The Dark Crystal 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

The Dark Crystal 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Sony has released the fan-favorite Jim Henson/Frank Oz film The Dark Crystal to UHD. This new release features a magnificent 2160p/HDR video presentation and a new Dolby Atmos soundtrack. A bundled remastered Blu-ray contains a few new extras. That Blu-ray is also available separately in attractive DigiBook packaging.

The Dark Crystal 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.

A movie like The Dark Crystal would seem to be an ideal candidate for a 4K/HDR release. Here's a movie that was shot on film; is full of richly and carefully constructed costumes, creatures, and set pieces; and features some bold use of intense color intermixed with some fairly bland, dreary backgrounds that would allow said color to really shine. And, indeed, shine the UHD does. The 4K imagery is striking. Grain retention is even and continuous. It's very flattering and complimentary, ensuring a perfectly filmic and startlingly sharp image. Textural qualities are breathtaking, a significant leap forward even from the companion release Blu-ray and especially the 2009 release, not to mention any number of previously released lower resolution and cable broadcast versions absorbed during childhood, for those who were around to watch it way back when. The UHD is an absolute delight, a near total revelation. Fine textural wonders abound in practically every scene. It's not only sharpness of dirt terrain and rocky surfaces but also the sheer intimacy with which all of the creatures are revealed. Complex costume details and significantly deep and dense character parts abound. Every character in the movie appears new, with an endless supply of tangible, tactile definition to enjoy, particularly on the variously grotesque Skeksis but also the smoother, less complex, but no less wondrous, Gelfling characters. A few inherently soft edges are visible here and there, but the textural brilliance, raw sharpness, and overall image intimacy are wonderful, miraculous, even.

The HDR-10 color palette is almost as impressive. The absolute highlight in the movie is the crystal, a large, purple-glowing object that presents with a dazzling sense of pure depth and brilliant vibrancy, particularly as it's offset against a fairly dank, dreary locale with a dearth of additional colors to get in the way. Natural greens dazzle, bright white lights near film's end are brilliant, and various support colors in places that are home to them, such as inside Aughra's lab, offer pleasing depth and accuracy. Even dark gray and black surfaces hold very accurate with satisfying nuance. Black levels offer impressive depth and shadow detail. Overall image drawbacks are few and don't warrant much more than a passing mention. There's obvious wobble in the opening titles and closing credits and the UHD resolution makes already shaky optical effects all the more disagreeable; a mountain vista seen at the 30:47 mark is one of several examples. But such are inherent to the source and not particularly bothersome and certainly not enough of take anything away from an otherwise brilliant UHD that easily ranks in the top handful of releases in terms of raw image clarity, and the HDR color isn't bad, either.

The Dark Crystal 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Dark Crystal's UHD features a brand-new Dolby Atmos mix, and it's nearly every bit as precise and exciting and complimentary as the 4K visuals. The track soars, presenting every aggressive action element, each musical note, any and all environmental supports with perfectly realized width and depth around the stage. Musical clarity is wonderful. It's effortlessly spacious, enveloping the listener and never fumbling essential or nuanced definition, even at its height in terms of either raw volume or orchestral complexity. Support details are not shy, but they're also very well balanced. A symphony of natural delights spring into the stage when introducing a swampy location around the 31:30 mark. Aggressive elements, subtle support details, and expert spacing as sounds filter in and move about the stage all combine to define place with striking definition and detail. Action scenes are of particularly wonderful depth and density. Bass is prominent as it's required, as creatures rumble, glass shatters, or objects crash when Garthim attack Aughra's place. There's an impressive baritone depth as the Mystics call out near film's start. Overhead channels are used in both discrete and complimentary fashion. A great example comes as Chamberlain is stripped and shamed after losing the battle to become the new emperor, the overhead channels supporting both the chaotic din of the moment -- a cracking stone, raised voices -- as well as the crystal's call moments later. Dialogue, unsurprisingly, plays with expert definition, placement, and prioritization. Sony has raised the bar for catalogue Atmos soundtracks.

The Dark Crystal 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Dark Crystal's UHD set contains all of its supplement content on the bundled Blu-ray disc. Sony's UHD disc does not include the studio's heretofore typical Moments and still photo cast and crew tab. A Movies Anywhere digital code is included with purchase. For a breakdown of what is and is not included on the Blu-ray, reviews of new content, and a link to reviews of the 2009 extras, please click here.

The Dark Crystal 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Dark Crystal remains a wonderful movie, and it looks practically brand new thanks to Sony's amazing UHD release. It's ultra-sharp, amazingly complex and revealing, and richly colored. There's no doubt that this is one of the top handful of UHD discs currently on the market. Add a wonderful new Atmos soundtrack and a healthy allotment of carryover extras (and a few new ones) and this is absolutely a must-own release that earns my highest recommendation.