Rating summary
| Movie |  | 4.0 |
| Video |  | 4.5 |
| Audio |  | 5.0 |
| Extras |  | 1.0 |
| Overall |  | 3.5 |
Song to Song 4K Blu-ray Movie Review
Reviewed by Martin Liebman November 19, 2020
Broad Green Pictures has released Writer/Director Terrence Malick's 2017 film 'Song to Song' to the UHD format. New specifications include 2160p
video. There is no HDR color grading and no new audio presentation. There are also no new supplements. See the "Video" section of the review
below for more on the 2160p video.
For a full film review, please see Dr. Stephen Larson's writing accompanying the Blu-ray release
here.
Song to Song 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality
The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc.
Song to Song's 2160p UHD contains no HDR color grading, but the disc does include 10-bit color depth as opposed to the bundled Blu-ray's
8-bit depth (as the discs read on the reference review Panasonic DP-UB9000). The differences are not stark, but they are obvious enough to matter.
The UHD is a little fuller and brighter, its tones a bit more solidified. Whites are one of
the
beneficiaries, finding a more agreeable luminance and natural output, even if the improvements are not quite so drastic as one would find under proper
HDR grading. Likewise, black levels depth is ever-so-slightly improved as well. Frankly, though, the differences in color are minimal and make no
lasting, let along transformative, impact. In terms of color, most will find either version perfectly acceptable.
Unfortunately much the same may be said of the rest of the image. The resolution boost to 2160p from 1080p doesn't do much for the picture quality.
It's not
just kin to the Blu-ray, it teeters on identical. There are fine point examples of miniscule improvements to sharpness in faces, clothes,
furnishings, and things of
that nature, but viewers shouldn't feel pressured to purchase the UHD for a serious visual upgrade. Even as IMDB reports that the film was finished at 4K (and photographed with a
variety of sources) there's just not much, if anything, that obviously zooms past the Blu-ray for textural gains and clarity boosts. Make no mistake that
the UHD image looks fine -- borderline great, even -- but so does the Blu-ray. For the price difference, the Blu-ray is the better bet.
Song to Song 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality
For this UHD release of Song to Song, Broad Green simply ports over the Blu-ray's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack; no Dolby
Atmos or DTS:X options are included. For a full audio review, please click here.
Song to Song 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras
Song to Song's UHD disc contains no extras. In addition to some previews, the Blu-ray includes one supplement, The Music Behind the
Movie. Please click here for full coverage. No digital code is included with purchase.
This release does ship with a non-embossed slipcover.
Song to Song 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation
Song to Song could be said to be an "acquired taste" film. It's certainly not for everybody, and neither is the UHD. It's barely distinguishable
from the Blu-ray, even with the resolution boost. There's no HDR color grading, no soundtrack unique to the UHD, and no new extras. It's as low an
effort UHD as one is going to find. Save money and pick up the Blu-ray instead.
