Bruce Lee explodes onto the screen in the film that rocketed him to international superstardom, Enter The Dragon. Lee plays a martial arts expert determined to take down the ruthless gang leader, Han, who was responsible for the death of his sister. Recruited by an intelligence agency, he poses as a student and attends a tournament at a remote island fortress. His goal is to gather evidence that will prove Han’s involvement with drug trafficking and prostitution. With one man focused on crime and the other bent on revenge, the two engage in the now-classic fight-to-the-death finish. They both enter a mirrored maze and deadly battle. Only one will exit.

For thoughts on Enter The Dragon, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/l1PXBES-HHw?t=4708]

Video Quality

The 4K UHD Blu-Ray of Enter The Dragon offers a fabulous uptick in quality over the remastered Warner Bros. Blu-Ray from a decade ago and the Criterion Blu-Ray from 2020. It is worth noting that this release only comes with a 4K UHD Blu-Ray, so impressions on this jump are based on previous releases. For the 50th anniversary of the movie, both the Theatrical Version and Special Edition Version have been restored in 4K for the first time from the 35mm Original Camera Negative and has been given an HDR grade presented here in HDR10. If you have seen previous versions of the film, you will greatly appreciate the boost in clarity, detail and stability. It is by far the best the film has ever looked on home entertainment.

The implementation of HDR is a standout aspect of this 4K presentation. This disc has more confident contrast and more complexity given to the bold, warm color palette which dazzles throughout. The HDR10 harnesses great depth out of the earthy landscapes and certain elements of the production design. The costumes are especially bold with classic yellow and blue uniforms standing out in a brilliant way. Highlights are firmly defined with whites more pure and balanced with no instances of blooming to be found under the sun or in the white uniforms. Black levels are likewise stronger, staying deep and inky with great detail in the shadows.

This transfer retains the rich natural film grain that mostly resolves favorably without being clumpy or unnatural. There does not appear to have been any major digital tinkering on this transfer, so this disc is free of unsightly DNR, yet we cannot give it a perfect score as there are some fleeting compression artifacts due to encode issues. The clothing, production design and the scenery are filled with fine textural details that render in a most impressive manner. Nearly every scene contains a wide array of subtle details that are visible for the first time ever on disc. Skin tones appear natural with terrific detail apparent on faces such as perspiration. This is a carefully curated transfer that offers up a notable improvement that will excite fans of the film.

Audio Quality

This 4K UHD Blu-Ray disc comes with a new Dolby Atmos track along with the original theatrical DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mono mix that have both been restored, including restoring Bruce Lee’s actual voice to certain scenes for the time ever. We are truly thankful to have this original audio as an option, but those who strive to get a more visceral experience from their audio tracks will love the Dolby Atmos mix. The presentation tastefully expands the sonic qualities of the picture in a naturally immersive manner. Even when the height channels are being utilized, they never take on the full weight of the track, instead choosing to supplement what is already being delivered in the other channels.

The dialogue emanates with a good amount of clarity even when there are action-oriented moments on screen. The environmental flourishes and sound effects add a lot of important texture to some of the fights. The score permeates the room throughout the movie with top notch fidelity. The track does not sink to unnatural levels with the low end activity, but it is supportive enough to pack a punch. Warner Bros. has done a really nice job with the audio for this one. There are a large array of subtitles provided.

Special Features

Theatrical Cut (1:39:02) and Special Edition (1:42:32)

Introduction By Linda Lee Cadwell: A two-minute introduction from Bruce Lee’s wife who discusses her husband’s excitement about the film before his untimely death.

Audio Commentary: A fairly tepid track with Producer Paul Heller and writer Michael Allin (via phone) recorded separately and stitched together. In this track the participants reminisce about Bruce Lee, the production and more with long stretches of silence interrupted with decent anecdotes.

Final Thoughts

Enter The Dragon is a martial arts classic which solidified the legacy of the late, great Bruce Lee. The story offers a solid amount of intrigue and bone-crunching conflicts that gets your blood pumping. There are other Lee titles that are a bit more successful creatively, but this is a very good gateway for those looking to step into his filmography. Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has given this a new 4K UHD Blu-Ray with a fantastic A/V presentation. Where it loses some points is in the baffling decision to drop the Blu-Ray from the package, effectively removing hours of great special features that were previously included. It is great to have the film looking and sounding so good, but we wish this really was the “ultimate” presentation of the film. Recommended

Enter The Dragon is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray and Digital.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.