Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.5

The Bridge on the River Kwai 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Sony has released David Lean's World War II masterpiece The Bridge on the River Kwai to the UHD format. The disc offers 4K video with HDR colors and a new Dolby Atmos soundtrack. No new extras are included.

The Bridge on the River Kwai 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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

The Bridge on the River Kwai looks fantastic on this 2160p/HDR-enhanced UHD. The movie is so crisp and clean and amazingly detailed and bountifully colored it practically looks like a brand-new release. The image is consistently and evenly grainy. Grain-haters are not going to like this image, at all, and there are times when the grain field does appear a touch sharp, but it's very complimentary and pure. Details are resultantly very crisp. The image offers a breathtaking parade of supremely sharp natural elements. Leaves, woods, muds, rocks, sand, anything of the like finds incredible textural nuance and razor sharpness even at distance. Uniform textures are revealing of every fray, crisp seam, stitch in close-up, and caked-on sweat and grime. Faces are incredibly revealing, showcasing every hair, pore, and imperfection with striking complexity. Colors are well saturated. The HDR color palette offers a modest boost in saturation but never alters the movie's fundamental color scheme. Obviously, much of the film is comprised of earthy variations on browns and beiges. Again, wood and terrain, joined by military uniforms, form the dominant color scheme, though green vegetation appears beautifully accurate and pure while scenes away from the camp reveal more abundantly colorful accents and some flowers with very pleasing punch. Black levels hold very deep and pure, even in the many day-for-night moments. Skin tones appear true. Those paying extremely close attention will spot one or two insignificant speckles, but otherwise this is a flat-gorgeous UHD, amongst the top handful the format has yet produced.

The Bridge on the River Kwai 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Bridge on the River Kwai's soundtrack has been given a boost to Dolby Atmos, and the presentation thrives on the expanded sound field which is utilized naturally, never with any forced components. The top layer most notably engages as thunder cracks and rolls in various parts of the movie; the sense that it's directly atop the listener is clear, and the sensation is amongst the better, most pronounced and very natural, yet heard with the Atmos format. Additionally, some footsteps seem to emanate from overhead as the bridge is being wired to explode and guards pace above on the wooden structure. A key explosion near film's end delivers prolific depth and stage saturation. Gunfire pops with commendable authority. Environmental din is filling and expressive. The track spreads wide to accompany every insect, rolling waves in one scene, and other natural sound elements that add a critical layer of realism to the proceedings. Music delivery comes wide with superbly clear and detailed notes. Dialogue is firmly positioned in the front-center and clarity is strong. This is a fantastic listen that compliments the movie very well.

The Bridge on the River Kwai 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Bridge on the River Kwai contains no new extras on the UHD disc, but it does carry over all of the previously released extras on the bundled Blu-ray. It also, of course, contains the usual Sony UHD bonuses, including cast and crew still photos and a collection of categorized "moments" (2160p/HDR/Atmos): Shears, Colonel Nicholson, Colonel Saito, and The Bridge. Below is a list of the supplements included on the bundled Blu-ray disc. For full supplemental reviews, please click here. A UV digital copy code is included with purchase.

• Crossing the Bridge: Picture-in-Graphics Track
• Making of The Bridge on the River Kwai
• The Steve Allen Show with William Holden & Alec Guinness
• The Bridge on the River Kwai Premiere Narrated by William Holden
• Rise and Fall of A Jungle Giant
• USC Short Film Introduced by William Holden
• An Appreciation by Filmmaker John Milius
• Photo Gallery
• The Bridge on the River Kwai Trailers
• Previews

The Bridge on the River Kwai 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Bridge on the River Kwai is a quintessential wartime picture that expands on the usual bullets and bombs into a sublime character study and a lesson on film writing and craftsmanship. Sony's UHD is amongst the best the format has seen, with incredible picture, fantastic sound, and a nice compliment of carryover bonus features. This UHD earns my highest recommendation.