Rush (4K UHD Review)
- Review Date: Nov 11, 2024
- Format: 4K Ultra HD
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Director
Ron HowardRelease Date(s)
2013 (November 19, 2024)Studio(s)
Imagine Entertainment/Crosscreek/Working Title/Studio Canal/Universal (Shout! Factory)- Film/Program Grade: A-
- Video Grade: A
- Audio Grade: A
- Extras Grade: B-
Review
If you were alive and old enough to be a motor racing fan in the 1970s, one of the great rivalries of the decade—and of all time—was surely the Formula 1 duel between the stoic Austrian Niki Lauda and British playboy James Hunt, played here by Daniel Brühl and Chris Hemsworth (the former prior to joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the latter just two years after first picking up Mjölnir). Formula 1 at the time was dominated by a rogue’s gallery of flashy characters and big personalities, and Lauda and Hunt were no exception. But while the pair in many ways couldn’t have been more different, they were also extraordinarily gifted professionals and colleagues who shared a love of racing and who drove their cars—and each other—to ever more extraordinary achievements on the track, culminating in a thrilling international duel in the 1976 racing season to be the world champion.
Rush is easily one of director Ron Howard’s best films (along with Apollo 13, Frost/Nixon, and pick your favorite after that), and it was also his first digital production. Not only does it beautifully render the human drama behind the wheel, in the pits, within the teams, and even with the sponsors, it perfectly captures the look of the 1970s with exceptional production design and documentary-style camerawork that intentionally honors Lee H. Katzin’s Le Mans (1971), which featured the great Steve McQueen. Cameras were positioned in seemingly every part of the car and track—even inside the actors’ helmets—to capture high-speed racing footage, cockpit footage, crowd reactions, etc—and the editing, sound effects, and Hans Zimmer score work in perfect concert to keep you on the edge of your seat. Rush is a thrilling racing film of the kind that wouldn’t be seen again until James Mangold’s Ford v Ferrari roared into theaters six years later.
Rush was captured digitally by cinematographer Anthony Dod Mentle (Slumdog Millionaire, Dredd) in the ARRIRAW codec (mostly at 2.8K, though with a bit of HD and 5K Redcode RAW footage as well) using ARRI Alexa Plus, ARRI Alexa Studio, Canon Eos C300, and IndiCam GS2K cameras, with soft grad filters and a variety of lenses including Cooke S2, Zeiss Master Prime, and even 1960s Bausch & Lomb Super Baltars. The film was then finished as a 2K Digital Intermediate at the 2.39:1 aspect ratio for theaters. For its release on Ultra HD, that 2K source has been upsampled and graded for high dynamic range (both Dolby Vision and HDR10 are available), then encoded to fit a 100 GB disc (with data rates averaging 60-80 Mbps). Now here’s the thing: While there is a little bit more detail here than you’ll find on the previous Universal Blu-ray, you’re not going to find a lot more and it’s not just down to the 2K source—the vintage glass and filters were intentionally employed to soften the overall look, increase halation, and deliver warm tones. But the greater color depth and expanded dynamic range, combined with the optimized encoding, delivers vivid, eye-candy colors and wonderful dimensionality. The palette is stylized, sometimes desaturated and typically pushed warm, with a kinetic, cinéma vérité approach to the camerawork that’s enhanced by a light-medium wash of organic-looking digital grain. Highlights are bright and shadows are deeply black, though each with a bit of crush by design. All of this has been carefully calibrated to evoke the look of Eastmancolor film stocks and the Metrocolor processing of the mid-1970s. The result—though unlikely to blow away the 4K pixel-counters—is an HDR dazzler that represents a terrific upgrade of the previous Blu-ray experience.
The audio too is greatly enhanced by the presence of a new English Dolby Atmos mix that creates a smoother and more immersive soundfield. Dialogue is clear, staging is nuanced, and panning is buttery smooth. The Atmos offers full sounding mids and ample, muscular bass. This mix has always been terrific at rendering unique sonic spaces and wonderful atmospherics that dip you in and out of the action, sometimes placing you right in the cockpit and other times taking more of an overview perspective sonically. To be fair, Rush’s surround experience has never been quite as blustery as truly aggressive modern mixes, but everything that was great about it in 2013 is even more so here, including Zimmer’s dark and tense synth-rock and percussion score. The previous English 5.1 and 2.0 mixes are also included in DTS-HD Master Audio format, as are optional English SDH subtitles.
Shout’s 4K package includes the film on Ultra HD and also in remastered 1080p HD on Blu-ray (it features substantially better color and compression than the Universal BD, with none of the earlier disc’s edge enhancement). Both discs include the following special feature:
- Introduction by Ron Howard (HD – :53)
That’s new, produced just for this release. To this, the Blu-ray adds the following:
- Race for the Checkered Flag: The Making of Rush (HD – 24:39)
- The Real Story of Rush (HD – 18:43)
- Ron Howard: A Director’s Approach (HD – 7:24)
- Deleted Scenes (HD – 10 scenes – 10:56 in all)
Note that all of this material is carried over from the original Universal Blu-ray. There’s a general behind-the-scenes piece on the overall production, there’s a look at the real historical figures and events, and a focus on Ron Howard’s direction and approach to the project. Finally, you get a collection of ten deleted scenes that are mostly brief character moments. It’s not a lot of content to be sure, but it’s all good material well worth watching. Perhaps the best thing is that you no longer have to skip a dozen previews and trailers simply to watch it all in the first place, as you did on Universal’s disc.
Sadly missing from the UK Sainsbury-exclusive Blu-ray is the content from its bonus disc, which includes the World Premiere featurette, interviews with Howard, the real Niki Lauda, and stars Hemsworth, Brühl, Olivia Wilde, and Alexandra Maria Lara, plus additional “behind-the-scenes” featurettes. Also not here—but worth seeking out if you’re interested in the topic—is Revolver’s 1976: Hunt vs. Lauda (2014) documentary on DVD (SD – 50:32).
If you’re looking for a traditional IMAX-like, high-detail reference 4K experience, you’re likely to be disappointed here. But if you’re a fan of Rush, you know what to expect, and you appreciate great HDR grading, you’re going to be very happy with this Ultra HD release. This is easily the best this film has ever looked on disc, and by a good lap or two of the track. So for those who love the film, it’s highly recommended.
- Bill Hunt
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