When asked, I always claim to be a big fan of the Jack Ryan series of films. I love spy films and have fond memories of seeing PATRIOT GAMES in theaters. But truth be told, I struggle to recall even basic plot points from all of the Jack Ryan films. Although they’re all moderately enjoyable, the truth is that none of them are exceptional. Arguments can be made for the various films, but the iconic character from Tom Clancy’s novels still hasn’t received the great cinematic treatment he deserves.
In anticipation of the upcoming Amazon series ‘Jack Ryan’, Paramount has released all five Jack Ryan films in a very nice 4K set. Each film gets the Dolby Vision treatment and each film looks better than it ever has before. Unfortunately, the audio tracks didn’t get the same upgrade the video did, but this is still a nice set, especially for fans of the series.
THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER 4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY REVIEW
Video: There’s going to be a common theme with the first few Jack Ryan 4K video reviews and that’s the fact that they’re all significant upgrades over their Blu-ray counterparts. THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER kicks things off and during the opening closeup of Sean Connery’s face, you can immediately notice the increase in detail in both his face and the backgrounds. Things continue to get better as the blacks look a shade darker and bolder in what is a surprisingly dark movie. And that’s perhaps the tradeoff with the 4K version; the 4K is much darker than the Blu-ray, even if the darker image is more even and detailed.
Audio: In what can only be considered a disappointment, the audio track is the same Dolby TrueHD track from the Blu-ray.
PATRIOT GAMES 4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY REVIEW
Video: My personal favorite Jack Ryan film never got much love on Blu-ray and looked pretty bad. Thankfully, the 4K fixes a lot of the Blu-ray’s problems and reminds me more of the image from the theater. Colors are deep and accurate and grain looks more natural, giving the movie a nice film quality.
Audio: In what can only be considered a disappointment, the audio track is the same Dolby TrueHD track from the Blu-ray.
CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER 4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY REVIEW
Video: Like PATRIOT GAMES, CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER didn’t look great on Blu-ray. And also like PATRIOT GAMES, CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER gets a very nice upgrade on 4K. I didn’t notice any of the DNR that plagued the Blu-ray and overall, CAPD looks very natural. Close-ups and settings get a nice upgrade, but the 4K shines whenever the scenes turn brighter, giving us a rich assortment of natural looking colors. If there’s a complaint, it’s that the film overall looks darker, with gray being a dominant color. I’m curious if that’s intentional or if that’s just what the transfer process gave us.
Audio: In what can only be considered a disappointment, the audio track is the same Dolby TrueHD track from the Blu-ray.
THE SUM OF ALL FEARS 4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY REVIEW
Video: I wouldn’t say he’s the best Jack Ryan, but I’ve always felt Ben Affleck was a very underappreciated Jack Ryan. I think his biggest problem was that people weren’t prepared to part with Harrison Ford by the time he came along. But anyway, like the previous three Jack Ryan films, THE SUM OF ALL FEARS gets a nice 4K upgrade and looks better than it ever has. The Blu-ray wasn’t nearly as bad as the other three films, but 4K version gives us more color depth and detail. The first three films looked almost too dark in 4K, but THE SUM OF ALL FEARS doesn’t suffer that same problem.
Audio: In what can only be considered a disappointment, the audio track is the same Dolby TrueHD track from the Blu-ray.
JACK RYAN: SHADOW RECRUIT 4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY REVIEW
Video: JACK RYAN: SHADOW RECRUIT falls into the standard 2K upscale improvements that are common with the 4K format. Closeups and settings get nice improvements in detail and since the film is such a drastic deviation from the rest of the series, it has a completely different style that comes through a bit nicer on 4K. It doesn’t hurt that it’s also the newest of the films, but if there’s one film in the series that has some “wow” visual moments, it’s this one.
Audio: In what can only be considered a disappointment, the audio track is the same DTS-HD track from the Blu-ray.
These titles were reviewed using a Samsung UBD-K8500 with a Sony XBR75X850C TV.
There are no 4K exclusive special features on any of the discs, but the set does come with the Blu-rays.
Click 4K Ultra HD to read more of our 4K reviews. And you can also follow us on Instagram (@flix66pics) to see previews of our upcoming 4K reviews and more pics of the packaging.
