A high-flying feat of adventure filmmaking and a testament to the audacious, spare-no-expense vision of Howard Hughes, this landmark aviation epic remains exhilarating both for its daredevil aerial sequences and its nervy pre-Code punch. With the onset of World War I, two British brothers recruited into the Royal Flying Corps (Ben Lyon and James Hall) find their bond tested by their differing attitudes toward the war and their love for the same woman (Jean Harlow in her bombshell breakthrough). The product of a notoriously long and dangerous production that resulted in the deaths of multiple crew members, Hell’s Angels broke new technical ground, making use of early sound and color technologies, and capturing some of the most thrilling dogfight scenes ever filmed.

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Video Quality

The Criterion Collection presents Hell’s Angels on 4K UHD Blu-Ray courtesy of an admirable 4K digital restoration of the Magnascope roadshow version of the film from a 35mm duplicate negative provided by the UCLA Film & Television Archive and conducted by Universal. The film is presented in 2160p SDR, and the experience is a thrill even without HDR implementation. This release marks the first time the film has been made available in HD and UHD domestically. The included Blu-Ray is also wonderful for those who are not 4K UHD capable, but the 4K UHD Blu-Ray disc does offer some improvements that easily solidify it as the preferred choice. The (mostly) black and white cinematography is beguiling with consistent gradients and worthwhile textures. The contrast is sturdy throughout and does not come up short in clarity. The early color sequences and tinted scenes look accurate to the source, even if historical limitations seem apparent.

The transfer attempts to eliminate most of the dirt, dust specks, and other instances of print damage inherent to the source, and it succeeds to an astonishing degree. Nevertheless, the duplicate negative has a ceiling to how great it can look due to its age, condition, and limitations of the technology that captured the image, and audiences will spot some lingering deficiencies. The transfers retain the filmic quality of the pictures with a feast of film grain unlocking unbelievable detail. Black levels are properly deep without any undesired nuisances such as digital noise or compression artifacts. You get a surprising amount of depth from the aerial imagery which brings a pulse-pounding touch to the proceedings. There are favorable textural details in the costumes and production design. The 4K UHD disc is given more room to breathe without the supplements found on the Blu-Ray disc. This film has a notorious reputation, but it is a treat to finally see it presented with such care.

Audio Quality

The 4K UHD Blu-Ray disc comes with a solid LPCM 1.0 restored mono track. Given the age of the film, there is a level of discrete age-related wear and tear to be expected, but the results are respectable with only a subtle amount of hiss in some of the upper registers. Dialogue emanates in a straightforward manner with no major sibilance dragging down the experience, and nothing overshadowing important exchanges. There is not much in the way of music in the film, but what emerges, especially the diegetic music in the dance halls, holds together decently. Environmental sounds, such as the plane engines, are rendered well alongside everything else. Criterion has given this ambitious outing the carefully preserved, organic audio presentations it deserves. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided.

Special Features

The Criterion 4K UHD Blu-Ray of Hell’s Angels includes a foldout pamphlet featuring the essay “The Sky Is The Limit” by author Fred Kaplan. This essay explores the background of the production and creative figures, the legacy of the film, and more that is very illuminating. The on-disc special features are as follows:

Robert Legato: A new 12-minute interview with the visual effects supervisor of The Aviator, who discusses the research he put into recreating the film, the ambition of the aerial work, how the original film achieved certain effects, and more.

Farran Smith Nehme: An excellent 27-minute piece with critic Farran Smith Nehme in which she discusses the work of Jean Harlow, her personal background, the breakout role in Hell’s Angels, her clashes with director James Whale, injuries she suffered on set, and more.

Outtakes: A nearly five-minute selection of footage from the production of Hell’s Angels with 2024 commentary from David Stenn, author of Bombshell: The Life and Death of Jean Harlow.

Final Thoughts

Hell’s Angels is probably best known for the behind-the-scenes turmoil that was endured in order to bring this film to life. Howard Hughes was a determined madman, so it only makes sense that people are fascinated by him. Yet, if you actually take a look at the movie, there are moments that will absolutely take your breath away. The aerial choreography is an audacious bit of spectacle that feels like a “once in a lifetime” achievement that gets your blood pumping. The forced interpersonal drama is nowhere near as good as the action, but seeing Jean Harlow as we know her being born is a treat. It is an inconsistent viewing experience, but we are so grateful that it exists. The Criterion Collection has delivered a new 4K UHD Blu-Ray that offers a very good A/V presentation and some valuable special features. Recommended

The Criterion Collection edition of Hell’s Angels is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD and Blu-Ray.

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

Disclaimer: The Criterion Collection 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.