8.1 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Renton, deeply immersed in the Edinburgh drug scene, tries to clean up and get out, despite the allure of the drugs and influence of friends.
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller, Kevin McKidd, Robert CarlyleDrama | 100% |
Dark humor | 64% |
Crime | 61% |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
4K Ultra HD
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 4.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Danny Boyle's "Trainspotting" (1996) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the release include archival audio commentary was recorded by Danny Boyle, Ewan McGregor, producer Andrew Macdonald, and screenwriter John Hodge; various archival cast and crew interviews; deleted scenes; new program with costume designer Rachael Fleming and production designer Kave Quinn; vintage promotional materials; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.
Criterion's release of Trainspotting is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray is Region-Free. However, the Blu-ray is Region-A "looked".
Please note that some of the screencaptures that appear with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc, including the actual color values of this content.
Screencaptures #1-31 are from the Blu-ray.
Screencaptures #33-39 are from 4K Blu-ray.
The release introduces a brand new 4K makeover of Trainspotting which was supervised and approved by Danny Boyle. In native 4K, the 4K makeover can be viewed with Dolby Vision and HDR grades. I viewed it in its entirety with HDR. Also, a day later, I viewed the 1080p presentation on the Blu-ray in its entirety. After that, I performed numerous comparisons with the only other Blu-ray release of the film that I have in my library, which is
this Region-B release that British label Film4 produced in 2009.
The new presentation of the film is dramatically healthier, which did not surprise me at all because the Region-B release was sourced from an older master from the DVD era that had several serious limitations. The new presentation boasts far stronger density levels and outstanding fluidity as well. Declination, clarity, and depth are pretty good, often even excellent, but there are some quite obvious, unnatural fluctuations. (I will address them below). Image stability is great. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections.
Unfortunately, the entire film is regraded and as a result some parts of it look very different now. Some of the tweaks are minor and retain original colors that look much better than they did on the previous release. However, some of the tweaks are pretty extreme and alter the color temperature of the visuals. They can also destabilize or eliminate entire primaries and supporting nuances. The two primaries that are affected the most are white and blue. White and variations of white are routinely overwhelmed by light cyan/green. Blues and variations of blue are destabilized or replaced by turquoise. However, different parts of the film are affected differently, so if some original primaries are retained, the discrepancy is not as dramatic. Here are some examples of very obvious changes:
In the very beginning of the film, the gray and cold blue that was present in the Edinburgh skies are replaced. See screencaptures #6 and 7. The footage from the countryside where Renton declares that the Scottish should have been conquered by someone better than the English has lost its blues and is now tealed, too. The hilarious footage from the park with the dog has brand new color temperature as well. Furthermore, some of the darker footage looks unusually flat now -- in native 4K and 1080p, but in native 4K, some dark nuances become almost impossible to recognize. Oddly enough, in native 4K, the HDR grade handles some of the dark tealed footage a little bit better. When white is absent, primaries like red and blue look outstanding, so some scenes look as they should. Sadly, the new regrading job gives the rest of the film a brand new appearance.
Ultimately, this upcoming release of Trainspotting is a lot like the recent release of Brotherhood of the Wolf. It will please some people, but it will frustrate many more because it gets only some things right and is not the definitive home video release of Trainspotting that it could have been.
There are two standard audio tracks on this release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.
The Region-B release of Trainspotting does not have a lossless audio track, so I was eager to test the two tracks on this release. I think that I prefer the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. When the music kicks in, the difference between the lossy and lossless tracks becomes undeniable, and during several of the mass scenes, there is movement in the surrounds that makes a difference, too. Clarity, sharpness, and stability are very good, but I have to admit that there are several sections where the accents become so thick that I have to turn on the subtitles. I did not encounter any anomalies to report in our review.
4K BLU-RAY DISC
This upcoming release of Trainspotting is a lot like the recent release of Brotherhood of the Wolf. It introduces a brand new 4K restoration that alters the film's original theatrical appearance but was endorsed by Danny Boyle. Some people will be fine with the changes, but a lot of people will find them quite frustrating. The release has an extensive selection of exclusive new and archival bonus features, so it is definitely worth picking up. However, I think that an opportunity was missed to deliver the definitive home video release of Trainspotting. RECOMMENDED.
2017
2008
1998
1973
1999-2007
2013
2012
Collector's Edition
1996
2019
1992
2017
2000
1971
Includes Beanie
2014
2009
Cidade de Deus
2002
The Convincer
2011
Ultimate Collector's Edition
1975
1999
1997