Born on the Fourth of July [Collector’s Edition] 4K Ultra HD Review

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

Born on the Fourth of July is the 1989 antiwar drama from Oliver Stone based on the autobiography of Vietnam Veteran Ron Kovic, who co-wrote the screenplay with Stone. The film follows 20-years in the life in Ron Kovic (portrayed by Tom Cruise), from his childhood in Massapequa, Long Island, NY through his teenage years, to his paralysis serving in Vietnam and eventual conversion to an anti-war activist.

The film followed Platoon (1986) in Stones trilogy of films on Vietnam and was to be followed by Heaven & Earth (1993). Cruise, still a relatively new actor with his biggest roles being Top Gun and Rain Man. He was obviously already trying to expand out of the “pretty boy” label and be taken seriously as an actor. Cruise’s performance as the once ideological Ron Kovic who loses faith in his government, belief in the war he fought in, and battles with the condition he will be facing for the rest of his life is revelatory. It showed he could draw from a well of emotion and nuance.

Stone’s film and Kovic’s autobiography, rather than mythologize the Vietnam War, takes a broad look at the war’s impact on American society, from the naïve suburban Americana of childhood that starts the film to the chaotic and bloody war, to the death of idealism in the anti-war years and the waning days of the Nixon administration. Vietnam and its impact continue to coarse through the veins of American society and Born on the Fourth of July is one of the cultural way stations.

Purchase Born on the Fourth of July [Collector’s Edition] 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray on Amazon.com

The Video

Born on the Fourth of July is a new 4K restoration from the original camera negative overseen by director Oliver Stone on both the 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray discs. The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray comes in a 2.35:1 HEVC 2160p (4K UHD) Dolby Vision encodement, with a MaxLL of 569 nits and MaxFALL of 334 nits. There is not a big boost on brightness nor does the 4K look very dark in comparison to the also restored Blu-ray, but the Dolby Vision HDR grading does provide a more refined layer of natural grain, which remains consistent throughout, a little more color vibrancy, especially in chapter’s three’s Vietnam sequence, and better highlights. Again, looking at the Vietnam sequences in chapter three, you can see the flames really ‘popping’ three-dimensionality from the screen while on the Blu-ray they look like a flat orange/amber. Overall, this is an excellent restoration and transfer with no deleterious issues to report.

The Audio

Born on the Fourth of July is provided with a lossless Dolby Atmos mix as well as lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mixes. For the Atmos, the balance of sounds is superb, with good height awareness, especially for John Willliams’ lavish score, which is raised above the base channels and has a lot of natural dynamics. Again, as with the video, a good reference point is Chapter 3, beginning with the prom sequence and rainstorm and moving into the Vietnam battle scenes. The rain surrounds you and in Vietnam, the sounds of explosions and gunfire come from all around and some movement overhead. The overall level for the Atmos is on the low side, requiring a boost to normal listening levels by about 5db and low frequency extension is anemic, especially in the battle sequences. In comparison, the 5.1 mix sounds much louder and chunkier all around, from a fuller sound in the dialogue and score to more resounding gunfire and booms in explosions in Vietnam. Overall, the weaker low end on the Atmos mix is not a serious issue given that the film’s content is mostly dialogue-driven, and it handles that and the orchestral-based score well.

The Supplements

Shout Select includes four new bonus features, including a brand new audio commentary from film critic Matt Zoller Seitz. A previous audio commentary from Oliver Stone is also included as well as a new interview with Stone.

Bonus Features:

• Audio Commentary with Film Critic Matt Zoller Seitz (NEW)
• Audio Commentary by Director Oliver Stone

Blu-ray Only Bonus Features:

• The Battlefield at Home – Interview with Director Oliver Stone (1080p; 00:13:15) (NEW)
• The Ghost Generation – Interview with Special Makeup Effects Artist Gordon J. Smith (1080p; 00:12:00) (NEW)
• The War Continues – Interview with Associate Producer Clayton Townsend (1080p; 00:11:32) (NEW)
• TV Spots (SD; 00:02:04)
• Theatrical Trailers (SD; 00:09:44)
• Edie Brickell & New Bohemians – “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall” Music Video (SD; 00:03:57)

The Final Assessment

Born on the Fourth of July is one of the classic films from the post-Vietnam era to deal with the fallout from that war. Shout! has provided a reference restoration for this film with a solid Atmos mix.

Born on the Fourth of July [Collector’s Edition] is out on 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray November 12, 2024 from Shout! Studios

Purchase Born on the Fourth of July [Collector’s Edition] 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray on Amazon.com

• Rating Certificate: R
• Studios & Distributors: Ixtlan | Universal Pictures | Shout! Studios
• Director: Oliver Stone
• Written By: Ron Kovic | Oliver Stone
• Run Time: 145 Mins.
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Video Format: HEVC 2160p (4K UHD)
• HDR Format: Dolby Vision (HDR10 Compatible)
• HDR10 Metadata:
  • MaxLL: 569 nits
  • MaxFALL: 334 nits
  • Max. Luminance: 1000 nits
  • Min. Luminance: 0.0001 nits
• Primary Audio: English Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Compatible)
• Secondary Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 | English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Stereo
• Subtitles: English SDH
• Street Date: 12 November 2024