Blue Hawaii (UHD Blu-ray) review

[David Vaughn]

Studio: Paramount
Release Date: November 15, 2022
Rating: PG
Film: 3/5
 
Plot
 Ex-G.I. Chadwick “Chad” Gates (Elvis Presley) is coming home to Hawaii. Though his mother (Angela Lansbury) expects him to take over the family business, Chad would rather wear an aloha shirt than a white collar. When he goes to work as a tour guide at his girlfriend’s agency, it isn’t long before a group of amorous gals fights for his attention.
 
 My Thoughts
While I had seen parts of this film growing up, I had never sat down to watch it from beginning to end. Believe it or not, but Elvis made 31 films in his career and while the first few were pretty good, the quality level steadily dropped as time went along. This was his 8^th film and is actually one of the better ones, but I wouldn’t call it a classic by any means. The plot is very thin and only serves as a vehicle for Elvis to lip-sync a number of songs in order to then sell a soundtrack, which helped fatten the bottom line. “Can’t Help Falling In Love” came from this film and ended up becoming a platinum selling song.
 
The film was originally shot in Technicolor and looks fabulous with its newly minted 4K scan. All of the opening credits were completely rebuilt using the original film elements from the Paramount library and new text overlays were created. The result is a fabulous image that exhibits excellent detail and vivid colors. It certainly helps that the Hawaii is the backdrop for the film and it was fun to see the 1960s version of Honolulu versus the metropolis it is today (I was actually there last week on a business trip).
 
The Dolby TrueHD soundtrack sounds good but isn’t anything to write home about. The musical numbers open up the soundstage a bit this is really a front-loaded track that’s collapsed towards the center speaker for the majority of the film.
 
Video 9/10
 
Audio 8/10 (Dolby TrueHD 5.1)
 
Special Features:

• Commentary by historian James L. Neibaur
• Blue Hawaii Photo Scrapbook
• UHD Blu-ray + Blu-ray
• Digital Copy

 

 
Conclusion
I’m happy to see the Paramount Presents line has ventured further into the 4K realm with their 36^th offering. Of the Elvis films, this one is a good offering and is entertaining. The highlight for me is the cinematography due to the shooting locations and it they shine in 4K. Recommended for fans.
 
Reference Review System:
JVC DLA-RS2000 4K Ultra High-Definition Front Projector
(Calibrated with Portrait Displays CalMAN color calibration software & C6-HDR Meter from Portrait Displays)
Stewart Filmscreen - Firehawk 88” 16x9 Fixed Screen
Trinnov Altitude 16 Audio/Video Processor
ATI AT527NC Powering Bed Channels
ATI AT524NC Powering Atmos Speakers
Panasonic DP-UB820 Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
System Controller: URC MX-990
M&K S-150 THX Ultra (R-C-L Speakers)
M&K SS-150 x4 (Surround Speakers)
Atlantic Technology IC6-OBA x 4 Overhead Speakers
SVS PC-Ultra Cylinder Subwoofer
HSU VTF-15H MK2 Subwoofer
M&K Sound X15+ Subwoofer
Dual JL Audio F-110 (stacked and treated as one sub)
Mini DSP HD controlling all subwoofers
Audioquest and Monoprice - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
PureAV PF60 Power Conditioner

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. Can't believe he did 31 films! Wow..

I only remember King Creole, Jailhouse Rock and Viva Las Vegas