My Two Cents
Tuesday, 13 March 2018 16:47

Warner officially sets a remastered Matrix for 4K on 5/22, plus Die Hard on 5/15 & The Incredibles in 4K too!

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All right, first up today we have two more Blu-ray reviews from Tim for you, including his thoughts on Warner Archive’s Doc Hollywood and also Dragonwyck from Twilight Time. Both are worth a look. And a little later today I’ll be back with my review of Sony’s The Dark Crystal on 4K Ultra HD (I’ll add the link here when it’s up).

Now then, the BIG news this afternoon (weren’t we just talking about this yesterday?) is that Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has now officially announced the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of the Wachowskis’ 1999 sci-fi/cyberpunk classic The Matrix on 5/22 (SRP $41.99). The 4K release has been produced from a new 4K scan of the original camera negative, a remaster supervised by the film’s director of photography, Bill Pope. The resulting image has been given HDR color grades in both HDR10 and Dolby Vision, both of which will be featured on this 4K UHD release. Furthermore, the 4K release will feature Dolby Atmos object-based audio. The actual 4K disc will also include a written introduction by the Wachowskis, along with all four previously-available audio commentaries (including the Philosopher, Critics, Cast & Crew, and Composer tracks). [Read on here...]

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Better still, the package will also include a new Blu-ray release that’s also been remastered from the new 4K scan, with the following previously-released extras: The Matrix Revisited, Follow the White Rabbit, Take the Red Pill, Marilyn Manson’s Rock is Dead music video, the teaser trailer, the theatrical trailer, and TV spots. You can see the official final cover artwork above left and also below.

As to the question of whether the two sequels will follow in remastered 4K, my guess is probably. But the remastering process clearly takes time. So how soon you might seem them could depend on how well this first edition sells in 4K UHD. FYI, The Matrix will also be available for 4K streaming on 5/22.

We’re not done with 4K yet: Amazon.com is also now taking pre-orders for Fox’s Die Hard: 30th Anniversary Edition with a street date of 5/15. (I believe we also talked about this one yesterday!) More on this when it’s officially announced, but you can pre-order it here at this link.

STILL not done with 4K yet: Best Buy is now taking pre-orders for Disney and Pixar’s The Incredibles in 4K Ultra HD with a street date of 6/12. This would no doubt be tied to promoting the upcoming theatrical release of Brad Bird’s sequel film. If true, this would also mark the first time that Disney has released a catalog title on 4K Ultra HD. Again, more information when the title is officially announced.

Of course, we’ve updated our 4K Ultra HD Release List here at The Bits accordingly.

A couple more quick notes...

Shout! Factory has officially set the Cyborg: Collector’s Edition for release on Blu-ray on 4/24, featuring a new 4K scan from the original elements, a new audio commentary with writer/director Albert Pyun, the all-new A Ravaged Future: The Making of Cyborg and Shoestring Fantasy: The Effects of Cyborg featurettes, extended interviews from Mark Hartley’s documentary Electric Boogaloo with writer/director Albert Pyun and Sheldon Lettich, the film’s theatrical trailer, and a still gallery.

And Lionsgate has set Winchester for release on Blu-ray and DVD on 5/1, with the digital release expected on 4/17.

We’ll leave you with a look at some of the cover artwork for titles we’ve mentioned above if available (note that the Die Hard art is temporary, not final). We’ll add the Amazon pre-order link for The Matrix when it goes live...

Braveheart (4K Ultra HD Blu-ray) The Matrix (4K Ultra HD Blu-ray) Gladiator (4K Ultra HD Blu-ray)

Die Hard: 30th Anniversary Edition (4K Ultra HD Blu-ray) Dream Big (4K Ultra HD Blu-ray) National Parks Adventure (4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

Stay tuned...

- Bill Hunt

(You can follow Bill on social media at these links: Twitter and Facebook)

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