Snow White and the Huntsman 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		5.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Snow White and the Huntsman 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Universal previously released 'Snow White and the Huntsman' to 1080p Blu-ray in September 2012. This UHD release debuts alongside the film's prequel/sequel The Huntsman: Winter's War, which is being released day-and-date with its standard 1080p counterpart.

Like, totally, the fairest of them all.

Snow White and the Huntsman 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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

According to the film's IMDB page, Snow White and the Huntsman was primarily shot on 35MM film but finished at 2K, making this 2160p/HDR-enabled presentation, presumably, an upscale from that source. The filmic image, maintaining an attractively light grain structure, reveals well defined details and healthy, saturated colors, even through the movie's oftentimes somewhat dark, grayish-blue, and occasionally desaturated appearance. Attire reveals very fine detailing, particularly leathery armor and regal appointments. Environmental textures are fantastic. Wooded areas showcase complex terrain, tree trunks, and other smaller elements with complexity and ease. The old, dank, dreary, run-down cell in which Snow White is imprisoned early in the movie shows plenty of rough, weathered wear on stone and iron. Colors are great. Leafy greens are a standout, reds are vibrant, and support colors are true. That blue-gray dominance is handled very well, too, presenting with naturally effortless shading and subtle variations. The image is free of any unwanted compression artifacts or source wear. Even the densely foggy Dark Forest scenes are up to the challenge, revealing fog with natural density and no visible banding. Compared to the 1080p image, the HDR coloring certainly gives the UHD a fuller, slightly warmer, even, color palette. Skin tones are a bit rosier and a touch more dense. Details are firmer, too, more organically defined down to the finer points of objects. A good shot of comparison comes early in the film at the 6:55 mark. Ravenna walks down the isle. The change in flesh tone saturation is immediately obvious, and the crown is much better defined, too. Such holds true throughout. It's not a radically different experience -- HDR doesn't do the image any appreciable harm -- but there's certainly some differences in color worth considering, while the uptick in detail is more incremental than it is dramatic.

Snow White and the Huntsman 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

This UHD release of Snow White and the Huntsman contains a DTS:X soundtrack, upgraded from the 1080p Blu-ray release's DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 lossless soundtrack. This review is based on a setup featuring those traditional seven channels (plus subwoofer) with four added overhead speakers. The 1080p release's 7.1 soundtrack scored a perfect 5/5. Universal's DTS:X track is no slouch itself, though it doesn't quite live up to the standards of other, similar tracks, albeit in a rather small sample size of DTS:X discs on the market at time of writing. The track is essentially very good. Music is big in whatever form it takes: sharp, dark, adventurous, tender. Clarity soars. The listening area becomes absolutely saturated in James Newton Howard's score, with every speaker harmoniously engaged in delivery. Low end support is honest and balanced, while surround engagement is steady and complimentary. Action scenes are strong, offering considerable thunder in the way of galloping horses, the chaos of battle, or raging fires. Surrounds and sides carry plenty of distinct effects, such as clanking metal, screaming combatants, and neighing horses. Less aggressive, but no less important, atmospherics are nicely supportive, with natural and well-dispersed stage placement. Rainfall heard around the 47:30 mark doesn't offer much of an overhead sensation, though another scene moments later does. That's really this track's only shortcoming. The overhead channels don't find much obvious engagement, either in the form of discrete effects or supportive aid. It's not often that the track seems to utilize the top layer, even in the most frenzied battles or obvious moments when atmospherics could benefit from an additional level. Even so, the track is fantastic. It's just not the most engaging out there of its kind.

Snow White and the Huntsman 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Snow White and the Huntsman contains all of its bonus features on the 1080p Blu-ray disc, though the audio commentary track with Director Rupert Sanders, Visual Effects Supervisor Cedric Nicolas-Troyan, and Co-Editor Neil Smith is included on both. The UHD disc also contains both versions of the film: the theatrical cut (2:07:08) and the extended cut (2:11:27). A voucher for a UV/iTunes digital copy code is included with purchase. Please click through the appropriate link above for a review.

Snow White and the Huntsman 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Snow White and the Huntsman's UHD release offers a denser, more flush and full HDR-enabled color palette. Detailing is improved over an already wonderful 1080p presentation, albeit in a more subtle, refined way. The DTS:X soundtrack is fine, though it doesn't engage the top layer as much as one would like. Supplements carry over on the included 1080p disc, though fans are afforded the opportunity to hear the commentary track on top of the 4K picture. The UHD version also includes both cuts of the film. Serious fans should find this a worthwhile upgrade, though more casual viewers are probably best served to hang onto the well-received 1080p disc.