It 4K UHD (2017)

[Pgcmoore]

wife managed to find the steel book yesterday for me, wow what a great flick, i ain't had this much fun since i saw maximum overdrive at the drive in with the wife

[Show spoiler]

4.5

[samdaman94]

I've got to say, I think the Blu-ray.com review is pretty close - the disc isn't brilliant

[MooneyRara]

Originally Posted by samdaman94

I've got to say, I think the Blu-ray.com review is pretty close - the disc isn't brilliant

Well that is interesting. Care to elaborate?

[horroru]

Originally Posted by samdaman94

I've got to say, I think the Blu-ray.com review is pretty close - the disc isn't brilliant

Yes give us your thoughts when you have time enough at last...

[samdaman94]

Originally Posted by DrewGrit

Well that is interesting. Care to elaborate?

I admit, my settings probably aren't calibrated perfectly yet because I'm still pretty new to 4K - and my set-up isn't the very best on the market. But other discs I've played have wowed me, and even some standard Blu-rays have looked incredible.
But It, while looking perfectly fine, didn't get anywhere near the wow factor for me personally. I'm not saying it's bad and again, maybe I still haven't got everything set perfectly. And granted, it is a pretty dark film. But it just doesn't look quite as good as I expect from 4K.
But yeah, I'm new to this world and you guys probably have far more knowledge and experience of the format than I. I just expected a little more.

Originally Posted by horroru

Yes give us your thoughts when you have time enough at last...

[Geoff D]

Watched this last night, thought it looked wonderful. NOT in a makes-you-involuntarily-shit-yourself-best-HDR-evah kinda way, but it's replete with all the usual refinements. Colours look richer and more involving on the UHD with the skin tones looking downright pasty on the BD, fine detail resolves itself better so faces and backgrounds have more texture (though this being shot anamorphic means that focus pulls are sometimes missed and faces might look softer than they should) and the speculars are nice and zingy whilst still being able to pull down more highlight detail, like that shot of Beverly smoking on the fire escape with the sun beaming right into the lens.

It's too awkward an exposure for me to get a decent photo of but the SDR Blu blows out the sun and what feels like half the screen with it, while the HDR keeps it as a bright burning highlight and yet allows more of the underlying image to come through. Pennywise's eyes really shine too, there was hardly a shot of him in which they didn't roto his eyes to bring up the brightness and that bit with Georgie at the beginning is sooooo creepy as a result, keeping the surrounding area dark but having those peepers really stand out. Marvellous.

I loved the black levels too, it's not got a constant level of obsidian darkness but nor does it always look grey as ****, the density of the image is commensurate to whatever scene is taking place. Some scenes might have less contrast than what people may prefer, like the confrontation in the Cistern but that was deliberately shot for a less contrasty look. Other scenes like the bit with the slide projector in the garage looked amazing as it cut back and forth between sheer black and the gurning, gurgling head of Pennywise.

A few comparison photos, nothing special and they're not 100% accurate etc etc but they give a nice idea of the differences I'm seeing.

Close up photo of Stanley:

[Show spoiler]

BD



UHD

Mike on his bike:

[Show spoiler]

BD



UHD

Bev and Bill at the end:

[Show spoiler]

BD



UHD

Saw no blocking or banding whatsoever throughout the film BUT I've got to rescind my prior comment about de OLED ants in that scene with the kids on the 4th of July, the background in that one particular shot (the push in on Mike) is indeed buzzing with noise and I saw it plain as day on my ZD9. Bless me o Sweetie for I have sinned, taking thy Lord OLED's name in vain! When it cuts back to that angle again a few moments later it's completely normal so it looks very much like a momentary balls-up during the HDR grading, it's not there on the regular BD. A very minor fly in what is a lovely looking ointment regardless.

[RyanMatthew]

Man, I wish I could enjoy UHD. Thanks for ruining my TV, LG.

[FilmFreakosaurus]

Glad I rented this before taking the plunge. Of the recent nostalgic-for-the-80's induced "gaggle of misfit kids overcoming otherworldly obstacles whilst dealing with typical teenage angst" stories, the Duffer Brothers and their Stranger Things series have been, all in all, hitting on all cylinders in terms of blending drama and sci-fi/horror elements. Sure, they stumble from time to time narratively speaking, but not like the makers of It.

If you're at all familiar with the deeper themes entwined throughout Stephen King's sprawling source novel, the writers here missed the point of the story entirely, synthesizing the movie plot down to an entirely too jam packed series of cliched modern horror beats rather than focusing on the human element befalling the Losers' Club, and the dark psychological buttons Pennywise is able to push in the township in order to make humans do terrible things unto others.

Without some of the more troubling aspects of the dark history of the town stoked by the twisted machinations of Pennywise, King's story is hollowed out completely.

It needed a lot less of the heavy handed horror and sci-fi elements and a lot more of the substance.

If you want Stephen King translated right, and need your nostalgic coming of age itch scratched, definitely buy Stand By Me.

[Jay Mammoth]

Stand By Me is a classic of course. IT is amazing as well, enjoyed it even more on my 2nd viewing on my OLED, the atmos track was outstanding too.

[mzupeman]

Originally Posted by FilmFreakosaurus

Glad I rented this before taking the plunge. Of the recent nostalgic-for-the-80's induced "gaggle of misfit kids overcoming otherworldly obstacles whilst dealing with typical teenage angst" stories, the Duffer Brothers and their Stranger Things series have been, all in all, hitting on all cylinders in terms of blending drama and sci-fi/horror elements. Sure, they stumble from time to time narratively speaking, but not like the makers of It.

If you're at all familiar with the deeper themes entwined throughout Stephen King's sprawling source novel, the writers here missed the point of the story entirely, synthesizing the movie plot down to an entirely too jam packed series of cliched modern horror beats rather than focusing on the human element befalling the Losers' Club, and the dark psychological buttons Pennywise is able to push in the township in order to make humans do terrible things unto others.

Without some of the more troubling aspects of the dark history of the town stoked by the twisted machinations of Pennywise, King's story is hollowed out completely.

It needed a lot less of the heavy handed horror and sci-fi elements and a lot more of the substance.

If you want Stephen King translated right, and need your nostalgic coming of age itch scratched, definitely buy Stand By Me.

I think this film absolutely works for what it is. If you want to compare it to the book, then you're definitely going to walk away disappointed. But isn't that the case with most book-to-film translations?

[collven]

Originally Posted by FilmFreakosaurus

Glad I rented this before taking the plunge. Of the recent nostalgic-for-the-80's induced "gaggle of misfit kids overcoming otherworldly obstacles whilst dealing with typical teenage angst" stories, the Duffer Brothers and their Stranger Things series have been, all in all, hitting on all cylinders in terms of blending drama and sci-fi/horror elements. Sure, they stumble from time to time narratively speaking, but not like the makers of It.

If you're at all familiar with the deeper themes entwined throughout Stephen King's sprawling source novel, the writers here missed the point of the story entirely, synthesizing the movie plot down to an entirely too jam packed series of cliched modern horror beats rather than focusing on the human element befalling the Losers' Club, and the dark psychological buttons Pennywise is able to push in the township in order to make humans do terrible things unto others.

Without some of the more troubling aspects of the dark history of the town stoked by the twisted machinations of Pennywise, King's story is hollowed out completely.

It needed a lot less of the heavy handed horror and sci-fi elements and a lot more of the substance.

If you want Stephen King translated right, and need your nostalgic coming of age itch scratched, definitely buy Stand By Me.

It would have been very difficult to condense everything you wanted from the 1000 plus page novel into 2 movies. Stand By Me was a much easier adaptation. I thought IT did a very good job of telling the story with the time constraints they had.

The director wanted to include more of Derry's backstory, but just didn't have time. Reportedly, they will tell a lot of that in the sequel.

[xbs2034]

As I mentioned I watched Stand By Me (as first viewing) and It (which I had seen in theaters) on back to back days this week. Really fun to do both because of the many similarities between the films, but also because both are very good movies, though I would have to give It the slight edge as the more consistent movie.

[the_sextein]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

Watched this last night, thought it looked wonderful. NOT in a makes-you-involuntarily-shit-yourself-best-HDR-evah kinda way, but it's replete with all the usual refinements. Colours look richer and more involving on the UHD with the skin tones looking downright pasty on the BD, fine detail resolves itself better so faces and backgrounds have more texture (though this being shot anamorphic means that focus pulls are sometimes missed and faces might look softer than they should) and the speculars are nice and zingy whilst still being able to pull down more highlight detail, like that shot of Beverly smoking on the fire escape with the sun beaming right into the lens.

It's too awkward an exposure for me to get a decent photo of but the SDR Blu blows out the sun and what feels like half the screen with it, while the HDR keeps it as a bright burning highlight and yet allows more of the underlying image to come through. Pennywise's eyes really shine too, there was hardly a shot of him in which they didn't roto his eyes to bring up the brightness and that bit with Georgie at the beginning is sooooo creepy as a result, keeping the surrounding area dark but having those peepers really stand out. Marvellous.

I loved the black levels too, it's not got a constant level of obsidian darkness but nor does it always look grey as ****, the density of the image is commensurate to whatever scene is taking place. Some scenes might have less contrast than what people may prefer, like the confrontation in the Cistern but that was deliberately shot for a less contrasty look. Other scenes like the bit with the slide projector in the garage looked amazing as it cut back and forth between sheer black and the gurning, gurgling head of Pennywise.

A few comparison photos, nothing special and they're not 100% accurate etc etc but they give a nice idea of the differences I'm seeing.

Close up photo of Stanley:

[Show spoiler]

BD



UHD

Mike on his bike:

[Show spoiler]

BD



UHD

Bev and Bill at the end:

[Show spoiler]

BD



UHD

Saw no blocking or banding whatsoever throughout the film BUT I've got to rescind my prior comment about de OLED ants in that scene with the kids on the 4th of July, the background in that one particular shot (the push in on Mike) is indeed buzzing with noise and I saw it plain as day on my ZD9. Bless me o Sweetie for I have sinned, taking thy Lord OLED's name in vain! When it cuts back to that angle again a few moments later it's completely normal so it looks very much like a momentary balls-up during the HDR grading, it's not there on the regular BD. A very minor fly in what is a lovely looking ointment regardless.

I hadn't compared the UHD to the Blu-ray but man, that first comparison shot you took is incredible! It looks totally different. Thanks for posting. This film really did surprise me. It's not the be all end all of visuals but what was presented was presented very well.

[aetherhole]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

Watched this last night, thought it looked wonderful. NOT in a makes-you-involuntarily-shit-yourself-best-HDR-evah kinda way, but it's replete with all the usual refinements. Colours look richer and more involving on the UHD with the skin tones looking downright pasty on the BD, fine detail resolves itself better so faces and backgrounds have more texture (though this being shot anamorphic means that focus pulls are sometimes missed and faces might look softer than they should) and the speculars are nice and zingy whilst still being able to pull down more highlight detail, like that shot of Beverly smoking on the fire escape with the sun beaming right into the lens.

It's too awkward an exposure for me to get a decent photo of but the SDR Blu blows out the sun and what feels like half the screen with it, while the HDR keeps it as a bright burning highlight and yet allows more of the underlying image to come through. Pennywise's eyes really shine too, there was hardly a shot of him in which they didn't roto his eyes to bring up the brightness and that bit with Georgie at the beginning is sooooo creepy as a result, keeping the surrounding area dark but having those peepers really stand out. Marvellous.

I loved the black levels too, it's not got a constant level of obsidian darkness but nor does it always look grey as ****, the density of the image is commensurate to whatever scene is taking place. Some scenes might have less contrast than what people may prefer, like the confrontation in the Cistern but that was deliberately shot for a less contrasty look. Other scenes like the bit with the slide projector in the garage looked amazing as it cut back and forth between sheer black and the gurning, gurgling head of Pennywise.

A few comparison photos, nothing special and they're not 100% accurate etc etc but they give a nice idea of the differences I'm seeing.

Close up photo of Stanley:

[Show spoiler]

BD



UHD

Mike on his bike:

[Show spoiler]

BD



UHD

Bev and Bill at the end:

[Show spoiler]

BD



UHD

Saw no blocking or banding whatsoever throughout the film BUT I've got to rescind my prior comment about de OLED ants in that scene with the kids on the 4th of July, the background in that one particular shot (the push in on Mike) is indeed buzzing with noise and I saw it plain as day on my ZD9. Bless me o Sweetie for I have sinned, taking thy Lord OLED's name in vain! When it cuts back to that angle again a few moments later it's completely normal so it looks very much like a momentary balls-up during the HDR grading, it's not there on the regular BD. A very minor fly in what is a lovely looking ointment regardless.

Thanks Geoff! Looks like a solid 3 star transfer there!

[FilmFreakosaurus]

Originally Posted by xbs2034

As I mentioned I watched Stand By Me (as first viewing) and It (which I had seen in theaters) on back to back days this week. Really fun to do both because of the many similarities between the films, but also because both are very good movies, though I would have to give It the slight edge as the more consistent movie.

I just don't agree. The balance of horror and drama in It was tipped waaaaay too much into a bunch of only lightly scary moments. For as long as the film is, I felt the director chose to focus too much on the weaker aspects of modern horror rather than keep Pennywise in check and only bring him out when really necessary and focus on the kids and their issues much more... and then have Pennywise prey upon those weaknesses in much more subtle, creepy ways. He's too in-your-face in this version.

In the novel he is a manipulator, a string-puller, a whisper-poison-in-your-ear kind of devilish trickster. His illusions only go so far... it's the little planted subliminal bug in your brain that gets you. That has more menace than a bunch of ho-hum CGI moments and jump scares. Here he's just another slimy sci-fi alien.

In some respects, though it also had some big limitations of its own, the TV movie allowed the ever awesome Tim Curry to shine more than Bill Skarsgård as the twisted thing from another dimension. Tim couldn't hide behind a bunch of slick visual effects.

[birdztudio]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

[Show spoiler]Watched this last night, thought it looked wonderful. NOT in a makes-you-involuntarily-shit-yourself-best-HDR-evah kinda way, but it's replete with all the usual refinements. Colours look richer and more involving on the UHD with the skin tones looking downright pasty on the BD, fine detail resolves itself better so faces and backgrounds have more texture (though this being shot anamorphic means that focus pulls are sometimes missed and faces might look softer than they should) and the speculars are nice and zingy whilst still being able to pull down more highlight detail, like that shot of Beverly smoking on the fire escape with the sun beaming right into the lens.

It's too awkward an exposure for me to get a decent photo of but the SDR Blu blows out the sun and what feels like half the screen with it, while the HDR keeps it as a bright burning highlight and yet allows more of the underlying image to come through. Pennywise's eyes really shine too, there was hardly a shot of him in which they didn't roto his eyes to bring up the brightness and that bit with Georgie at the beginning is sooooo creepy as a result, keeping the surrounding area dark but having those peepers really stand out. Marvellous.

I loved the black levels too, it's not got a constant level of obsidian darkness but nor does it always look grey as ****, the density of the image is commensurate to whatever scene is taking place. Some scenes might have less contrast than what people may prefer, like the confrontation in the Cistern but that was deliberately shot for a less contrasty look. Other scenes like the bit with the slide projector in the garage looked amazing as it cut back and forth between sheer black and the gurning, gurgling head of Pennywise.

A few comparison photos, nothing special and they're not 100% accurate etc etc but they give a nice idea of the differences I'm seeing.

Close up photo of Stanley:

[Show spoiler]

BD



UHD

Mike on his bike:

[Show spoiler]

BD



UHD

Bev and Bill at the end:

[Show spoiler]

BD



UHD

Saw no blocking or banding whatsoever throughout the film BUT I've got to rescind my prior comment about de OLED ants in that scene with the kids on the 4th of July, the background in that one particular shot (the push in on Mike) is indeed buzzing with noise and I saw it plain as day on my ZD9. Bless me o Sweetie for I have sinned, taking thy Lord OLED's name in vain! When it cuts back to that angle again a few moments later it's completely normal so it looks very much like a momentary balls-up during the HDR grading, it's not there on the regular BD. A very minor fly in what is a lovely looking ointment regardless.

great comments as always, may i ask how you managed to capture those UHD screens? thanks

*and guys please use spoiler tag when quote really long message...

[TheSweetieMan]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

Saw no blocking or banding whatsoever throughout the film BUT I've got to rescind my prior comment about de OLED ants in that scene with the kids on the 4th of July, the background in that one particular shot (the push in on Mike) is indeed buzzing with noise and I saw it plain as day on my ZD9. Bless me o Sweetie for I have sinned, taking thy Lord OLED's name in vain! When it cuts back to that angle again a few moments later it's completely normal so it looks very much like a momentary balls-up during the HDR grading, it's not there on the regular BD. A very minor fly in what is a lovely looking ointment regardless.

Yeah, I didn't get to post much yesterday--but I was going to mention that on the regular BD, that 'noise' doesn't appear. So I guess it is just baked into the source.

I still don't know what the 'swarming ants' thing is. I've never been shy about uniformity issues with OLED, despite my love for the technology, so I swear I thought I would've encountered this issue by now. However, whenever I read someone mention the 'swarming ants' issue, it's generally in reference to catalog releases shot on film. Personally, I think that's one 'issue' that's a witch hunt--and is in fact, more of an issue with certain people having issues with films that contain a heavy layer of grain. Perhaps on an OLED, with HDR, the grain is maybe a bit exacerbated? I don't know.

But yeah, I definitely agree with your thoughts on the transfer. And, even with the 'noise' in that one particular shot, you really only notice it if you're only paying attention to the background, as there's no evidence of it in the foreground. So, IMO, it's a forgivable offense from Warner.

Glad you dug the transfer. Hell of a flick, too. Love the kids they cast for this film.

[jusmu]

AVS Forum gave 94 points (out of 100) to 4k image quality and mentioned

Based upon the excellent quality of the original source the difference between viewing IT in high definition and Ultra HD isn’t night and day, but there is no question that its UHD presentation benefitted from the increase in resolution, and high dynamic range treatment.

This forum`s reviewer gave 3 stars/B:s and

With no increase in detail and only tiny tweaks to color, black levels and contrast, the 4K presentation provides a viewing experience that's little changed from It's 1080p rendition.

[Alex82]

I'm afraid this review will become the 4K equivalent of the old Patton Blu-ray review ( https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Patton-Blu-ray/679/ ).

3 stars, when it comes to UHD and a new film, it's like saying "Botched job".

[MuffinMcFluffin]

Just wait till the director's cut comes out and it looks pristine. All the more reason to double-dip, says the studio.