Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Whiplash 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Sony has released Director Damien Chazelle's fantastic 'Whiplash' to the UHD format. New specifications include 2160p/HDR video and Dolby Atmos audio. No new extras are included. See below for coverage of the new content.

Whiplash 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc.

Whiplash greatly benefits from the UHD treatment. The 2160p/HDR presentation brings all of the expected improvements, including superior color reproduction, textural finesse, and overall clarity. IMDB reports that the film was finished at 2K. The gains are appreciable even without a true 4K source. The picture finds a good bit of added sharpness, replacing a perfectly good Blu-ray that cannot command the critical finite details so well as this UHD, including beads of sweat and droplets of blood most critically but also pores and other skin textures, not to mention tactile definition and points of wear on drum kits and various examples of attire. Locations breathe a bit easier with modest boosts to detail, too, but it's intense human faces, pushed to the limit and beyond, where the UHD truly finds its place above and beyond the Blu-ray.

Colors are healthy with the greatest improvements coming at opposite ends of the spectrum: black levels enjoy gains to depth and density and shadow detail while whites present with superior crispness and brightness. Take a look at the opening moments when Fletcher first discovers Andrew; the former is in black standing in shadow, the latter in his white t-shirt, both serving as perfect opportunities for the HDR color grading to show its worth. The broad range in between holds steady for gains to depth and color accuracy as well. The movie moves through several examples of tint, a green push dominant here, a warmer push there, but everything finds excellent, lifelike accuracy. Flesh tones are superior, too: fuller and healthier. The picture is free from unwanted source or encode artifacts beyond a bit of noise. This is a solid upgrade from the Blu-ray.

Whiplash 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Whiplash's UHD features a new Dolby Atmos soundtrack. The presentation is not radically different from the Blu-ray's 5.1 lossless presentation, holding to all of the core qualities that made that track so vitally special. It builds upon and enhances the movie's sonic needs quite well. The film is musically dominant and its audio is critical in enjoying it to its fullest. Drum beats are terrifically defined throughout the range, whether clanging cymbals or bass. The Jazz music is dominant through the range, too, offering expert, finessed clarity across the entire spectrum, even when it's heard in momentary spurts, as is so often the case. Atmos' added back channels more fully immerse the listener into practices and performances, but don't expect much in the way of discrete overhead content. The top end only adds support detail, but it proves a welcome addition to better appreciate the fine detail within an allotted space. Some city ambience near film's end, after Fletcher and Andrew meet at a Jazz club, proves to be of excellent natural immersion, ditto some applause in chapter 15. Dialogue is clear, center focused, and authoritative from whispers to screams, from whimpering sobs to angry outbursts. But the music is superior, as it needs to be, the perfect compliment to a perfect film.

Whiplash 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Whiplash's UHD disc contains no supplements, but the bundled Blu-ray, which is identical to that which Sony released in 2015, brings over all of the legacy supplements. See below for listing of what's included and please click here for full reviews. A Movies Anywhere digital copy code is included with purchase. This release ships with a slipcover.

• Audio Commentary
• Timekeepers
• Whiplash Original Short Film
• Fletcher at Home
• An Evening at the Toronto International Film Festival with Miles Teller, J.K. Simmons, and Damien Chazelle
• Theatrical Trailer
• Previews

Whiplash 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Whiplash was a treat upon release and the film is just as engaging today. Sony's UHD is first-rate, too. While there are no new supplements, the new video and audio presentations make this well worth the upgrade. Very highly recommended and packaging collectors can pick up an attractive SteelBook variant.