Bad Santa 2 4K (2016) Ultra HD 2160p REMUX

Fueled by cheap whiskey, greed and hatred, Willie teams up once again with his angry little sidekick, Marcus, to knock off a Chicago charity on Christmas Eve.

Bad Santa 2 4K (2016) Ultra HD 2160p REMUX Review
Bad Santa 2 was reportedly finished at 4K, but on the flip side this 2160p, full 4K release is not equipped with HDR colors, so viewers will have to turn the setting off on the television side to see the movie properly lest it feature a severe, unwatchable red push (at least that's the case with the Sony used for this review). Set up properly, the movie's textural finesse impresses a good deal over the 1080p Blu-ray, also included with this release. The UHD is much sharper overall and clarity sees a significant boost. Details are notably, and often remarkably, improved. Skin is practically smeary on the Blu-ray in comparison, and finer-point details like facial hair are appreciably sharper on the UHD to the point that the strands of Willy's goatee could be counted. Clothing textures, too, are much more revealing, whether more obvious furs and Santa suit textures or much finer stitching on collars. Even without HDR, colors appear a little more lively, fuller, punchier. The change isn't anywhere near drastic as they are with a high-end HDR release. It's very, very subtle. Reds remain very deeply saturated. Blacks are fine, skin tones seem a little healthier. Source noise is much more apparent in this release, however. The boost in detail alone makes this version a hefty upgrade. It's a shame Broad Green couldn't pair it with HDR enhancement. With the red Santa suit, Thurman's bright blue shirt, and some other vibrant colors, it would have been interesting to see what HDR would have done for the movie. The 4.5 score is reflective of the 2160p image as-is, then, and doesn't factor in the absence of HDR colors.

There appears to be a glitch on this release. Using the Samsung UBD-K8500, fast-forwarding and rewinding makes the version selection menu screen appear and disappear, appear and disappear as the process is underway. In fact, the menu screen occasionally sticks atop the screen even after hitting play. Pushing the pop-up menu button on the remote fixes the problem, but it jumps in and out several times in quick succession. A very glitchy disc. See screenshot 11 for a photo of the disc in playback.