The Fifth Element 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

The Fifth Element 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

The Fifth Element is a movie that seems, lately, anyway, inexorably joined at the hip with The Professional. Both were directed by Luc Besson. Both seem to lately release at the same time to home video, both are fan favorites, both star Gary Oldman in unforgettable roles, both are cash cows for Sony on the rebuy market with every new must-have home theater tech, yet both couldn't otherwise be more dissimilar. The Fifth Element is a spectacle of internally smart yet externally absurd Sci-Fi action and humor while The Professional is a more dour piece about love and maturity in the midst of violence. Yet here they are, bedfellows of the home theater market, each previously released to Blu-ray (The Fifth Element following up on a poorly received 2006 release), followed by mastered in 4K 1080p presentations that both came to market on the same day. It's been a long road to this point, and with so many releases and choices, the question remains: are these twin UHD releases finally the definitive home video versions of two of the great fan-favorite films of the 1990s?

The Fifth Element 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.

To be perfectly frank about it, the average new release UHD isn't that impressive when compared to a top-of-the-line Blu-ray, which most of today's major studio releases that earn a companion UHD generally are. With a barrage of digitally photographed movies finished at 2K and presented at an upscaled 4K picture and tweaked with HDR coloring that sometimes seems to just darken the image, it's occasionally hard to remember how special the format can be when it's done right, when the source is of a high enough quality (which much more often than not means the movie was shot on film) to really make a difference. The Fifth Element is one such movie. Sony's UHD is so good it doesn't even need the usual A-B comparison. Right off the bat, the overall quality of the image is obvious. The desert and rocky terrain, the earthy colored clothes, and skin are all so remarkably sharp, purely and organically filmic, and insanely detailed that the difference between this and practically any high end comparable Blu-ray is unmistakable. The image is beautiful. Grain is constant, very light, and complimentary. Details are sharp as a tack and effortlessly presented. HDR colors are very complimentary, darkening the image a bit but, here, offering a significant increase in contrast and depth. Brighter shades, whether Dallas' orange shirt, Leeloo's hair, the blue singer, or plainer backgrounds offer exquisite nuance and saturation that's amazingly deep and detailed with incredibly fine transition and clarity.

Making that largely needless comparison to the Blu-ray anyway -- and the "Mastered in 4K" version at that -- does indeed show just how special a presentation this really is. While the 1080p disc is of reference quality for that format, the UHD destroys it in every way imaginable. Immediately, the striking difference in textural detail is obvious. Rocky formations and skin textures are practically smeary by comparison on the Blu-ray. The elevation in detail is substantial and the increase in color depth and saturation, even if the image is a bit darker overall, is obvious. On the slight downside, a few high contrast edge halos are visible, very minor print debris is exhibited at times, and effects shots show their age and limitations (though such is inherent to the elements). Nevertheless, this is easily a reference UHD and Sony continues to dominate the arena with its classic, shot-on-film re-releases that truly demonstrate UHD's full potential.

The Fifth Element 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

While the previous "Mastered in 4K" Blu-ray featured a Dolby Atmos soundtrack, Blu-ray.com was then not equipped to cover it. While this is not a full-fledged review as most everything from the previous review and the core Dolby TrueHD 7.1 track still applies, here is a brief update. The Atmos track does indeed expand on the track in meaningful ways at several junctures. Right off the bat ("Aziz, light!"), the increased overhead saturation is obvious as voices marvelously, almost sonically miraculously, filter overhead in a full, detailed sort of way that almost literally transforms the listening area into the location and places the listener right in the middle of the exchange and some of the more intensive elements to follow. Various action scenes find additional, and suddenly crucial, top-layer components as well and the track in general presents with a much greater sense of overall place and space even in more reserved scenes, but that opening, as simple as much of it may be, is a clear-cut reference moment for Atmos. Please click here for more.

The Fifth Element 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This UHD release of The Fifth Element does contain one new extra of note that's exclusive to the 4K release. The Director's Notes: Luc Besson Looks Back (2160p, standard color, 10:29) features the acclaimed filmmaker reflecting on his writing career, the origins of The Fifth Element, inspirations, preparations, obstacles, casting and characters, visual effects, and audience reaction. It's amazing just how much work Besson put into the project. This is a very strong supplement that offers a nice overview of the movie from a number of angles. The disc also includes the usual stable of Sony UHD goodies, including cast and crew stills and a collection of Moments (2160p/HDR/Atmos): Korben Dallas, Leeloo, Ruby Rhod, and Zorg. As for the remainder of the supplements, they're included on the Blu- ray, which is identical to the "Mastered in 4K" release from a couple of years back. Please click here for a full review.

The Fifth Element 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Fifth Element is not only a great film that stands up to the test of time, it's earned a definitive home video release. The UHD picture quality is absolutely spectacular, the Atmos soundtrack is the perfect compliment, and the special features, which include a new and very well done director retrospective, are very enjoyable. Very highly recommended.