Zodiac 4K review
Oct 25, 2024- Permalink
David Fincher’s 2007 mystery thriller Zodiac tells the true-life story of the Zodiac Killer, whose string of murders from the late 1960s to early 1970s confounded San Francisco Bay Area detectives as he taunted them with items and ciphers mailed to newspapers. The unsolved case saw the last letter sent in 1974. The movie follows the detectives and journalists who are embroiled in the case and the stellar cast features Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, and Robert Downey Jr., alongside Anthony Edwards, Brian Cox, Elias Koteas, Donal Logue, John Carroll Lynch, Chloë Sevigny, Philip Baker Hall, and Dermot Mulroney. Paramount Home Entertainment has just released a 4K version of the film and I had a chance to take a look.
The 2160p HEVC / H.265 encoded upscaled 4K digital transfer with Dolby Vision and HDR10 is presented in a 2.39:1 aspect ratio. Zodiac was originally shot on a 2007-era professional digital camera, with some footage shot on 35mm. Since the digital camera maxed out at 1080p, this 4K transfer is an upscale. The image clarity is excellent with great detail on facial features, textiles and environments, though there are some moments where faces can briefly look a little flat. The HDR makes the colour palette appear more lifelike and the black levels are nice and deep. Given that this an upscale, is it a huge improvement over the previous Blu-ray if you already have it? I’d say no, with the caveat that the HDR and the extra data room on the 4K disc makes this the best it’s looked so far. If you already own Zodiac on Blu-ray that’s a consideration but if you’re owning it for the first time, this would be the release to get.
On the audio side of things, the movie comes with an English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtrack as well as a descriptive audio track. Subtitles are available for English SDH. This is the same soundtrack from the previous Blu-ray release. It’s a front heavy soundtrack with only the occasional use of the surrounds. Dialogue is clear and prioritized in the mix.
The Zodiac 4K also comes with two Blu-ray discs and a digital code, though yet again there is no digital code on the Canadian release. All the special features are included on the Blu-rays. The first Blu-ray disc contains the director’s cut of the movie and also features French and Spanish subtitles. It also includes two audio commentaries. The first is from director David Fincher, while the second features Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey, Jr., producer Brad Fischer, writer James Vanderbilt, and James Ellroy. The second Blu-ray contains a three-part documentary that runs just under an hour, there are some other production pieces and a 42 minute deep dive into the case.
Zodiac is a gripping movie with a stellar cast. The Zodiac 4K offers some visual improvement over the previous Blu-ray release and the extras dive into the production and the case. Recommended.