Underworld 4K UHD Review (Patreon)

Note: Underworld was the first ever Patreon exclusive UHD review. Well, with the new box set, that's unfortunately gotta change so I can have a complete set of reviews on the site. But, hey, screenshots! I didn't have any before. 

Video

HDR effects add little to Underworld, short of brightening the vampire's pale skin. The cinematography's crushing blacks can't pull anything new from this film. Detail doesn’t pour forth and any new gradients go unidentified. Highlights read a bit stronger, giving Underworld additional depth, if a minimal upgrade over the early Blu-ray release.

Then there’s the master, upscaled from a 2K source (and kept that way to manage the early '00s CG). Messy grain structure dominates, poorly resolved and unnaturally thick for 4K. Fidelity escapes the messy grain structure when zoomed in. Beckinsale's many close-ups show hefty definition, albeit with some ringing on contrasting edges. Minor, but notable.

It certainly doesn’t help when Underworld is constructed in monochromatic blue, some of the most aggressive color grading of the early digital era. Flesh tones don't exist in any normal way, at times, they'll clip detail at their brightest.

Audio

Underworld's imaging is magnificent. The whip sequence was an early DVD demo, and here that doesn’t change now, especially when the overheads become involved, gorgeously separaterd. Gunfire pans and the constant water fighting leads to splashing all around the soundfield. Hearing werewolves strike from different locations or creep into the mix remains a highlight.

Then the gunfire and punches and blistering soundtrack, all three which want to destroy your subwoofer. At times, the music blares and blots out the effects. Other times, the effects blare and blot out the soundtrack. It’s all over the place, outdated in design, but an easy measure of what your system can accomplish. Lower-end systems are unlikely to handle the intense variations.