Is Blue Velvet Criterion 4K Worth the Upgrade?

[@mr.b9613]

Thanks for the review James! Criterion packaging is beautiful

[@20thand21stMovies]

Glad you enjoyed the review, Mr. B!

[@greatdelusion7654]

Thanks man I like your review style, will definitely be checking out more your stuff. I found your analysis of this title interesting and very fair

[@20thand21stMovies]

Thank you for watching and glad to hear you enjoyed the review!

[@michaelscott8901]

Great video! Just got the 4K disk myself, was curious about how it improved upon the Blu-ray :) so thanks! Gonna check out more of your stuff!

[@20thand21stMovies]

Glad you enjoyed the review, Michael, and hope you enjoy your copy of Blue Velvet! Look forward to hearing your thoughts on other content on the channel.

[@MichaelWarne]

I upgraded, the actual improvements are minor but appreciated for those who care about that sort of thing. Yes, the dreamlike visuals don’t cater to 4k but that doesn’t mean improvements are not noticed.

[@20thand21stMovies]

Agreed. Slight bump up in the quality with the 4K. Testament to how strong the original blu-ray is based on the same restoration.

[@carlsartuniverse]

I really enjoyed this 4KUHD release. Stellar picture and sound. Thanks for the review!

[@20thand21stMovies]

Absolutely, Carl! Glad you enjoyed the review.

[@pete49327]

Exceedingly well done James, thank you. Yep, no double dip for me, I'll happily keep my blu-ray version, and reinforced since I purchased less than year ago. Totally agree that the picture quality of the blu-ray is excellent as is, what a great film.. Same story for my blu-ray of Blood Simple.

[@20thand21stMovies]

Glad you enjoyed the review, Pete! Yes, when it’s the same 4K restoration it’s usually not a big jump in picture quality. The blu-rays of Blue Velvet and Blood Simple hold up very nicely.

[@DavidBlakeslee]

So if Criterion had used actual *blue velvet* on the slipcase, then I would have instantly gone for the double-dip!

[@garyrichardson475]

It wouldn’t even need to be actual velvet. It could be that flock printing technique used on old greeting cards.

[@DavidBlakeslee]

@@garyrichardson475 Sure, I'd settle for that!

[@20thand21stMovies]

Ha ha. Now that would be some inventive packaging 😀.

[@davidowens9408]

I picked it up with the B&N sale and watched it last night. It looked great but I noticed the 4k disc reads as Trainspotting even though it’s indeed Blue Velvet.

[@20thand21stMovies]

Hello, Todd! I saw the same thing on my player - it reads as Trainspotting. Guess I’m not the only one 😀.

[@idofentanyl]

@@20thand21stMoviesThat’s strange. Guess we have that all in common. Not sure why it does that! 😆

[@maxpower78-15]

Im still waiting on The Straight Story. Hopefully Fire Walk w Me comes out soon in 4k, and the whole Twin Peaks Saga gets a Criterion treatment at some point…

[@lancesorisho9210]

Nearly every Twin Peaks release got the “Criterion” treatment in terms of picture quality, special features, and packaging. There’s no purpose in doing it all again.

[@maxpower78-15]

@@lancesorisho9210 agreed the Twin Peaks blurays are great. Solid box sets in terms of PQ, AQ, extras. I still wouldnt mind the whole series in 4k. Just one mans opinion.

[@20thand21stMovies]

I need to watch The Straight Story. I’ve heard good things about it.

[@maxpower78-15]

@@20thand21stMovies same here

[@maxpower78-15]

Right on. I havent popped in my copy yet.

[@20thand21stMovies]

Yes, good movie and nice 4K picture.

[@jasongutierrez3694]

Amazing review James can’t wait to watch my blue velvet on 4K are you going to review Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid?.

[@20thand21stMovies]

Hello, Jason! Glad you enjoyed this review. Yes, I do plan to share thoughts on the Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid release as well. Lot of good stuff coming out this month for the sale!

[@masterchaosofficial]

Great discussion, pal!

[@20thand21stMovies]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@AnInternetUser1]

Time to relax while listening to Blue Velvet by Bobby Vinton.

[@20thand21stMovies]

Nice. Cool song!

[@hunterrobinson2846]

I only have the studio release of Blue Velvet. I’ll pick up the 4K at some point. Blue Velvet is in my top 3 favorite movies list. It was the first Lynch movie I saw and I’ve been a huge fan ever since. I know you don’t talk about TV shows much but I’d love to hear your thoughts on Twin Peaks if you ever get around to watching it. Kyle MacLachlan’s character in it, special agent Dale Cooper, is so amazing and I think you would really enjoy it.

[@20thand21stMovies]

Yes, Blue Velvet is a good one for sure, Hunter, and one of my favorites from Lynch. I do need to check out the Twin Peaks tv series one of these days. Hopefully soon.

[@thomaswilke6312]

Are you having a giveaway on the blue velvet blu-ray anytime soon?

[@20thand21stMovies]

I just might. We shall see 😀.

[@brunomachado7279]

I'm not upgrading. The difference between Mulholland Dr blu ray and 4k is irrelevant, for instance. How many times will we be buying the same film over and over again?

[@chrisjfox8715]

For david lynch, every single one lol The differences are subtle but appreciated. But I do agree that the Blue Velvet bluray already looks outstandung, which I recognized before the 4K was even announced

[@20thand21stMovies]

Good call, Bruno. The blu-ray is perfectly fine.

[@bassage13]

With that logic, why aren't you still watching it on VHS? This is a hobby. We are collectors. We always want the best version of our favorite movies. Even if the improvements are minimal, we will buy it, because we want the best. There is a reason that DVD is still, by far, the top selling physical media format. Most people do not care, or are too ignorant to understand. Anyone watching a KZbin video like this knows better. We are perfectionists and we value every bit of improvement, no matter how small. If you do not agree, this is not the hobby for you. Go buy your DVDs at Walmart and be happy. Leave us film fanatic collectors alone.

[@brunomachado7279]

@@bassage13 your comparison makes no sense. There's a huge quality leap between VHS and blu ray. Even between DVD to blu ray. Concerning 4k, it's much more relative. We all know that perfectly well.

[@bassage13]

@@brunomachado7279 You didn't read, or comprehend, my comment. Read it and try again.

[@garyrichardson475]

I love the movie. Luckily, I’ve never owned it so I jumped on the 4K at half price.

[@20thand21stMovies]

Awesome time to pick up Blue Velvet, Gary. Enjoy that 4K!

[@letstalkcriterion]

Well it’s worth the upgrade and of course I double dipped, superb picture on my new Reavon 4k player which has a nice multi region option as well so now don’t have use a separate player when I play the features. My other two fav Lynch films are The Elephant Man and Fire walk with me have to profess to being a Twin Peaks fan, but I do have all his other Criterion titles.

[@20thand21stMovies]

Hello, Steve! I need to get a region free player one of these days. I too love Lynch’s films and The Elephant Man is also high on my list from him along with Mulholland Drive and Lost Highway.

[@mournblade1066]

I'm finishing the last several episodes of season 3 of Twin Peaks. I'm still not sure whether I love it or hate it.

[@20thand21stMovies]

I’ve never watched the Twin Peaks tv series. I might check it out at some point.

[@mournblade1066]

@@20thand21stMovies The first season is nearly flawless. It is arguably the greatest show ever produced by network television. Season two started out great, but got too weird for its own sake due to ABC's meddling, but ended strong. Season three--which takes place 25 years later--is pure David Lynch, but in ALL his incarnations--from Eraserhead to Mulholland Drive. I don't care for Eraserhead, but Mulholland Drive and Blue Velvet are among my all time favorite movies. It's really uneven.

[@bassage13]

​@@20thand21stMovies I'll summarize it for you, with some minor spoilers, maybe. It starts out GREAT, but the network forced Lynch to reveal the answer to the mystery. After that reveal, it went downhill FAST. Lynch abandoned the show and it got pretty bad(but still fun to watch.) Eventually, the later half of season 2 started getting better. Lynch showed up again to direct, and the last episode is probably the best of the series.

[@teemoore72]

Anyone know why they didn’t just release the 4k last year? I am refusing to buy now as it seems suspiciously close and comes off like a money grab.

[@20thand21stMovies]

Good question, Tracy. Not sure about the reasoning/why for the timing of the 4K release for this title. Hard to say. It’s a good edition and the 4K is solid so if one is a fan of Lynch or this film it’s recommended.

[@subaquaticencountersofthed8515]

I'm not sure what you mean by "last year". The bluray was released in 2019. I agree that it certainly should have just been released as 4KUHD to begin with.

[@bassage13]

Physical media barely exists at this point. It's not a "money grab", it's just the only way for these companies to survive and give us new 4k discs. If you want physical media to exist at all you need to support it, not complain. Our hobby is on the verge of extinction.

[@subaquaticencountersofthed8515]

​@bassage13 that's kind of funny. That you actually think that. Especially in this case where Criterion is clearly ramping up 4KUHD selections. The signal was clear as day for a lot of us... 4KUHD spec was brilliantly defined and capable of a far more filmic look. CC dropped the ball. The format was being discussed at least 3 years prior to its debut and then CC took another 3 years. And they were publicly arrogant and cynical about the need for it... Thanks to folks like you they can feel slightly vindicated. I have already upgraded a dozen titles on my shelf. So far only a handful or less were actually produced post-4KUHD format debut, but as time goes on it'll be more and more. Roma, Irishman, Parasite, Ghost Dog, Elephant Man... just to rattle a few off the top of my head. But im not really trying to change your mind, just keeping the record straight for the lurkers. Cheers!

[@bassage13]

@@subaquaticencountersofthed8515 Have fun dealing with only streaming services in a couple of years. Physical is almost over, sadly.