The Kid 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.5

The Kid 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman August 5, 2022

It seems like only yesterday I was joking about an exciting game home theater lovers could play with regard to Lionsgate 4K UHD releases. Oh, wait. It was yesterday when I opened my Primal 4K Blu-ray review with some hopefully semi-humorous musings on what many of us have felt is a really weird "strategy" (if you can even call it that) on the part of Lionsgate and its releases in 4K UHD of titles they've previously released on 1080 disc. This seems especially peculiar with regard to a number of recent releases from the label, including the aforementioned Primal 4K, but also Gamer 4K and now the film currently under review (I guess the "strategy" at least allows for the occasional definite article in front of titles that would otherwise be only one word). The Kid is probably kind of in a middle ground with regard to Gamer and Primal, at least insofar as it may actually have been at least slightly better received generally than either of those films, but also seems to have had a theatrical exhibition that may not have matched Gamer but was probably perhaps (?) a bit wider and more long lasting than Primal was able to eke out. However, in one potentially unhelpful way, this is most definitely more like Gamer than Primal in terms of its 4K UHD presentation (see more information in the video section, below). Like the two other recent 4K UHD releases from Lionsgate, this is now the latest from the label which does not include a 1080 disc in the package.

For my thoughts on the film, please consult my original The Kid Blu- ray review. This release ports over the sole supplement from the 1080 disc.

The Kid 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: Screenshots are sourced from the 1080 disc. Lionsgate has not included a 1080 disc in this package.

The Kid is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Lionsgate Films with a 2160p transfer in 2.39:1. As I mentioned in our original The Kid Blu-ray review, the closing credits list the Arri Alexa, but I'm going to digress for just a moment with regard to the resolution of the DI. Unless I have either authoritative or at least pretty clear, firm information at hand, I try not to make assumptions about whether there was a 2K or 4K DI. I specifically mentioned in the 1080 review how I was assuming a 2K DI in the absence of me being able to find any other contrary information at the time of the writing of that review, and so I was interested when I came to review this to see that a member had already set this to be a Native 4K release. I have spent quite a bit of time going down various rabbit holes, and perhaps my searches have simply been incompetent, but I haven't been able to find any information that I deem authoritative to support a 4K DI, other than a random list on another home theater website that frankly is littered with verifiable errors. To cite one category of error in particular, if a DI was 2K, even if source capture resolutions were above that resolution, then the 4K UHD presentation is an "upscale", not "native 4K", if it were based on that 2K DI, unless of course a new 4K DI or some other higher resolution source was created for the release, and there are numerous examples on that website of just such releases (i.e., 2K DIs listed as "native 4K", I assume because the cameras captured at resolutions at or above 4K). With all of that said, if some internet guru who can find authoritative information feels so moved, private message me and I'll happily post an update here, but in the meantime I'm assuming a 2K DI for this, especially since Arri Alexas don't always capture at resolutions over 4K, which can almost therefore default to 2K DIs.

Now with all of that probably excessive information, the real irony here is not over detail levels, which I think are at least marginally improved in this 4K presentation, if not mind blowingly so, but more so the palette, since, like Gamer 4K, while I got a standard HDR prompt at disc boot, the actual information page during playback showed SDR. This is perhaps especially sad in this particular case, kind of (again) ironically because The Kid does not exploit all the bells and whistles that Gamer did, and instead offers some sumptuous landscapes and nicely designed costumes and sets that probably could have benefited from a more spectacularly displayed palette. As I mentioned with regard to the 1080 release of The Kid, director Vincent D'Onofrio and cinematographer Matthew J. Lloyd do a nice job of alternating between scenic wide vistas and some extreme close-ups of various characters, giving some visual variety along the way, with what to my eyes was the most noticeable overall uptick in fine detail levels attending some of those close-ups. Fine detail generally is quite good when lighting conditions allow. As usual in some of the nighttime or dimly lit environments, fine detail levels understandably falter, and the absence of HDR probably doesn't help what I've often termed as "murk" in some low light conditions in Arri captures in particular.

The Kid 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Lionsgate has been "consistent", albeit perhaps not to every audiophile's liking, by not upping the ante with Atmos upgrades on any of their three most recent releases of catalog titles, but the good news is in this particular case the excellent DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track that graced the 1080 disc shouldn't offer any kind of a letdown for most listeners in my estimation. With this being the same audio option as on the 1080 disc, I'll repeat some of my comments from my review of that disc. The nicely energetic DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix provides pretty consistent engagement of the surround channels courtesy of a variety of effects and/or foley work. Both hand to hand combat and gunfire erupt in the film, and there is typically very smart directionality to some of these particular effects. Revisiting the film now after some time, I was especially struck by some of the spaciousness of the ambient environmental effects in the many outdoor sequences. The score by Latham and Shelby Gaines may strike some as being at least occasionally on the eccentric side, but it, too, wafts through the side and rear channels quite invitingly. Dialogue is always presented cleanly and clearly on this problem free track.

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

• Making The Kid (1080p; 9:27) is a standard issue EPK, though it's kind of fun to see Vincent D'Onofrio in a ten gallon (five gallon, maybe?) hat in his interviews. Among the Great Mysteries of Life is the fact that this featurette similarly to some other port overs on recent Lionsgate 4K UHD versions varies just a second from its 1080 version, for no discernable reason.

Additionally, a digital copy is included.

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

Of the three recent "weird" Lionsgate 4K UHD releases (the other two being Gamer and Primal), this is probably easily my favorite in terms of both storytelling and performances. While detail levels are arguably improved, if only minimally, the palette is more or less the same, which may make this 4K UHD version less attractive to some. That may be the biggest negative here, with both audio and the sole supplement pretty much identical to the 1080 release, for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.