The Karate Kid 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.5

The Karate Kid 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Sony has released the classic 1984 film 'The Karate Kid' to the UHD format. The feature includes a 2160p/HDR transfer that has been 'fully restored in 4K from the original camera negative' per Sony's press materials. It also includes a new Dolby Atmos soundtrack as well as a new retrospective featurette on the UHD disc. The bundled Blu-ray is identical to that which Sony released in 2010 and contains the bulk of the supplemental content for this package.

The Karate Kid 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.

The Karate Kid's 2160p/HDR release will thrill fans and newcomers alike. The first thing one will notice is the brightness, brilliance, and balance on the white titles that appear over the film's open. Striking in intensity but still even rather than overpowering, they are the first sign of the picture's HDR excellence. Sony's HDR application is otherwise very tasteful. Colors never feel oversaturated or contrast boosted for, or to, unnecessary effect. The image appears stable and accurate, with obviously improved depth over the aging Blu-ray that yields richer white gis and, alternatively, darker and more foreboding Cobra Kai gis seen at the tournament towards film's end. Other examples of HDR's added excellence range from the yellow Ford Miyagi gifts Daniel to the red flags used to signal points at the tournament, from lush natural greens to beautiful pastel sunsets during a training montage. Skin tones find improved coloring as well, as do traditional black levels across various nighttime exteriors and low light interiors.

The UHD grants the image a healthy textural boost and improved clarity and stability, too. Sharper environmental elements, crisper clothing lines, and more complex facial features, right down to the bruise and batter makeup to beads of sweat during the tournament all enjoy more visual prominence. The clutter and wear in Miyagis' apartment appears with much greater clarity and stability, too, as do the textures around the apartment complex's exteriors in early scenes, school exteriors and dojo interiors, and the sandy California beach in chapter two. The accompanying grain field is certainly very dense, but it's also organically and visually complimentary. The UHD makes good use of it to help solidify and stabilize what is a very attractive film-like presentation. Texturally, this is not a humongous revelation. The UHD adds a necessary level of added definition and sharpness, more robustly rendered details that bring out the movie's best. The HDR improvements are a little more dramatic, albeit very tasteful. The movie looks spectacular overall. Compared to the Blu-ray, it's more stable, more naturally filmic, sharper, and its colors are richer without fundamentally changing the movie's basic and critical tonal foundations alike. This is another top-flight winner of a UHD catalogue release from Sony, the best around.

The Karate Kid 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The new Dolby Atmos soundtrack impresses from the outset with a sense of openness to the track's orchestral score heard as the family moves across the country from New Jersey to California. Surround integration is obvious, but not overwhelming, allowing the front to carry the perfectly attuned and highly detailed notes. The track opens up with a gently integrated overhead layer that helps fill the stage with the music and sounds of the Halloween dance in chapter six. Music doesn't have excess bass on offer, but the low end does add some necessary heft to some of the deeper notes, including when Miyagi heals Daniel's leg and allows him to return to fight in the finals in the film's closing minutes. Total crowd din clarity is not perfect in the tournament scenes, but the sense of immersion and the clarity of individual shouts and calls are fine. There is some prominent stage movement activity as the Cobra Kai motorcycles zoom off from the beach at the 15-minute mark while some discrete left-side sounds appear when Daniel first enters the Cobra Kai dojo in chapter four, which transitions, a little harshly but effectively, to the center. Well defined cross traffic in chapter seven, and several other such moments throughout the track, present with nicely and seamlessly activated front and surround movement. Dialogue is well prioritized and remains positioned in the front-center with a few naturally occurring exceptions. Spoken word clarity is excellent. Atmos doesn't reinvent this track, but it does reinforce its best and most active moments.

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

Sony's UHD release of The Karate Kid includes two new extras -- a featurette and a trailer -- on the UHD disc while the bundled Blu-ray, identical to the disc Sony released in May 2010, includes the core of the bonus materials. For full coverage of the carryover supplements, please click here. A Movies Anywhere digital copy code is included with purchase. This release ships with a non-embossed slipcover.

UHD Disc:

• Remembering The Karate Kid with Ralph Macchio, Billy Zabka & Martin Kove (2160p/SDR, 10:22): A new retrospective piece in which the participants discuss the casting process, characters and performances, the quality of the script, story themes, Macchio and Zabka's relationship, favorite scenes and lines, and crafting the tournament sequence.
• Theatrical Trailer (1080p, 2:18).

• Blu-Pop
• Audio Commentary
• The Way of the Karate Kid, Part 1
• The Way of the Karate Kid, Part 2
• Beyond the Form
• East Meets West: A Composer's Notebook
• Life of Bonsai
• Previews

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

The Karate Kid may have a few elements that date it, but the movie never grows old. It's a quintessential student-teacher, coming-of-age film that perfectly blends heart, drama, and action as experienced through several vividly portrayed and unforgettable characters. The film has received a treat of a UHD release, boasting a wonderful new 2160p/HDR transfer that sees the movie looking as good as it ever has and maybe ever will. The Atmos track is very good, too, and Sony has carried over the legacy Blu-ray extras while adding a brief new retrospective and the film's trailer. The Karate Kid's UHD release earns my highest recommendation.