6.1 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Young father Rusty Griswold gears up to take his family on a vacation.
Starring: Ed Helms, Christina Applegate, Skyler Gisondo, Steele Stebbins, Chris HemsworthComedy | 100% |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
4K Ultra HD
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 0.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
WB continues their renewed commitment to catalog MOD 4K releases with 2015's Vacation, a sequel/reboot to the 1983 original that's co-directed by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, who would improve in later years with Game Night (another recent 4K title) and Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. It's a watchable enough comedy whose only real flaw is literally and figuratively sticking to a familiar destination rather than trying something new.
NOTE: These screenshots have been sourced from the 4K disc and down-converted to 1080p/SDR, which means that they should not be considered a 100% accurate depiction of the picture quality during playback.
Michael Reuben's review of the 2015 Blu-ray, linked above, gave Warner Bros.' transfer of Vacation very good marks in regards to fine detail, color, and bit rate, which hovered right around 30Mbps on that dual-layered disc. In contrast, the much newer 2160p/HDR10 (Dolby Vision capable) transfer on this dual-layered UHD disc, which presumably uses the exact same master, typically more than doubles the Blu-ray's average bit rate and is encoded with the more efficient HEVC codec; this means that it represents a natural progression as far as image quality goes and will obviously beat the Blu-ray in a side-by-side comparison. (Those not thrilled by my comparatively "identical" 4/5 video rating should remember that I typically grade discs on a proportional scale. of course.) Obvious improvements can be seen in its overall tighter amount of fine detail, more robust and precise color representation, and of course the increased level of depth stemming from both of these factors. It's of course worth noting that Vacation was originally finished at a 2K digital intermediate which means that this is an upscale rather than a true 4K presentation, but history has taught us that more juice can be squeezed out of almost any source material regardless of its native resolution. In all honesty, there's almost zero room for improvement here and, despite the argument that Vacation is "just a comedy", it does indeed look quite impressive in 4K and I'd imagine that die-hard fans will appreciate the upgrade.
Warner Bros. again presents Vacation with the same DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix found on the Blu-ray; I'm not convinced that an Atmos remix would've added all that much, so it stands as a suitably crisp and active presentation that gets the job done. Please note that WB has not carried over the Blu-ray's French, Spanish, and Portuguese dubs and subtitles, equipping this 4K disc with only a lone optional set of English (SDH) subtitles during the film only. I know this is probably a cost-cutting measure, but it seems counter-intuitive considering that this format is region-free.
This one-disc MOD (pressed, not burnt) release ships in a standard keepcase with recycled cover artwork and no slipcover or Digital Copy are included. Fittingly, the lightweight but enjoyable assortment of Blu-ray bonus features described by Michael Reuben in his review of the 2015 Blu-ray have been carried over and are listed below.
John Francis Daley & Jonathan Goldstein's sequel/reboot of Vacation has a lot to live up to: it stands in the shadow of the 1983 original but doesn't consistently make the case for itself as a worthwhile branch of the Griswold family tree. That said, it's mostly well-cast and does indeed bring some funny ideas, exchanges, and situations to the table, not so much to make it an essential comedy but still one that works in the right mood. Warner Bros.' new 4K edition naturally advances upon their own 2015 Blu-ray in the video department, but all other aspects of this release are the same as before (save for the foreign audio and subtitle options). For this reason, it's only recommended to die-hard fans.
(Still not reliable for this title)
Mastered in 4K
2013
2010
2018
2016
2014
2008
2007
1988
2016
The Rougher Morning Edition
2017
2011
2016
40th Anniversary Edition
1983
1933
2016
2018
Extended Cut
2013
2017
2017
Holy Schnike Edition
1995