Ferris Bueller’s Day Off 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Review
Brad Sturdivant
August 6th, 2023
I first saw FERRIS BUELLER’S DAY OFF via a VHS copy displayed on a 27 inch 4:3 tube TV in the late 80’s. At the time, I of course didn’t know that I was watching an edited copy with terrible color on a tiny screen. I was just happy to be watching one of the best 80’s teen movies despite being a few years away from being a teen myself. But it’s still strange to me to be watching a movie that was such a big part of my childhood as an adult, but this time in its proper 1.85:1 ratio, in stunning 2160p UHD with HDR, projected on a 120” screen. It’s amazing how far home video has come in the past 35 years.
I don’t watch FERRIS BUELLER’S DAY OFF as often as I did between the ages of 10 and 14, but I do revisit it every five years or so and I’m always impressed with how well the film holds up and still resonates with kids and adults alike. Yes, as a parent, it’s frustrating his parents are so dumb, but despite being in my mid-40’s, I still relate more to Ferris and his desire to shun his responsibilities in favor of having a day of fun where he can just rest and smell the roses. I feel like that’s something we can all relate to, regardless of how old we are.
Now that my kids are 9 and 10, I’ve been revisiting a lot of the 80’s classics that I grew up with and it’s fun to see movies like FERRIS BUELLER’S DAY OFF connect with today’s kids the same way it connected with me at their age. They weren’t so interested in skipping out on school, but they liked the idea of Ferris as the out-of-this-world cool kid that manages to get away with everything. They gasped when Cameron saw the odometer on his dad’s Ferrari and about lost it when he sent the car out of the garage. And, of course, they fell in love with Mia Sara. I didn’t have the heart to tell them she’s now almost as old as their grandma.
Now that I’ve seen FERRIS BUELLER’S DAY OFF in 4K ULTRA HD, I can’t imagine seeing it any other way. In the very early 2000’s, I saw the film at a theater that showed older movies on the weekends. Even then, Ferris has never looked so good. The film still holds up and is still a lot of fun with themes and concepts that have proven to be timeless.
4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY REVIEW
Video: Ferris has never looked better and once again, Paramount delivers an amazing video presentation of one of their classic films.
Audio: The Dolby Atmos audio is equally impressive, breathing new life into what was already a great soundtrack.
