Spiral: From the Book of Saw 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Spiral: From the Book of Saw 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman December 24, 2022

Note: This version of this film is available on Blu-ray as part of Via Vision Entertainment's Saw: The Ultimate Collection 4K.

Nothing screams the holiday season like the Saw franchise, am I right? (At least if the emphasis is on screaming.) Via Vision Entertainment is offering fans of the series some rather luxe packaging, but a release that is a bit odd in that it combines 4K UHD and 1080 offerings of the Saw films. The release more or less duplicates the releases that fans on this side of several ponds have seen, and so relevant portions of reviews I've personally written may be reprinted here, and some reviews of the Via Vision releases may contain further links to Region A reviews I didn't have a hand in.

This release basically duplicates the Region A 4K UHD and 1080 releases (with one perhaps important exception vis a vis the audio, which I mention below), and those interested in my thoughts on the film can consult both my Spiral: From the Book of Saw Blu-ray review and Spiral: From the Book of Saw 4K Blu-ray review . For convenience sake, I'm reprinting my video, audio and supplements comments from that review below.

Spiral: From the Book of Saw 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: Screenshots are sourced from the 1080 disc, and just for clarity's sake since this package has a somewhat unusual assortment of 4K UHD and 1080 discs, there are both formats offered.

4K UHD

Spiral: From the Book of Saw is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Via Vision Entertainment with a 2160p transfer in 2.38:1. As I mentioned in our Spiral: From the Book of Saw of the 1080 version, the IMDb reports that Sony CineAlta Venice cameras were utilized, which capture at up to a 6K source resolution, and that a 4K DI was prepared. The 1080 version of this film set a baseline for general excellence, and the good news is this 4K UHD version ups the ante, at times considerably. While detail levels are definitely improved throughout, what repeatedly struck my eye was the improvement in shadow definition in the many dark scenes (the opening sequence in the subway tunnel is a notable example, but a later showdown involving a female police captain played by Marisol Nichols is another). The other huge plus here is the added nuance to an already impressively saturated palette that HDR brings to the viewing experience. As I mentioned in our 1080 review, this is a film that is stylistically almost in John Wick territory in its use of deeply vivid purples, greens and other tones, and the 4K version offers a noticeably wider range of interstitial hues, especially on the blue end of the spectrum. The sepia toned flashbacks have a slightly dustier, more tan or ochre look in this version.

1080

Spiral: From the Book of Saw is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Via Vision Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.38:1. The IMDb lists the Sony CineAlta Venice capturing at up to 6K source resolution, and a 4K DI. Both of these data points probably help to explain this transfer's really superior detail levels, which include fine detail able to peek through sometimes very dark or aggressively graded scenes. The Venice has actually been overtly mentioned in some other reviews I've done as being chosen for the lustrous palette it supports, and it's easy to see that aspect in this film, not just due to the aforementioned grading, which is often rather interesting and approaches near John Wick-ian levels of almost lurid purples, greens and chartreuses. As can be seen in some of the screenshots, several scenes have an almost buttery yellow look to them, but once again detail levels are remarkably consistent. Some flashback material has a kind of quasi-sepia toned look (see screenshots 11 and 19 in my original Region A review for two examples).

Spiral: From the Book of Saw 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Rather interestingly, and echoing what happened with Via Vision Entertainment's version of Jigsaw, the 1080 presentation offered here does not have the Dolby Atmos track that the region A 1080 disc did, and instead features DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. It's an acceptably immersive track but one which just can't compete with the 4K UHD's Atmos presentation. I've therefore subtracted half a point for the overall audio score here when compared to the original Lionsgate 1080 and 4K UHD releases.

Spiral: From the Book of Saw 4K features a nicely immersive Dolby Atmos tracks that gets its overhead mojo working as soon as some of the production mastheads. There are numerous examples of great surround activity, beginning with the cacophonous carnival setting that quickly becomes claustrophobic in an underground subway tunnel, and some of the trap scenes provide good engagement of all of the surround channels, with one especially disturbing sequence involving shattered glass bottle shards spewing out of a fanlike object and into the body of a hapless victim being one of the more notable Atmos moments. Charlie Clouser's score also wafts evocatively through the side and rear channels and provides a good subliminal boost of the angst factor at key moments. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English, French and Spanish subtitles are available.

Spiral: From the Book of Saw 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Kind of interestingly, if also a bit strangely, the 1080 version here omits the commentaries and trailers that were on Lionsgate's 1080 release (which duplicated the supplements on Lionsgate's 4K UHD release), but the 4K UHD disc has all of the supplements:

• Audio Commentary with Director Darren Lynn Bousman, Co-Screenwriter Josh Stolberg and Composer Charlie Clouser


• Audio Commentary with Producers Oren Koules and Mark Burg


• The Consequences of Your Actions: Creating Spiral (HD; 59:05) is another very well done background piece that when taken in the context of some of the other making of pieces included as supplements on previous Blu-ray releases I mentioned above in the main body of the review is starting to make me wonder if maybe there should be a franchise of documentaries about Saw, rather than any further Saw films.


• Drawing Inspiration: Illustrated Trap Breakdowns (HD; 8:45) is a "guided tour" with Darren Lynn Bousman walking viewers through various sequences. This includes "instant playback" of some of the more gruesome moments, so forewarned is forearmed.


• Decoding the Marketing Spiral (HD; 6:12) is a rather interesting short looking at things like poster designs through the years.


• Theatrical Teaser Trailer (HD; 1:43)


• Theatrical Trailer (HD; 2:26)

Spiral: From the Book of Saw 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Spiral: From the Book of Saw offers Rock a good showcase for more dramatic skills, but the film's story is almost willfully derivative and some may wonder why anyone thought this needed to be a "Saw film" in the first place. This Via Vision Entertainment version offers different audio specs on the 1080 version when compared to the Region A release, and the slate of supplements on Via Vision Entertainment's 1080 and 4K UHD discs are also slightly different. All of this said, technical merits are generally excellent and the supplementary package very interesting, for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.