Christmas Vacation 4K UHD Screenshots (Patreon)

Video

Wonderfully remastered in 4K for a Blu-ray release, this UHD still performs better. HDR boosts the contrast and makes Clark's epic Christmas lights display almost blinding - as it should be. Snow keeps up brightness where possible. A slight haze in the cinematography doesn't keep anything dimmed.

Christmas Vacation's grain structure resolves perfectly. There's nothing digital marring this filmic transfer. Texture only dims because of the source fogginess. When clear, facial texture comes into view. Exteriors of Warner's lot capture the location at its purest.

Firm color produces plentiful primaries, more than the usual Christmas reds and blues (those look stellar too though). It's a natural touch, all organic without any modern grading applied.

Audio

While not rich in fidelity, the undervalued score and theme song bring enough range in this 5.1 mix (original stereo is offered too). Pure dialog doesn’t indicate any aging. Remastering suddenly keeps the soundstage tight. A few stereo effects add energy (Clark passes side-to-side on the sled) where needed, but the rears typically stay silent.