Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Deep Space 8½ in 4K.

After several months of at least somewhat questionable choices as to which of its releases were chosen for the 4K UHD format, Lionsgate provides consumers with a film that has all the earmarks of what ultra high definition aficionados often look for, namely mind boggling visuals and astounding sound design, both of which are part and parcel of Luc Besson’s Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets.

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc. Watch for 4K screenshots at a later date. This release also offers Dolby Vision, which we don't yet have the equipment to review.

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets is presented on 4K UHD courtesy of Lionsgate Films with a 2160p transfer in 2.39:1. As I mentioned in our Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets Blu-ray review, I'm a little surprised this was finished at "only" a 2K DI, but the results in this 4K presentation offer many of the same upticks in detail levels that have been seen in similarly uprezes. While there's the expected increase in definition in fine detail like the nubby patterns on the green military uniforms several soldiers wear, one of the more interesting things I noticed in this presentation was the at least relatively more realistic look of some of the CGI environments, notably the pearl planet at the beginning of the film. I don't want to overstate the difference, since things still look decidedly artificial, but there's a greater clarity and precision in the rendering in this 4K version that at least helps to add a bit of depth and dimensionality to these scenes which isn't quite as abundant in the 1080p version. Detail levels are generally excellent across the board in this release, and shadow detail is also better in scenes like some of the underwater material. HDR has added a range of new tones, many of which are noticeable in the alien environments like the aforementioned pearl planet or the "Big Market" that Valerian travels to in order to retrieve the weird little lizard like creature. There are some really interesting teals and blues in some of the alien environments, and a long use of purple later in the film has a beautiful luster in this 4K version that isn't as powerful in the Blu-ray version.

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

This release has the same generally outstanding Dolby Atmos track I assessed in our Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets Blu-ray review.

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

With the exception of the Enhancement Mode branching feature that is available on the standard 1080p Blu-ray, Lionsgate has ported over all of the supplements from the Blu-ray disc that I detailed in our Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets Blu-ray review. Enhancement Mode is of course available on the standard Blu-ray disc included in this package.

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets offers a great opportunity for the 4K UHD format to "strut its stuff", so to speak, even when dealing with a 2K DI. This version offers subtle but noticeable improvements in detail levels across the board, and the new range of hues that HDR introduces also are often quite luscious. The film itself has issues, but if you have a 4K UHD setup and are on the fence as to whether to get this or just the standard Blu-ray release, I'd advise thinking about this one.