BLU-RAY REVIEW

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation 4K Ultra HD

Featured In Issue 264, November/December 2022

Picture4
Sound4
WSR Score4
Basic Information on new release titles is posted as soon as titles are announced. Once reviewed, additional data is added to the database.
(Studio/Distributor):
Warner Bros Home Entertainment
(Catalog Number):
3000092739
(MPAA Rating):
PG13
(Rating Reason):
(Retail Price):
$33.99
(Disc Type):
Single Side, Dual Layer (BD-66)
(Widescreen Edition):
Yes
(Full Screen Edition):
No
(Running Time In Minutes):
97
(Color Type):
Color
(Chaptered/Scene Access):
Yes
(Closed Captioned):
Yes
(Regional Coding):
ABC
(Theatrical Year):
1989
(Theatrical Release):
Yes
(Direct-To-Video Release):
No
(Disc Release Date):
11/1/2022
(THX® Digitally Mastered):
No
(Director):
Jeremiah Chechik
(Screenplay/Written By):
(Story):
(Music):
(Director Of Photography):
(Production Designer):
(Visual Effects):
(Costume Designer):
(Editor):
(Supervising Sound Editors):
(Re-Recording Mixers):
(Executive Producers):
(Co-Producers):
(Producers):
(Academy Awards):
(Principal Photography):
(Theatrical Aspect Ratio):
(Measured Disc Aspect Ratio):
(Disc Soundtrack):
DTS HD Lossless 5.1
(Theatrical Sound):
(Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
(DTS Bit Rate):
(Dolby Digital Bit Rate):
(Additional Languages):
(French Language):
(Spanish Language):
(Chinese Language):
(Subtitles):
(Cantonese Language):
(Mandarin Language):
(Japanese Language):
(Italian Language):
(German Language):
(Portuguese Language):

Clark Griswold (Chase) is determined for his family to have a "Christmas Vacation" they'll never forget! Full of laughs reminiscent of the original National Lampoon's Vacation, some familiar relatives come for a visit and spend the holiday the way it should be spent—as an old-fashioned family Christmas; the Hap-Hap-Happiest Christmas ever! (Tricia Spears)

Special features include commentary by Jeremiah S. Chehik, Randy Quaid, Beverly D'Angelo, Johnny Galecki, Miriam Flynn and Matty Simmons,
theatrical trailer and a Movies Anywhere digital copy.

The 1.85:1 2160p HEVC/H.265 Ultra HD picture, reviewed on a Sony Bravia Z9D 4K Ultra HD HDR display, was photographed on film using the Panaflex camera system and sourced from a 4K master Digital Intermediate format. Film grain is smooth and very light, and never objectionable. The picture is glorious with a naturally warm and rich colorful appearance. Colors are vibrant with hues that pop and a wide color spectrum. The saturation is wonderful. Flesh tones are generally naturally healthy looking and are fully saturated, if not overly so at times with an orange/brown coloration. HDR contrast is excellent with deep blacks, revealing shadows and bright white levels. Resolution is excellent with fine line and fabric detail, fine facial features and textured object detail. This is such a colorful remastering of this comedy classic. (Gary Reber)

The new remastered DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1-channel soundtrack is an upgrade from the previously reviewed Blu-ray Disc's Dolby Digital 2.0-channel soundtrack and the HD DVD's Dolby Digital Plus 2.0-channel soundtrack reviewed in Issue 117. But also retain is the optional Original Theatrical DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mix. Surround energy is provided primarily by the extension of the stereo orchestral score. There are sporadic sound effects as well, such as the opening car harassment mishaps, speed sledding through a forest, Christmas tree burning mayhem and the occasional ambiance. The soundtrack is a real joy, especially with the music in surround. (Gary Reber)