The Social Network appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.40:1 on this 4K UHD Disc. The movie boasted a strong Dolby Vision transfer.
No issues related to sharpness, as the movie looked concise and accurate. Virtually no signs of softness marred the presentation.
Jagged edges and shimmering failed to appear, and edge haloes remained absent. Source flaws caused no distractions.
Colors were fine within decidedly stylized realms. Though it went with a few other tints on occasion, the movie usually opted for a yellow-gold feel, so this was by far the most dominant color choice.
This meant we didn’t see much visual variety, but the hues looked fine given the constraints. HDR added range and impact to the colors.
Blacks were dark and tight, while shadows demonstrated good clarity. HDR gave whites and contrast extra power. I expected a positive transfer and that’s what I got.
Downconverted to Dolby TrueHD 7.1, music ruled the day for this Dolby Atmos soundtrack. The score filled out the room in a bold manner that used the whole spectrum well.
Given the chattiness of the movie, effects played a minor role. All the most active segments featured music.
Whether via score or elements in clubs or parties, this was a music-heavy track. And that was fine, as the score and tunes opened up the mix well.
At all times, audio quality was positive. Speech appeared concise and accurate, without edginess or other concerns.
Music came across as lively and full, and effects were fine for what they could offer. Because the track didn’t do a lot beyond music and speech, I didn’t think it merited a grade above a “B”, but it still satisfied.
How did the 4K UHD compare to the Blu-ray version? The 4K’s Dolby Atmos mix opened up matters in a modest way, but given the scope of the story, one shouldn’t expect much difference between that track and the BD’s DTS-HD MA 5.1.
As for the 4K’s Dolby Vision image, it offered superior colors, blacks and delineation. Though the fact the movie finished 2K, the HDR here created improvements.
On the 4K disc itself, we get three trailers as well as both the movie’s theatrical PG-13 version and an unrated cut.
I didn’t compare running times because the two offer nearly identical editions. The unrated film adds one use of the “F-word” but otherwise provides zero changes from the “PG-13” cut.
At about 1:28:55, the Winkelvoss line “let’s gut the friggin’ nerd” gets restored to its more explicit glory. Thus we find the sole alteration that made the two versions different.
Across the included Blu-rays, we get a slew of extras, and on Disc One, we find two separate audio commentaries. The first comes from direct David Fincher, as he offers a running, screen-specific discussion of tone and pacing, casting and performances, music, sets and locations, fact vs. movie fiction, some visual effects, and a few other topics.
Fincher always records enjoyable commentaries, and this one continues that trend. On the negative side, the track comes with a little too much dead air, but the quality of the content more than compensates. Fincher delivers a lot of interesting material and offers a wry presence to make this a very good piece.
For the second chat, we hear from writer Aaron Sorkin and actors Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, Armie Hammer, and Josh Pence. It sounds like Garfield, Hammer and Pence sit together, while the other three do their thing solo. They cover cast, characters and performances, research, facts and liberties, some technical elements, and thoughts from the set.
Expect another really good commentary here. In particular, the actors offer many nice notes about their work and elements of the shoot. Sorkin throws in a number of positive observations as well, and the track moves along at a great pace. It turns into a fun and informative piece.
Disc Two opens with How Did They Ever Make a Movie of Facebook?, a one-hour, 32-minute, 43-second four-part documentary. It provides remarks from Hammer, Sorkin, Eisenberg, Garfield, Pence, Timberlake, producer Dana Brunetti, executive producer Kevin Spacey, and actors Rooney Mara, Max Minghella, Brenda Song, John Getz and Rashida Jones.
“Make” covers rehearsals and tests, sets and locations, cast and performances, various effects, costumes,
Rather than offer a traditional documentary, “Make” comes across more like an annotated production journal. While we get plenty of interview comments, most of the program revolves around footage from the set.
That becomes a winning combination. We get enough material from cast/crew to embellish what we see, and the glimpses of the shoot prove informative. This turns into an engaging show.
A few featurettes follow, and Jeff Cronenweth and David Fincher on the Visuals runs seven minutes, 48 seconds. Here Fincher and director of photography Cronenweth tell us about cinematography and design.
They give some useful thought about the subject matter. In particular, the notes about how they dealt with the lack of cooperation from Harvard become hilarious.
Angus Wall, Kirk Baxter and Ren Klyce on Post fills 17 minutes, 24 seconds with notes from editors Wall and Baxter and sound designer Klyce.
Unsurprisingly, they focus on editing and sound design. We get plenty of insigts, especially when we see various takes for certain scenes and hear why the filmmakers chose the one they did.
Up next comes Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and David Fincher on the Score, an 18-minute, 55-second piece.
We hear from Fincher and composers Reznor and Ross as they relate notions connected to the movie’s music. Expect more worthwhile information here.
In the Hall of the Mountain King brings a “music exploration”. It allows a comparison between an unused music cue for the “Henley Regatta Sequence” and the final version. We get a taste of the unused cue in the prior featurette.
We can observe this either as a music-only format or as the full movie mix. This gives us a cool way to check out the original stab at the music cue.
After this we get Swarmatron, a four-minute, 28-second segment the features Reznor as he works with various technologies. He gives us a good look at the techniques at his disposal.
With Ruby Skye VIP Room. we find a multi-angle scene breakdown. This allows us to see that sequence’s development from rehearsal to tech scout to principal photography. We also get interviews with Klyce and Wall.
All together, this package runs 19 minutes, 28 seconds. We get a great view of the various components involved.
After the disappointing Benjamin Button, director David Fincher returned to good filmmaking with The Social Network. This doesn’t threaten to become his best film, but Fincher takes potentially dull subject matter and he turns it into a fun journey. The 4K UHD boasts excellent visuals, good audio, and a broad roster of supplements. I recommend this entertaining flick.
Note that as of August 2022, the 4K UHD disc of Social Network can be purchased only as part of a six-movie “Columbia Classics Collection Volume 2”. This set also includes 4K UHD versions of Oliver!, Anatomy of a Murder, Stripes, Sense and Sensibility and Taxi Driver.
To rate this film, visit the prior review of SOCIAL NETWORK
