The Wolf Man 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

The Wolf Man 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Universal has released the classic 1941 George Waggner film 'The Wolf Man' to the UHD format. New specifications include 2160p/HDR video. Universal ports all extras from the 2013 Blu-ray (included in this set) to the UHD disc. The same is true of the Blu-ray's soundtrack. Note that this release is currently available in a four-film UHD Classic Monsters Collection with 'Dracula,' 'The Invisible Man,' and 'Frankenstein' and individually in collectible SteelBook packaging.

The Wolf Man 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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

Once again, as with Dracula and Frankenstein, The Wolf Man's 2160p/HDR UHD presentation makes an impact from the opening seconds with the title card which appears instantly after the Universal logo. The improvements from the Blu-ray are immediately obvious, and drastic. First is the improved white punch and vibrance. Now a much more striking, pure white rather than the creamy tone seen on the Blu-ray, the screen-filling title makes an immediate impression and promises great things to come. As with the other discs, darker title elements and corners are rendered more absolute while the midscale grays appear finer and more faithfully balanced. Such holds true for the duration. The picture's grayscale is impeccably balanced, bringing new life to the full spectrum, rendering every element with a more richly rewarding presentation. Gone is the Blu-ray's flat and creamy look, replaced with a gloriously accurate balance. White shirts, dark shadowy nighttime corners, and everything in between finds new clarity and color accuracy, balancing enhanced contrast, brighter highs, and deeper lows for a superior black and white presentation.

The image is structurally improved, too. Grain is refined, here perhaps more readily aggressive and more pronounced but very filmic and faithful. The result is a very handsome, steady, and cinematic picture that bears more fruit from the 2160p resolution, including a steady diet of sharper details and more finely defined textures throughout. Obvious faces and clothes are standouts but so too are more ornately furnished and decorated interiors and various exterior locations. With the latter, and often seen at night, the viewer will appreciate the finer definition on tree trunks and branches as fully as the fine furnishings and appointments in various interiors as well. The picture is very rich and crisp. There's not an errant speckle or scratch to be found and there are no encode anomalies, either. This is another first-rate catalogue UHD release from Universal.

The Wolf Man 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Rather than reconfigure the film's soundtrack to the Dolby Atmos or DTS:X configuration, Universal has simply recycled the existing 2.0 lossless mono soundtrack, which holds up just fine for a movie of this age and sound design. For a full audio review, please click here.

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

The Wolf Man's UHD disc contains all of the supplements from the 2013 Blu-ray. That disc is also included with purchase. See below for a list of what's included and please click here for full coverage. As it ships within the 4K Classic Monsters Collection, a Movies Anywhere digital copy code is included.

• Monster by Moonlight
• The Wolf Man: From Ancient Curse to Modern Myth
• Pure in Heart: The Life and Legacy of Lon Chaney, Jr.
• He Who Made Monsters: The Art and Life of Jack
• The Wolf Man Archives
• Trailer Gallery
• 100 Years of Universal: The Lot
• Audio Commentary: Film Historian Tom Weaver.

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

What a delight! Universal has done right by The Wolf Man on the UHD format. While the Blu-ray remains a very viable presentation, this 2160p/HDR presentation only amplifies the filmic roots, retaining a handsome grain structure, revealing sharp details, and bringing out the finest the grayscale has to offer, including intensely bright and crisp whites, solidly deep blacks, and a beautiful midrange. The studio has returned the core soundtrack and retained all of the legacy extras from the 2013 Blu-ray. There is no reason to skip out on this one, either as part of the Universal Classic Monsters Collection or individually in SteelBook packaging. The Wolf Man comes very hihgly recommended.