Rain Man (1988) MVD Marquee Collection 4K UltraHD Review

Barry Levinson is an American filmmaker, that has directed some of the best films in history! I'm talking about Robert Redford in 1984's The Natural; Robin Williams in 1987's Good Morning, Vietnam and Warren Beatty in 1991's Bugsy. These are just some of the great films he made in his career.

In 1988 he won his best director Academy Award for the film Rain Man. Now 35 years after it's theatrical release it is getting a 4K UltraHD release. MVD Entertainment Group under the division of MVD Marquee Collection are the fine folks that are giving physical media fans a chance to own this 4 time Academy Award winning film in 4K! 

After a selfish L.A. yuppie (Tom Cruise, Top Gun: Maverick, Mission Impossible, Jack Reacher) learns his estranged father left a fortune to an autistic-savant brother (Dustin Hoffman, The Graduate, Hook, Tootsie) in Ohio that he didn't know existed, he absconds with his brother and sets out across the country, hoping to gain a larger inheritance.

Rain Man features a fantastically dramatic story. The screenplay is more than just a buddy film, it is a story of discovery of the unconditional love of family. Tom Cruise has been in so many great films, but this may be his best role! Dustin Hoffman really spreads his acting wings and again give a performance that could be considered the best in his career.

The film is rated R so viewers be aware there is profanity, partial nudity, a scene of sensuality and thematic material included in the film. So this is far from a family film. It truly is for mature audiences! But for adults that enjoy a drama about the struggles of life, this is going to be quite the ride.

Here MVD has transferred this award winning classic film to 4K thanks to the MGM's 2023 4K restoration. This restoration is from a 16-Bit Scan of the Original Camera Negative approved by director Barry Levinson.

This new 4K scan is simply stunning! For shear transparency here, I have never seen the film before, so I don't have a anything to compare it to. But I can speak to how it looks now. The picture is sharp as a tack. The colors are vibrant, and the audio is as clear as a bell! This transfer is simply amazing! Words truly escape me to describe how great it looks.

Now not only do you get the 4K disc, but also the Blu-ray disc as well! I find this to be so awesome! Not every film fan has made the jump to 4K UltraHD yet. So to have both 4k and Blu-ray on this release makes this release perfect in my humble opinion. As those that only have Blu-ray can enjoy the clarity of the 4K restoration and have the 4K disc for later when they do upgrade to UltraHD! But in addition to two discs there is also bonus feature! Check out what is included. 

DISC ONE: 4K ULTRA HD DISC

* 4K Ultra High Definition (2160p) presentation of the main feature in 1.85:1 aspect ratio. (HD master created and provided by MGM was scanned in 4K from the original camera negative and was approved by director Barry Levinson)

* English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, Spanish Mono

* Optional English SDH Subtitles

* Audio Commentary by Director Barry Levinson

* Audio Commentary by Writer Barry Morrow

* Audio Commentary by Writer Ronald Bass

* Original Theatrical Trailer (HD, 2:13)

DISC TWO: BLU-RAY DISC

* High Definition (1080p) presentation of the main feature in 1.85:1 aspect ratio.

* Audio Commentary by Director Barry Levinson

* Audio Commentary by Writer Barry Morrow

* Audio Commentary by Writer Ronald Bass

* English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, Spanish Mono

* Optional English SDH Subtitles, Spanish Subtitles, French Subtitles

* 'The Journey of Rain Man' featurette (SD, 22:07)

* 'Lifting the Fog: A Look at the Mysteries of Autism' featurette (SD, 20:13)

* Deleted Scene (SD, 2:10)

* Original Theatrical Trailer (HD, 2:13)

With not one, not two, but three audio commentaries that is a win, win, win! The Blu-ray featurettes of The Journey of Rain Man and Lifting the Fog were insightful and takes the viewer deep into the thought process of te making of this film. 

As I wrote earlier, this was my first time watching this film and to say I was impressed, would be an understatement! No wonder this films was nominated for 8 Oscars and won 4, including best picture! It really is a dramatic ride!

If you are a fan of this award winning film or good dramatic films, this new 4K UltraHD release of Rain Man is for you! I can not imagine you will find a better looking copy anywhere else. So my recommendation is jump at the chance and get your copy of this film now! Head over to Amazon and order your copy today. 


Out of 4 Film Reels (4 being the best) MVD's 4K UltraHD release of Rain Man receives....