Dirty Dancing 4K Blu-ray Release Date April 27, 2021 (Best Buy Exclusive SteelBook)

Dirty Dancing 4K

 (1987)

Dirty Dancing 4K Blu-ray offers decent video and reference-quality audio in this excellent Blu-ray release
It is the summer of 1963. Innocent 17-year-old Baby (Grey) vacations with her parents at a

Catskill’s resort. One evening, she is drawn to the staff quarters by stirring music. There, she

meets Johnny, the hotel dance instructor, who is as experienced as Baby is naive. Baby soon

becomes Johnny’s pupil in dance and love.

For more about Dirty Dancing 4K and the Dirty Dancing 4K Blu-ray release, see Dirty Dancing 4K Blu-ray Review published by Randy Miller III on May 7, 2021 where this Blu-ray release scored 4.0 out of 5.

Director: Emile Ardolino

Writer: Eleanor Bergstein

Starring: Jennifer Grey, Patrick Swayze, Jerry Orbach, Cynthia Rhodes, Jack Weston, Jane Brucker

Producer: Linda Gottlieb


» See full cast & crew

Dirty Dancing 4K Blu-ray Review

DD in UHD.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III, May 7, 2021

Lionsgate’s soft 4K UHD release of the 1987 sorta-classic Dirty Dancing is a rare bird indeed: this Best Buy exclusive Steelbook flew under
the radar of all but the film’s most devoted fans, only a fraction of whom are videophiles with Dolby Atmos setups. Nonetheless, that vocal
minority should appreciate Lionsgate’s efforts to finally pull this romantic drama into the 21st century after a series of lackluster and
recycled Blu-ray editions… including the 20th
Anniversary Edition, which was the worst thing to happen to Dirty Dancing until The Black-Eyed Peas. Sadly, one of those recycled discs — the uneven 30th Anniversary Edition — is included here instead of a
newly-authored Blu-ray… so unless you’re planning to upgrade your player soon, this combo pack is pretty much worthless for non-4K fans.

For a plot synopsis of Dirty Dancing, please refer to our 2010 review of Lionsgate’s Limited Keepsake Edition written by Dustin Somner. Otherwise, see below for my thoughts on this 4K
disc’s strengths: a brand-new 2160p, HDR-enhanced transfer, a fantastic Dolby Atmos mix, and a couple of new extras piled on top of the old
ones. (The packaging is pretty nice too, of course.) All told, it’s probably as definitive a home video release as this film is going to get.

Dirty Dancing 4K Blu-ray, Video Quality 4K

 
 

1080p

 

Although somewhat contested in our always-entertaining forums, Dirty Dancing‘s new 1.85:1 4K presentation offers what appears to be a solid
upgrade from earlier home video editions — especially the infamous 20th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray, which is rightly regarded as one of the
worst-looking transfers on that format. From the very welcome Vestron opening logo onwards, the most easily-seen improvement here is a
more satisfying level of film grain and richer black levels, both of which give overall image detail a perceivable boost. It also reveals other
shortcomings
in those earlier transfers, which all had boosted contrast levels and artificial sharpening that gave many edges an unusually feathered appearance.
These are absolutely not a problem on the 4K disc which, due to its lack of reliance on heavier processing tricks, ends up looking a lot more
natural and “relaxed” than previous versions. Colors get a fairly nice facelift too, although the disc’s HDR enhancement doesn’t necessarily translate to
substantially dialed-up hues; more often than not, Lionsgate’s transfer again seems to aim for accuracy rather than base-level saturation boosts.
Although a few stray scenes looked surprisingly soft — perhaps even more so than the included Blu-ray — this could be due to that lack of artificial
sharpening and, in almost all cases, this issue is so infrequent that it barely registers. As for its occasional moments of blooming (most noticeable in
sunny outdoor locales), they’re largely kept under control and, combined with those deeper black levels, once again just gives the film a more natural
appearance. Overall, complaints are few and far-between here and, while Dirty Dancing will never look slick or glossy due to its original source
elements, this really does feel very close to a best-case scenario considering the film’s troubled history on home video.

As mentioned earlier, the Blu-ray included with this release is 100% identical to Lionsgate’s 30th Anniversary Edition, which in turn contains the same 1.78:1 1080p transfer as featured on 2010’s
Limited Keepsake Edition; this Blu-ray is also
the source for my review’s decorative screenshots. (Hey, at least it’s not the 2007 disc.)

Dirty Dancing 4K Blu-ray, Audio Quality

 

From an audio perspective, earlier Blu-ray editions of Dirty Dancing seemed more than adequate on paper, sporting either PCM 6.1 or full
DTS-HD 7.1 Master Audio tracks that, considering prior home video editions on VHS and DVD, likely sounded pretty good at the time. But after hearing
this brand-new Dolby Atmos remix, the shortcomings of those earlier mixes become incredibly obvious. Perhaps the best analogy I can make is that
those previous lossless tracks, though not without a few stray highlights, sounded as if you were watching the film from a slight but very perceptible
distance: in short, it kept the listener at an arm’s length. This new mix feels like you’re right in the middle of the action, with totally immersive
moments of surround activity that completely envelop the listener in an extremely convincing and effective way. Dialogue clarity is substantially
improved as well; I’m not sure if this is due to overall fidelity, better volume leveling, or both, but the end result is much cleaner than ever before. Yet
it’s some of the film’s most famous music breaks — “Hungry Eyes”, “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life”, etc. — that propel this Atmos audio mix to its
greatest heights, as smoother channel separation and a beefier LFE presence increases the overall width and weight of these memorable moments.
Height channels are not discretely dominant due to the film’s subject matter, but they are put to good use during crowded scenes and other suitable
moments. Overall, this audio mix is the best reason to upgrade and, if you’re a huge fan of Dirty Dancing‘s soundtrack, it’ll be worth the price
of admission alone.

Optional subtitles, including English (SDH), are offered during the main feature and some extras.

Dirty Dancing 4K Blu-ray, Overall Score and Recommendation

 

Chances are good that you formed an unwavering opinion about Dirty Dancing long ago, which might mean you already own this new 4K
edition. If you don’t, it’s a small to massive upgrade in every department, especially the redemptive Dolby Atmos track that really does the film’s
soundtrack justice. Throw in stylish Steelbook packaging and you’ve got what looks to be the most definitive home video edition of the film to date.
Nobody puts Baby in a corner… except for Best Buy, of course. They might have a copy in the dusty corner of their dwindling physical
media section. 🙁

Dirty Dancing: Other Editions

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