Rain Man: 4K UHD Review
Available now on 4K UHD is Barry Levinson’s Rain Man, winner of four Academy Awards, including Best Picture. As part of the MVD Marquee Collection, we get this release just in time for the film’s 35th anniversary. The 4K high definition 16-bit scan of the original camera negative was approved by Levinson and presented in Dolby Vision/ HDR. It’s been more than three decades since the release of Rain Man and in that time, we have learned a lot more about people on the spectrum. While the character of Raymond Babbitt (played amazingly by Dustin Hoffman) may not be accurate, the performance did help make the public more aware of Autism.
For those who have never seen Rain Man, the film centers on Charlie Babbitt (Tom Cruise), a car importer who is in serious debt, thanks to the vehicles not passing inspections by the EPA. He is on the verge of losing everything. When Charlie learns his estranged father has passed away, he cuts his weekend trip to Palm Springs short with his girlfriend Susana (Valeria Golino) and they head to the funeral. Charlie isn’t really phased by his father’s passing. He is more interested in the will. While Charlie only inherited his dad’s classic car and rose bushes, he is shocked to learn that an undisclosed person inherited the rest of the $3 million estate.
It doesn’t take long for Charlie to track down the mysterious beneficiary and discover that he has an older brother named Raymond living in an institution that he never knew about. Since Raymond is there voluntarily, Charlie basically kidnaps his brother and refuses to return him to the institution unless he gets half of the money that was left to his brother. The rest of the film is a sibling road trip in which Charlie begins to learn there are things more important than money.
The new 4K restoration of Rain Man looks quite nice, while not a vast improvement over the 25th anniversary Blu-ray that was released a decade ago. Still, this release is the closest the film has looked to its’ theatrical release. The details are sharp. When we first see Charlie’s father’s car, the 1949 Buick Roadmaster, the paint simply shines. The Las Vegas lights pop facial details during close ups are quite fine. Included is a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track which services the presentation just fine. Hans Zimmer delivers another memorable score and of course who can forget The Belle Stars hit song, Iko, Iko?
Included in this release is a nice stack of legacy bonus features. While nothing new has been added, these are still great features for those who have never seen them. Rain Man is definitely a classic and deservingly so. While there may be issues with the inaccurate depiction of people on the spectrum, this film is more about the relationship between the brothers than anything else, with Cruise and Hoffman delivering some of their best work.
Special Features:
DISC ONE: 4K ULTRA HD DISC
- 2023 4K Restoration (16-Bit Scan of the Original Camera Negative) approved by director Barry Levinson and presented in its original 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio in Dolby Vision / HDR
- English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, Spanish Mono
- Optional English Subtitles
- Audio Commentary by Director Barry Levinson
- Audio Commentary by Writer Barry Morrow
- Audio Commentary by Writer Ronald Bass
- Original Theatrical Trailer
DISC TWO: BLU-RAY DISC
- Brand New HD (1080p) restoration of the main feature approved by director Barry Levinson presented in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio
- Audio Commentary by Director Barry Levinson
- Audio Commentary by Writer Barry Morrow
- Audio Commentary by Writer Ronald Bass
- English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, Spanish Mono
- Optional English SDH Subtitles, Spanish Subtitles, French Subtitles
- ‘The Journey of Rain Man’ featurette (SD, 22:07)
- ‘Lifting the Fog: A Look at the Mysteries of Autism’ featurette
- Deleted Scene (SD, 2:10)
- Original Theatrical Trailer
By: Marc Ferman