A Christmas Story - 4K Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

A Christmas Story



Movie:
4K Video:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:


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Movie
A Christmas Story, one of the most iconic (and overplayed) Christmas movies of all times. You can’t let a year go buy without it showing up on every cable station across the nation, and having it played on repeat for the kids in my particular family. I was the perfect generation for this film, having grown up with a worn out old VHS tape of the film for my formative years, the special edition DVD when I got older, and of course the Blu-ray back in 2006. A Blu-ray that was notoriously mediocre to the point where I never replaced it when my wife accidentally broke my disc by dropping it on the tile and I just left my DVD to take the yearly spin. Luckily for us Warner Brothers has gone back to the elements for a full remaster of the film, giving it the TLC it needed in both the audio and the video department.

The story is a Christmas story (duh, hence the title) as told through the eyes of 9 year old Ralphie Parker (Peter Billingsley) and his dream to get a Red Ryder air rifle for Christmas back in the 1940s. Ralphie is your typical goofy 9 year old, trying to traverse the world of pre-puberty as best he can with a father who swears like a sailor, an overly protective mother, and of course his younger brother Randy (Ian Petrella). Ralphie is trying his best to wheedle and cajole his parents into getting the rifle for the holiday season, but he’s been shut down multiple times. That means he has to figure out another way to get it for the season, even if it means bribing his teacher for a good grade (in order to sway his parents with good behavior) and even going to Santa Clause at the mall in hopes that Santa’s magical powers will sway said parents opinions.

A Christmas Story is one of the most perfect examples of a slice of life as told through a kid’s eyes. Everything in the film is told through the lens of Ralphie (Narrated by his older self) who just wants a stinking Red Ryder rifle for Christmas! It winks and nods at the camera, teasing us with a childhood view on a swearing father, a neurotic mother, and the general hullabaloo of just trying to traverse life when you have no major autonomy of your own. The movie manages to still cause me to laugh to this day, although it has been labeled as cheesy by many others in modern viewership. But no matter the reception, I still view it as one of the most iconic and classic Christmas movies of my life.

The new 4K UHD transfer is going to sway a lot of hold outs from the old Blu-ray to finally dip in and buy it. My old Blu-ray was so mediocre and poor that it was actually WORSE than the DVD in some ways. The new 4K UHD is much cleaner, giving us the first opportunity in literally YEARS to have an amazing version of the film, complete with a brand new lossless audio mix




Rating:

Rated PG by the MPAA




4K Video: Video:

One of our biggest complaints over the released and re-released 2006 disc was that it was one of the victims of the format war’s mediocre HD transfers. The disc was always subpar at best with an aging master that showed DNR, smearing and a generally low bitrate to accommodate for HD DVD’s 30 gig maximum capabilities. I’ve been one of the biggest proponents for them remastering the film and giving us a better edition, even if only on Blu-ray, and it finally looks like we’re going to get it. (over 16 years later albeit).

The new transfer really blows the old one straight out of the water, and it isn’t even a close comparison. The film has always had a slightly hazy and dreamlike visual aesthetic to it, but the resulting 4K maxes out the capabilities of the print with gorgeous color saturation, deep inky blacks that don’t crush or band even during the dream sequences, and fine details that make the 39 year old 80s film just pop. Depth of field is spot on perfect, with a great grain layer and a very natural filmic look to it. The worst thing that I can say about the transfer is that the hazy, dreamlike aesthetic sometimes can look a teensy bit soft (such as interior shots that are naturally lit), and the beige look of the 1940s kitchens aren’t always the prettiest in the world to look at. Otherwise this is a FANTASTIC transfer that gives us what we’ve always wanted. A version of A Christmas Story that is light years better then the HD format wars version we’ve suffered with for so long.








Audio:

The audio mix also gets an upgrade from the lossy 1.0 Mono Dolby Digital to a 2.0 DTS-HD MA track. The mix is richer, fuller, and seems to have better dynamics by far than the old 1.0 track. It’s still a very dialog heavy affair, with most of the weight in the center area of the room with strong vocals, but there’s some panning effects during the holiday Santa scene, as well as some decent dynamics with the score. It’s a simple mix, but an effective one and a slight boost over the “meh” Dolby Digital track we’ve had for the last 16 years.








Extras:

• Audio Commentary by Bob Clark and Peter Billingsley
• Christmas in Ohio: A Christmas Story House
• Another Christmas Story
• Dasiy Red Ryder: A History
• Get a Leg Up
• Flash Gordon Deleted Script Pages
• The Leg Lamp Spot
• Jean Shepherd Original Radio Reading
-- Duel in the Snow, or Red Ryder Nails the Cleveland Street Kid
-- Flick’s Tongue
• Theatrical Trailer

Final Score: ​

A Christmas Story is an indelible part of many people’s Christmas tradition (along with Christmas Vacation, Die Hard and several more), and the move by Warner to FINALLY give us the gift of a new transfer is mind blowing for fans who have suffered with the same sub par Blu-ray for over 1.5 decades. The movie is near perfect, the transfer phenomenal, and this is the definitive edition of the movie for fans who have been waiting for a good upgrade. Highly recommended


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Peter Billingsley, Melinda Dillon, Darren McGavin, Scott Schwardz
Directed by: Bob Clark
Written by: Jean Shepherd (Novel), Leigh Brown, Bob Clark (Screenplay)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 HEVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 2.0, French, Spanish DD 2.0
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Studio: Warner
Rated: PG
Runtime: 93 Minutes
Blu-Ray Release Date: November 1st, 2022

Recommendation: Great Watch

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. I love this movie and have seen it many times. Glad to see that the transfer is perfect.

I have my reservations in regards to the upcoming sequel -- A Christmas Story Christmas which releases on Thursday, Nov. 17 on HBO Max

 

[JStewart]

 

[Michael Scott]

Thanks for the review. I love this movie and have seen it many times. Glad to see that the transfer is perfect.

I have my reservations in regards to the upcoming sequel -- A Christmas Story Christmas which releases on Thursday, Nov. 17 on HBO Max

just looking at the trailer, I'm NOT optimistic lol

 

[Asere]

I may get this 4K. Fudge!!!!!!! Thanks for the review.