The Fifth Element 4K UHD (1997) (20th Anniversary Edition)

[HiDefBer]

Amazon finally — finally! — sent me a copy today, and I have to be one of the folks who is gobsmacked by what's on display. It's instantly become a go-to demo disc, and not just for the ultra-sharp imagery (bringing into display the seams in the Diva's facial makeup). The Atmos audio is every bit as bombastic as the theatrical presentation. T5E was one of the first films to give me an actual headache in a movie house, and I thought it was going to break my speakers here at home. Luv it!

[AllOuttaBubbleGum]

Originally Posted by StingingVelvet

I don't think that comparison really shows the UHD look off at all. It's much more than a simple grain and subtle detail increase, it's a whole other ballgame. The UHD doesn't have that piss yellow look to it, first off.

Interesting. Sounds like that HDR re-grade really counts for something. I have to say, the MI4K 1080p blu is a bit of a tough nut to crack in terms of getting the color to look right, and I've wondered whether that had to do with one of those botched color space conversions I've heard about.

Very curious about the UHD disk. If physical media is still a thing when I'm ready to go 4K, The Fifth Element will be on my upgrade list.



..

[StingingVelvet]

Originally Posted by AllOuttaBubbleGum

Interesting. Sounds like that HDR re-grade really counts for something. I have to say, the MI4K 1080p blu is a bit of a tough nut to crack in terms of getting the color to look right, and I've wondered whether that had to do with one of those botched color space conversions I've heard about.

I compared a few other movies last night A/B style, flipping back and forth, and more realistic flesh tones that stand out better from the environment was a consistent improvement on the UHD. Guessing that's a big area where 10 bit color and HDR grading improves the image.

[Geoff D]

Okay, so. I watched it last night and Velvet is 100% correct on several counts: the baked-in halos are there throughout the movie, peaking on the VFX shots; the colour grade is indeed more finely balanced; there's more grain but also a TON more detail.

Personally I thought the HDR itself was a subtle improvement, they've thickened up the blacks ever so slightly vs the Mi4K BD but I found myself noticing it in other ways, like them glow-rods they're holding in the temple during the final bit. I thought to myself "weren't they always blown-out before?" as they look more hollow and you can see more speckling inside the tube, and yep, when comparing to the Blu those things are mostly blown-out to balls.

The detail though, oh my word, that's definitely NOT subtle. It's quite brutal on certain VFX shots, revealing not only harsher halos but some aliasing too, those shots of the Diva framed against the CG background are utterly horrid. But the rest of it, woah. Take the Diva: there's this sparkly finish to her make-up that glitters beautifully here, but on the Mi4K it looks like a flat blue tone. And when she finishes her performance and we get that high shot of her from the stalls there's some vertical panelling next to the stage over on the right. On the Mi4K those little vertical slats end up smooshed together the further away from camera they get - but on the UHD they're clearly delineated from front to back. The tendrils of the Diva herself as she takes her bow in that same shot are also more finely separated too.

I love the colour, the UHD losing that flat yellow look which just drains the Mi4K of dimensionality. I've mentioned before how flat and ugly the Sony versions have always made this movie look to my eyes but they've finally cracked it with this UHD version. The reds in particular skew towards a more orangey tone on the Mi4K whereas they're properly red red on the UHD and the whole thing just has this wonderful three-dimensional look it. Even the flying police cars look more rounded and textured and real. Yes, those ever-present halos are weird and so I couldn't give this presentation top marks because of that but it's still a stunning piece of work.

[Pieter V]

BD-100, Geoff?

[Geoff D]

No sir, it's a double decker.

[wildphantom]

Where would anyone recommend importing UHD's from as I'm in the U.K. Really want this but don't want to pay stupid money.

[Geoff D]

If £17-odd doesn't count as "silly money" (you never know with some folk) then head on over to wow HD. The 1080p Blu that's included will not play on Region B players though, in case you didn't know.

[wildphantom]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

If £17-odd doesn't count as "silly money" (you never know with some folk) then head on over to wow HD. The 1080p Blu that's included will not play on Region B players though, in case you didn't know.

£17 sounds fine. Is there a slip cover?
I've got the bluray of the last edition that was released anyway. That was a lovely transfer. This I'll be getting purely for that UHD disc for my OLED that is craving it

[Geoff D]

Mine came with a slip last week, yes.

[wildphantom]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

If £17-odd doesn't count as "silly money" (you never know with some folk) then head on over to wow HD. The 1080p Blu that's included will not play on Region B players though, in case you didn't know.

Out of interest Geoff D, what UHD discs would you recommend?

I've had the format about two months and have:

Planet Earth II
La La Land
Batman v Superman
Ghostbusters (2016) - bundled with the player.
Fox box set with Life of Pi, ID4, Exodus, Maze Runner, Revenant and Kingsman

I've got Logan, John Wick 2 and Lego Batman coming.

I guess I'm more interested in those that are worth importing which we haven't got in the UK yet. As well as any other UK releases you think are must-buys.

[Geoff D]

Leon is another exclusive from the other side of the water. Can't think of too many more, well, not ones which are worth importing anyway.

[wildphantom]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

Leon is another exclusive from the other side of the water. Can't think of too many more, well, not ones which are worth importing anyway.

Excellent. Yes I've heard Leon is meant to be incredible.

[Rizor]

Checked out a few scenes last night. Dunno the history of this film, but the overly sharpened look and the halos kinda make it look a bit rough. The Mi4K BD didn't resolve any of those issues from the first remastered BD, and the same issues are present here. Is this baked into whatever source they scanned? I keep re-buying this movie out of nostalgia.

[Wiz33]

Originally Posted by AllOuttaBubbleGum

Interesting. Sounds like that HDR re-grade really counts for something. I have to say, the MI4K 1080p blu is a bit of a tough nut to crack in terms of getting the color to look right, and I've wondered whether that had to do with one of those botched color space conversions I've heard about.

Very curious about the UHD disk. If physical media is still a thing when I'm ready to go 4K, The Fifth Element will be on my upgrade list.



..

Physical media will always be a thing till we get enough unlimited bandwidth so you can download 100GB an hour.

[mysticwaterfall]

Even on Star Trek they still have physical media occasionaly.

[Talal86]

Originally Posted by Wiz33

Physical media will always be a thing till we get enough unlimited bandwidth so you can download 100GB an hour.

you can already download games that are bigger than BD discs

[Vangeli]

Originally Posted by Talal86

you can already download games that are bigger than BD discs

It took a few days to download my 1TB of games when I last restored my Xbox.

American internet is garbage, so no matter how Tech or media companies here that live in a bubble utopia want to push digital-only futures, it won't happen as long as internet monopolies are still a thing.

Hell, DVDs are still a thing. Physical isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

[Talal86]

I'm just saying that the limited bandwidth is not what keeping physical media alive. digital games stores are mainstream and the average AAA game ranges from 30 - 60 GB + patches and additional content

[Vangeli]

Oh yeah I've gone completely digital with the Xbox One, hence why I have 1TB (now 1.5TB) of games.

But I live in a TWC/Spectrum monopoly and during the weekends I can't stream from half of the streaming services, let alone in UHD. And I pay $70 a month for the privilege. Big-city folk complaining about $80-$100 a month for fiber is cute.