Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		4.0

Tombstone 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman April 7, 2025

It may be felicitous timing in a gruesome sort of way that Disney / Buena Vista is releasing the 4K debut of Tombstone (in SteelBook packaging) just as Val Kilmer's own tombstone has been at least figuratively mentioned in obituaries which made global headlines recently. Kilmer's sad passing after trials and tribulations (some self inflicted, as detailed in the excellent documentary Val) at least gives fans occasion to celebrate an actor who experienced it all from A list star power to more questionable notoriety and wavering career impact to ultimate decline and near camp status to more recently potential hero once he had to start battling cancer. Tombstone is often cited as one of the best performances of Kilmer's filmography, and there may be no better way to remember the actor than by spending a couple of hours in the wild west watching him strut his stuff as Doc Holliday.

Tombstone was released on 1080 disc way back in 2010, and Ken Brown's Tombstone Blu-ray review of that now ancient release provides a nice plot summary, a list of supplements (such as they were/are), and Ken's reaction to that disc's technical presentation. Unlike many 4K UHD releases from Lionsgate in particular, the 1080 disc in this package, while sporting the same slate of supplements and audio codecs as the old disc, is not a "legacy disc" and is indeed a new transfer.

Tombstone 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: Screenshots are sourced from the 1080 disc in this package.

Tombstone is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Disney / Buena Vista with an HEVC / H.265 encoded 2160p transfer in 2.35:1. Disney can be a bit on the stingy side in terms of providing technical information with their releases, and that's once again the case here, though the press release they sent with this SteelBook says the film has been "meticulously remastered and restored", and the simple adjustment of the aspect ratio from the older 1080 release is a simple indication that they've gone back to the veritable drawing board with both the 1080 and 2160 discs in this package. Ken was understandably a bit underwhelmed by Disney's old 1080 presentation, and the good news is virtually all of the anomalies Ken cited in his review have been ameliorated and I'd suggest in at least some instances completely eliminated in this new presentation. The most obvious change to me in terms of clarity and detail levels, and one which may ironically lead some to say this transfer is "soft", is the absence of obvious digital sharpening, something that made the old 1080 disc look like upscaled video at times. Note, for example, the really obvious edge enhancement running down Kurt Russell's back in the first screenshot accompanying Ken's review, and then compare it with screenshot 1 of this review (admittedly just a couple of frames later), and you can see the obvious improvement, though you can also see how a more filmic appearance doesn't have the same peculiarly "crisp" look of digitally sharpened material. The other major plus in this new presentation is some of the luster the HDR and Dolby Vision grades bring to the proceedings. I was especially struck by some of the lush yellow to orange tones that give several scenes an almost "golden hour" appearance even if they weren't shot during that timeframe. Outdoor material pops extremely well, and as Ken mentioned even with regard to the problematic older 1080 disc, primaries are incredibly bold, arguably even bolder in this new 4K UHD presentation. Grain can be quite heavy, especially in some of those aforementioned brightly lit outdoor moments, where it can frankly look a bit like insects swarming against skies. There is still just a hint of murkiness in some of the darkest scenes, though even here HDR / Dolby Vision can show at least minor improvements in shadow detail over those in the 1080 disc in this package.

Tombstone 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

If Ken wasn't especially excited about the video side of things on the old Disney 1080 release, he had considerably more positive things to say about that disc's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, and while some may quibble Disney didn't provide an upgraded Dolby Atmos track with this release, the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 option has all of the fantastic surround activity that Ken detailed in his original review. There are certainly moments where things are front and center, as in the opening narration, but once things move into the actual story, the side and rear channels are consistently engaged by both regular ambient environmental effects and the great score by Bruce Broughton. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional subtitles in several languages are available.

Tombstone 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Note: The 4K disc in this package sports no supplementary content. The following previously released bonus items are on the 1080 disc in this package, and further details about them are in Ken's review, linked to above:

• The Making of Tombstone (SD; 27;19)


• Director's Original Storyboards: O.K. Corral Sequence (SD; 4:00)


• Trailers and TV Spots (SD; 7:29) offers nine promotional pieces.

The SteelBook package offers an agreeable illustration of the central characters on the front, with backgrounds of kind of dirty gold and tan-gray. The back panel offers an illustration of a marshal's badge. The interior panels offer an illustration of the four principal characters. A digital copy is also enclosed.

Tombstone 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This film's title may have some unintended irony considering Kilmer's recent demise, but its elegiac qualities certainly extend beyond the "mere" mortality of one actor. Still, with memories of Kilmer so fresh in so many minds, this is a fantastic opportunity to see one of his most accomplished performances. Technical merits are solid and the returning supplements enjoyable. The SteelBook packaging is handsome if not revelatory. Recommended.