UHD Review 2001: A Space Odyssey UHD Review (1 Viewer)

[Todd Erwin]

Warner celebrates the 50th Anniversary of Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey with a newly restored picture and sound. Highly recommended.



2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)



Released: 12 May 1968
Rated: G
Runtime: 149 min




Director: Stanley Kubrick
Genre: Adventure, Sci-Fi



Cast: Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester, Daniel Richter
Writer(s): Stanley Kubrick (screenplay), Arthur C. Clarke (screenplay)



Plot: After discovering a mysterious artifact buried beneath the lunar surface, mankind sets off on a quest to find its origins with help from intelligent supercomputer HAL 9000.



IMDB rating: 8.3
MetaScore: 82





Disc Information



Studio: Warner Brothers
Distributed By: N/A
Video Resolution:...

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[Vincent_P]

"The restored mix is the one to listen to..."

Many folks would disagree with this, as the "restored" 1999 track is a remix that removes directional effects, etc.

Vincent

 

[Josh Steinberg]

If you can forgive a quick footnote, the "unrestored" version was released last May to 70mm theaters. This new edition contains the 4K restoration, which did play in IMAX theaters last August. (A handful 15/70 IMAX film locations showed the unrestored 70mm print, but the vast majority of IMAX locations played the new digital restoration.)

I agree with Vincent that the 1968 track is the one to listen to, but Warner has made this confusing by labeling the 1999 track as "restored," which doesn't seem the proper terminology.

 

[Wayne_j]

Especially since I think the "restored" track is the same one that was on the last release.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Especially since I think the "restored" track is the same one that was on the last release.

Yes, the 1999 track is identical to the previous Blu-ray, previous DVD, etc. That's another reason why "newly restored" seems such an odd term - it's been the default audio track for this title for 20 years!

Warner has done tremendous work on their actual 4K restoration of the film, the disc release is fantastic, and Todd's review is fantastic, but Warner is sure not making any of this easy with the most confusing verbiage surrounding a release I've ever experienced.

 

[Bryan Tuck]

I don't think the "Restored and Remixed" track on the UHD is quite the same as the 5.1 on the previous Blu-ray. The older remix centered most of the dialogue, but on the UHD's "restored" track, at least some of the original directionality is retained (one example is Dr. Floyd's briefing just after arriving on the moon). Also, the music seems like it's been cleaned up a bit, and HAL's voice sounds a little fuller in some scenes (though that could be better encoding).

Also, on the "restored" remix, the Main Title music is very slightly out-of-sync (the credits don't "hit" quite where they're supposed to).

Not sure how they went about it, but the new remix does seem to be altered a bit from the previous one.

 

[DP 70]

On the 1968 original and 1977 70mm reissue prints the announcement about the sweater came out of the
surround track only, so this 1968 version on this UHD is not original as heard in cinemas.

 

[Britton]

Also, on the "restored" remix, the Main Title music is very slightly out-of-sync (the credits don't "hit" quite where they're supposed to).

And that makes it the one not to listen to IMO. "1968" audio all the way!

 

[CarlosMeat]

Do any of you have a full Atmos set up ? Just asking because at least to me the extraction from the Dawn of Man possible that gives full immersion particularly in the ape altercation scenes but also the leopard growling at night seem much more believable and robust in the "restored " track at least for me. So much more coming from the height channels.

 

[JQuintana]

Isn't there already a long 4K UHD review of this movie??

https://www.hometheaterforum.com/co...dyssey-in-4k-uhd-blu-ray.359536/#post-4667655

 

[dpippel]

HTF disc reviews and the "A Few Words About..." postings by Robert Harris are two different things.

 

[john a hunter]

On the 1968 original and 1977 70mm reissue prints the announcement about the sweater came out of the
surround track only, so this 1968 version on this UHD is not original as heard in cinemas.

Quite right Derek!
That's always my test to see how much the sound has been buggered up by the "experts"!
My first viewing of the 4k tonight on my new PJ.
The 1968 track is the obvious choice.

 

[CarlosMeat]

The 1968 track is the obvious choice.

Why ?

 

[john a hunter]

For all those reasons set out above.
Will listen for height channel involvement.

 

[PMF]

Very helpful clarifications on the sound options.

 

[Brian Kidd]

The original track may have some different directional mixing, but the newer track beats the original all over the place when it comes to the actual quality of the sound. The 1968 track is quite thin in comparison. The nice thing about this release is that people will be able to listen to whichever they prefer. After sampling both, I will probably listen to the 1968 mix once, just out of interest, but the new track will be my go-to for the rest of my viewings.

 

[WinstonCely]

I was just wondering if this new version made the front screen projection scenes more noticeable that they are stage sets instead of actual locations?

 

[Worth]

I was just wondering if this new version made the front screen projection scenes more noticeable that they are stage sets instead of actual locations?

I've found that true of this version, the previous blu-ray, and even the DVD before that. There's something about the stability of digital video that makes it stand out more. It blends together better on film, even in 70mm.

 

[dpippel]

I disagree. There has definitely been some digital cleanup done on the Scotchlite front projection screen artifacts, at least in the 4K version of this release. On the old Blu-ray it was pretty easy to spot the diagonal swaths of Scotchlite strips in the backgrounds of Dawn of Man sequences. They're completely gone in the new 4K release. That doesn't change the fact that it's still pretty easy to see that these are studio sets and not location shots, but the crosshatching on the backgrounds is no longer there and things blend much better.

 

[Brian Kidd]

I also felt like the Dawn of Man section on the UHD disc was handled well. Honestly, unless you know that it was filmed on a soundstage, very few shots will give you any hints. The back screen was clearly visible in the previous BD release, but it's barely noticeable unless you're really looking for it in the UHD version.