The Nun 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

The Nun 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Nasty Habits Made Nastier

Reviewed by Michael Reuben December 14, 2018

The Nun is the first chapter in James Wan's Conjuring universe to receive a 4K release, and it's a fitting choice, because much of the film plays out in the interiors of a crumbling medieval abbey, where shades of darkness give an HDR colorist ample room for enhancement.

For a discussion of the film, please refer to the standard Blu-ray review as well as the site's review of the film's theatrical release by my colleague Brian Orndorf.

The Nun 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

(Note: Screenshots accompanying this review have been captured from the standard Blu-ray. Additional 1080p captures from that disc can be found here.)

As best as I have been able to determine, The Nun's 4K iteration is an upconversion from a 2K digital intermediate, but the combination of higher resolution and HDR grading has resulted in a noticeable increase in detail of such elements as skin textures, clothing, forest greenery and the tumbledown shack where Frenchie lives. However, the disc's real strength isn't in these enhancements of well-lit spaces and objects but in the refinements of black levels and contrast in the dark recesses of the medieval abbey where the film's heart lies. Dark chambers and corridors acquire more depth, even when you can't quite see what's in the distance (usually something horrible); the nuns in their black-and-white habits are more distinctly outlined against the dim backgrounds; the whites of Sister Irene's garb stand out more vividly; the various spirits and visions in the graveyard at night are more visible while remaining shrouded in mist and mystery. Bright highlights are subtly applied to candles and lanterns, although in some scenes the highlights are intense. For an example of the latter, look at the scene where Frenchie is awakened from nightmares by a knocking at the door; the sun lights him brightly on the Blu-ray, but on the 4K the illumination looks almost supernatural.

The Nun's UHD version is a fine demonstration of how, even with a 2K source, a talented colorist can use HDR to enhance the visual experience of a film while also serving its story. Note that the disc does not have Dolby Vision, although it's hard to imagine that there's much room for improvement over what has been accomplished with regular HDR.

The Nun 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Nun's 4K release contains the same Dolby Atmos track previously reviewed. It also suffers from the same "Stupid Disc Authoring" (SDA™) as the standard Blu-ray, defaulting to a redundant DTS-HD MA 5.1 track, so that the user must select Atmos before playing the feature (or during it, if that's when you happen to remember). I note, once again, that Warner is the only studio that insists on continuing to implement these inexplicable audio choices.

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

The 4K disc has no extras. The included standard Blu-ray contains the extras previously reviewed.

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

Wan's horror factory is one of Warner's more reliable franchises, and now that the studio has finally opened the 4K gates for it, maybe they can be persuaded to go back and reissue the four previous Conjuring films on UHD. (That's The Conjuring, The Conjuring 2, Annabelle and Annabelle: Creation.) The discs may not be demo material, but The Nun confirms that these haunted creations can benefit significantly from the 4K format. While the film's UHD presentation doesn't alter my estimation of the film, there's no question that it's the best version and is, accordingly, highly recommended.