Memories of Murder 4K UHD (2003) - CJ ENM - Blu-ray Forum

nicwood · 03-09-2024, 03:09 PM

CJ ENM released two limited 4K UHD editions of Bong Joon-ho’s Memories of Murder recently, one just in a Steelbook and the other one is the Steel housed in a Slip Case together with a booklet.

Audio
4K: Korean DTS-HD MA 7.1
BD: Korean DTS-HD MA 7.1, Korean DTS-HD MA 2.0
Subtitles (main feature only)
4K: Korean, English
BD: Korean, English
Special Features (no subtitles)
4K: -
BD: Making Films, Deleted Scenes, Interviews, Trailer

I bought my copy from this seller with free shipping and IOSS for EU: https://www.ebay.com/itm/166612814453. Packaging was very secure!

(For those interested, the packaging is very bland and the Steelbook looks awful and cheap in hand. I fortunately couldn’t care less about this due to the disc content but packaging collectors probably won’t recommend these editions as much).

The purchase was a bit of a gamble due to the imperfections with the 4K restoration, as seen on the Criterion BD with traces of DNR and the greenish hue which some considered revisionist compared to older versions. Whether these were more true to the original vision is unclear.

I have great news though: The UHD is fantastic and improves much more noticeably than I thought as the CJ master effectively dials down the "tint" to something much less strong and aggressive when compared to the Criterion BD. And all of this in SDR as well, so they definitely did a new grade over at CJ. (For the HDR or nothing crowd: Consider this a flop but I didn’t miss HDR. The film is low-contrast and bleach-bypassed by design. It looks exceptional in SDR).

UHD is a UHD-100 as noted above with English subtitles and 7.1 and 2.0 audio tracks. The latter doesn’t sound like a downmix after a brief listen but other people are better at judging this. The 7.1 feels equally good and natural without excessive alterations that scream "remix" in your face every few seconds.

The 4K master itself is good (not excellent) after the first couple of exterior scenes. These are DNR affected and were sourced from a higher-generation element, too and not the OCN as we’re seeing some black specks and dirt. Later, things look better but the grain doesn’t feel 100% natural to my eyes (I believe this has been discussed already). Still, I’m satisfied with what I got. It’s not the most beautiful master ever (most of Bong’s shot-on-film films fall under that category) but presented in a way that’s appropriate and certainly watchable. I wouldn’t go back to any older edition. The encoding is very good, too - much, much better than another terrible Criterion BD effort.
Even for that alone, I consider this a strong upgrade but the better balanced colors really make the difference!

As this is a limited edition, I’d say get this sooner than later. Who knows if / when the restoration returns to the US in 4K, and if it does, it’ll absolutely look just like the Criterion BD.

03-09-2024, 03:09 PM	#1
nicwood Blu-ray Samurai Member since:Apr 2018 Location:Germany Trading Score:2	Memories of Murder 4K UHD (2003) - CJ ENM CJ ENM released two limited 4K UHD editions of Bong Joon-ho’s Memories of Murder recently, one just in a Steelbook and the other one is the Steel housed in a Slip Case together with a booklet. Audio 4K: Korean DTS-HD MA 7.1 BD: Korean DTS-HD MA 7.1, Korean DTS-HD MA 2.0 Subtitles (main feature only) 4K: Korean, English BD: Korean, English Special Features (no subtitles) 4K: - BD: Making Films, Deleted Scenes, Interviews, Trailer I bought my copy from this seller with free shipping and IOSS for EU: https://www.ebay.com/itm/166612814453. Packaging was very secure! (For those interested, the packaging is very bland and the Steelbook looks awful and cheap in hand. I fortunately couldn’t care less about this due to the disc content but packaging collectors probably won’t recommend these editions as much). The purchase was a bit of a gamble due to the imperfections with the 4K restoration, as seen on the Criterion BD with traces of DNR and the greenish hue which some considered revisionist compared to older versions. Whether these were more true to the original vision is unclear. I have great news though: The UHD is fantastic and improves much more noticeably than I thought as the CJ master effectively dials down the "tint" to something much less strong and aggressive when compared to the Criterion BD. And all of this in SDR as well, so they definitely did a new grade over at CJ. (For the HDR or nothing crowd: Consider this a flop but I didn’t miss HDR. The film is low-contrast and bleach-bypassed by design. It looks exceptional in SDR). UHD is a UHD-100 as noted above with English subtitles and 7.1 and 2.0 audio tracks. The latter doesn’t sound like a downmix after a brief listen but other people are better at judging this. The 7.1 feels equally good and natural without excessive alterations that scream "remix" in your face every few seconds. The 4K master itself is good (not excellent) after the first couple of exterior scenes. These are DNR affected and were sourced from a higher-generation element, too and not the OCN as we’re seeing some black specks and dirt. Later, things look better but the grain doesn’t feel 100% natural to my eyes (I believe this has been discussed already). Still, I’m satisfied with what I got. It’s not the most beautiful master ever (most of Bong’s shot-on-film films fall under that category) but presented in a way that’s appropriate and certainly watchable. I wouldn’t go back to any older edition. The encoding is very good, too - much, much better than another terrible Criterion BD effort. Even for that alone, I consider this a strong upgrade but the better balanced colors really make the difference! As this is a limited edition, I’d say get this sooner than later. Who knows if / when the restoration returns to the US in 4K, and if it does, it’ll absolutely look just like the Criterion BD.

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