The Bourne Supremacy 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

The Bourne Supremacy 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Note: Scores for movie quality, 1080p video, and supplements match those of the review from the original Blu-ray release, penned by a different author. Updated scores pertaining to new content for this release are reflected for the new 2160p transfer and DTS:X sound.

Universal has released 'The Bourne Supremacy' and the other previous 'Bourne' films to 4K UHD Blu-ray in conjunction with new movie's release. How does the popular film fare on the fancy new format? Read on...

The Bourne Supremacy 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.

IMDB reports that The Bourne Supremacy was finished at 2K, making this, presumably, an upscale to 4K. Universal's 2160p/HDR-enhanced UHD release presents an imperfect image, but it's at least a largely respectable image, particularly compared to the disaster that is The Bourne Identity. This image is, if nothing else, pleasant and filmic, enjoying a light, evenly dispersed, and attractive grain structure. Fine detail ranges from fair to excellent but never reaches extraordinary. Skin is nicely presented but lacks the intimate complexity of the top-flight filmed images; clothing is a step or two below the sort of tactile, finest-point stitch and seam clarity; and environments lack the raw textural intimacy viewers have come to expect. That said, it's still a very large step up from the Blu-ray, which is significantly smoother by comparison, lacking the finer textural nuance the UHD delivers. The HDR color presentation is very good, offering a palette that's much less garish and overly saturated, yielding a somewhat colder and darker but, within the movie's context, seemingly more appropriately drained palette. Flesh tones are less pasty and the mild-to-severe greenish-tint is largely absent on the UHD. Whether the UHD's HDR scheme is filmmaker-acurate is another question entirely (as it is for every HDR-enhanced release), but from a purely subjective approach, it looks very good. The UHD does show a few random speckles and pops at the source, but nothing at all debilitating. The end score could justifiably teeter anywhere in the 3.0-4.0 range, so 3.5 seems a happy middle ground. It's a quality presentation and, again subjectively, a drastic improvement over the Blu-ray, but not quite up to the excellence of the format's finest, or even, arguably, the very best 1080p Blu-ray discs sourced from a 4K scan.

The Bourne Supremacy 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Bourne Supremacy features a reliable and entertaining DTS:X soundtrack that's big and energetic but without any sort of crazy, unnatural overhead effects. The track is more a fluid and immersive listen that weaves its pieces together, not one to leave them to fend for themselves in a jumble. Whether music or effects, the addition of the top layer is more a complimentary piece than it is an assault of unnaturally positioned or forced effects. Music is certainly a beneficiary, presenting with extraordinary width and plenty of activity, so much so that the track threatens imbalance with a flood of back channel information that almost dominates over the fronts. Add plenty of bass and it's anything but timid. Ambient effects are full and vigorous, ranging from subtle environmental flow to more pronounced activity. Whether passing traffic or a jet engine, the track smartly and effortlessly recreates its environments with both precision and intensity. The track falters in making the best use possible of the overhead channels, a great example being big and spacious public address intercom announcements that don't engage the top end in any kind of naturally meaningful manner. Fistfights present with a healthy dose of oomphs and crashes, gunfire is crisp, and shell casings bounce around the floor in a realistic manner. Dialogue delivery is clear and center-focused. It may not be the most elegant track on the market -- "intense" is its middle name -- but it's certainly a fun listen that will give the sound system a hearty workout.

The Bourne Supremacy 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The only extra included on the UHD disc is a carryover audio commentary track with Director Paul Greengrass. All other bonus features (and the commentary, again) are included on the 1080p Blu-ray disc bundled with this release. For a review of that content, please click here. For convenience, below is a bulleted list of what's included. An iTunes/UV digital copy code is included with purchase.

• Explosive Deleted Scenes
• Matching Identities: Casting
• Keeping It Real
• Blowing Things Up
• On the Move With Bourne
• Bourne To Be Wild: Fight Training
• Crash Cam: Racing Through the Streets of Moscow
• The Go-Mobile Revs Up the Action
• Anatomy of a Scene: The Explosive Bridge Chase Scene
• Scoring with John Powell
• The Bourne Mastermind (Part 2)
• The Bourne Diagnosis (Part 2)
• Audio Commentary: Director Paul Greengrass

The Bourne Supremacy 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Universal's UHD/HDR-enhanced release of The Bourne Supremacy fares much better than The Bourne Identity, but it's still a far cry from the excellence of the best of the format's releases. Picture quality is fantastic next to the Blu-ray but merely "good" in the greater UHD universe. Audio is aggressive but hardly revelatory, and no new extras are included. This is a significantly better UHD release than Identity and makes for an honest upgrade over the Blu-ray. Recommended.