One of three James Cameron films that arrived on 4K Blu-ray on March 12, 2024, True Lies starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis has been on many wish lists for 4K upgrades. And by all means it should have been, because the film never even made it to Blu-ray! Like Cameron’s The Abyss, the action film’s last home media format was DVD which followed laserdisc and VHS. The jump from SD (Standard Definition) to HD (High Definition) was never made. However, anyone who hasn’t invested in a 4k Blu-ray player yet can still get the remastered film on the included Blu-ray in the 2-disc Ultimate Collector’s Edition.
You’ve probably already heard plenty of negativity about how this film purportedly uses AI to process sharper and more vibrant images. While this is true, we can only sit back and enjoy the new “remaster“ for what it is. The film was previously released in Digital 4K last December, and the 4K Blu-ray was a hopeful redemption of some of the overprocessed video. But there isn’t much difference between the 4k disc or digital presentation, with the exception of higher bitrates from the UHD BD.
Video
Putting the quality of the image aside as an aesthetic choice by Cameron (who likely approved the “new look”), True Lies is sharper and more dynamic than ever before. Sure, we wish it had retained some of the celluloid qualities of 35mm film. We miss the grain, and don’t like the polishing of skin tones, especially evident in shots of Jamie Lee Curtis’s character Helen. As a result, sometimes the characters look like wax figures. In one instance, Tia Carrere appears to have been airbrushed for a “Vogue” cover when she arrives at the airport hangar at 1 hour and 27 minutes.
But there are other shots that are impressive, including close-ups of Arnold Schwarzenegger, that are so sharp with detail that it’s really fun to look at. The zoom close-up of his character Harry at 48 minutes and 40 seconds has never looked so good. Sharpness gained from the 4K presentations also reveals his stuntmen more than ever before, particularly noticeable in the horse chase in the opening scene. Visual effects (nominated for an Oscar in 1995) look convincing enough in the new remaster.
Audio
Even if you’re not a huge fan of the way the video image was processed, you can surely enjoy this new Dolby Atmos mix. Explosions fill the sound space and gunshots fly by your ears when Harry disrupts the terrorists’ plan towards the end of the second act. The sounds of helicopter propellers are enhanced in surround sound, as the effects travel through left and right channels. Dialogue is always clear and present, even amidst the most involved scenes. It should be noted the included Blu-ray does not feature Atmos, but rather a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix. Subtitles are provided in English SDH, French, and Spanish.
Bonus Materials
Bonus features, albeit legacy, include “Fear Is Not an Option: A Look Back at True Lies,” and “Archives: Script, Artwork, Marketing – Dive into the production secrets of True Lies with exclusive behind-the-scenes documents.” The visual effects, stunts, and chase scenes made it one of the best action movies of the year. It was also an extremely expensive film with an estimated $115M budget. Seeing how the film was made and marketed adds another layer of immersion into the film.
Summary
True Lies on 4K Blu-ray and in Digital 4K doesn’t look exactly like we expected it to, but it does feature huge improvements from previous standard definition presentations. Fans of the film and action genre, and of course Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis, will definitely enjoy the fresh take on this 90s hit. But as mentioned above, even if you’re not happy about how the image was processed, the Dolby Atmos mix is a real treat, especially in immersive speaker set ups. We’re ranking this release “highly recommended” simply for the fact there was never a Blu-ray to compare to, and the vibrant picture and sound of this film make it an overall great home theater experience.
Scores
Movie
4/5
Video
3.5/5
Audio
4/5
Bonus Materials
3/5
