Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

The Hunger Games 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman November 10, 2016

Lionsgate is revisiting one of their most successful franchises, bringing out all four Hunger Games films on 4K UHD. Do these upgrades hit the bullseye? Read on.

For my thoughts on the film, please see our original The Hunger Games Blu-ray review.

Note: Both I and a number of readers on our Forum have experienced difficulties in getting The Hunger Games: Catching Fire 4K to load, with a variety of error messages being reported (varying by player). I’ve reached out to Lionsgate’s PR firm and have been informed this is a widespread issue that Lionsgate is aware of. As more information and/or working discs are provided, I’ll update this review.

Update 11/25/16: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire 4K Blu-ray review is now available.

The Hunger Games 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.

The Hunger Games is presented on 4K UHD with a 2160p HDR enhanced transfer in 2.40:1. The film was finished at a 2K DI, and as I discussed in our original The Hunger Games Blu-ray review, both the prevalence of "shaky cam" techniques as well as some significant color grading tend to keep detail levels tamped down at times. There is certainly an appreciable uptick in fine detail throughout this new 4K UHD presentation, but the biggest difference I noticed probably came courtesy of HDR. There is a whole new range of rather subtle tones in both the cool slate grays and ice cold blues as well as the misty greens of the forest sequences now. While these may not add a lot in terms of actual detail or fine detail, they give the film a noticeably more nuanced palette. Close-ups can often provide spectacular levels of fine detail, though, with elements like facial pores or even flyaway hairs really distinct and precise looking. Just a hint of image instability can creep in on lateral pans over dense foliage, but it's a minimal issue. As with the original 1080p presentation, contrast is also slightly variable, but the added benefit of HDR helps to ameliorate some issues, especially in some of the darker sequences. This was shot on good old fashioned 35mm film, and commendably there's none of the slightly noisy looking grain that has accompanied some other 4K UHD releases.

The Hunger Games 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Hunger Games' already spectacular sounding DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 mix on Blu-ray gets an upgrade to Dolby Atmos (with a Dolby TrueHD 7.1 core) on this new 4K UHD release. I'll refer you to our original The Hunger Games Blu-ray review for some specific comments I offered at the time of the original Blu-ray release, but I'll add that the surround activity is even more pronounced and distinct now, with Atmos' "object placement" really almost palpable at times, especially in sequences in the control room or the supposedly sylvan confines of the forest. The film's score also sounded more spacious to my ears on this new Atmos track. This is really a showcase audio presentation that should delight and perhaps even amaze ardent audiophiles.

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

There's both good news and bad news with regard to the supplements on this disc as well as the other 4K UHD Hunger Games releases. Many if not most of Lionsgate's other 4K UHD releases have been largely lacking bonus features on the actual 4K UHD discs, with any supplements coming courtesy of the also included 1080p Blu-ray discs. These releases all feature at least some supplements on the 4K UHD discs, which is a good thing, but in the case of The Hunger Games in particular, the second 1080p Blu-ray disc that was included in the original Blu-ray release and which in fact contained most of the supplemental material is not included here. I refer you to our original The Hunger Games Blu-ray review for a complete list of supplements included on that original release. All of the content on Disc One is still available on the included 1080p Blu-ray disc in this package. The 4K UHD disc ports over the following supplements (see the original review for details) as well as including a new commentary:

• Audio Commentary with Editor Stephen Mirrione, Visual Effects Supervisor Sheena Duggal, and Sound Designer Lon Bender.


• Game Maker: Suzanne Collins and The Hunger Games Phenomenon


• The World is Watching


• Letters from the Rose Garden

Therefore as can be seen by referencing the original review, several supplements on the second disc of the original release have not made it to this release.

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

The Hunger Games has proven itself to be one of the most popular of the so-called YA franchises, and this new 4K UHD release boasts nice looking video and spectacular sounding audio. The only downside is not all of the supplements of the original Blu-ray release have made it through the "games" to appear here. Recommended.