District 9 (2009) and Whiplash (2014) 4K UHD – Movie Reviews

We have discussed it several times before when it comes to Sony Pictures Home Entertainment bringing classic releases (back) to DVD, Blu-ray, or in this case to 4K Ultra HD format. Of course, some titles are a bit too ‘old’ to be remastered to such quality, and not that many people actually have a 4K player for their movie collection. Sadly, those who own a PS4 Pro, which supports 4K, will not be able to watch these movies either, thus having a dedicated player and a supporting TV is necessary. In October Sony decided to release two rather diverse titles, namely District 9 and Whiplash. One shows us the struggles of racism and apartheid by replacing black citizens with aliens, and the other is a fairly grim drama of a drum player wanting to make it big.

District 9 (2009)

This 2009 movie is probably more relevant than ever, especially being released this close to the US elections. While we cannot claim that the situation is the same as the apartheid situation in South-Africa, where this movie also conveniently takes place, albeit with aliens vs the human race. Alien creatures are crammed in a slum-like environment to basically fend for themselves and survive. There’s a growing discontent towards these so-called ‘prawns’, the derogatory term for the aliens, and thus an organization is mobilized to relocate these foreign visitors to a new district, forcefully.

This rerelease is certainly a nice one, as it is still a great movie and a Peter Jackson produced piece of cinema. It was considered a big deal back when it was released, and it’s still very much worth the watch. While this 4K UHD doesn’t bring anything really new to the table, it rightfully earns its place in your collection, even if you’re not completely into science-fiction.

Whiplash (2014)

Whiplash is a more recent release than District 9, but it’s not really a less depressing one. While we may use depressing as if it’s a bad movie, it really is not. We have recently seen J.K. Simmons star in the phenomenal Counterpart, but his acting has always been superb. This veteran tends to impress his viewers, ranging from roles fit for comedies, going forward to dramas and even thrillers. In this movie, he plays an insanely unstable teacher at a conservatory. The drama unfolds with one of his current pupils basically fighting for his attention and approval, even if this means it will cost him many of the things he should be experiencing as a young adult.

The movie still tends to impress, and while this is probably one that’s not for every fan of drama films, it’s still a nice watch, and one you can easily watch with someone else and discuss certain aspects of it. Whiplash might still give you a fairly emotional rollercoaster.

Conclusion

There is no need to explain what a 4K UHD release in the current movie collecting scene. If you have heard of it, and are interested in it, you know the benefits of these pricy releases, if not, you probably don’t really care that much about upgrading your current DVD or Blu-ray collection to these editions. While this may sound a bit offensive, or even rude, it’s not intended as such, but it’s simply the truth. Movie enthusiasts that want to get the best cinematic experience will have done their research on this still fairly ‘new’ media form and will probably think hard as to which movies will be added to their collection. Not that many ‘older’ films have made their way onto 4K UHD, but we can easily say that Sony Pictures Home Entertainment added two great films to its upscaled repertoire.

Ibuki

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Aspiring ninja.

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