Why So Blu?

Event Horizon: 25th Anniversary Edition Steelbook (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)

25 years ago, The Shining in space came and went and really wasn’t the bees knees upon its arrival. However, over the years and people finally checking it out, Event Horizon has not only become a cult classic, but considered one of the best horror movies from the entirety of the 90s. So much so, that we celebrate its milestones with brand new home video releases each time. Paramount is now putting the film out on 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray for the very first time and packing it up in a beautiful new steelbook. The release will carry over all the previous bonus features which come with the standard Blu-ray edition that is included here. You can pre-order it now and have it in time for release on August 9th by using the paid Amazon Associates link that follows on at the end of the review.

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Film

When the Event Horizon, a spacecraft that vanished years earlier, suddenly reappears, a team is dispatched to investigate the ship. Accompanied by the Event Horizon’s creator, William Weir (Sam Neill), the crew of the Lewis and Clark, led by Capt. Miller (Laurence Fishburne), begins to explore the seemingly abandoned vessel. However, it soon becomes evident that something sinister resides in its corridors, and that the horrors that befell the Event Horizon’s previous journey are still present.

For its 35th anniversary, on Out Now With Aaron & Abe, I had the privilege of doing an audio commentary on the film with Aaron Neuwirth, Scott Mendelson and Jordan Grout. It’s an excellent discussion and you should certainly check it out if you buy the release or just whenever you fancy.

Video

Disclaimer: Screen captures used in the review are taken 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:  Event Horizon debuts on 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray with a new 4K restoration of the film for this transfer. It looks SO MUCH better than it ever has on any format. Considering the Blu-ray could have had so much more done, that so much is here. Its a crisp, detailed image with a good depth and scale on display. The effects hold up quite nicely here and the model and CG work look pretty impressive to see even at their 25 years of age.

Depth: Depth of field is quite terrific here as it really opens up and improves the scale of the movie. There’s  great pushback here and spacing with a nice more 3 dimensional look to the film. Movements are smooth, natural and filmic with no issues from motion distortion, blur or jitter.

Black Levels: Blacks are natural and rich, providing excellent shadow, contrast and more to really bring out such a haunting movie. No issues occur from any information, details, texture or patterns being hidden. No crushing witnessed.

Color Reproduction: Colors are quite well done, the more radiant and pretty colors come at the benefit of contrast. Displays, fire, beams and such really benefit from the glow of HDR. The grays, and other dark normal colors looks quite good and are well saturated to give the film a bolder look.

Flesh Tones: Skin tones are natural and consistent from start to finish of the film. Facial features and textures are pretty dynamite showcasing your wrinkles, stubble, freckles and the like, but the make-up effects like blood, dirt and gore hold on very strong.

Noise/Artifacts: Clean.

Audio

Audio Format(s): English 5.1 Dolby TrueHD, German 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Italian 5.1 Dolby Digital, Japanese 5.1 Dolby Digital

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

Dynamics: Event Horizon’s 4K release carries over its English 5.1 Dolby TrueHD track that had been with its previous Blu-ray iteration. Its a pretty nice little mix that probably could use some more low end material and be a little bit louder. Its adequate, but a brand new rollicking Atmos mix would have been killer.

Height: N/A

Low Frequency Extension: Decent push comes from the subwoofer with explosions, machinery working, engines, blasts and musical stings.

Surround Sound Presentation: There’s some lively stuff going on, but in terms of the placement and mixing it comes on pretty standard and expected. Which is not a bad thing, but there’s room for improvement for sure.

Dialogue Reproduction: Vocals are clear and crisp.

Extras

Event Horizon: 25th Anniversary Edition comes in collectible steelbook packaging. It includes the standard Blu-ray edition and a redeemable digital code. All bonus materials are found on the standard Blu-ray disc.

Audio Commentary

• By Director Paul W.S. Anderson and Producer Jeremy Bolt

The Making of Event Horizon (SD, 1:43:01)

The Point Of No Return: The Filming Of Event Horizon (SD, 8:12)

Secrets with Optional Commentary By Director Paul W.S. Anderson (SD, 10:03)

The Unseen Event Horizon (Featuring Commentary by Director Paul W.S. Anderson)

• The Un-Filmed Rescue Scene (SD, 2:57)
• Conceptual Art (SD, 3:52)

Trailers

• Theatrical Trailer (HD, 2:29)
• Video Trailer (SD, 1:48)

Summary

Event Horizon continues to spook, haunt and age incredibly well since its initial release 25 years ago. Paramount celebrates that milestone with a brand new 4K transfer that makes the film have a significant jump in image quality, and keeps giving films from the 90s a better life on disc than they’ve ever had before. Aside from that and the new steelbook packaging, there’s nothing else new here. But, the movie and new image itself warrant the money spent on the upgrade.

This is a paid Amazon Associates link