The Truman Show (25^th Anniversary) [4K Ultra HD]

Director: Peter Weir

Cast: Jim Carrey, Laura Linney, Ed Harris

Release Date: July 4, 2023

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Disc Rating: 8/10

Synopsis:

Carrey stars as Truman Burbank, a man whose life is a nonstop TV show. Truman doesn’t realize that his quaint hometown is a giant studio set run by a visionary creator (Ed Harris), that folks living and working there are Hollywood actors, and that even his incessantly bubbly wife (Laura Linney) is a contract player. Gradually, Truman gets wise, and his response leaves viewers laughing, crying, and cheering like few films ever have.

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 Truman Show’ tells the extraordinary story of a kindhearted man named Truman Burbank who unbeknownst to him has lived his entire life as the star of a massive reality television series that follows him all day, every day while he lives what he believes to be a normal life where even his wife is a hired actor. But when a few mysterious occurrences that don’t add up cause Truman to question his reality and start digging deeper in a quest for the truth, the quest naturally only results in viewers becoming more enthralled than ever, but for Truman it’s a fight for the truth and a life going forward that should be his to choose.

Directed by Peter Weir from a screenplay written by Andrew Niccol, Weir’s notable work at the helm of ‘The Truman Show’ helped to bring this powerful and surprisingly touching film to a level many didn’t initially expect to see in a big-budget Jim Carrey film. Weir’s work behind the scenes is only tremendously complemented by a stellar cast to back it up that includes Jim Carrey, along with Laura Linney, Ed Harris, Noah Emmerich, Natascha McElhone, Holland Taylor, Paul Giamatti and more who each offer generally solid performances in their respective roles that all help to make this one the delightful and moving gem that it is, not to mention a film that still holds up remarkably well to this day.

‘The Truman Show’ first dazzled moviegoers in the Summer of 1998 and proved that Jim Carrey was fully capable of carrying an emotional film as the lead and that while he may specialize in slapstick comedy, it’s far from his only talent when it comes to acting. It’s a beautifully crafted film that’s brimming with heart, emotion and beauty around nearly every turn and has no trouble promptly grabbing your attention and keeping you fully invested and rooting for the star throughout its duration.

Perhaps most impressive is just how tremendously it still holds up today, twenty-five years after its debut and if anything just may be even more relevant in today’s landscape than it was when released. Showcasing a reality series done to the utter extreme and exploring how such an extravagant and daunting undertaking can still just as quickly begin to crumble when the star begins to get wise to the situation. If you’ve never had the pleasure of ‘The Truman Show’ then I can’t encourage you strongly enough to make a point of rectifying that whenever possible; it’s an unforgettable masterpiece of the late ‘90s that still delivers beautifully and is well worth going out of your way to check out.

In celebration of the film’s 25^th Anniversary, Paramount Home Entertainment brings ‘The Truman Show’ home to 4K Ultra HD for the time ever looking and sounding far better than it ever has in our living rooms prior. The release features a truly spectacular new Ultra High Definition video presentation with Dolby Vision and HDR-10 that’s been fully remastered using scans of the original negative, and approved by director Peter Weir. The gorgeous new 4K video presentation is only nicely complemented by a new Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 compatible) soundtrack to back it up which may not be an overly aggressive or immersive experience like some recent films, but nor should it be. The 4K Ultra HD release also comes with a previously issued Blu-ray copy of the film (sorry folks, but the Blu-ray is identical to Paramount’s previous editions and doesn’t feature the new transfer or audio presentation) which also includes a handful of carryover extras. While absent of any new extras, this is still a magnificent 4K UHD debut for the beloved film and one that should easily have fans cheering. If you’re already considering a purchase, this one is definitely recommended.

VIDEO:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of ‘The Truman Show’ features a full 2160p Ultra High-Definition presentation with Dolby Vision and HDR-10, presented in its original 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio, fully remastered using scans of the original negative, with the new 4K version approved by director Peter Weir. The video presentation is simply phenomenal and provides a richly detailed, clean, sharp and wonderfully filmic presentation that only impresses every step of the way. In addition to offering a more naturally filmic appearance with its share of grain and other welcome artifacts representative of its source material, it delivers marvelous clarity and detail in everything from character faces and clothing to the landscapes, vehicles, broadcast rooms and other elements within, and never suffering from any troubles or issues whatsoever along the way. The Dolby Vision addition only improves upon it all by providing a great color palette that stands out in clothing, water and a great deal more, all of which is nicely boosted by deep, crush-free black levels. Overall, this is a magnificent new Ultra High Definition video presentation that looks great throughout and should have fans absolutely thrilled.

AUDIO:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release features a Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 channel compatible) soundtrack. Please note that this review pertains solely to the Dolby TrueHD 7.1 audio presentation. This new multichannel soundtrack sounds quite good in its own right and provides a clean, sharp and occasionally fairly immersive audio presentation. It never reaches the extreme level of aggressiveness that we tend to see (or hear) with modern action-packed blockbusters, but if anything that’s a good thing because this calmly paced and emotional tale would surely only be harmed by that. It does utilize all seven available channels at every fitting opportunity in order to send some music, vehicle and nature effects including crashing waves and weather effects, along with more throughout the various speakers and always makes certain that any dialogue or other audio elements that might be occurring simultaneously remain clean and fully audible throughout. Overall, this is a very solid Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 compatible) soundtrack that sounds consistently good and should please the fans.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of ‘The Truman Show’ includes some previously released bonus content which can all be found on the included Blu-ray disc (which is identical to Paramount’s previous Blu-ray releases of the film) including a few ‘Deleted Scenes’ from the movie (running approximately 13 minutes in length altogether), along with the multi-part making of look ‘How’s It Going to End? The Making of The Truman Show’ (running approximately 42 minutes in length combined) and the Featurette ‘Faux Finishing, the Visual Effects of The Truman Show’ (running approximately 13 minutes). Also included are ‘2 Theatrical Trailers’ (approximately 4 minutes together) and ‘2 TV Spots’ (approximately 1 minute) for the film, along with a ‘Photo Gallery’.

*Please note that the above images are taken from the included Blu-Ray disc 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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‘The Truman Show’ 25^th Anniversary Edition is Now Available to Own on 4K Ultra HD from Paramount Home Entertainment

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