The Truman Show 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		4.0

The Truman Show 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Paramount has released the fantastic 1998 film 'The Truman Show' to the UHD format. New specifications include 2160p/Dolby Vision video and Dolby Atmos audio. The bundled Blu-ray is identical to that which Paramount first released in 2008. That disc houses all supplements for this set; the UHD disc contains no extras.

The Truman Show 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc.

To state that this new 2160p/Dolby Vision UHD release of The Truman Show is anything less than a gargantuan improvement over the poorly aged Blu-ray would be a gargantuan understatement. This blows away the old, decrepit, DNR'd, flat, lifeless, processed, and clearly prepared for standard definition disc that Paramount released back in 2008, All of that is now ancient history. What fans have here is a flat-out gorgeous presentation, capturing the full flavor of the filmic qualities inherent to the source. The picture is perfectly filmic without fault or flaw. There is no debris, no sign of wear and tear, or compression problems, and most importantly no filtering or any obvious processes to ruin the natural filmic integrity. The picture is visually full and flavorful, squeezing out every last morsel of filmic excellence from the source. The picture is wonderfully sharp and highly detailed, far exceeding the pedestrian, at best, effort of old, here delighting with a lovely fresh-from-theaters appearance. Viewers will delight in the inherent complexity to skin, clothes, and the various sets around Seahaven. Color accuracy is excellent. There is a balance here that is absent from the Blu-ray, not to mention increases to overall vividness, stability, and nuance. Every color is a delight. Dazzling whites, deep blacks, and wonderfully healthy and natural skin tones round out a great Dolby Vision effort.

It's something of a shame that Paramount didn't also drop this new master onto the included Blu-ray disc, but at least that disc serves as a stark contrast to the excellence of this new presentation. Note that the "video" score reflects the score originally awarded to the Blu-ray in 2008 and does not reflect my personal opinion of the transfer.

The Truman Show 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The addition of a Dolby Atmos soundtrack to The Truman Show is welcome, but it also feels somewhat superfluous and overkill. That is not to say that the track is not just fine, but that is to say that the sound elements don't necessarily need all of these extra channels. Nevertheless, the content as presented here is very good. Fidelity is excellent. Overall clarity could not be better in terms of music, location ambience, and dialogue accuracy. Musical elements push through the front right and left channels, predominantly, with some mild support in the backs and just enough of a low-end support to balance things out. Atmosphere is pleasing, offering listeners a full and satisfying sense of immersion into Seahaven. Though the back and overhead channels are not tuned for maximum impact, they do nicely complement the core elements. There are a few good instances of surround engagement and modest overhead usage, such as when rain falls on Truman at the 13-minute mark and blaring sirens penetrate the stage at the 51:45 mark. This is not a track in support of high-octane sound engineering elements, so the more passive and lightly immersive and engaging presentation suits the film just fine, especially considering the purity of placement and presentation excellence of the main dialogue elements.

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

The UHD disc contains no extras, but the bundled Blu-ray carries with it all of the legacy Blu-ray extras. For a bit more coverage, please click here. This release also ships with a digital copy voucher and a non-embossed slipcover.

• How's It Going to End? The Making of The Truman Show
• Faux Finishing, The Visual Effects of The Truman Show
• Deleted Scenes
• Photo Gallery
• Theatrical Trailers
• TV Spots

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

The Truman Show remains a triumph of human-interest storytelling and the film finally enjoys the home video release it deserves with this new UHD. The 2160p/Dolby Vision UHD presentation is vastly superior to the Blu-ray counterpart. The Atmos track might be overkill, but it is also excellent in its own right. Sadly, no new extras are included, but this release excels where it counts: in the A/V department. Very highly recommended for both the new technical qualities as well as the film's excellence.