this has me seriously wondering how much will be updated with other upcoming Fincher 4K remasters including the long-awaited Panic Room, which has been languishing untouched on DVD for over two decades now.

For those hung up on star ratings, I'd have awarded this new transfer a 4.5/5 were it not for the new CGI tweaks. They're not terrible overall, but the unnecessary nature of them on principle still earns a small deduction.

Se7en 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

A quick glance at this 4K's only main audio option -- DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio -- might seem like a downgrade from the Blu-ray's 7.1 mix, but that's not correct at all. In fact, that previous 7.1 mix was reportedly altered from earlier releases including of course the original theatrical 5.1 and featured changes such as minor panning boosts, a few scraps of missing incidental dialogue -- such as disparaging remarks against Pitt's character on his way to the "Greed" crime scene -- and, perhaps most blatantly, a ton of reverb and boosting to the opening credits' unforgettable version of Nine Inch Nails' "Closer". The good news is that this total remix was created by original sound designer Ren Klyce using the original audio stems and apparently is closer in tone to its theatrical counterpart... and while those previous changes are now "back to normal" or at least less noticeable, the missing "Greed" dialogue is still gone. But in all other respects this is a truly well-crafted track and one created with home theaters in mind, utilizing strong dynamic range but still mixed in a way that won't have you reaching for your remote during every other scene. From crisp dialogue to creeping discrete effects and the original score by Howard Shore (which shares at least a little in common with his music for The Silence of the Lambs), it's a sonic knockout that sounds as good as ever. Maybe even better.

Optional subtitles, including English (SDH), are included during the main feature and all extras below.

Se7en 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a fold-out Digipak case that's slim and attractive but nonetheless has a few drawbacks. The good news is that it at least looks cool with a good weight and feel, instantly reminding old-school collectors of New Line's excellent Platinum Series DVD with a mostly all-black background bearing the film's famous logo, cast names, and a "seven" tally at the bottom, while the back cover shows a few small stills from the film. It has a nice and slightly soft texture but is a bit on the thin side and opens on the left. The interior case is similarly textured with larger stills, opening up to reveal even more with the disc tucked inside a sleeve on the right side. This is a bit of a turn-off and, when closed, the case doesn't show the movie's title on the left-side spine, which means it'll be a nameless black case on the shelf. I don't totally hate this packaging, but it could've been much better with a few tweaks.

More importantly, the on-disc bonus features seem to be mostly* ported over from the 2010 Blu-ray and are listed below for your convenience. More details can be found at the linked review.

• Audio Commentaries

• The Stars: David Fincher, Brad Pitt, and Morgan Freeman
• The Story: Richard Dyer, Andrew Kevin Walker, Richard Francis-Bruce, Michael de Luca, and David Fincher
• The Picture: Darius Khondji, Arthur Max, Richard Francis-Bruce, and David Fincher
• The Sound: Ren Klyce, Howard Shore, and David Fincher

• Deleted Scenes (6 clips, 10:11 total)

• Deleted Scenes with Commentary

• Alternate Ending (5:28) - Also includes optional animated storyboards.

• Alternate Ending with Commentary

• Production Design (8:56)

• Still Galleries (6 galleries, 41:38 total) - With commentary by photographer Melodie McDaniel.

• Theatrical EPK (6:40)

• Mastering for Home Theater (23:18) - An inevitably dated piece, but still interesting.

• Exploration of the Opening Title Sequence (3 sections, 8:34 total) - With optional commentaries by designer Kyle Cooper as well as Brant Biles and Robert Margouleff.

* - Dropped from the Blu-ray (likely since they're no longer relevant to this release) are three technical featurettes: "Audio Mastering" with commentary by Brant Biles and Robert Margouleff, "Video Mastering" with commentary by Stephen Nakamura and Evan Edelist, and "Color Correction" with commentary by Stephen Nakamura. Also apparently gone is a Telecine Gallery as well as the film's theatrical trailer. It's still a great mix of extras, though.

Se7en 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

David Fincher's Se7en was the now-legendary director's breakout hit and one of the best films of the 90s, supported well by strong performances, unforgettable cinematography, great music, and of course the original story by Andrew Kevin Walker. It's a true "total package" film and holds up well to repeat viewings, especially considering its twisting narrative, and can be enjoyed now as much as ever three decades later. Warner Bros.' long-awaited 4K edition will likely fall into the "infamous" category for its Fincher-approved CGI tweaks (though not as much as James Cameron's films), but all other aspects of this release are very good to excellent. Highly Recommended for sure, although I'd probably recommend the Steelbook variant instead. (And keep the Blu-ray, too, while you're at it.)