The Green Mile 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

The Green Mile 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Hanks' pee in Ultra HD.

Frank Darabont's third film (and released a full five years after his 1994 masterpiece The Shawshank Redemption), The Green Mile is a fitfully captivating but mostly self-indulgent drama that doesn't always justify its 3+ hour running time. It's nonetheless very well-shot and features a handful of truly memorable performances and events, enough to make it well worth an occasional watch for those who enjoy (?) long and languid prison dramas. Warner Bros.' original 2009 Blu-ray was succeeded by a Diamond Luxe Edition five years later, which expanded the bonus features but retained its outdated, VC-1 encoded 1080p transfer, While Warner Bros.' belated 4K edition finally improves the video presentation, those hoping for a remastered Blu-ray (or a full slate of legacy bonus features) will be sorely disappointed.

The Green Mile 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Please note that these screenshots were captured directly from the 4K disc and downsampled to 1920x1080 SDR; therefore, they don't accurately convey what you'll see on a 4K display with HDR enhancement.

Although The Green Mile contains a few light supernatural elements, Warner Bros.' new 2160p transfer keeps it real with an extremely smooth, crisp and, yes, natural overall appearance that is several notches above its aging Blu-ray counterpart. Much of this is due to its substantially less filtered and processed appearance: that 13 year-old video presentation was negatively affected by brightness and contrast boosting, numerous warm and pink tints, and of course the compression issues that arose from squeezing a 3+ hour film (and several hours of bonus features) onto a single-layered Blu-ray authored with an inefficient VC-1 video codec. Fine detail is much better resolved, from tight close-ups to early wide shots such as elderly Paul's stroll outside his assisted-living home and John Coffey's arrival at the prison, with supportive film grain that has obviously been lightly managed but not to a waxy, distracting extent. Black levels are substantially deeper and shadow detail is much improved as well, which is very easy to spot since many of the interiors are no longer boosted; a cool blue scene with younger Paul and his wife in bed actually looks like it takes place in nighttime now, but is still perfectly "readable". This more carefully-handled darkness extends to other areas as well, such as a daring nighttime escape to the home of Hal and Melinda Moores, as well as the handful of horrific execution scenes lit primarily by a few stray light bulbs and lightning strikes (including, you know, that one).

But aside from the obvious benefits that occur from letting this newer master breathe easy on a triple-layer (100GB) disc, its carefully-handled HDR color enhancement also goes a long way towards improving The Green Mile's visuals. Small bursts of light from lamps and exposed bulbs provide pockets of warmth against cooler backgrounds, which is greatly displayed in the scene where John Coffey is taken to the roof on a starry night; the way the interior light cuts against the moonlit bricks is especially striking. Other moments, such as amber-lit afternoons and other "magic hour" moments, provide more of an overall blanket... yet this effect still feels much more natural than the old Blu-ray, which traded in natural colors for a more washed-out and almost monochromatic look. Costumes and background details also benefit nicely from the better-saturated color, such as elderly Paul's bright red windbreaker against the greenish-blue landscape of a heavily overcast day, as well as the comfortable home of his younger days and its cozy lighting scheme. Overall (and I hate to use this word yet again), the much more natural combination of this better color and the higher level of fine detail really do make this 4K presentation a notably better viewing experience overall.

Again, the included Blu-ray copy is nothing more than a recycled 2009 disc with the dated VC-1 codec. It's a shame that fans of the film who have yet to purchase 4K equipment are basically given a choice of "all or nothing".

The Green Mile 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Fittingly, The Green Mile's new Dolby Atmos remix -- which, as always, automatically unfolds to Dolby TrueHD 7.1 if your receiver doesn't support the newer format -- likewise offers a smoother and more refined presentation sourced from the former lossless 5.1 option. Although I'm normally one to bemoan the lack of theatrical audio mixes and/or other previous audio tracks (and I'm still docking it a half-point for that very reason), this is such a well-made remix that it'd honestly hard to go backwards. Although dialogue fidelity and overall volume balance is fairly similar to that previous mix, what were once somewhat patchy discrete elements are now much better integrated into the overall sound stage in a much smoother way. Specific examples include the multiple thunder rolls; first during elder Paul's outside stroll, and again during several nighttime scenes such as the very first execution -- both of these travel lightly across the front and rear channels after a strong hit overhead, creating a very convincing effect that, on the old 5.1 mix, was mostly anchored up front. Other background elements -- jail cell doors, private conversations, occasional screams -- are likewise treated to a more immediate and involving presence that cements this as a strong and well-balanced soundstage that, while obviously sweetened to some extent, is done so in a very tasteful way that doesn't feel overcooked or like gimmicky revisionism. Not surprisingly, dialogue remains crystal clear and the memorable original score by Thomas Newman sounds especially full, dynamic and lively, often directly contributing to many of The Green Mile's most effective moments. Much like Warner Bros.' recent treatment of The Road Warrior and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, this is another catalog Atmos remix genuinely worth getting excited about.

Optional subtitles, including English (SDH), are included during the film and most extras on both discs.

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

This two-disc release ships in a standard keepcase with horrifically bad cover art, a matching slipcover, and a Digital Copy redemption code. The included Blu-ray is identical to the 2009 release and retains all of those extras, while the 4K disc thankfully at least repeats the vintage audio commentary by director Frank Darabont. This means, of course, that the expanded, feature-length "Walking the Mile" documentary from the Diamond Luxe Edition is not present... just the much shorter 26-minute version briefly described in Casey's 2009 review. This is a huge disappointment but, in all fairness, the remaining bonus features are still fairly thorough and entertaining in their own right.

THE 4K DISC

• Audio Commentary by director Frank Darabont

THE BLU-RAY DISC

• Audio Commentary by director Frank Darabont - same as 4K disc

• Walking the Mile: The Making of "The Green Mile" (25:30) - shorter version

• Miracles and Mystery: Creating The Green Mile (102:54)

• Deleted Scenes (2 clips, 3:32 total)

• Michael Clarke Duncan's Screen Test (8:26)

• Tom Hanks' Makeup Tests (5:30)

• Teaser and Trailer (3 clips, 8:18 total) - includes a brief interview with Darabont

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

Frank Darabont's The Green Mile is in no way as powerful or enduring as his earlier film The Shawshank Redemption, but it has its own merits and still manages to connect the dots as a fitfully moving period drama with a terrific cast. Warner Bros.' 4K combo pack supports the film's great cinematography with an outstanding 2160p, HDR-enhanced transfer that easily beats its aging Blu-ray counterpart with much better fine detail, contrast levels, and color timing. (Giving the film its own triple-layered disc helps, too.) Additionally, the new Atmos remix sounds a good deal more natural that the somewhat patchwork 5.1 mix... but the lack of theatrical audio, a remastered Blu-ray disc, and the expanded "Walking the Mile" documentary (exclusive to Warner Bros.' own Diamond Luxe Edition) spoils the party somewhat. It's still a firmly Recommended release, at least for established fans of the film.