UHD Review Enter the Dragon UHD Review (1 Viewer)

[Todd Erwin]

Although not mentioned on the packaging, Enter the Dragon arrives on 4K UHD Blu-ray in time for its 50th anniversary.



Enter the Dragon (1973)



Released: 19 Aug 1973
Rated: R
Runtime: 102 min




Director: Robert Clouse
Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller



Cast: Bruce Lee, John Saxon, Jim Kelly
Writer(s): Michael Allin, Bruce Lee



Plot: A Shaolin martial artist travels to an island fortress to spy on an opium lord - who is also a former monk from his temple - under the guise of attending a fighting tournament.



IMDB rating: 7.6
MetaScore: 83





Disc Information



Studio: Warner Brothers
Distributed By: N/A
Video Resolution: 2160p HEVC w/HDR



Aspect Ratio: 2.39.1
Audio: Dolby...

Continue reading...

 

[Tino]

Paid $4.99 for it on iTunes. Great deal.

 

[dpippel]

Thanks for the review, Todd. For me, this is a film that I want to own on disc to get the best possible presentation. My copy arrives today and I hope to screen it sometime this week.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Thanks for the review, Todd. For me, this is a film that I want to own on disc to get the best possible presentation. My copy arrives today and I hope to screen it sometime this week.

There are movies in which owning a 4K digital is fine and dandy. And, then there are movies that you want the best possible audio and video presentation. For me, Enter the Dragon fits the latter category.

 

[ScottJH]

Steelbook arrived yesterday. Another plus in favor of the disc is when watching the Special Edition with the mono track WB has found most of Bruce's recordings for the lines in the scene w/ Roy Chiao at the beginnning.

 

[Lord Dalek]

Steelbook arrived yesterday. Another plus in favor of the disc is when watching the Special Edition with the mono track WB has found most of Bruce's recordings for the lines in the scene w/ Roy Chiao at the beginnning.
View attachment 193829

Yes that was also the case in the Criterion edition. Apparently they were sourced from a vintage book on record.

 

[jayembee]

Picked my copy up from Best Buy today. Looking forward to watching it!

 

[Todd Erwin]

Still waiting to hear back from the studio regarding the missing Theatrical Cut and special features on digital code redemptions with most retailers.

 

[Kaskade1309]

Waiting for my copy to arrive; bought the slipcase variant via Best Buy. Are both cuts of the film on the same disc? Was a bit confused about that based on what was mentioned above; Warner didn't give both cuts individual discs as they did with the digibook Blu-ray release of The Exorcist and other titles, did they? This is going to be replacing an old 25th Anniversary DVD copy of the film which has served me well for a long time (but which is beginning to show its age on a 65" 4K display -- which is why I decided to replace it with the 4K version), yet I'm concerned about the comments regarding "soft dark sequences" and such. On the audio side of things, I will be running the core Dolby TrueHD mix because we're not set up for Atmos, but should this track sound better than the Dolby Digital 5.1 remix given to the 25th Anniversary edition?

 

[Kaskade1309]

Also -- does anyone know if the introduction by Linda Lee Cadwell (which played by default on the 25th Anniversary DVD) is included on the "extended" cut here, or was this removed?

 

[Tino]

Also -- does anyone know if the introduction by Linda Lee Cadwell (which played by default on the 25th Anniversary DVD) is included on the "extended" cut here, or was this removed?

It’s included on the iTunes digital
version so I would assume it is.

 

[ScottJH]

Are both cuts of the film on the same disc?

Yes. Todd's review mentioned, "... rather than present both cuts on the disc using seamless branching (which would conserve disc space), each cut has its own video file on the BD100 disc."

Also -- does anyone know if the introduction by Linda Lee Cadwell (which played by default on the 25th Anniversary DVD) is included on the "extended" cut here, or was this removed?

When selecting "Play Special Edition" a sub-menu pops up with "Play Movie" or "Play Movie with Introduction by Linda Lee Cadwell". The intro can also be played by itself from the Special Features menu.

 

[Sultanofcinema]

Viewed Enter The Dragon (WB 4K) yesterday and it was like watching the 35mm print I saw in August 1973 at Totowa Cinema when it opened. Dolby Atmos really knocked it out of the park. Splendid transfer.

 

[Robert Crawford]

My 4K/UHD finally arrives tomorrow. I'll be watching it this weekend.

 

[Kaskade1309]

It’s included on the iTunes digital
version so I would assume it is.

Good to know; thanks Tino.

 

[Kaskade1309]

Yes. Todd's review mentioned, "... rather than present both cuts on the disc using seamless branching (which would conserve disc space), each cut has its own video file on the BD100 disc."



When selecting "Play Special Edition" a sub-menu pops up with "Play Movie" or "Play Movie with Introduction by Linda Lee Cadwell". The intro can also be played by itself from the Special Features menu.

Thanks.

Just confirming what that statement in the review meant.

Hopefully this will look better than the 25th Anniversary transfer.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Todd,

I noticed the Mbps too as I've been monitoring every 4K/UHD I watch now after the minor controversy surrounding Rio Bravo. Anyhow, I'm pleased with this 4K disc and thinks it looked better than the iTunes 4K digital. I only watched the longer Special Edition film version. One day, I need to watch the theatrical cut of the film again. I haven't watched that film version in quite a while.

 

[Kaskade1309]

Just my personal thoughts on the transfer and audio quality...

Honestly expected a little better on this one in terms of video -- the audio, on the other hand, was a night-and-day difference compared to the lossy Dolby Digital remix on the 25th Anniversary DVD this replaces for me. This Atmos track (played back on my system in Dolby TrueHD 5.1) transformed the viewing experience so drastically, it was like watching and hearing the film's soundtrack for the first time. Loads of bass in just the right places, a much weightier feel to the soundstage and quite aggressive surround cues I was not expecting. Even the moment when the 747 jet flies over the buildings towards the beginning (just before we see the Williams character get off the plane) was louder and more aggressive as the craft swooshed from front to back. You could actually hear the fighters and Han's security goons clapping subtly in the surrounds during the tournament sequences -- something that was never heard on the 5.1 track of the DVD -- and also make out random cues that were placed accurately in the correct channels. The overall mastering volume of the mix was spot-on and super-aggressive, as well, which was a refreshing surprise -- I was expecting a track that was going to force me to jack my AVR's master volume way up to get engrossed in, but that wasn't the case; in fact, I had to keep turning the volume DOWN because this track was so loud. Very pleased with the audio here.

Let's address the hundred pound elephant in the room now: the video transfer, while for the most part nice and clean, didn't wow me like I expected it to. I had read at least one review that talked about "softness in the dark scenes" and a YouTuber who claimed Warner Bros. could have done better here, and in my estimation, both were correct; the outdoor sequences, as usual, fared the best, as colors, details in foliage and other elements were greatly improved (though still not quite reference) compared to the old DVD transfers of this classic. And while I'm on the topic of colors, let me say that the primaries on the costumes here really popped -- the golds and reds of the robes and other outfits worn at Han's lair were more saturated and rich-looking than ever. That wasn't the problem. The issue was that the look of the film, however improved it was, just didn't drop my jaw...I realize that this film is as old as I am and there's only so much you can do with old elements in the vaults, but given Warner's successful 4K masterings of classics like The Shining and Full Metal Jacket, I expected something a bit more impressive here. It didn't look bad, don't get me wrong -- but there were more than a few moments that could have been sharper, in better focus and less waxy. One of the worst moments came when Williams is being interrogated by the cops in the alleyway -- this sequence was noisy, far too dark and too closely resembled DVD (almost VHS)-like quality. It just didn't look good. I noted other sequences of similar characteristic (including more with the Williams character, such as when he walks around his karate studio), as well as the scene in which John Saxon's character is playing golf (which NEVER looked good on any format, IMO). These scenes didn't even look like they were rendered in 4K, and they came off appearing as if the bitrate dropped to a ridiculous number before suddenly snapping back to a respectable value.

From what I have read, these dips in quality may have been because Warner decided to put both cuts of the film on one disc, along with Atmos and mono tracks, but the film itself, regardless of version (the so-called "Special Edition," which was basically the slightly longer cut from the 25th Anniversary DVD, or the theatrical variant), isn't that long to warrant this explanation, IMO. It's not like we're dealing with Zack Snyder's Justice League being stuffed onto one disc here; at any rate, it was cool that we get both versions, I suppose, though I didn't check out the theatrical cut yet (I viewed the longer version which adds about three minutes, primarily in the beginning scene where Lee is talking to his teacher). I also appreciate that they included the introduction by Lee's wife, Linda Lee Caldwell, as an extra, though this little piece played automatically before the film started on the 25th Anniversary Edition DVD -- but I didn't appreciate that Warner didn't take the time to remaster this piece of footage in widescreen and 4K, as it boasted the same second-generation VHS tape-like quality (in full screen) as it did on the DVD. It looked atrocious. At the very least, Warner could have authored the disc so that the intro played automatically when choosing the longer cut.

I suppose I'm going to go ahead and replace my 25th Anniversary disc with this UHD release, though this is one of those titles I could have probably been just as happy sticking with a DVD for. Sure, the colors are richer and bolder and the HDR makes everything punchier, but all in all, this didn't really knock me off my sofa (and I'm running a pretty high-end UHD BD player). The audio was oustanding, though.​

 

[Tino]

Just my personal thoughts on the transfer and audio quality...

Honestly expected a little better on this one in terms of video -- the audio, on the other hand, was a night-and-day difference compared to the lossy Dolby Digital remix on the 25th Anniversary DVD this replaces for me. This Atmos track (played back on my system in Dolby TrueHD 5.1) transformed the viewing experience so drastically, it was like watching and hearing the film's soundtrack for the first time. Loads of bass in just the right places, a much weightier feel to the soundstage and quite aggressive surround cues I was not expecting. Even the moment when the 747 jet flies over the buildings towards the beginning (just before we see the Williams character get off the plane) was louder and more aggressive as the craft swooshed from front to back. You could actually hear the fighters and Han's security goons clapping subtly in the surrounds during the tournament sequences -- something that was never heard on the 5.1 track of the DVD -- and also make out random cues that were placed accurately in the correct channels. The overall mastering volume of the mix was spot-on and super-aggressive, as well, which was a refreshing surprise -- I was expecting a track that was going to force me to jack my AVR's master volume way up to get engrossed in, but that wasn't the case; in fact, I had to keep turning the volume DOWN because this track was so loud. Very pleased with the audio here.

Let's address the hundred pound elephant in the room now: the video transfer, while for the most part nice and clean, didn't wow me like I expected it to. I had read at least one review that talked about "softness in the dark scenes" and a YouTuber who claimed Warner Bros. could have done better here, and in my estimation, both were correct; the outdoor sequences, as usual, fared the best, as colors, details in foliage and other elements were greatly improved (though still not quite reference) compared to the old DVD transfers of this classic. And while I'm on the topic of colors, let me say that the primaries on the costumes here really popped -- the golds and reds of the robes and other outfits worn at Han's lair were more saturated and rich-looking than ever. That wasn't the problem. The issue was that the look of the film, however improved it was, just didn't drop my jaw...I realize that this film is as old as I am and there's only so much you can do with old elements in the vaults, but given Warner's successful 4K masterings of classics like The Shining and Full Metal Jacket, I expected something a bit more impressive here. It didn't look bad, don't get me wrong -- but there were more than a few moments that could have been sharper, in better focus and less waxy. One of the worst moments came when Williams is being interrogated by the cops in the alleyway -- this sequence was noisy, far too dark and too closely resembled DVD (almost VHS)-like quality. It just didn't look good. I noted other sequences of similar characteristic (including more with the Williams character, such as when he walks around his karate studio), as well as the scene in which John Saxon's character is playing golf (which NEVER looked good on any format, IMO). These scenes didn't even look like they were rendered in 4K, and they came off appearing as if the bitrate dropped to a ridiculous number before suddenly snapping back to a respectable value.

From what I have read, these dips in quality may have been because Warner decided to put both cuts of the film on one disc, along with Atmos and mono tracks, but the film itself, regardless of version (the so-called "Special Edition," which was basically the slightly longer cut from the 25th Anniversary DVD, or the theatrical variant), isn't that long to warrant this explanation, IMO. It's not like we're dealing with Zack Snyder's Justice League being stuffed onto one disc here; at any rate, it was cool that we get both versions, I suppose, though I didn't check out the theatrical cut yet (I viewed the longer version which adds about three minutes, primarily in the beginning scene where Lee is talking to his teacher). I also appreciate that they included the introduction by Lee's wife, Linda Lee Caldwell, as an extra, though this little piece played automatically before the film started on the 25th Anniversary Edition DVD -- but I didn't appreciate that Warner didn't take the time to remaster this piece of footage in widescreen and 4K, as it boasted the same second-generation VHS tape-like quality (in full screen) as it did on the DVD. It looked atrocious. At the very least, Warner could have authored the disc so that the intro played automatically when choosing the longer cut.

I suppose I'm going to go ahead and replace my 25th Anniversary disc with this UHD release, though this is one of those titles I could have probably been just as happy sticking with a DVD for. Sure, the colors are richer and bolder and the HDR makes everything punchier, but all in all, this didn't really knock me off my sofa (and I'm running a pretty high-end UHD BD player). The audio was oustanding, though.​

Have you considered purchasing the iTunes 4K/Dolby Vision/Dolby Atmos version? It’s on sale for only $4.99 and has all the extras.

 

[DanH1972]

Paid $4.99 for it on iTunes. Great deal.

If you like low bitrate video and lossy audio and not actually owning anything (you lease, you don't buy "digital"). To me, that's not a great deal any way you slice it.

You cannot download a high bitrate 4k version anyway off of iTunes.