Why So Blu?

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off – Limited Edition Steelbook (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)

Paramount looks as if its beginning to start cranking out those John Hughes classics they have for the 4K format. Last November they popped out Planes, Trains and Automobiles on 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray. Now, its time for Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Loaded with a new Atmos track and porting over extras, this should be a nice improvement over the previous Blu-ray which is 14 years old now. Releasing on Augusts 1st, you can order yourself a copy of the Matthew Broderick classic by using the paid Amazon Associate link at the bottom of the review. Contributions of such will go to this site and we might thing about putting some toward the “Save Ferris” collection.

.

Film

Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick) has an uncanny skill at cutting classes and getting away with it. Intending to make one last duck-out before graduation, Ferris calls in sick, “borrows” a Ferrari, and embarks on a one-day journey through the streets of Chicago. On Ferris’ trail is high school principal Rooney (Jeffrey Jones), determined to catch him in the act.

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off has been a high school comedy staple for kids in the 80s, kids in 90s, kids in 2000s…and maybe kids today? The film has had a staying power no one probably could have imaged when it released back in 1986. Its the seminal role in Matthew Broderick’s oeuvre (sorry 1998 Godzilla and Inspector Gadget fans) and one of John Hughes most popular films among a heap of popular high schooler films. The movie time and time again proves endlessly quotable and features so many memorable characters and sequences while still having a really rock solid character arcs and drama for our three leads.

Beyond the main cast of Broderick, Mia Sara and Alan Ruck and the supporting characters of Jennifer Grey and Jeffrey Jones this movie pops with characters people know just as well. There’s Ben Stein’s teacher, Charlie Sheen, the garage attendants, Johnathan Schmock’s restaurant host, and who doesn’t know the exact line and dialect with which Kristy Swanson delivers her heard it through the grapevine-esque spiel. People pop in, pop out and have lived in people’s lives and on their minds for an eternity. Its a pretty impressive feat that Hughes pulls off here as well as many of his others. And even just objects from the film hold high iconography. Just show anyone Cameron’s dad’s car from the film and people know what movie its from and what the fate of it is.

As a director, Hughes takes to the big city of Chicago and goes to flex his chops on a bigger scale than what he’d been doing. He’s certainly using Ferris Bueller to experiment and test out some things. Some probably don’t quite work or come across as run of the mill, but when he hits, he hits in a major way. In a decade known for musical montages, he’s crafted one of the absolute top tier ones of the decade with the art museum sequence. Its a spectacle, a work of art on its own, emotional, thought provoking and just knocks it out of the part as music, visuals and editing come together in absolute harmony. The sequence is rather short, but its a very commanding moment in the film and its best moment.

I’m sure many will refer to Ferris Bueller’s Day Off as overrated and some folks may definitely do such themselves. But its a rather fine teen movie that does reflect on its issues and character flaws, even if it may not go hard enough. Plus, its silly fun, with iconic moments, characters, lines and the whole shebang. The film is nothing too deep, its just flat out silliness and fun that lives out the fantasy of what would be a great day from its protagonist’s juvenile perspective.

Video

Disclaimer: Screen captures used in the review are from the standard Blu-ray disc, not the 4K UHD Blu-ray disc.

Encoding: HEVC/H.265

Resolution: 4K (2160p)

Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1

Layers: BD-66

Clarity/Detail: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off arrives on 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray for the first time with a much needed restoration and new transfer here. Perhaps the first thing off the bat here is the nice presence of grain and improvement of depth in the image. It actually looks more impressive as a film now than before. There’s a nice color palette wonderfully treated here and all the fine details show right through with ease. It has a bit of a darker look, but it has a much more filmic presence than it did on Blu-ray.

Depth:  Depth of field has probably improved the most here in this new transfer. There’s great pushback and much improved spacing on the image. Movements are smooth and cinematic with no issues regarding motion distortions.

Black Levels: Blacks are deep and natural. They really come into form in this new transfer with good shadows and darkly lit interiors. No crushing witnessed.

Color Reproduction: Colors are pretty strong and have a good, bold pop to them. From reds, to greens and blues they feel pretty striking even in some of the more natural arenas. HDR provides a nice glow on tail lights and digital or neon displays.

Flesh Tones: Skin tones are nature and carry a rather bold look from start to finish of the film with great consistency. Facial features and textures are quite strong and discernible from any given distance in the frame.

Noise/Artifacts:  Clean

Audio

Audio Format(s): English Dolby Atmos, English Audio Description, German 2.0 Dolby Digital, Spanish 2.0 Dolby Digital, French 2.0 Dolby Digital, Italian 2.0 Dolby Digital

Subtitles: English, English SDH, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese

Dynamics: Dolby Atmos may feel a bit much for a movie like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, but it does allow for some good space to breathe in the mix. Everything is airy and has some good layering and depth. Lots of it is up front but altogether it does work quite well and feels relaxed in its presentation.

Height: Up top is mostly some ambiant noise as well as score/songs being lightly put through. The car speeding over head with the attendants does get a little boost of there as it heads over the camera.

Low Frequency Extension: The subwoofer is there for the crash and glass shattering. Much of the work here is bumping in the music for the film.

Surround Sound Presentation: As mentioned up top, a lot of the focus is on the front there channels. They are plenty loud with presence and motion. Rear and side channels give good ambiance but doe time to time have some unique things to do, track off screen activity or provide some help in the traveling sound.

Dialogue Reproduction: Vocals are clear and crisp. They do carry a little hint of their analog nature at times, but nothing that isn’t complimentary to the overall mix.

Extras

Ferries Bueller’s Day Off comes with a redeemable digital code for the film.

Audio Commentary

• with Director John Hughes

Getting the Class Together: The Cast of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (HD, 27:45)

The Making of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (HD, 15:29)

Who is Ferris Bueller? (HD, 9:12)

The World According to Ben Stein (HD, 10:51)

Vintage Ferris Bueller: The Lost Tapes (HD, 10:16)

Summary

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off continues to be a fun, antics filled juvenile comedy for every passing generation. This new 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray may not add any new bonus features, but the new transfer makes it look much more impressive as a film. The Atmos track may be a bit much for this film, but it loosens up and gives the film some space to breathe. When it hits a nice discount price, you’ll sure want to upgrade your copy of the film.

This is a paid Amazon Associates link