Shaun of the Dead 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Shaun of the Dead 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Universal has released the fantastic Zombie Comedy film 'Shaun of the Dead' to the UHD format. The new specifications include 2160p/HDR video and DTS:X audio. No new supplements are included but the bundled Blu-ray, identical to that which was released a decade ago, brings over a bunch. See below for reviews of new content.

At time of writing, this release is only available as part of a bundle with Hot Fuzz and The World's End; the film has already been announced for individual release at a later date.

Shaun of the Dead 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc.

Shaun of the Dead ambles onto UHD with a pleasing 2160p/HDR transfer. The presentation is quite nice from a textural perspective. It's very filmic and natural in appearance. Sharpness is terrific across every critical visual element, with facial features, hairs, clothing details, neighborhood elements in various exteriors, products inside the convenience store, and wood textures around the bar appearing very sturdy and stable. All of them are substantially textured and all a very solid improvement over the Blu-ray, which lacks the textural finesse and appears a little softer by comparison. The image's best quality is probably its consistency in excellence. Print damage is not much of an issue and though grain can appear a little dense, the entire thing looks firm and true to the source even in small, one-off shots. Look at a pile of newspapers in chapter four. The UHD increases clarity and definition on the paper with a level of sharpness well beyond the Blu-ray.

The newspapers are also a very good example of the HDR color boost. Whites are impressively dynamic, with boosted luminance and increased intensity, which is also evident on Shaun's short-sleeve white dress shirt. The black ink is firmer and deeper, and various colors enjoy more dynamic intensity and depth, all of which are improved across the spectrum and throughout the entire film. Warm woods in the bar enjoy a rich color depth and natural greens in the backyard where Shaun and Ed kill their first zombie (a woman they believe to be drunk rather than undead) are stable and deep. Red blood is one of the highlights, particularly bright, fresh blood that's been slathered across lighter surfaces. The HDR color spectrum is not a radical departure form the Blu-ray but rather a refinement of its SDR presentation, adding a good bit of depth and dynamic range. This is a very healthy UHD upgrade in total with minimal flaws, which include minor speckling and a few scenes that appear a little sharper and more processed than others, such as in chapter 32 during a zombie attack on the bar.

Shaun of the Dead 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The DTS:X Master Audio soundtrack offers a nice little upgrade over the Blu-ray's aged DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The overhead channels and added back channels create greater opportunity for music and effects alike to more seamlessly immerse and more dynamically and dramatically engage the listening area. It's lively and more than capable of utilizing the added channels not just for greater stage fill but more robust elemental definition and more sustainable and enjoyable immersion. Music is impressively large with excellent balance around the stage, dominant in the front but taking full advantage of both the surround and overhead channels. Bass is also active and prominent, even prolific as needed. Action elements -- crashing odds and ends in the bar, gunfire, zombie moans -- also utilize the entire stage to firmly draw the listener into the movie's comedic genre madness. Street level atmospherics are impressively shaped and engage the entire stage, again pulling the listener into various environments, particularly in the first act before the madness really begins. Dialogue is clear and well prioritized. It is naturally positioned in the front center channel.

Shaun of the Dead 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Shaun of the Dead's UHD disc contains four commentary tracks which also appear on the bundled Blu-ray. Below is a list of what's included on that Blu-ray disc. For full supplemental content reviews, please click here. A Movies Anywhere digital copy code is included with purchase.

• Missing Bits:
  
  
  • Extended Bits
  • Outtakes
  • The Man Who Would Be Shaun
  • Funky Pete
  • Plot Holes
• Raw Meat:
  
  
  • Simon Pegg's Video Diary
  • Lucy Davis' Video Diary
  • Joe Cornish's Video Diary
  • Casting Tapes
  • Edgar and Simon's Flip Chart
  • SFX Comparison
  • Make-Up Tests
  • EPK Featurette
• TV Bits:
  
  
  • T4 with Coldplay
  • Fun Dead
  • Trisha - Your Nine Lives Are Up
  • Trisha - I Married a Monster
  • Remembering Z Day
• Zombie Gallery:
  
  
  • Photo Gallery
  • 2000 AD Strip
  • Poster Designs
• Trailers:
  
  
  • US Trailer
  • UK Teaser Trailer
  • UK Trailer
  • UK TV Spot #1
  • UK TV Spot #2
  • Fright Fest Trailer
• Storyboard Gallery
• Audio Commentary: Simon Pegg & Edgar Wright.
• Audio Commentary: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Dylan Moran, Kate Ashfield and Lucy Davis.
• Audio Commentary: Bill Nighy and Penelope Wilson.
• Audio Commentary: The Zombies.

Shaun of the Dead 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Shaun of the Dead's UHD disc offers a good, worthwhile upgrade from the Blu-ray. It's improved in all areas -- color, clarity, and audio -- and fans should find it a rewarding watch. No new extras have been added, but the previously issued Blu-ray, which is included here, is packed. Highly recommended.