Blu Ray 2001 a Space Odyssey 4k Review

2001: A Infinite Odyssey (4K UHD Review)

Review Date: Oct 29, 2018
Format: Blu-ray Disc

2001: A Space Odyssey (4K UHD Review)

Release Date(s)

1968 (November 20, 2018 – delayed from October 30)

Studio(southward)

Stanley Kubrick Productions/MGM (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment)

Moving picture/Program Grade: A+
Video Grade: A
Audio Class: A-
Extras Grade: B

2001: A Spacey Odyssey (4K Ultra HD Blu-ray)

Review

There are only a small scattering of landmark science fiction films that can truly be said to take influenced almost everything that followed. The list includes such classics as Metropolis, Forbidden Planet, Star Wars, and Blade Runner. But Stanley Kubrick's monumental ballsy 2001: A Space Odyssey stands lonely above them all, as that rarest and most amazing of achievements – a piece of work of unparalleled vision, grounded firmly in the realm of science, yet presented with uncompromising attention to detail and scenic cinematic style and artistry.

To phone call 2001 high-concept is, of class, an understatement. Its story spans nothing less than the full sweep of human evolution. Millions of years ago, at the Dawn of Man, the appearance of a mysterious, blackness Monolith inspires a small ring of primitive ape-like humanoids (Australopithecines) to begin using tools, thus triggering the eventual emergence of modern humans. Cut to the year 2001 and humanity (past now, space travelers a become-become) has merely discovered a duplicate Monolith that's been buried nether the surface of the Moon for iv meg years. Trivial tin can exist learned about it, except that it was clearly placed there by an extraordinarily avant-garde extraterrestrial intelligence. This second Monolith and so sends out a radio signal aimed at the planet Jupiter. Inside months, the spaceship Discovery has been dispatched on a top-secret mission to decide who (or what) may have received that signal. In the end, we're along for the ride to witness to an phenomenal, even metaphysical series of events – perhaps zip short of the next step in human evolution.

2001 is a staggering piece of work – hands the signature film of director Stanley Kubrick. Equally you may know, it's based on a short story (entitled The Sentinel) by writer Arthur C. Clarke, who later expanded the story into the full-length novel 2001. Clarke, well-versed in the sciences, mathematics, and applied science, is widely credited with the invention of the geostationary communications satellite, an thought which he first presented in a 1945 mag article. One of the goals these two men prepare for themselves when making 2001, was to accurately portray, for the start time on picture show, what it would really be like to travel in space. Keep in mind, at the time 2001 premiered, humanity had but only begun to do this, and was nonetheless a year away from walking on the Moon. With this in heed, the fact that 2001: A Space Odyssey still holds upwardly amazingly well today – and information technology most certainly does – is an impressive attestation to the efforts of Kubrick, Clarke, and many others, including an University Honor-winning visual effects team led by Douglas Trumbull.

In fact, the merely thing that actually dates this film are the scenes with Dr. Floyd (William Sylvester). He and his beau scientists, nearly all of whom are men, are stiff Ward Cleaver types. Okay… those chairs on the spinning Infinite Station Five are a footling retro too. Merely Discovery astronauts Frank Poole and David Bowman (Gary Lockwood and Keir Dullea) await very contemporary. One wouldn't take been surprised to see either of them on a NASA space shuttle coiffure in recent years.

While 2001 is a visual feast, it features an impressive classical soundtrack as well. Johann Strauss' The Blue Danube is widely recognized in no small part due to its utilize here. And Richard Strauss' Also sprach Zarathustra has become virtually synonymous with this pic, along with Ligeti'south Atmospheres. 2001 besides boasts the most infamous and paranoid computer in all of science-fiction... HAL 9000. HAL presented the public with mayhap the starting time authentic representation of how a true artificial intelligence might function. Of class, HAL is nevertheless a few years ahead of his time, even past today's standards. The best nosotros can muster now is Google DeepMind's AlphaGo and IMB'southward Watson. But the likes of HAL are much closer now than they were in 1968, when the film premiered, and they're getting closer at a rate far faster than virtually people realize.

Equally near cinephiles already know, 2001 was shot photochemically on 65 mm film in Cinerama, Todd-AO, and Super Panavision 70 formats using Mitchell and Panavision cameras. For this new 4K Ultra HD release, the picture show was scanned from the original camera negative (and presumably the chief internegative for optically-printed VFX shots) in 8K resolution and downwards sampled to 4K for this release at the proper ii.20:1 attribute ratio, a process overseen by Ned Cost (VP of Restoration at Warner Bros.) along with longtime Kubrick confident Leon Vitali. The image was then graded for high dynamic range in both HDR10 and Dolby Vision.

Information technology'south very important to note here that this is nigh assuredly not the Christopher Nolan "unrestored" presentation of the film. Information technology has, in fact, been properly restored using state-of-the-art digital tools and properly colour-timed as well, a process supervised by Vitali. While I certainly admire Nolan's reverence for the all-analog photochemical process, his contempo IMAX reissue of the unrestored version of 2001 in no fashion represented the pic as Kubrick would accept wanted it to look. While the clarity was impressive, the paradigm was rife with unwanted analog flaws and the coloring was yellowed and unpleasant. I didn't encounter this version, and I'grand glad of it considering every motion-picture show-knowledgeable person I know who did was put off by its unrestored advent.

Personally, I observe the color-timing here in 4K the virtually pleasing information technology's ever been. At that place's no excessive yellowish push whatever. Nor does this look dull. Whites are genuinely white. Skin tones are authentic. Blacks are deep, just a hair lighter than the full black outside the 2.20:one frame. The Dawn of Human sequence has a warmer overall look, while the infinite sequences are a tad cooler, with more than deeply saturated blues. But colors are bold and more nuanced than ever thanks to the wide color gamut. Speculating on how Kubrick himself may take graded the moving picture for HDR is difficult, of class, but it does seem to me that this coloring is natural and faithful to both Kubrick's intent and what notes might be available to Vitali and Price. I don't know if Kubrick personally approved the color grade for the 1999 remastered DVD release before his death, but I don't believe he did. I exercise accept the 1989 Benchmark laserdisc release though, which he did supervise. And having recently taken a look at that, I recollect the decisions made on 4K are faithful to the look Kubrick would have preferred. They are, nonetheless, somewhat different than the previous Blu-ray release. So if you're used to that look, yous may accept a bit of an aligning to make. Speaking personally, virtually a year ago, I had the pleasance of seeing the new 70 mm print of the motion-picture show commissioned past the American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood – which had been properly restored and graded (this was prior to Nolan'due south involvement) – and I'thousand pleased to say that this 4K presentation captures that experience wonderfully. Let me tell you lot: The feel of seeing the pic's Stargate sequence in HDR is something to behold.

In terms of the restoration for 4K, as compared to the previous Blu-ray, there is notable departure in many respects. Fine item is much tighter and more refined hither than ever before, simply one shouldn't expect Dunkirk levels of clarity. This is a fifty-year-old analog production and a sure degree of edge haloing has been baked into the paradigm from the very beginning. Overall image detail ranges from very good to exceptional, though a few shots are a fiddling optically soft. The picture'due south grain structure runs from light to moderate and it's delightfully intact. Pleasing are the slight things washed to clean up the image for 4K. For example, the cantankerous-hatch texturing of the front projection material in the background of the Dawn of Man sequence has been reduced. It'due south still there if you look, but it's more subtle now. Yes, you lot can nonetheless see that Dr. Floyd's pen is actually "floating" on a rotating pane of glass, but only but. Much appreciated, however, is the comeback to many of the scenes aboard the Discovery. If you lot await closely at the previous Blu-ray, many shots had visible bits of dust and dirt, non to mention a strange kind of faint speckling or spotting, as if something had stained the emulsion. (You see this in particular to the left of Dave Bowman'south head in a close-upwardly shot at about 1:21:57 on the original Blu-ray). All of those flaws are gone. To be off-white, in that location is one close-upward shot of Frank Poole in this same scene that appears oddly soft for some reason, but other than that this image is lovely indeed.

[Editor's Note: I'm pleased to share with Bits readers substantial boosted technical information on the mastering process for this release by kind permission of Warner Bros. Habitation Entertainment. You will find it beneath, at the end of this review. I'm confident that yous'll notice it useful and interesting.]

Primary sound is included on UHD in a pair of 5.1 DTS-HD Primary Audio lossless mixes, one of which is the 1999 restoration and re-mix while the other represents the original 1968 6-rails 70 mm theatrical audio. The restored sound features a wide soundstage, exceptional dynamic range, good but not excessive low end, and active employ of the surround channels for atmospheric cues. The film'due south classical score is offered with pleasing allegiance. In that location are only minor instances of baloney endemic to the source fabric. The film'south original lxx mm audio mix pushes things a bit further, resulting in noticeably more baloney on the high terminate and a few more than analog artifacts. Go on in mind, though, that this was true to the original sonic feel of the flick in theaters. Which mix you lot prefer is a matter of preference, only both offer a fine experience and are faithful to the original intent. Additional audio options include ii.0 Dolby Digital in English language Descriptive Audio, Portuguese, and Smooth voice-over, with 5.1 Dolby Digital in French, German, Italian, Castilian Castilian, and Latin Castilian. Subtitles are available in English language for the Deafened and Hard of Hearing, French, German language for the Hearing Impaired, Italian for the Deaf, Castilian Castilian, Dutch, ii Chinese dialects, Korean, Latin Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Arabic, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Finnish, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Norwegian, Shine, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Swedish, Thai, and Turkish.

The 4K Ultra HD disc includes merely 1 extra, which is carried over from the previous 2007 release:

Audio Commentary with Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood

The package also includes the movie in 1080p Hard disk on Blu-ray, merely this as well is remastered from the new 4K source. Obviously, it doesn't feature HDR, merely information technology does characteristic a very similar color class in SDR. Once more, detail is much tighter and more refined, and the prototype is overall cleaner looking compared to the previous Blu-ray. This disc as well features the remastered sound and the original half-dozen-track 70 mm in 5.i DTS-HD Primary Audio. And information technology as well includes the sound commentary.

All of the previous extras are now included on a 2d bonus Blu-ray Disc, which features the following:

2001: The Making of a Myth (SD – 43:08)
Continuing on the Shoulders of Kubrick: The Legacy of 2001 (SD – 21:25)
Vision of a Future Passed: The Prophecy of 2001 (SD – 21:31)
2001: A Space Odyssey – A Look Backside the Hereafter (SD – 23:xi)
What Is Out There? (SD – xx:42)
2001: FX and Early on Conceptual Artwork (SD – ix:33)
Look: Stanley Kubrick! (SD – 3:15)
eleven/27/1966 Interview with Stanley Kubrick (Hard disk drive – 76:31)
Theatrical Trailer (SD – 1:51)

This is everything that was bachelor on the previous Blu-ray release. Note that MGM's original DVD release of the film besides included a brief interview with Arthur C. Clarke, just that's not included here. In whatsoever case, the menus for all three discs simulate the HAL 9000 command panel aboard the Discovery, every bit seen in the film. The physical packaging also includes a Movies Anywhere Digital Copy code on a paper insert, a lovely hard slipcase, and an envelope containing a beautiful booklet full of product images, also equally a gear up of four glossy photo cards.

2001: A Space Odyssey has long been, and remains to this day, the greatest science fiction film e'er fabricated. It's likewise one of the almost purely cinematic movies to be released by a major studio. And Warner's new restoration, presented in 4K with HDR and remastered Blu-ray too, offers the moving picture looking meliorate than ever earlier in the abode. Again, the 4K comes very shut indeed to replicating a proper 70 mm screening experience (and I don't mean the compromised Nolan experience). This is easily the unmarried must-take 4K Ultra Hard disk drive release of 2018. Miss it at your peril.

- Bill Hunt

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

Additional Notes

[Here's some additional data on the mastering process for this 4K Ultra HD release from a technical cursory prepared by the studio. It's shared here by permission.]

In honor of the 50th Anniversary of Stanley Kubrick's acclaimed film 2001: A Space Odyssey Warner Bros. completed all-encompassing moving-picture show work, both photochemically and digitally, in guild to create the closest representation to date of the motion picture'south original theatrical release. Warner Bros. started off the 50th Anniversary with make new "unrestored" 70mm moving-picture show prints that debuted at the 2018 Cannes Motion-picture show Festival earlier playing in theaters around the world. The newly remastered Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray with HDR built upon the work done for the new 70mm prints, including brand new scans of the original 65mm film negative.

Photochemical Grooming

Preparing the original 65mm negative for scanning involved a neat deal of piece of work, much of which was accomplished by Vince Roth, and so supervisor of large format optical at Pacific Title, in 1999. Roth prepared the negative for preservation by removing past repairs to the moving-picture show, which included tape repairs for broken perforations and tears beyond the image. This work included tape supports added by MGM to the original splices to insure they did not intermission open while press. Roth carefully removed years of dirt, oil and chemicals from the surface of the negative. He adamant the dates of when replacement sections were cut into the negative to determine if earlier generation elements existed which would yield the all-time quality replacement footage.

In one case the camera negative was repaired and cleaned, Warner Bros. created a 70mm reply print using the original MGM timing lights and making slight adjustments to compensate for fading of the negative and changes in modern film print stock. The 1999 answer impress – which served as the basis for the 2018 "unrestored" picture show prints and the color reference for the 2018 video master – was completed under the direction of Leon Vitali, assistant to Stanley Kubrick who supervised color timing of prints for Kubrick for a period of 20 years, and Ned Toll, Vice President of Restoration at Warner Bros., at CFI Laboratories. A 35mm optical reduction interpositive was created from the 65mm negative – equally a 35mm print was necessary in order for Warner Bros. to scan for dwelling house video elements (including the DVD remastered box set in 2000 and the Blu-ray in 2007).

Digital Scans and Colour-timing

The new 2018 video masters were achieved by scanning the 65mm original negative in 8K-resolution and utilizing acme-of-the-line color correction software, allowing technicians to follow natural color and luminance curves (characteristics) of picture show print stock. Color reference in the DI suite was provided by the 1999 70mm answer print from the original camera negative and a 70mm check impress from a new dupe negative. Vince Roth (now the Lab Technical managing director at Fotokem) completed the dupe and cheque print for the 2018 color class.

Christopher Nolan and Hoyte van Hoytema (who both worked extensively with large film formats) oversaw the new 70mm pic prints and were brought in to consult on the creation of new video masters to match the 70mm reference prints. These 2018 video masters were completed nether the direction of Leon Vitali and Ned Toll. Color grading of the master was completed past Janet Wilson of Warner Bros. Motion Flick Imaging – who previously worked with Leon on Hd mastering of Barry Lyndon, Full Metal Jacket and Lolita.

Audio Work

The new home amusement release includes two v.1 audio mixes. Information technology includes the fully remastered audio mix that was completed in 1999 (for the previous DVD and Blu-ray releases) besides as the original theatrical 6-rails audio mix formatted for 5.i. This audio mix was generated from an archival copy of the 35mm 6-track sound mag primary translated uniformly into a modern-day v.ane configuration.

Comparison to Previous Home Entertainment Releases

At that place will exist noticeable differences between the 2018 release and previous habitation amusement releases.

The terminal Blu-ray release was mastered at Movement Picture Imaging in 2007 from a 2k scan of a 35mm optical reduction from the 65mm negative (that was made in 1999). This actress pace was required as the scans needed to be made from a 35mm motion-picture show element. Unfortunately, the 35mm reduction is not as sharp as the 65mm negative and the optical reduction process induced cantankerous colour contamination, which resulted in some compromises to color in club to balance the prototype. There was compressed motion-picture show item in depression low-cal areas and besides shading errors inherent in the optical reduction – luminance and color dropped off on the sides of the image – which resulted in an uneven field of colour beyond the full image. Overall, it limited the range of the color class of the 2007 video main.

Also, the 2018 release contains right pic aspect ratio every bit information technology was scanned straight from the 65mm original negative which is spherical (flat) versus anamorphic (telescopic). The 35mm anamorphic (scope) reduction that was scanned for the 2000 and 2007 releases contained a petty more information on the left and right of the frame then was intended for ii.2 70mm projection aspect ratio. Besides, the optical telescopic reduction added a slight amount of linear image distortion, which is non nowadays in the 65mm spherical camera negative.

While the 2007 work utilized the best technology available at the time, the 2018 release takes advantage of higher resolution and higher bit-depth scans. The colour is based on the original MGM timing lights and the technological capabilities of the color software have improved greatly. The same squad has put together the new release (almost twenty years later on from the previous restoration) and Leon Vitale has reviewed and approved both the 4K UHD and Blu-ray check disks.

Audiences may exist most familiar with previous domicile video releases of 2001: A Space Odyssey and may be struck by some of the differences. However, the newly-remastered version has been scanned and timed to directly match the original film release, rather than the previous abode video principal. The new HD Blu-ray and 4K UHD Blu-ray will accept more detail, greater color depth, improve color accurateness in terms of matching Stanley Kubrick'south original 1968 theatrical release. As digital engineering continues to evolve, it becomes more and more possible to recreate the experience of viewing a film print in your own home.

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