The Flintstones 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

The Flintstones 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Brian Levant's third feature, the family favorite The Flintstones (1994), was reviewed by my colleague Brian Orndorf a dozen years ago. Brian wrote about Universal Studios' BD-50. To read his thoughts on the film, please refer to the linked review.

Welcome to... wait, isn't this supposed to be Bedrock?

The Flintstones 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Shout's two-disc set contains a 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray and regular Blu-ray that are housed in a "StoneBook" and J-card over it. The UHD is encoded with Dolby Vision and HDR10 compatible. Director Brian Levant and cinematographer Dean Cundey approved a 4K scan of the original camera negative. The picture appears in its native exhibition ratio of 1.85:1.

When discussing the visuals on the 4K and remastered Blu-ray, it's important to know that this live-action version of the timeless cartoon was essentially a joint effort by Industrial Light & Magic and Jim Henson's Creature Shop. Levant stated in a recent video intro (on Disc Two) that 53 CG images were created that ended up in the film. Jody Duncan has provided the most detailed coverage of ILM and the Creature Shop's contributions to the film in a June 1994 cover story in CineFex and in the paperback, The Flintstones: The Official Movie Book (Mandarin, 1994). Two-dozen animatronic characters are featured in The Flintstones. Kitty, the Flintstones' sabertooth tiger, appears in seven shots. According to Duncan, ILM achieved a milestone with the first fully computer generated, 3D fur character! Dino, the family's rambunctious dog, is featured in sixteen full-body shots. One can see how he really pops out on the 2160p presentation (see a downsampled image Screenshot #26).

For the art direction, William James Teegarden, one of the picture's three art directors, says the crew selected organic earth tones for the color schemes so the houses could complement hues of the surrounding environ. For one scene where Fred (John Goodman), Wilma (Elizabeth Perkins), and Betty (Rosie O'Donnell) hang out at a club, Teegarden made a sketch of a landscape with stylized volcanoes and a recreation of the aurora borealis. The crew arranged it so it had a setting sun with a striation red-orange. Teegarden and his crew also created deep blues. You can see some of the results of these designs in Screenshot #s 37-40, which are retrieved from Shout's discs.

For her book, Duncan interviewed the great Dean Cundey, who shared his lighting choices. Cundey and the electrical department placed Musco lights around for night exterior scenes to help expedite filming and give the sets an added glow (e.g., see Screenshot #14). For about three weeks, Cundey and the crew shot at Vasquez Rocks, the locale for the suburban neighborhood set. Cundey explained to Duncan his thought process and objective: "The Flintstones required a kind of stylized, heightened reality to it, and I was interested in accomplishing that without making it look odd or hokey....We were shooting in a very big area with a set that was spread out over two or three blocks, with large rock areas in the background. And it was important that we see those background rocks because that's what we were there for" (p. 81, 83).

The Universal Blu-ray Brian reviewed is overly processed with evidence of both grain removal and boosted contrasts . The Shout discs retain grain, which you can see pretty easily across the frame and especially during brightly-lit daytime exteriors. Nighttime shots with low-level lights don't boast any "swarming" grain. I examined the UHD transfer shot by shot on a 4K monitor and could hardly spot a single film artifact. Brian observed haloing but contours and geometric shapes are in perfect alignment on the new presentations.

I have included a handful of screen captures from MCA/Universal's THX LaserDisc, which has been uprezzed to 720p.

Please note that the similar compositions (Screenshot #s 33 and 34) come from different scenes.

Screenshot #s 1-20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, & 40 = Shout Select 2026 4K Ultra HD BD-66 (downscaled to 1080p)
Screenshot #s 21, 23, 25, 27, & 29 = MCA/Universal Home Video 1994 LaserDisc (Letterboxed Edition) (resized to 720p)
Screenshot #s 31, 33, 35, 37, & 39 = Shout Select 2026 BD-50 (from a 4K restoration)

Nine chapter stops accompany each disc.

The Flintstones 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Shout has supplied a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Surround track (1985 kbps, 16-bit) and a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo mix (1561 kbps, 16-bit). MCA/Universal Home Video issued a matrixed 2.0 surround mix on its LD. The studio did not put out AC-3 or DTS tracks on LD. (Those would follow in 1999 when Universal did two simultaneously-released DVD editions.) The Flintstones was recorded, mixed, and presented in DTS 5.1 and DTS Stereo mixes. (Jody Duncan reports in her book that the film included a digital six-track release.) The 5.1 features several excellent discrete f/x and separations. The crunching of the gravel and rocks in the quarry pit to open the picture is a highlight. Spoken words are audible along the fronts but syllables are sometimes difficult to pick up. I played Shout's 2.0 and while it delivers a little better registering of the dialogue at the center, it sounds like a near-field mix or fold-down of the 5.1. I know this because I compared it to the LD's 2.0, which is doubtlessly a different mix. That track is crisper with superior treble. Word enunciations are clearer and more distinct. The bass is powerful at times.

I watched one of the discs with the optional English SDH switched on. Lettering is clear and legible. The transcription is completely accurate. I didn't spot any typos.

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

Shout has produced a new commentary track and video intro with the director and DP. The remaining extras originate from Universal's 1999 "Collector's Edition" that were transferred to the studio's 2014 BD. For descriptive summaries of those, please consult Brian's review.

DISC ONE: 4K UHD

• Director Audio Commentary - Brian Levant's feature-length track presents a lot of narration about the on-screen action and stories behind the production. In English, not subtitled.

• Historian Audio Commentary - pop cultural historian Russell Dyball is well-prepared and up to the task here. He discusses the influence The Honeymooners had on The Flintstones, the cast, and a lot more. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW Introduction (10:21, 1080p) - Brian Levant and Dean Cundey are interviewed together. Levant does most of the talking. He speaks about Spielberg's impression of the first script and working with comedy writers to "save" the film. Also covered are David Newman's score, sets, props, and costumes built. Revealed is Hanna-Barbera reaction to seeing the sets. Cundey describes "reality" versus the animated world. Both talk in English, not subtitled.

• Director Audio Commentary - Brian Levant's feature-length track presents a lot of narration about the on-screen action and stories behind the production. In English, not subtitled.

• Historian Audio Commentary - pop cultural historian Russell Dyball is well-prepared and up to the task here. He discusses the influence The Honeymooners had on The Flintstones, the cast, and a lot more. In English, not subtitled.

• Discovering Bedrock (43:12, upconverted to 1080i)

• "Meet the Flintstones" Music Video: MCA Soundtrack Presentation by the B-52s (2:48, upconverted to 1080i)

• Opening Sequence Comparisons (1:00, upconverted to 1080i)

• Art Department Concept Sketches Slideshow (4:19, 1080p)

• Production Photographs Slideshow (24:04, 1080p)

• Theatrical Teaser (1:00, upconverted to 1080p)

• Theatrical Trailer (1:48, upconverted to 1080i)

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

From my theatrical experience of The Flintstones in 1994, I can still remember watching Fred pedaling his feet in the boulder-wheeled car. I found the sound f/x to that moment and others clumsy at the time, but as I've finally re-watched it, I've asked myself: "How could they execute it any differently for live action?" I've struggled to come up with an answer. I had watched a majority of the episodes from the six seasons and TV specials before seeing the feature. Levant's movie captures the spirit of the cartoon and retains its own charms more than two decades later. The acting from the leads and ensemble are very good. Kyle MacLachlan is just fine as junior executive Cliff Vandercave. Halle Berry is luscious as the scantily clad Miss Stone. But for the 30+ writers who worked on the script, there needed to be more background for the new characters introduced that weren't part of the series. Editor Kent Beyda told Jody Duncan for her book that there was a 108-minute rough cut before the picture was trimmed to 91 minutes for theatrical release. So maybe there's footage that fills in the character gaps? Shout Select's 4K transfer is phenomenal in every respect. The encode is top notch. On the audio side, I would advise playing the film primarily with the 5.1 track. The Levant/Cundey interview and Russell Dyball commentary are quality additions. A SOLID RECOMMENDATION.