Although not mentioned on the packaging, Enter the Dragon arrives on 4K UHD Blu-ray in time for its 50th anniversary.
The Production: 4/5
For this release, Warner Bros has included both the Special Edition and Theatrical cuts of Enter the Dragon. The following has been taken from Cameron Yee’s review of the 40th Anniversary Blu-ray release from 2013, which only included the Special Edition.
The criminal activities of the former Shaolin monk Han (Shih Kien) have brought him to the attention of the British authorities, who call on those best equipped to stop him, disciples of the Shaolin Temple itself. Its most accomplished student is Lee (Bruce Lee), who turns out to have more than just the sacred community’s honor to uphold when he agrees to hunt down the rogue kung fu master. Posing as a contestant in Han’s martial arts tournament, Lee easily infiltrates the criminal organization and gains a couple of allies along the way (played by John Saxon and Jim Kelly), but finds actually stopping Han more challenging than he expected, requiring him to draw on not just his formidable physical abilities, but the wisdom and life lessons of his venerated Shaolin masters.
After a stifling experience in Hollywood, where he played The Green Hornet’s Kato but then was offered only variations of that role, Lee returned to where he was raised to star in films like The Big Boss and Fist of Fury, making him an international box office sensation in Hong Kong and much of Asia. That success renewed Hollywood’s interest, which then led to production of Director Robert Clouse’s Enter the Dragon, a film that would effectively re-introduce Lee to Western audiences, but now as a lead actor and, ultimately, a global, martial arts superstar. Lee’s untimely death just six days before Enter the Dragon’s premiere cut short a career that was just gaining momentum, but then his passing immediately transformed him into a legend whose status continues unabated even after 40 years. Though Enter the Dragon is by no means a masterpiece, even within the martial arts genre, which has had four decades to be inspired by and build upon his efforts, it is certainly the most accessible of Lee’s films and a watershed moment in his too-brief career. Ultimately it’s difficult not to feel a twinge of sadness watching him at the peak of his abilities, wondering what might have been if he had lived to a ripe old age like his one time Wing Chun teacher, Ip Man. No doubt the worlds of both martial arts and movie making would be very different places.
Video: 4.5/5
3D Rating: NA
After doing some additional research online, it appears that for this release, Warner was able to go back to the original camera negative to create a new 4K scan and digital intermediate for both the Special Edition and Theatrical cuts of Enter the Dragon, both of which have been included in this release with HDR10 high dynamic range. Colors appear more stable and consistent with no blooming or bleed, especially the bright oranges and reds. Contrast is also improved with deeper blacks and brighter highlights. However, 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. Bitrates on both versions hover between 30 and 40 Mbps, often dipping below that and rarely exceeding 55 during many of the action sequences. That might explain why some of the darker sequences appear soft and have barely noticeable crushed blacks.
Audio: 5/5
Both cuts feature a default Dolby Atmos track that builds on the 5.1 upmix created for earlier releases, which really ups the ante during fight sequences with its wider and more immersive soundstage and stronger LFE, adding some low-end emphasis to punches, crashes, bone-crunching and Lalo Schifrin’s very 1970s exploitation score. Dialogue is clear and understandable throughout (although it still sounds dubbed). For purists, a restored original mono theatrical mix is included in DTS-HD MA 2.0.
Special Features: 2/5
This 4K UHD Blu-ray release follows a recent pattern with Warner catalog releases – only a 4K disc is included, and only the audio commentary and video introduction to the Special Edition has been retained. No Blu-ray has been included, and most of the previous extras along with the theatrical cut are available when you redeem your digital code, at least on some retailers.
Introduction by Linda Lee Cadwell (upscaled 1080p; 2:11): Bruce Lee’s widow discusses how the movie was altered by omitting a few scenes prior to its release that her husband was not happy with that have now been restored. She also briefly discusses how her husband was unable to see the finished product with an audience, having passed away just weeks before its release.
Audio Commentary by Producer Paul Heller and Writer Michael Allin: This is an archival track originally recorded for the film’s DVD release. As noted in Cameron Yee’s review – “Heller goes into a little detail about Lee’s fighting abilities, as well as some trivia about how Lee did his own stunts (and was injured), how he handled a real (milked) snake on camera, and how the mirror climax was conceived. Heller is joined at times by writer Michael Allin on speakerphone, which makes for a disjointed effect, to say the least. Heller truly loves the film, but this isn’t the most gripping commentary you’ll ever hear.”
Digital Copy: A Movies Anywhere code is included to redeem a 4K digital copy. Per the studio’s press release, the digital code was supposed to include both versions of the film. As of the publication of this review, only Apple TV offered both versions of the film (and then, only on Apple TV devices) – the Special Edition in Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos; the Theatrical in Dolby Vision and 5.1 audio. Movies Anywhere and Vudu are the only other retailers that also offer the Special Edition in Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, while Prime Video only offers the Special Edition in HD with Dolby Digital 5.1 audio (although lately Prime Video has quietly been upgrading their Warner titles to 4K). As for special features, both Apple TV (on Apple TV devices) and Movies Anywhere offer the following archival features in addition to those listed above: The Curse of the Dragon (SD; 87:32), No Way as Way (HD; 26:23), The Tao of Wing Chun (HD; 20:01), Return to Han’s Island (HD; 10:23), Blood and Steel: The Making of “Enter the Dragon” (SD; 30:12), Bruce Lee: In his Own Words (SD; 19:20), Linda Lee Cadwell Interview Clips (SD; 16:03), Location: Hong Kong with “Enter the Dragon” (SD; 7:41), and Backyard Workout with Bruce (SD; 1:53). Vudu and Prime Video are movie-only.
Overall: 4/5
Fans will likely appreciate this release, offering them both versions of the film in a very good new 4K transfer. The lack of extras (on the disc and at many digital retailers) may be a put-off, though.
Enter the Dragon (4K Ultra HD + Digital) [4K UHD]
29% Off $33.99 $20.88
Todd Erwin has been a reviewer at Home Theater Forum since 2008. His love of movies began as a young child, first showing Super 8 movies in his backyard during the summer to friends and neighbors at age 10. He also received his first movie camera that year, a hand-crank Wollensak 8mm with three fixed lenses. In 1980, he graduated to "talkies" with his award-winning short The Ape-Man, followed by the cult favorite The Adventures of Terrific Man two years later. Other films include Myth or Fact: The Talbert Terror and Warren's Revenge (which is currently being restored). In addition to movie reviews, Todd has written many articles for Home Theater Forum centering mostly on streaming as well as an occasional hardware review, is the host of his own video podcast Streaming News & Views on YouTube and is a frequent guest on the Home Theater United podcast.
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