Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Shrek the Third 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Universal has released the fan favorite 2007 franchise film 'Shrek the Third,' directed by Chris Miller and featuring the voices of Mike Meyers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, and Antonio Banderas, to the UHD format. New specifications include 2160p/HDR video and DTS:X audio. No new supplements are included.

Shrek the Third 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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

Universal delivers Shrek the Third to the UHD format with a capable 2160p/HDR transfer that offers a few tweaks and benefits but really is not a substantial upgrade from the Blu-ray. The image sees minor, mostly, but also modest, at times, gains to overall clarity, but there's not any real, necessary, blow-you-away type of gain in this area. Textural improvements are more miniscule than major. Stopping to compare the pores and freckles on Shrek's skin at the 4:13 mark (the corresponding shot occurs at the 3:50 mark on the Blu-ray) reveals very little difference between the formats. Such holds true throughout. The source animation appears to look just about as good as it's going to look on Blu-ray. The UHD finesses where it can, but casual viewers probably aren't going to notice any substantial upgrade in terms of detail. What is here is very sharp, very detailed, very clean, very clear, and very satisfying...but at just about the same level as the Blu-ray.

Likewise, the HDR color spectrum isn't part of an image overhaul. The big thing here is that the entire image is rendered much, much darker compared to the Blu-ray. It's not that certain colors are made deeper, it's that the whole thing just looks like the brightness was turned down. To be sure, there is some gain to color depth, but this is just dark. There is almost literally a night-and-day difference between the Blu-ray and the UHD. No color is left rendered substantially darker. Even just casually watching the film on UHD this is apparent; it's not a case of really only noticing when working through direct A-B comparisons. Through the overall darkening, viewers will spot some color enhancement beyond depth to core colors in the film, like ogre green, but this one is dominated by the darkening.

The UHD is free of any obvious source issues or encode snafus.

Shrek the Third 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

As with the previous Shrek films on UHD, Shrek the Third earns an audio upgrade to the DTS:X format. The presentation is full and satisfying, not a dramatic change from the previous Blu-ray's Dolby TrueHD 7.1 lossless track but offering a little more spatial awareness and punch. The track exhibits some nice, if not slightly understated, overhead effects, such as falling rain or added musical fill, but for the most part the top layer speakers are used more in a support role rather than as drivers for discrete content. Overall, the track is appropriately spacious, immersive, and deep. Both musical aggression and action audio content fill the stage with impressive definition while offering spatially expansive content. Surround and fronts are balanced throughout, and the subwoofer delivers some healthy, hearty bass as necessary. Dialogue is clear, centered, and well prioritized.

Shrek the Third 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This UHD release of Shrek the Third includes all of the extras from the legacy Blu-ray. The Blu-ray disc appears to be identical to that found in the four-film boxed set released years ago. The UHD brings over some of the extras. See below for a list of what's included and please click here for full coverage. A digital copy code and an embossed slipcover are included with purchase. Blu-ray:

• The Animators' Corner
• Shrek's Interactive Journey: III
• Spotlight on Fiona
• Secrets of Shrek the Third
• Deleted Scenes
• How to Be Green
• Worcestershire Academy Yearbook
• Donkey Dance
• Shrek the Musical "Freak Flag"
• DreamWorks Animation Video Jukebox

• Spotlight on Fiona
• Secrets of Shrek the Third
• Deleted Scenes
• How to Be Green
• Donkey Dance
• Shrek the Musical "Freak Flag"

Shrek the Third 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Shrek the Third is the weakest film in the series, and the UHD is fairly straightforward. Video and audio receive boosted specs but, aside from the image looking much, much darker, there's not a substantial difference next to the Blu-ray. Audio adds some overheads but, again, there is not a major difference. No new extras are included. I will repeat the recommendation I wrote for Shrek 2's UHD release: "The Blu-ray holds up very well against this, so this is recommended only to serious fans of the film, especially since good money says that these slow drip Shrek UHD releases will eventually be bundled in a box and cost a fair amount less than purchasing separately."