Groundhog Day [Includes Digital Copy] [4K Ultra HD Blu-ray/Blu-ray] [Only @ Best Buy] [1993]

Groundhog Day is a movie that I love because of how unique and meta it is, I watch it every year on Groundhog Day and since I've been trying to buy most movies on 4K if they're available, I decided to pick this up to upgrade from the terrible DVD I had. Most of the film looks good on 4K, though some parts don't look super great. Sometimes you can kind of see some "flickering" in the kinds of details in some parts of the picture, most notably the wallpaper in Phil's room at the B and B goes kind of spastic whenever its on screen, and some of the darker colors on clothes throughout the movie. The effect is almost like only every other frame of the movie has the HDR coloring, so it kind of goes back and forth, if that makes sense. The parts where the movie looks the best are all the outdoor scenes and the big car chase scene, that's where you really notice the most improvement in quality. I did pop in the included regular Blu-ray for a little bit of a comparison, there does seem to be a better contrast of colors on the 4K, and the sound is definitely better. Overall this was a bit of a let down after so many of the positive reviews I read that all said this looked so amazing on 4K, I would say it looks good, not great, but I am still glad I got it.

Say what you want about Sony the company, but their back catalogue department is THE BEST in the biz as far as remasters and restorations go, and this has benefited their back catalogue UHD releases greatly. GROUNDHOGS DAY was in many ways the end of an era. Certainly the end of Harold Ramis and Bill Murray working together, and as sad as that was at least they went out on such a high note. This was also just about the end of Bill Murray's era as top billing comedy star, as he soon would be doing more oddball turns in Wes Anderson dramedies while tackling more dramatic turns in things like Lost in Translation. The UHD looks truly filmic, with just the right touch of HDR, just a organically pleasing presentation. The audio gets an upgrade though this type of film isn't exactly going to be MAD MAX FURY ROAD as far as Atmos soundtracks go!

First off, this move is a classic! I was glad to see a high quality release close to groundhog day this year. I had my kid watch it and he got a kick out of it... I was worried it would be "too old" for him to be interested in. Otherwise the audio quality is great and has been remixed to Dolby Atmos though I did not see much benefit here since it is not the type of movie that would take huge advantage of that. The visual quality is suburb in 4k! I did not see much benefit to HDR on this either but the crisp transfer of the original film version is amazing since it was shot pre digital. Some scenes look horrible due to the video and effect techniques of the day such as the time lapse clouds in the beginning (so noisy!) but the rest of hte film expresses so much detail that you actually don't see in a lot of movies today.

No need to review the movie, if you haven't seen it yet, shame on you! I will review the 4k bluray of the film instead. The image quality is top notch (for a movie shot on film as opposed to digitally). Film brings with it film grain, and it won't have the super-clean, super-sharp look of digitally shot movies, but it looks notable better than the conventional bluray. Sony didn't scrimp on this disc either. It was made from a 4K master instead of upconverting a 2K master as many 4k bluray disc manufacturers are often doing. It makes a difference. I love this movie and this is my favorite presentation to date. The Atmos audio track (7.1 if you don't have Atmos) is the best this movie has ever sounded. It has been a number of years and I was surprised by how well the movie still holds up. I recommend this disc to any fan of the film with a 4k bluray player & TV. I'm very happy with my purchase.

G.D really is nearly perfect. I never tire of it. At the same time I think most people miss the point. (By the way, I've NOT seen the Special Edition.) I'm facinated each time watching the totally self centered Bill Murray caught in this marvelous time paradox, living the same day over and over. He goes through differing stages: fear and confusion; euphoria, when he realizes he can do ANYTHING without consequence; despair, when he realizes that life is meaningless if one pursues selfish pleasures without goals; and finally a peaceful self actualization when he dedicates himself toward self improvement and the humanitarian goals his situation gives him the opportunity to pursue. It gives one pause to consider what each of US would do in a similar circumstance. Oh, it's really funny, too.

I remember when this came out. Bill was on "GMA" & did the weather. Funny, original film. You wish comedies were ALL like this. Bill did a great job as Phil. All the things he did in the film as February 2 kept repeating. Harold in his bit part as the doctor. Another cameo by Willie Garson (Stanford from YOU KNOW WHAT & the City, There's Something About Mary). I CAN NOT INPUT THE 1ST WORD OF THE SHOW Decent extras on the DVD. BUT, an anniversary edition? Needed more. Like……… NO CHAPTER LIST OR ANY INFORMATION INSIDE ON THE FILM. The film was a hit & this is an anniversary release of it, how about something inside to read on the film? I did NOT care for the artwork on the front.

Groundhog Day is one of my favorite comedies of all time. Classic Bill Murray at his prime! That said, I will give the film five (*****) stars, though, I was a bit disappointed with the lackluster quality of the 4K treatment as I couldn’t really see visually nor hear audibly any upgraded improvement over the DVD or Blu-ray on this one. My guess is: when a film was made many years prior to the existence of 4K, it’s hard if not impossible to create the 4K ‘magic’. Still, I’d wholeheartedly recommend this film to anyone regardless of format.

It is unfortunate that the 2D blu-ray included is subpar, but the 4K is a substantial upgrade. This is highly recommended for any Bill Murray fan and those that are willing to go through some repetition of the plot for a big payoff at the end. The repetition of Groundhog Day is necessary for the viewer to witness the transformation of Bill Murray’s character. There are so many wonderful moments that are unique to each iteration of the repeated day. One of the most unique comedies and films that I’ve ever seen.