Trading Places 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Review

The 2023 release of "Trading Places" on 4K UHD with Dolby Vision presents a meticulously enhanced video experience over previous editions. The 2160p video quality delivers a filmic appearance with impressively pronounced grain, markedly improving the tangibility and texture of elements like facial details, high-end office settings, and diverse street scenes. This edition maintains a sharpness that injects freshness into the image, akin to a recent theatrical release. You’ll notice that textures—particularly on clothing from high-dollar suits to tattered street wear—are more tactile and realistic, making the visual experience significantly more immersive.

The Dolby Vision color grading adds depth and tonal nuance to the imagery, enhancing warmth in wooden elements, vibrancy in urban grays, and richness in clothing colors. Key moments, such as the scene at the 10:12 mark, highlight these improvements by showcasing more neutral skin tones, enhanced shadow depth, and clearer whites. The meticulous grading brings exceptional detail to black levels and shadow detail, refining the overall scene contrast subtly yet profoundly. Despite its age, the film now looks remarkably modern, free from dirt or wear, and significantly upgraded from its predecessor.

While the leap from the Blu-ray version to this 4K UHD format may not be staggering for some viewers, the appreciable improvements in texture clarity and color grading are worth noting. The natural-appearing film grain and enhanced primaries via Dolby Vision HDR result in superior black levels and refined whites, capturing the dreary wintery scenes with elegance. The new transfer breathes fresh life into "Trading Places," offering an appreciably better viewing experience that may justify a double-dip for cinephiles and technology enthusiasts alike.

The 4K UHD Blu-ray release of "Trading Places" features a notable enhancement in audio quality, thanks to the new Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Dialogue, which is central to the film, is prioritized with remarkable clarity and firmly grounded center placement, ensuring intelligibility throughout. Environmental sounds like the bustling city ambience and driving rain in chapter 14 add an immersive experience, demonstrating sharp detail and precise localization. The auditory contrast between exterior scenes and the warm ambient music inside settings, such as restaurants, is executed splendidly, enhancing the overall viewing experience.

The upgrade from the previous Dolby Digital track to Dolby TrueHD is immediately evident, bringing a new depth and richness to the audio spectrum. Musical scores, whether it's Mozart or Beethoven, are reproduced with vibrant clarity and a prominent front-end placement, extending gently into the surrounds. This enhances scenes such as the stock market climax, elevating their intensity through enhanced range and presence. The subwoofer offers a subtle but essential bass support, anchoring the audio landscape without overpowering it.

Overall, while "Trading Places" remains a dialogue-driven film with a front/center audio focus, the enhanced surround mix breathes new life into critical locations like the Philadelphia streets and stock exchange floor. Dialogue remains clean and crisp, devoid of distortion, ensuring that every spoken word is distinct. Although it may not represent a revolutionary leap from its predecessors, the new Dolby TrueHD 5.1 mix provides a satisfyingly fuller and more engaging audio experience.

The 4K UHD Blu-ray release of "Trading Places" compiles a comprehensive array of extras that will delight fans and offer valuable insights into the film's production and legacy. Although the UHD disc features no supplementary material, the included Blu-ray maintains the full suite of bonus content seen in prior releases, with the addition of a new "Filmmaker Focus" segment featuring a candid interview with John Landis. The extras range from making-of documentaries to industry promotional pieces, all providing a thorough exploration of the film’s making, its financial intricacies, costume design, and the cast’s experiences. For aficionados seeking an in-depth understanding of "Trading Places," these supplements are indispensable.

Extras included in this disc:

• Filmmaker Focus: John Landis on Trading Places: Insights from director John Landis.
• Insider Trading: The Making of Trading Places: Behind-the-scenes documentary.
• Trading Stories: Vintage featurette with cast interviews.
• Deleted Scene: With optional commentary by Executive Producer George Folsey, Jr.
• Dressing the Part: Examination of the film’s costume design.
• The Trade in Trading Places: Simplified explanation of the film’s financial plot.
• Industry Promotional Piece: In-character promotion by Murphy and Aykroyd.
• Theatrical Trailer: Original promotional trailer.

"Trading Places," the 1983 comedy directed by John Landis and starring Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd, has finally received a much-deserved 4K UHD release courtesy of Paramount. Presented in stunning 2160p/Dolby Vision, the upgrade brings newfound clarity and vibrancy to the film's visuals, making every scene pop with increased detail and dynamic color performance. Accompanied by the same robust Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack from the 2020 Blu-ray release, this version does not introduce new audio formats but retains the high-quality mix that fans appreciate. The package also includes the prior Blu-ray disc with all the familiar extras such as the John Landis retrospective, though no new extras are provided on the UHD disc itself.

The film follows Louis Winthorpe III (Dan Aykroyd), a privileged commodities broker, and Billy Ray Valentine (Eddie Murphy), a clever street hustler. Their lives intersect when the wealthy Duke brothers, Randolph (Ralph Bellamy) and Mortimer (Don Ameche), make a wager to test their theories on heredity versus environment by swapping the two men's fortunes. This social experiment leads to a series of humorous and insightful events, showcasing Murphy and Aykroyd's comedic prowess. With its enduring appeal, memorable characters, and sharp social commentary, "Trading Places" remains a timeless classic. Supporting roles from Jamie Lee Curtis and Paul Gleason add depth and versatility to an already stellar cast.

While the plot isn't entirely novel—drawing comparisons to Pygmalion and similar classic works—Landis’ direction, coupled with top-tier performances from Murphy and Aykroyd, elevates the narrative into a pitch-perfect comedy. Even decades after its release, "Trading Places" continues to entertain with its witty dialogue and situational humor. The 4K transfer is a fitting tribute to a film that fans can now enjoy in unparalleled quality, reaffirming its status as both a holiday favorite and a staple of 80s cinema.

The 4K UHD release of "Trading Places" by Paramount offers a compelling visual and auditory refresh to this revered comedy classic. With Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy in peak comedic form post-SNL, and the stellar supporting cast of Jamie Lee Curtis, Denholm Eliot, Don Ameche, and Ralph Bellamy, the film remains a quintessential holiday favorite. John Landis's direction continues to hold up remarkably well even after four decades. The 2160p resolution coupled with Dolby Vision HDR provides a notable improvement in picture quality, though for those who purchased the already excellent recent Blu-ray, the differences may not be substantial enough to justify an immediate upgrade.

The new release retains its nostalgia while presenting the film in its best condition yet. The upgrade to 4K enhances the overall sharpness, color accuracy, and depth of field, making the viewing experience more immersive. Moreover, the lossless audio track offers pristine sound clarity that complements the enhanced visuals perfectly. Despite these improvements, the value proposition of upgrading can be contingent on individual preferences and previous purchases. For die-hard fans or first-time purchasers, this release is the definitive version to own.

Paramount has delivered a wonderful UHD for Trading Places that captures the filmic essence of this fan-favorite catalogue title. It's practically flawless, and the lossless audio track is excellent, too. Several great extras are included. Highly recommended.