What Dreams May Come 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

What Dreams May Come 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Vincent Ward's fourth directorial feature What Dreams May Come (1998) was covered by my colleague Kenneth Brown over fifteen years ago. Ken wrote a detailed review of the film and the US Blu-ray from Universal. To read his views of the movie and his assessment of the a/v transfers, plus bonus contents, please consult the linked review.

Am I in Heaven or my wife's Painted World?

What Dreams May Come 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Shout Select's summer release of What Dreams May Come consists of a 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray and standard combo that comes with a slipcover featuring the same stunning theatrical poster art as what appears inside the sleeve. The two transfers are struck from a 4K restoration of the film's original camera negative. The UHD is encoded with Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible). The picture is presented in the film's native 2.35:1 aspect ratio, which preserves the original Super 35 format. If you were like me in the 2010s who followed and/or contributed to the now-archived thread, List of International BDs with Better PQ, AQ, and/or More Extras, you were aware that Universal Studios Germany's 1080p Blu-ray from over a decade ago boasted the best 1080p quality as listed here. It boasts better compression than its US counterpart. I own that BD and Polygram Video's "Special Edition" DVD from 1999. I will comment on those and compare them to Shout's transfers after discussing the film's visual effects and cinematography.

The VFX for the film was a massive collaborative effort by software firms and effects companies like Mass.Illusions, Digital Domain, POP Film, MastersFX, ShadowCaster, and Cinema Production Services. Kevin H. Martin penned an epic piece about the movie's VFX for the January 1999 issue of CineFex. Martin reported that lidar (laser-based radar) "had been utilized on location to capture range data on the ob­jects in the scene. The lidar scans were registered and merged to create a cloud of points resembling a 3-D radar image, and this information was then sorted by object type to identify vari­ous scenic features" (pp. 112–13). Visual effects supervisor Joel Hynek proposed to Vincent Ward attaching 2-D and 3-D objects (i.e., wet or dry paint strokes) to moving scene features. The motion and spatial changes would match the features over the course of each shot's duration. After Ward agreed to this proposal, image-based paint animation software known as Motion Paint would be joined with information retrieved on filming locations (the main unit photography) to form the tracking data. Many digital illustrators and rotoscoping artists contributed to the film's different locales in post-production.

After working together on Map of the Human Heart (1992), Ward reunited with director of photography Eduardo Serra to shoot this film (also a Scope production). Ron Magid profiled Serra's work for What Dreams May Come in the November 1998 issue of American Cinematographer. According to Magid, Serra used Panav­ision Platinum and Gold II cameras, which were outfitted with Primo prime and zoom lenses. Serra told Magid that he filmed with Fuji F-500 [Super F-Series 8571] on certain sections, including scenes set in Paradise and the happier flashback scenes, that didn't feature special effects. Serra additionally shot with Kodak Vision 200T 5277 in sections where the mood either wasn't sad or has a more comical feel.

The opening scene where Chris Nielsen (Robin Williams) and Annie (Annabella Sciorra) meet while sailing has both a sunnier and softer look on the 4K. This seems intentional. Serra told Magin that he shot with Fuji stock. While Fuji delivers more saturated colors, the initial scene features pastels and lighter colors, which show a softer appearance in the sun. For scenes set in Hell, Serra chose the Kodak EXR 5298, which provides a "more bold and hard look," as he put it to Magid. Serra explained further: "Hell was an area in a kind of a permanent twilight — not day, not night. I tried to give it consistency by always having some top light, but my key preoccupation was always to make Hell as monochromatic as possible." See Screenshot #7 for an illustrative example.

One major highlight on the 4K is the scene where Chris and Albert (Cuba Gooding Jr.) peer out the window from the Nielsens' dream summer cottage. Serra says his light sources included "some Dinos and diffusion, and tried to keep the light coming in primarily from one side, without any cross lighting from elsewhere." Screenshot #s 3 and 36 demonstrate this lighting scheme well. Whether you view the UHD with Dolby Vision or HDR10, you should notice how Chris and Albert stand out well from the house's background and the way they're framed just behind the dripping paint.

I watched the Polygram DVD, which I upscaled to 720p, and it's a solid transfer. However, dirt, dust, and specks appear throughout the main titles and periodically (though not often) throughout the film. Polygram likely sourced either an internegative or interpositive for its DVD. There are no reel-change marks so a theatrical print is doubtful. Universal's BD transfer is struck from the same master. But I didn't notice the same degree of chroma noise as I did on the DVD.

Shout's 2160p and 1080p discs are completely free of source-related defects. I analyzed the UHD transfer on a monitor and couldn't pick out a single artifact. Colors on the Universal disc, particularly during the Painted World and Paradise scenes, are very strong. Hues on the 4K are bold but also well balanced without any oversaturation.

Screenshot #s 1-16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 28, 32, 36, & 40 = Shout Select 2026 4K Ultra HD BD-100 (downscaled to 1080p)
Screenshot #s 17, 19, 21, 23, 26, 30, 34, & 38 = Universal Studios Germany 2015 BD-50
Screenshot #s 25, 29, 33, & 37 = Polygram Video 1999 "Special Edition" DVD (resized to 720p)
Screenshot #s 27, 31, 35, & 39 = Shout Select 2026 BD-50 (from a 4K restoration)

Nine chapter breaks accompany each disc for the 113-minute feature.

What Dreams May Come 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Shout has supplied a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Surround track (2009 kbps, 16-bit) and a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo mix (1557, 16-bit). What Dreams May Come was recorded and mixed in DTS 5.1 and Dolby Digital. Theatrical presentations also featured DTS Stereo and Dolby Stereo mixes. (I researched theater listings in newspapers from the late '90s.) The German Blu-ray offers an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Surround mix (4187 kbps, 24- bit). Shout's 5.1 sounds more compressed. The 2.0 track is an upgrade over the stereo track on the DVD, though. Dialogue sounds more distinct and is clearer overall.

What Dreams May Come 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

All bonus features originate from Polygram's 1999 DVD. Supplementary content duplicates what's included on Universal's US Blu-ray.

DISC ONE: 4K UHD

• Audio Commentary with Director Vincent Ward - Ward seems to have prepared a scripted presentation for this feature-length track, which contains frequent gaps. He briefly covers Matheson's novel and discusses a scene that was in neither the original script nor source material. Ward also talks about the movie's themes and what they mean. He highlights the theme of obscurantism. In addition, Ward remembers the Jacaranda mimosifolia trees that he was around in Australia and what their symbolism in the film signifies. He also talks about artist John Martin and painters that influenced the film's visual style. Ward occasionally narrates what's happening on screen. In English, not subtitled.

• Audio Commentary with Director Vincent Ward - Ward seems to have prepared a scripted presentation for this feature-length track, which contains frequent gaps. He briefly covers Matheson's novel and discusses a scene that was in neither the original script nor source material. Ward also talks about the movie's themes and what they mean. He highlights the theme of obscurantism. In addition, Ward remembers the Jacaranda mimosifolia trees that he was around in Australia and what their symbolism in the film signifies. He also talks about artist John Martin and painters that influenced the film's visual style. Ward occasionally narrates what's happening on screen. In English, not subtitled.

• Alternate Ending (6:34, upconverted to 1080i) - image quality is similar to the DVD. The footage has not been restored.

• "What Dreams May Come" Featurette (15:17, upconverted to 1080i) - this EPK featurette intercuts footage from the film with talking heads. We hear sound bites from various cast and crew members. The sound is low with a weak treble. Audio track is not good overall. Most of the interviews are difficult to hear. All interviewees speak in English, not subtitled.

• Visual Effects Supervisor Interview (2:55, upconverted to 1080i) - we hear from Joel Hynek, the visual effects supervisor for "The Painted World" section. He briefly describes the process of combining paint strokes with backgrounds. He also mentions software used for the CG. Sound is much better than the featurette. In English, not subtitled.

• Art Director Interview (1:51, upconverted to 1080i) - this interview snippet features visual effects art director Joshua Rosen. He speaks about his familiarity with the paintings that were used as templates for the film. In English, not subtitled.

• Trailers (4:51 altogether, upconverted to 1080i) - a trailer reel for What Dreams May Come. There's Trailer #1 (2:25) and Trailer #2 (2:26). Neither has been restored.

• The Visual Effects Notes - 10 text screens about how the film's VFX were created and carried out.

• Photo Gallery - the gallery is broken up into five sections: "Production Art" (20 storyboards), "Earth" (20 images), and "Paradise", which is subdivided into "The Painted World" (22 images), "The Purple Tree" (14 images), "Marie's World" (18 images), and "Library" (7 images). The next main section is titled "Hell", which is subdivided into "Hell River" (5 images), "Ship Graveyard" (19 images), "Sea of Faces" (8 images), and "Annie's Hell House" (14 images). "Heaven", the last section, contains six stills.

• Booklet - an eight-page booklet with background on the genesis of What Dreams May Come and pretty detailed notes about its production. The insert also sports stills from the film and a chapter index.

What Dreams May Come 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Shout's 4K UHD is the perfect way to experience What Dreams May Come's Oscar-winning visual effects. The Dolby Vision/HDR grade is excellent. The lossless 2.0 mix sounds great. I prefer it over the 5.1 as delivered on the Shout discs. It sounds more compressed compared to the lossless presentation on the Universal BDs. Unfortunately, there aren't any new extras. The older supplements haven't been properly upscaled. Still, a STRONG RECOMMENDATION!

I hope that this turns out to be a great year for Robin Williams movies on 4K. Dead Poets Society and Mrs. Doubtfire arrive for the first time on the format in a few weeks. Plus, we get to see how Hook looks in Dolby Vision within a few months time.