Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.5

Shaft 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Extras get the Shaft.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III October 7, 2019

Tim Story's Shaft (2019) is the latest installment of a long-running movie franchise that started with Gordon Parks' 1971 film of the same name and continued with its two sequels, all starring Richard Roundtree and recently collected in Warner Archives' Shaft Triple Feature . Another Shaft, this time starring Samuel L. Jackson, followed in 2000. This 2019 film is a direct sequel, again starring Samuel L. Jackson as the titular private dick...but it really follows his son John "JJ" Shaft Jr. (Jessie T. Usher), who has grown up to work for the FBI as a data analyst and wants nothing to do with his absentee father. The same goes for JJ's mom, ex-wife Maya (Regina Hall). But when JJ's recovering childhood buddy Karim Hassan (Avan Jogia) is found dead of a heroin overdose, the young Shaft -- with the help of his long-time crush, nurse Sasha Arias (Alexandra Shipp) -- suspects foul play and reluctantly asks dear old Dad for help.

For a full synopsis and review of the 2019 film, please refer to my review of Warner Bros.' Blu-ray edition. It's a fairly well-rounded disc that features a solid 1080p transfer, outstanding Dolby Atmos audio, and even a nice mix of extras. WB's 4K edition (as of this writing) is a Best Buy exclusive, with the primary difference being a 2160p upscaled transfer with good use of HDR color enhancement. The trade-off, unfortunately, is a complete lack of bonus features since no Blu-ray disc is included in this package. Rather than make a 4K/Blu-ray combo pack widely available (or hell, make it the only option), this lazy and short-sighted approach on Warner Bros.' part gives fans a tough choice to make.

Shaft 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Shaft was shot digitally with a Arri Alexa XT Plus at 2.8K resolution with a 2K digital intermediate, so Warner Bros.' 4K disc is an upscaled 2160p transfer. In direct comparison to its Blu-ray counterpart, this 4K disc offers a notable upgrade in fine detail, texture, and contrast levels. Shaft visits a variety of urban locales -- modern office interiors, dark alleys, grimy apartments, and everything in between -- and this transfer handles everything with ease, further aided by great use of HDR color enhancements. Earth tones are prominent but primary colors are used to great effect as well, such as a handful of neon-tinted lighting choices that further highlight the film's excellent production design; these add an appreciated level of visual interest and modest depth to otherwise flat compositions. Establishing shots also fare well, especially the aerial footage of Atlanta and Harlem. While this disc features a fairly modest bitrate that rarely jumps above 60Mbps, I was unable to spot any obvious compression artifacts or other such anomalies. From a purely visual standpoint, this 4K disc clearly represents the strongest version of Shaft available on home video.

Shaft 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

For more information about this disc's excellent Dolby Atmos audio, please refer to my Blu-ray review. Unlike most 4K releases from Warner Bros., the optional subtitles available during Shaft are identical on both discs.

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

Shaft arrives on 4K in a one-disc black keepcase with a matching slipcover and Digital Copy code. Cover artwork is slightly different from the Blu-ray edition with a nice orange background gradient that looks a bit more interesting than its plain white counterpart. As a Blu-ray disc is not included in this package, neither are its on-disc extras.

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

Tim Story's Shaft is a decent sequel that, much like Creed and Creed II, represents a "passing of the torch" to keep its core franchise alive for another generation; I enjoyed it a bit more than expected and will likely give it another spin in the near future. But Warner Bros.' 4K release, like its Blu-ray counterpart, represents only part of the whole picture: your choices here are a either a 4K transfer or extras, not both, which reeks of greed and laziness on the studio's part. Individual preference for one over the other will dictate the answer to this annoying and unnecessary choice.