The following review was previously published in conjunction with the Paramount Presents Flashdance Blu-Ray release.

In 1983, before they were a powerhouse producing team ushering in hit films such as Top Gun and Days of Thunder, producers Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson collaborated on a small-scale movie about dancing entitled Flashdance. Much to the surprise of everyone, and to the dismay of critics, this movie about a welder by day and dancer by night exploded at the box office to become the third highest grossing movie of the year and spawned a soundtrack that would sell over six million copies in the US alone. While the film is not an undisputed masterpiece, it has a place in popular culture that can never be overlooked.

Flashdance focuses on Alex Owens (Jennifer Beals), an eighteen-year-old welder in a steel mill in Pittsburgh who aspires to live out her dreams of becoming a professional dancer. Although she has no formal training, Alex does sensuously dance at a local neighborhood bar that hosts a nightly cabaret. It would be easy to throw up red flags on the believability of the plot, but it is just easier to go along for the ride. One night, the gorgeous Alex catches the eye of Nick Hurley (Michael Nouri), who is surprised to learn that the object of his affection works for him at the steel mill he owns. Their budding relationship is really the least interesting part of the movie as the age difference and his romantic advances come across more creepy than endearing in the cold light of day. The movie is best when it is focusing on Alex being a strong, independent lady who is motivated to get herself into a formal dance program.

The movie itself is pretty light on plot, but makes up for it with a strong visual style and creative, exciting dance sequences. The choreography on display here is a lot of fun and feels true to the characters performing the numbers. Jennifer Beals is endlessly charming as Alex, and she gives the role a believability that may not have been as apparent on the page. Flashdance is carried by her performance along with the hit soundtrack that permeates nearly every inch of the movie. When you see Alex bouncing around to the titular song, you cannot help but be swept up in the joy the character is feeling from living up to her full potential. Flashdance is an extremely predictable and cheesy movie, but it would be a lie to say it’s not an entertaining ride.

Video Quality

Flashdance debuts on 4K UHD Blu-Ray with a really fetching 2160p/Dolby Vision transfer that takes the 4K remaster first seen on the Paramount Presents Blu-Ray a few years ago and presents it in its native format. This release does come with that Blu-Ray disc, which makes it easier to directly compare and see that there are some obvious improvements. The natural film grain remains intact and resolved without much of an issue. This does not seem to be a title where grain has been managed or smoothed over. The transfer gives a lot of nuanced texture and detail to the transfer including facets hidden within previous presentations. Skin tones look quite precise and the clarity of the transfer gives you a strong amount of facial detail including beads of perspiration.

The transfer remains very crisp throughout with little in the way of softness or fluctuation. Highlights from the stage lights are brighter and provide more stability without veering into blooming. Black levels are deep and allow the picture to maintain a tremendous amount of depth and detail in darker environments. The authority over contrast and overall clarity is readily apparent, especially in unique details within the production design and the environments such as the work site. The Dolby Vision enhancement allows for very natural, deep colors throughout including the striking hues of certain pieces of clothing and the intense lighting choices. There is not much in the way of digital anomalies such as compression artifacts, banding or the like. This is the best the film has looked on home entertainment by far.

Audio Quality

The 4K UHD Blu-Ray uses the same DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix that was on the previous Paramount Presents Blu-Ray. The thoughts from that disc are provided below:

Paramount brings the positively received DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix from the original 2013 Blu-Ray release back for this new disc. Seeing as this is mainly just a series of extravagant music videos linked by a thin plot, music noticeably takes precedence over all other elements. From the first moments of the film, the music envelops the room nicely with 80s synths courtesy of Giorgio Moroder. Dialogue and sound effects do not get buried by any means, but the soundtrack is the main element giving this track any sort of workout. Everything sounds well balanced among the speakers with directionality never being an issue. This is a stellar soundtrack that Paramount mercifully did not tinker with for this release.

Special Features

This 4K UHD Blu-Ray release contains the previous Paramount Presents Blu-Ray disc which drops some previously existing extras that keeps this from being the definitive release for fans. While the newer interview with Adrian Lyne is interesting, it would have been nice to have the other 30 odd minutes of missing extras from the previous release to round out the package.

Filmmaker Focus – Director Adrian Lyne Discusses Flashdance: A newly filmed interview with director Adrian Lyne about what drew him to the project and its enduring popularity. It’s a brief six minutes, but a worthwhile addition to the package.
The Look of Flashdance: A nine-minute discussion with the cast and crew about what made the movie stand out visually from the costumes to the lighting and shooting locations. There are some interesting anecdotes from Adrian Lyne about his decision to shoot scenes certain ways.
Releasing The Flashdance Phenomenon: A nearly nine-minute look into the impact the film made at the box office and culture at large with the cast and crew.
Theatrical Trailer: The original theatrical trailer featuring music from the hit soundtrack is presented here.

Final Thoughts

Flashdance is a film that you should have a pretty good idea going into if it is going to be for you or not. If the premise sounds ridiculous to you and you hate 80s cheese, it is for the best that you stay far away. If these elements sound like a fun time to you, it is time to grab this disc, crank up the volume, and be transported to a world where a steel worker can also be an erotic dancer with a heart of gold. Paramount Home Entertainment has given this one a 4K UHD Blu-Ray upgrade with a stellar A/V presentation and some legacy special features. If you are a fan of the film and have yet to pick it up, this is the strongest presentation yet. Recommended

Flashdance will be available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray on April 11, 2023.

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

Disclaimer: Paramount 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.