5.6 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
When high class hooker Nicole is kidnapped from her brothel, Rich businessman Hugo Motherskille hires her ex love Roy Bain to find her. Investigating the disappearance, he eventually finds traces that lead to Dr. Savary, who has produced a strange white powder that's coveted by a race of deformed human beings who live in the underworld in the sewers below the city.
Starring: Larry Lamb, Denholm Elliott, Steven Berkoff, Nicola Cowper, Irina BrookHorror | 100% |
Sci-Fi | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
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 SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
4K Ultra HD
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
George Pavlou's "Underworld" (1985) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new audio commentary by George Pavlou and author and critic Stephen Thrower; archival program with cast and crew interviews; multiple archival publicity materials; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.
Gas the freaks!
Kino Lorber's release of Underworld is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray is Region-Free. However, the Blu-ray is Region-A "locked".
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 #1-30 are from the Blu-ray.
Screencaptures #33-38 are from the 4K Blu-ray.
The release introduces a new 4K makeover of Underworld which was completed after the original camera negative was scanned in 4K. The native 4K presentation can be viewed with Dolby Vision and HDR grades. I viewed it in its entirety with Dolby Vision. However, a day later, I also viewed the 1080p presentation, which I found to be quite different and ultimately more convincing. Why? The native 4K and 1080p presentations reveal some pretty obvious discrepancies in terms of color balance and as a result the overall color temperature of various sequences is not identical. I prefer the 1080p presentation because it promotes very lush neon-esque, borderline garish colors, which are exactly the type of colors 1980s genre films promoted. In a few areas, highlights could have been handled slightly better, but this is the only criticism I have because everything else looks simply incredible. While density levels may be somewhat stronger in native 4K, I thought that delineation, clarity, and depth were not better. Select very dark sequences actually reveal better background details in 1080p, not in native 4K. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. Image stability is outstanding. The entire film looks exceptionally healthy, too. All in all, I have to say that I was very, very impressed with how Underworld looked on my system, which is why I could not be happier to have it in my library. My score is 4.75/5.00.
There is only one standard audio track on this release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.
Underworld has an original soundtrack by Freur that is something of a minor masterpiece. The bulk of it has that rich synth-pop quality that Tangerine Dream's work is known for, so if you can, turn up the volume of your system as much as you can. Dynamic intensity is very nice too, which I found surprising because it is easy to tell that the film was made with a limited budget. All dialog is very clear, stable, and easy to follow. There are no distortions, pops, dropouts, or other similar anomalies.
4K BLU-RAY DISC
I liked Underworld so much that I viewed it twice in less than twenty-four hours. It is quite the visual stunner and, sadly, a prophetic film that begs to be rediscovered. (How is Underworld prophetic? Earlier this year, the powerful flesh-eating drug 'tranq' that turns people into zombies emerged in multiple metro areas throughout America). Welsh synth-pop rockers Freur's soundtrack is on par with some of Tangerine Dream's most memorable work as well. Kino Lorber's 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack introduces an exclusive new 4K restoration that was completed after the original camera negative was scanned in 4K. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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