Se7en: 4K UHD Review
David Fincher’s 1992 feature film directorial debut was the third installment of the Alien franchise, which let down many fans of the first two films. It is common knowledge that studio interference played a big role in the disastrous final cut. Based on the filmmaker’s previous work as a music video director, it was clear that the talent was there and even Alien 3 shows some true originality throughout. However, Fincher’s full vision was not realized. Three years later, Fincher would deliver his sophomore feature, the crime/thriller, Se7en, starring Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman. The screenplay was written by Andrew Kevin Walker, who had penned a couple of 90’s horror films, Brainscan and Hideaway, prior to giving us Se7en. Fincher’s film grossed over $300 million worldwide on a $34 million budget. This success paved the way for future Fincher classics like The Game, Fight Club, Panic Room and more. For Se7en’s 30th anniversary, Warner Bros have released a stunning new 4K disk, which is the post-holiday gift cinephiles worldwide have been clamoring for.
Set in a dreary city loaded with violent crimes and corruption, veteran police detective, William Somerset (Freeman) is one week away from retirement. He can’t wait to leave the city and live out his remaining years in a pleasant and crime-free environment. Needless-to-say, he isn’t too happy when he is assigned to investigate a new serial killer case, with a young homicide detective named David Mills (Pitt), who just relocated to the city with his wife Tracy (Gwyneth Paltrow). It turns out that the murders are following the Christian concept of the seven deadly sins (pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony and sloth).
The first murder they come across involves an obese corpse, tied to a chair in his kitchen, and was forced to eat until he basically popped. That would be the “gluttony” victim. That would be followed by greed, lust, etc. Fincher takes us through this extremely violent world, that is so graphic, that is borderlines on horror. However, cinematographer Darius Khondji is-able-to make even the grime look gorgeous. This is Fincher’s true introduction to his visionary genius. One of the best looking (and most iconic) shots in the film is when Mills is held at gunpoint by the unidentified killer in the rain.
Sourced from an 8K scan of the of the original elements, the new 2160p/HDR10 presentation is an absolute stunner. While Fincher did use AI in his remastering process, there was not a single moment where I felt that I noticed it. This pretty-much as close to perfect as one can get when it comes to the new presentation. Se7en is a dark film, and remaster takes full advantage of it. The dark corridors, rainy urban landscapes, and crime scenes, especially the first one, look fantastically eerie. Skin tones are sharp and detailed. Even the brighter moments, like the final act, set in the open desert really pops. Yes, the new DTS-HD Master Audio track is 5.1 and not 7.1 like the 2010 Blu-ray. However, this is definitely not a lesser audio option. The new 5.1 audio track sounds flawless, even though the 7.1 was not bad at all, I actually found this one to be a slight improvement.
While also available in steelbook packaging, I am reviewing the digipak release, which seems to be pretty rare in recent years. It reminds me a little bit of the original Fight Club DVD Digipak that I still love. There are no new bonus features, as the ones included on this disk have been ported over from previous releases. Still, If you are a fan of Se7en, I highly recommend grabbing the new 4K disk. One of the greatest crime-thrillers of the 90s (and possibly of all time) with the best presentation to date.
Bonus Features:
Commentaries –
- The Stars: David Fincher, Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman
- The Story: Richard Dyer, Andrew Kevin Walker, Richard Francis-Bruce, Michael De Luca, David Fincher
- The Picture: Darius Khondji, Arthur Max, Richard Francis-Bruce, Richard Dyer, David Fincher
- The Sound: Ren Klyce, Howard Shore, Richard Dyer, David Fincher
Deleted Scenes –
- Car Ride in from Gluttony
- My Future
- Raid on Victor’s
- Spare Some Change?
- Tracy Wakes from Light Sleep
- Pride
Alternate endings –
- Animated storyboards of un-shot ending
- Original “Test” ending
Still Photographs (featurettes) –
- John Doe’s Photographs
- Victor’s Decomposition
- Police Crime Scene Photographs
- Production Photographs
- The Notebooks
More Features:
- Production Design (featurette)
- Mastering for the Home Theater (featurette)
- Exploration of the Opening Title Sequence: Early Storyboards (featurette)
- Exploration of the Opening Title Sequence: Rough Version (featurette)
- Exploration of the Opening Title Sequence: Final Edit (featurette)
- Exploration of the Opening Title Sequence: Stereo Audio Commentary One – The Concept – Designer Kyle Cooper (featurette)
- Exploration of the Opening Title Sequence: Stereo Audio Commentary Two – The Sound – Brant Biles & Robert Margouleff (featurette)
- Theatrical EPK
By: Marc Ferman