Pan's Labyrinth 4K Blu-ray Review & Comments

Simon Crust

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Thanks for the review. One of my favourite movies. Seems a decent effort from what you write. One for the 2 for £30 list for me.
 
Absolutely criminal that there is no upgrade for the audio. Not buying for that reason.
 
Absolutely criminal that there is no upgrade for the audio. Not buying for that reason.
This review and others I've read all say that this is a very atmospheric track and I agree. I hear creaking floors, wind, subtle low end foot steps from the creature amongst other things. You can literally hear the atmosphere (wind etc) surrounding you even at low volume. Most DTS-HD MA tracks up-mix very well and this is no exception. The thunder rumbles and claps come from above. The rain surrounds you from above and all sides. There seems to be some decent low end as well which is typical Del Toro (and I haven't even bothered with BEQ :)).

This reminds me of the Color out of Space mix. Both are 5.1 DTS-HD MA mixes and both dont seem to lack anything, especially when up-mixed.

HtH
 
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Another DNR shite. Stick to the UK BD.
 
Another DNR sh*te. Stick to the UK BD.
From blu-ray.com:
The quickest summary of Warner Bros.' new 4K disc is that it looks like a more ideal version of their previous Blu-ray. ... Still, this new 2160p transfer clearly serves up a more crisp and satisfying presentation overall, thanks as much to its lack of DNR as the format's higher resolution.
 
From blu-ray.com:
The quickest summary of Warner Bros.' new 4K disc is that it looks like a more ideal version of their previous Blu-ray. ... Still, this new 2160p transfer clearly serves up a more crisp and satisfying presentation overall, thanks as much to its lack of DNR as the format's higher resolution.

I don't trust these reviewers to be honest. Don't go by that. Its clearly from the DNR baked master with HDR grading.
 
I don't trust these reviewers to be honest. Don't go by that. Its clearly from the DNR baked master with HDR grading.
I don't think that the Criterion Blu is DNR'd. The reviews I've read suggest that this is basically a minor upgrade of that with slightly different colouring. Plus I was reminded in the forums that the 4k disc (bought here) is actually cheaper.
 
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I don't think that the Criterion Blu is DNR'd. The reviews I've read suggest that this is basically a minor upgrade of that with slightly different colouring. Plus I was reminded in the forums that the 4k disc (bought here) is actually cheaper. So win/win?

Criterion Blu is okay if you can put up with the colour timing changes. I still think the UK BD is the best one.

The WB 4K UHD is definitely from the same DNR baked master.
 
Higher ratings than I thought. Making me consider it, after initially thinking of it as one of my personal let-downs on 4K as I love this film & wanted it to look stunning & be upgraded in Atmos...

Maybe.
 
Absolutely criminal that there is no upgrade for the audio. Not buying for that reason.
So no Christopher Nolan in 4K movies for you then ;)

Dolby Atmos Subtitles?
Just Joking! ;)
Seriously, as Simon pointed out, this was a "passion project for writer/director Guillermo del Toro, so much so that he reportedly took no remuneration just to see it completed". He is definitely a strong believer in Surround Sound (See the link to an interview with him below) so I am sure he would have pushed for a new Surround Sound mix if he felt it would improve the experience enough to justify the work. But the Soundtrack is amazing as it is, so I personally don't know if a change from this would really have added anything

 
I love the film, and have the blu-ray. But I'm feeling a bit 'meh' about this one. I've lost the lust for 4K versions of blu-rays that came from the same 2K DI unless the blu-ray was diabolical and the 4K version is the fix.

The differences are often miniscule, if at all evident, and you will need the two side by side, with pauses for pixel-peeping to even see a difference at all. And as for HDR, as a projector user there's not much incentive there either. Sure it often makes SOME difference, but again it's not night and day. Will give this one a miss. I think they could have done more – gone back to the negatives for a fresh 4K scan, for example. Upgraded the audio to Atmos or DTS:X. It's just very lazy.
 
If I already had the Criterion (and liked the new colour timing) then I probably wouldn't have bothered. But for me this is essentially an upgrade on the original disc. The picture quality reminds me of Predator in that HDR and WGC has now made it look like a good Blu Ray rather than a poor/mediocre one. The audio as I've said above, reminds me of Color out of Space. It is obvious that time and care have been taken in crafting the layers which results in an amazing atmosphere.

It took me a while to make the decision but now I've got the disc, I'm not disappointed.
 
I love this movie (my avatar says it all really), but I would not pay the imported price for something that is not getting better reviews than it is. £15.00 would be fine perhaps, but not the £25+ being asked for. I'll stick to my BR and hope for another 4k release in the future.
 
I love this movie (my avatar says it all really), but I would not pay the imported price for something that is not getting better reviews than it is. £15.00 would be fine perhaps, but not the £25+ being asked for. I'll stick to my BR and hope for another 4k release in the future.

It's £22 on WowHD... that's a pretty good price for an import, and I wouldn't hold your breath for an international release.
 
It's £22 on WowHD... that's a pretty good price for an import, and I wouldn't hold your breath for an international release.


Yes, thanks, I had seen that previously but never used them as a company so was unsure.

Any reason as to why this was a US only release seeing as Warner Bros is such a huge company?

It was the FilmsAtHome review on You Tube that really put me off. He kinda panned it when comparing to the Criterion release. I'm not sure how respected he is as a reviewer around these parts, but he certainly made me re-think what was an almost certain purchase up to that point.
 

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