Coming to America 4K review

Nov 28, 2020- Permalink

Released in 1988, Coming to America teamed Eddie Murphy up with director John Landis and the pair crafted a fish out of water story perfect for the comedian’s talents. Murphy plays Prince Akeem, whose father, King Jaffe (James Earl Jones), makes sure he leads a pampered life. His entourage even includes Royal Wipers, a job that I’ll let your imagination describe. King Jaffe wants Akeem to marry the woman who had been groomed to be his wife since birth, but the prince has other ideas. He convinces his father to let him see the world first. He goes off on his own secret mission to find a soulmate and heads with his friend Semmi (Arsenio Hall) to the one place a future king should find a bride: Queens, New York. Paramount has released a 4K version of the flick and I had a chance to review it. Let’s take a look.

The 2160p native 4K HEVC / H.265-encoded digital transfer with Dolby Vision and HDR10 comes in the theatrical release’s 1.85:1 aspect ratio. This transfer, done from a 4K master supervised by John Landis, is, well, fit for a king. It looks fantastic. There is a natural grain to the image and that image is incredibly detailed. Faces have so much character and the ornate costumes and environments from palaces to apartments are full of detail. It’s a vast improvement over past home releases. The HDR expands the depth and breadth of the rich colours that cross this movie’s palette. It’s a feast for the eyes.

On the audio side, your royal ears are offered the choices of an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack as well as French and German Dolby Digital 2.0 tracks. Subtitles are available in English, English SDH, French, and German. The lossless soundtrack makes great use of the soundscape, with the surrounds working hard to give an ambient environment. The music in this track is rich and dynamic and the dialogue is clear and centred.

The 4K UHD disc also comes with a digital code. There are no new extras, but all of the previous extras are on this disc and they include looks at the cinematography, the costumes, the character makeup, the music, an interview with Eddie and Arsenio, and a theatrical trailer.

Paramount’s Coming to America 4K is highly recommended. It combines hilarious comedy, stunning video, excellent audio, and a good array of extras into one package waiting to be added to your home library.