Almost Famous 4K Blu-ray Review

A veritable tour de force of cinema

by Simon Crust
MSRP: £19.99

Almost Famous Review

Me too! Isn't it funny? The truth just sounds different.

And it does.

Cameron Crowe's semi-autobiographic film Almost Famous tells the story of a how a 15-year-old boy writer manages to get Rolling Stone magazine to sponsor a 3000 word piece on up-and-coming band Stillwater while accompanying them on a tour around America, with all the trials, tribulations and temptations that that brings with it.

And it really is the truth that brings out the best in the story. Each character is based on a person, or an amalgamation of people, so their mannerisms, language - very being - scream real, while the situations, plights and narrative have an authenticity that begs attention. There is no need for flashy visuals (but the film still looks great), no need for a twisty turny script (but the film engages), no need for huge action scenes (but the film is riveting) and no need for CGI (but the film maintains scale).

As much as the story is about discovery, it is also about acceptance: finding and living with yourself. It neither glorifies nor demonises the life of a band on the road, especially in the hedonistic times of the early seventies, but rather shines a spotlight (!) on a specific time and place, allowing the drama to ebb and flow organically, while having a firm end goal in sight. Aided and abetted by a glorious score, Almost Famous, commits that greatest of triumphs – being an awesome film that you cannot help but be swept away in.

Almost Famous Video

Almost Famous
Included images are not sourced from the 4K Blu-ray

Almost Famous was shot on 35mm film using Panavision Cameras and has benefitted from a 2021 4K rescan and clean up which produced a 4K DI from which it appears this UHD is sourced.

The disc presents a native 3840 x 2160p resolution image with widescreen 1.85:1 aspect ratio, and uses 10-bit video depth, High Dynamic Range, a Wide Colour Gamut (WCG) and is encoded using the HEVC (H.265) codec for HRD10 and Dolby Vision.

We reviewed the Region free UK Ultra HD Blu-ray release of Almost Famous on a Panasonic TX-65HZ1000B Ultra HD 4K TV with a Panasonic DP-UB450 Dolby Vision HDR10+ 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray player.

 

Natural looking   

A very natural looking picture is given a boost thanks to Dolby Vision which enhances the filmic nature of the piece. Detail is sharp, there are no instances of softness, with staples like skin texture and clothing weaves coming off with aplomb. Album covers, guitar strings, jumping crowds, lighting rigs: all are well defined, check out the trees against the skyline when William is talking to Penny, how the light defuses through.

Colours are natural looking, while given a new intensity and boldness thanks to D.V., check out the depth colour to the stage lighting when the band plays, where primaries of red and blue are vivid. Flesh tones are natural, while the earthy hues of the cinematography shine through.

Black is deep and rich adding new depth, while the white scale enhances the highlights; check out the aforementioned sunlight in the trees, or flash photography from the crowds at the gigs, or the piercing spotlights, or best of all the lighting during the plane turbulance.

Digitally there are no compression issues and the original source is in beautiful shape with a wonderful grain structure that enhances its filmic nature.

Almost Famous Audio

Almost Famous
Dance like no one is watching

Whilst the disc has not been given a Dolby Atmos or DTS:X upgrade, the legacy DTS-HD MA 5.1 track is no slouch. There is good separation within the mix, this is true of the many concert scenes, where you get a feel of being on stage as the band plays, but more than that, when backstage the distance and echo of the music feels palpable. The bass effects, especially the drums, and the thunder, add some significance to the low end helping to fill the soundscape.

 

Epic Score  

The epic score is given full reign of the speakers for a terrific sense of immersion. Dialogue is natural sounding and dominated by the frontal array, though some directionality is noted. Effects, such a crowds or vehicles, remain true while ambience is well catered for by the surround speakers; sitting abord the plane feels real, for example. In all a naturalistic surround track made all the better for the realistic nature of the music sets.

Review System: Denon AVR-X4300H, MK Sound LCR750 and SUR55T, XTZ S2 Atmosphere ceiling mounted, SVS PB-12 Ultra.

Almost Famous Extras

Almost Famous
Hello, boys

It appears as if the check discs for the review were switched around - Almost Famous is available in two editions:

Standard Edition with 1xUHD Bootleg Cut and 1xBD Theatrical Cut
HMV Exclusive Cine Edition which has 1xUHD Bootleg Cut, 1xUHD Theatrical Cut, 1xBD Bootleg and 1xBD Theatrical

For the purposes of review we were incorrectly provided with the additional discs from the Cine Edition, namely 1xUHD Theatrical and 1xBD Bootleg. The Extras on both sets are listed below:

Filmmaker Focus: Cameron Crowe on Almost Famous – 8 minute feature with the writer/director who regales us with his thoughts on the film, how it came about, his own life, shooting schedule, characters, settings and themes. New for this release.

Casting & Costumes – 13 minute feature examining the casting choices and the clothes that brought them to life, Crowe talks over audition tapes. New for this release.

Rock School – 11 minute feature looking into how the ‘band’ became so, their sessions and song writing. New for this release.

Extended Scenes – 9 minutes of extensions. New for this release.

Odds & Sods – 9 minutes of alternate footage. scenes. New for this release.

Intro by Cameron Crowe – Legacy feature

Interview with Lester Bangs – Legacy feature

Cameron Crowe's Top Albums of 1973 – Legacy feature

Fever Dog Music Video – Legacy feature

Love Comes and Goes – Legacy feature

Rolling Stone Articles – Legacy feature

B-Sides – Legacy feature

Cleveland Concert – Legacy feature

Small Time Blues – Legacy feature

Stairway – Legacy feature

Script – Legacy feature

Theatrical Trailer – Legacy feature

Hidden Talent – Legacy feature

Audio Commentary – With Crowe, legacy feature.

Conclusion

Almost Famous 4K Blu-ray Review

Almost Famous
The start of a beautiful friendship... will it last?

Cameron Crowe's semi-autobiographical tale of a teenage boy writing about a rock band while on tour with them is compelling viewing; told through the uncompromising lens of truth, everything has a halo of believability, from the characters to the situations to the dialogue. Packed with talent, packed with songs, and packed with story, Almost Famous is a veritable tour de force of cinema.

  

Tour de force   

The 4K UHD set from Sony is terrific; you get the Bootleg version with a native 4K image that is beautiful in its presentation, clean, detailed, well coloured and filmic in nature. The DTS-HD 5.1 surround track does the film justice by being natural sounding, well separated, with clean dialogue and above average ambience. There is a whole new set of extras (on the UHD) along with the legacy content previously available, as well as the Theatrical version on the second Blu-ray.

Almost Famous is available on 4K Ultra HD now.

Scores

Movie

.
9

Picture Quality

.
9

Sound Quality

.
9

Extras

.
9

Overall

.
9
9
AVForumsSCORE
OUT OF
10

Our Review Ethos

Read about our review ethos and the meaning of our review badges.

To comment on what you've read here, click the Discussion tab and post a reply.

Related Content

A Blade in the Dark 4K Blu-ray Review
  • By Mark Costello
  • Published
Blood on Satan's Claw 4K Blu-ray Review
  • By Simon Crust
  • Published
City of the Living Dead 4K Blu-ray Review
  • By Mark Costello
  • Published
Witchfinder General 4K Blu-ray Review
  • By Simon Crust
  • Published
The Amityville Horror 4K Blu-ray Review
  • By Mark Costello
  • Published

Latest Headlines

AVForums 4K and Blu-ray Podcast: 28th March 2024
  • By Phil Hinton
  • Published
AVForums Movies and TV Show Podcast: 25th March 2024
  • By Phil Hinton
  • Published
Where to watch the 2024 Oscar best picture nominees
  • By Andy Bassett
  • Published
Back
Top Bottom