Why So Blu?

The Fast and the Furious (25th Anniversary Edition 4K UHD Blu-ray Review)

The Fast and the Furious series has sent its characters around the world to fight terrorists and launch cars into space. But in the beginning, they were stealing DVD players and arguing over street races. It’s not original to say that it’s Point Break with cars, but there’s no getting around that. Paul Walker is Brian O’Conner, an undercover cop trying to find out who’s been robbing trucks on the highway. The trail leads him into the Los Angeles street-racing scene and, more specifically, to Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel). Dom is a mechanic, a local celebrity and the guy everyone is trying to impress. 

Film ★★★☆☆

Brian races him, helps him get away from the police and slowly works his way into the crew. Then he starts falling for Dom’s sister Mia (Jordana Brewster), because going undercover wasn’t complicated enough already.

Walker is a little wooden here, but there’s a charm to his performance. Brian is supposed to look like a clean-cut surfer who wandered into the wrong garage, and Walker has exactly that energy. He’s awkward, eager and too obvious to be a believable undercover cop.

Vin Diesel is the reason all of this works. Dom teeters precariously on cartoonery, with the muscles, the low voice, the tough talk, all of it. But Diesel isn’t content with just delivering a one note character. The movie slows down and lets Dom talk about his father, his temper and how the seconds behind the wheel allows everything to disappear. It’s corny dialogue, but Diesel means every word.

The supporting cast helps sell this little world around him. Jordana Brewster brings an easy warmth to Mia, even when the script reduces her as another reason for Brian to betray his badge. Michelle Rodriguez gets even less to work with, but Letty still makes an impression. Chad Lindberg as Jesse is the nervous kid who understands engines better than people, while Matt Schulze as Vince spends the entire movie looking like he wants to punch Brian through a wall. None of these characters are especially deep, but together they feel like a real group with history before Brian showed up.

Rob Cohen goes after the racing scenes with no restraint, ensuring that music pounds, cars glow, and everyone gathers in the middle of the street as if Los Angeles has no traffic and the police all went home early. 

Some of the CGI looks pretty rough these days, especially when the camera dives through an engine after somebody hits the nitrous. But the actual stunt work makes up for it. The final truck robbery is especially good because it spirals into a disaster one mistake at a time.

A fair amount of the movie has aged badly. Women are pushed aside too often, Johnny Tran and his crew are written through some ugly stereotypes, and plenty of the dialogue sounds like it was written by people trying too hard to be cool. The romance is thin. Brian is a terrible cop. But none of that ruins The Fast and the Furious. It knows what it loves: loud engines and reckless people.

Video ★★★★★

Encoding: HEVC / H.265

Resolution: Native 4K (2160p)

HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

Clarity/Detail: The new remaster is clean, sharp and convincingly photographic, serving as a slight upgrade from the previous 4K, finding slightly more information in Ericson Core’s 35mm cinematography. Facial close-ups bring out pores, perspiration, makeup, stubble and the differences between shaved heads and heavier facial hair, while clothing fibers, jewelry and tattoos register with greater precision. Cars receive the biggest payoff, with paintwork, dashboards, gauges, engine components and chrome trim being all more plainly resolved, particularly during the sunlit Race Wars section. 

Certain effects shots and rapidly photographed moments remain softer, but those belong to the production rather than the transfer.

Depth: Strong depth is immediately noticeable during the opening truck robbery, where the roadway, pursuing Civics and scattered light sources occupy distinct planes within the dark frame. Dom’s cluttered garage, the crowded nighttime race gathering and the rows of vehicles and spectators at Race Wars all feel open and spatially organized. Reflections running across curved body panels also give the cars a more tangible shape.

Black Levels: Night scenes are handled extremely well, producing substantial blacks without swallowing the information hidden in garages, car interiors or distant portions of the street. The introductory hijacking, the first illegal race and the later nocturnal chases balance dark pavement and skies against headlights, streetlamps, reflections and colored underbody lighting. 

Dolby Vision gives those small bright sources added intensity.

Color Reproduction: The Fast and the Furious carries a hot, highly stylized early-2000s palette. Brian’s green Eclipse, the orange Supra, Dom’s black Charger and the assorted reds, purples and metallic finishes at Race Wars possess tremendous density without appearing fluorescent or artificially boosted. Green undercarriage lights, brake lamps, headlights and sunlight flashing across chrome provide the most obvious HDR accents, while blue skies and the dusty Race Wars terrain keep the daylight material from becoming dominated by the cars. The difference from the earlier UHD is less about making everything louder and more about giving already-bold hues firmer shading and a better sense of balance.

Flesh Tones: The movie’s persistent amber cast still pushes complexions toward orange and red, especially in daylight, at the barbecue and beneath the sodium-heavy lighting used throughout Los Angeles. The new grade appears somewhat less overcooked than the earlier HDR10 master. Skin retains convincing variation from one performer to another, and close-ups reveal natural texture without leaving faces pale, waxy or excessively ruddy.

Noise/Artifacts: A fine layer of grain remains visible and generally resolves evenly, preserving the movie’s film-based character without turning noisy or clumpy.

Audio ★★★★★

Audio Format(s): English Dolby Atmos; English Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit); French (Canada) DTS 5.1; Spanish: DTS 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)

Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish

Dynamics: Universal replaces the previous DTS:X presentation with a Dolby Atmos soundtrack, although the change isn’t really that substantial. The Atmos version has the same forceful dynamics, deep bass, and aggressive directional movement, with the most noticeable improvement coming from slightly cleaner separation and a more unified sense of space. If you’re familiar with the previous disc, you should expect essentially the same sonic experience rendered in Dolby’s immersive format rather than a radically different mix.

The track bursts to life immediately during the opening truck robbery, combining the steady pulse of BT’s score with roaring engines, rushing pavement, and the sharp impact of the harpoon striking the semi. Brian’s first street race pushes the system considerably harder as engines climb through the gears, tires fight for traction, and each burst of nitrous brings another jump in intensity. The later highway heist, Johnny Tran’s motorcycle attack, and the final race toward the railroad crossing are similarly explosive, yet individual sounds never get lost in the commotion.

Height: Atmos primarily uses the upper speakers to expand the action. Engine reverberations, roadway ambience, music, and the rush of passing vehicles extend above the main listening plane during the street races and truck pursuits. The height layer gives the busier sequences scale and helps the racing action feel less confined to speaker level.

Low Frequency Extension: Dom’s Charger produces the track’s heaviest and most intimidating engine note. Bass also gives the film’s hip-hop, rock, and electronic soundtrack considerable physical presence during the opening race, Toretto’s party, and Race Wars. Shotgun blasts during the second truck robbery, automatic weapons in the motorcycle attack, the approaching train, and the Charger’s climactic crash all land with substantial impact.

Surround Sound Presentation: Vehicles move cleanly from the front speakers into the sides and rears, while gear changes, redlining engines, tire squeals, gunfire, and flying debris are positioned with impressive accuracy. 

Crowd noise at the opening race and Race Wars spreads naturally throughout the room, and sequences such as the police raid, the final truck hijacking, and the motorcycle pursuit use every available direction.

Dialogue Reproduction: Voices remain clean, full, and securely anchored to the center channel. Vin Diesel’s gravelly delivery carries suitable weight, while Paul Walker’s dialogue, police-radio exchanges, and shouted lines remain intelligible beneath engines, music, and weapons fire.

Extras ★★★★☆

 

•  RIDING A LEGACY: 25 YEARS OF FAST (NEW! AVAILABLE ON DIGITAL & DISC): Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodrigez, Jordana Brewster, producer Neal Moritz and Meadow Walker reflect on 25 years of The Fast and The Furious in Cannes.

•   DELETED SCENES:

• Brian and Mia Walk to her Car
• Tanner and Brian in Police House
• Brian and Jesse Outside Toretto’s Garage
• Trading Driving Stories
• Hector and Brian at the Racer’s Edge
• Brian and Mia at the Beach
• Original Edit of the Ferrari Scene (Extended Scene)
• Extension of Race Wars Fight Scene (Extended Scene)
• Hot Off The Street

•   THE MAKING OF THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS: Delve deeper into the world of THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS with inside info on cast, crew and cars.

•   MORE THAN FURIOUS: Alternate ending for THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS

•   HOT OFF THE STREET

• Brian and Mia at Lunch Counter
• Leon, Jesse and Dom at Toretto’s House
• Toretto House BBQ
• Toretto’s Garage Post Race Raid (Alternate Version)
• Ferrari and Supra Race

•   DOM’S CHARGER: Take a look at the role that Dom’s Charger played in FAST 1 and tease its rebirth in FAST 4

•   QUARTER MILE AT A TIME: Look at the phenomenon of street racing, from its birth in the 20’s into a global phenomenon

•   TRICKING OUT A HOT IMPORT CAR: Join Craig Lieberman, technical advisor on THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS, as he tricks out a Mitsubishi Lancer, Evolution addressing the three main areas: speed, style and sound.

•   MULTIPLE CAMERA ANGLE – STUNT SEQUENCE
  •    MOVIE MAGIC INTERACTIVE – SPECIAL EFFECTS
  •    FEATURETTE ON EDITING FOR THE MOTION PICTURE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA

• See how to edit for graphic content while maintaining the integrity of the scene.

•   VISUAL EFFECTS MONTAGE: From hand drawn and computer story boarding to green screen effects, this montage gives you a 360 degree look at the production of an epic racing scene

•   STORYBOARDS-TO-FINAL FEATURE COMPARISON: Choose to view storyboards in real time as the scenes play from “The First Race” and the “Final Crash Stunt” or view separately

•   JA RULE “FURIOUS” MUSIC VIDEO
  •    SPEED NEWS WRAP
  •    FEATURE COMMENTARY WITH DIRECTOR ROB COHEN

Summary ★★★★☆

Universal has released an impressive 25th Anniversary Edition of this pop culture phenomenon. There’s a slight uptick in video and audio quality, and a brief new featurette on the legacy of the franchise. 

If you don’t already own the previous 4K, I say buy it.

There’s also a really impressive steelbook variant