Event Horizon (25^th Anniversary Edition) (Limited Edition Steelbook) [4K Ultra HD]

Director: Paul W.S. Anderson

Cast: Laurence Fishburne, Sam Neill, Kathleen Quinlan

Release Date: August 9, 2022

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Disc Rating: 8/10

Synopsis:

Seven years ago, pioneering research spacecraft “Event Horizon” mysteriously vanished without a trace on its maiden voyage. But then, in the darkness of deep space, a persistent signal prompts a crew to make their way through the galaxy on a bold rescue mission. What they uncover is an unimaginable interstellar horror that will test the entire team’s sanity and souls.

Please Note: Paramount Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray I reviewed in this Post. The opinions I share are my own.

The sci-fi horror cult classic ‘Event Horizon’ accompanies a rescue team sent out to locate and look into the mysterious return of a research spacecraft that has suddenly reappeared after vanishing without a trace seven years prior. But when this crew boards the ghostly craft they quickly discover that the ship has brought more than a few terrifying secrets back from wherever it had disappeared to and the reality of where it’s been just might be more frightening than they could have fathomed. Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson and featuring a notable cast that includes Laurence Fishburne, Sam Neill, Kathleen Quinlan, Joely Richardson, and Jason Isaacs along with more. ‘Event Horizon’ was initially unleashed into theaters in 1997 and still capably delivers the creepy goods to this day.

Paul W.S. Anderson’s science fiction horror cult classic ‘Event Horizon’ still delivers a well-constructed, unsettling and delightfully eerie tale of horror in deep space with capable effects and gore as well as a stellar cast and it shouldn’t have any trouble getting under your skin. It still holds up quite well even twenty-five years after its initial release and is highly recommended if you’re a fan of well-made sci-fi/horror hybrids and haven’t previously had the pleasure of this disturbing gem. Now ‘Event Horizon’ makes its 4K Ultra HD debut in celebration of its twenty-fifth anniversary with a new Limited Edition Steelbook release from Paramount Home Entertainment that should certainly have fans excited.

This new Limited Edition Steelbook release brings the film home on 4K UHD disc sporting an altogether quite gorgeous new Ultra High Definition video presentation with Dolby Vision and HDR-10 and a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtrack, as well as some carryover extras from the older Paramount Blu-ray release. In addition to the upgraded video presentation which marks a pretty remarkable upgrade from the Paramount Blu-ray release (I don’t personally have access to the more recent Shout Factory Blu-ray so I’m unable to make any comparisons to the quality of that one unfortunately) it also offers some noteworthy collectible packaging that seems to look great for the most part (the printing on the slipcase of the copy I was sent for review was a tad off and doesn’t line up as it’s supposed to but rest assured that most copies seem to be properly printed) and any diehard fans of this eerie sci-fi horror classic who are fully 4K capable will probably want to try and add this one to their collection when possible.

Overall, the 25^th Anniversary Edition 4K UHD release of ‘Event Horizon’ brings the Paul Anderson directed, fan-favorite sci-fi horror cult classic home looking better than it ever has before. Sporting a rather gorgeous new Ultra High Definition video presentation with Dolby Vision and HDR-10 which delivers a massive upgrade (at least from the previous Paramount Blu-ray release) paired with a carryover Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtrack and some previously released extras all packed into a cleverly constructed Slipcase, Steelbook design that altogether makes this new Limited Edition 25^th Anniversary release a real treat. Even while absent of any new extras, the upgraded 4K video presentation alone will probably make this one a must own for many diehard fans. If you’re contemplating a purchase and able to track down a copy, then this release is definitely recommended.

VIDEO:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of ‘Event Horizon’ features a full 2160p Ultra High Definition video presentation with Dolby Vision and HDR-10, presented in its original 2.39:1 Cinemascope Aspect Ratio. The video presentation looks pretty marvelous as a whole and offers a sharp, richly detailed presentation from start to finish with no notable issues or problems to be uncovered along the way. The presentation retains a perfectly filmic offering that’s rich with grain and other welcome elements representative of it source and the Dolby Vision color grading helps to improve upon nearly all of it by contributing some beautifully vibrant and bright colors along rich and notably deep blacks. Overall, this is a source faithful and quite spectacular Ultra High Definition offering that looks impressive and should easily thrill the fans.

AUDIO:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release features a 5.1 channel Dolby TrueHD soundtrack. This multichannel soundtrack is a carryover from the previous Paramount Blu-ray release of the film to the best of my knowledge and provides a clean, crisp and capable audio presentation throughout. It consistently takes full advantage of all five available channels in order to send music, creepy effects and plenty more throughout the various speakers pretty regularly, while never conflicting with any dialogue or other audio elements that might be occurring simultaneously. Overall, this is a solid 5.1 Dolby TrueHD soundtrack that may not be quite as spectacular as some Atmos offerings but delivers quite nicely nonetheless and shouldn’t disappoint.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of ‘Event Horizon’ features a solid collection of previously released bonus content which can be found on the included Blu-ray disc. Included on the release is an ‘Audio Commentary with director Paul W.S. Anderson and producer Jeremy Bolt’, along with the 5-part Behind the Scenes Documentary ‘The Making of Event Horizon’ (running approximately 103 minutes in length altogether) which features interviews/comments with the cast and crew, plus behind the scenes footage and more. We are also treated to ‘The Point of No Return: The Filming of Event Horizon with Audio Commentary by director Paul W.S. Anderson’ (running approximately 8 minutes) and a collection of Deleted and Extended Scenes in ‘Secrets’ which includes ‘Deleted Briefing Scene with Optional Commentary by director Paul W.S. Anderson’ (3 minutes), ‘Extended Medical Bay Scene featuring commentary with Anderson’ (1 minute) and ‘Extended Burning Man Confrontation featuring commentary by Anderson’ (6 minutes). Additionally included is ‘The Unseen Event Horizon’ which features ‘The Un-Filmed Rescue Scene’ (3 minutes) and ‘Conceptual Art’ (4 minutes) which both also feature commentary with Anderson. The film’s ‘Theatrical Trailer’ (2 minutes) and ‘Video Trailer’ (2 minutes) are also included.

*Please note that the above images are taken from the Blu-Ray disc included in the 4K UHD Combo Pack and resized. They do not represent the quality of the 4K Ultra HD disc itself and will additionally suffer quality loss as a result of .jpg compression. Larger versions of each image can be viewed by clicking on the image. All images and content included on the 4K UHD & Blu-Ray release are the property of their respective owners.

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Disc Rating: 8/10

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‘Event Horizon’ 25^th Anniversary Edition is Now Available to Own on 4K Ultra HD in A Limited Edition Steelbook from Paramount Home Entertainment