The Smurfs 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.5

The Smurfs 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

1080p Blu to 2160p HDR Blue.

Sony has re-released 'The Smurfs' to UHD, joining the sequel which was previously released at format launch. The disc includes a new transfer and a new Atmos soundtrack while carrying over all of the supplemental content from the 2011 Blu-ray release on the included 1080p-only disc. Read on for more.

Did you guys put on your HDR skin today?

The Smurfs 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 Smurfs' visual excellence is clear from the opening shots and continues through the entire movie. Even without comparing to the 1080p release, just watching the movie, and even considering that the movie was reportedly finished at 2K, it's evident that Sony's 2160p/HDR-enhanced transfer is a stunner, and much like the film's sequel, which was previously released on the UHD format, it's a standout and one of the top reference presentations on the market today. Colors are bold, gorgeous, intensely saturated, and endlessly varied. Smurf blue certainly dominates, but there's no shortage of additional bright, eye-popping colors on display, none of which are unnaturally tuned or in any way seriously pushed to promote intensity. The film thrives on a fairly neutral, but intense, color palette. Whether natural greens or any number of amazing colors around the city or, particularly, in a toy store in chapter nine, every example of yellow, green, red, orange, purple -- every shade and every variation -- is amazingly rich and packed with both eye-catching punch and pleasant subtly alike. Details are absolutely spectacular. Smurf attire shows both wear and fabric complexity with dazzling intricacy. Human clothing fabrics -- whether Gargamel's frayed and patched robes or higher end shirts, jackets, or sweaters -- reveal every stitch and seam with definition that puts most any other disc on the market to shame. Image clarity is tremendous. The movie is naturally sharp, and along with the top-end detailing every environment comes to life with a parade of textures that beg to be studied and almost touched. Black levels are strong, whether nighttime skies and exteriors or black attire. Flesh tones appear spot-on.

Going back for some direct A-B comparisons with the Blu-ray confirms the UHD's visual prowess. Colors are notably better saturated. Color depth is improved, where there's more nuance, a little less brightness, but firmer, more reliable accuracy. Improvements in natural greens and even blacks -- Gargamel's robe -- are apparent, but Smurf blue is, obviously, the major beneficiary. More intense and deep but hardly a betrayal of the intended shade and appearance, it's striking in how well Sony walked the line between improving on the color but leaving it fundamentally unchanged at the same time. Detailing is greatly improved, too. That Smurf attire is significantly more complex, with the UHD revealing the finer material lines and the textures that almost give every hat something of a grimy appearance and receiving an almost revelatory increase in detail. The same can be said of every texture around. The UHD is much less glossy and shiny than the Blu-ray. That combination of improved clarity, sharper details, and deep coloring do some amazing things for the presentation. It's hard to give a release that's not sourced from a 4K master a perfect score, but it's impossible to ignore just how amazing the movie looks on the UHD format. For a "non 4K" 4K presentation, this one is just about the best around.

The Smurfs 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Smurfs' UHD release upgrades the previous Blu-ray's excellent DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack to a Dolby Atmos presentation. Its only drawback is that music tends to lack real verve, playing a bit more timidly than one might expect, a hair more reserved at reference volume, particularly with everything else going gangbusters. The big improvements in this track come by way of a greater sense of immersion -- even with music -- both around the stage and above it. The overhead channels are engaged with some regularity. At the beginning, a couple of Smurfs fling in an arc over the top end. The effect is dynamic and exciting, maybe a little forceful for effect at the very top, but the sense of movement is excellent and seamless. The track is one that's easy to become lost in; like the visuals are varied and enjoyable and boosted by a new presentation, the film is also a playground of sonic delights that are more pronounced this time around. Atmospherics are more filling and movement around, not simply above, the stage is much more seamless. Clarity remains a strength; every sound effect, musical note, and piece of dialogue shine. The track has no problems with prioritization, whether in frenzied action scenes where every element plays in perfect balance or considering dialogue that's always well defined and rising above din as needed. The track loses half-a-point for that slightly reserved musical presentation, but make no mistake it's a fantastic example of what Atmos can bring over a standard 5.1 track.

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

There are no true new "supplements" on Sony's UHD release of The Smurfs, but it does include the usual UHD extras including the Cast & Crew tab which includes still photos of the cast and crew (alongside the Smurfs they voice, where applicable...a nice touch) as well as the usual assortment of categorized Moments (2160p, HDR, Atmos): Gargamel & Azrael (6:03), Memorable Moments (5:35), Smurfy Moments (8:05), and Magic (6:51). All of the general supplemental content is included on the 1080p Blu-ray disc. A UV digital copy code is included with purchase. For a full supplemental content review, please click here.

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

It's impossible to watch The Smurfs without smiling. It's light, bright, colorful, funny, extraordinarily well done from a technical perspective, and Hank Azaria is absolutely brilliant, easily one of the best performances of a comedic villain in movie history. No, it's not great cinema, but it's sure to bring joy to most anyone who watches it, and one can't ask for much more than that. Sony's UHD release is spectacular. The 2160p/HDR transfer is perfect, the Atmos soundtrack is nearly just as good, and the package carries over the original release's supplemental content on the 1080p disc. Very highly recommended.