Movie Reviews

‘Juice’ 4K UHD Blu-Ray Review – Gritty Urban Noir Is A Powerful Subversion Of The Genre

By Dillon Gonzales
February 13, 2022
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Q, Raheem, Bishop, and Steel spend their days hanging out and looking for a way to get the power and respect they call Juice. Q hopes to earn respect by becoming a scratch ‘n’ mix DJ. Bishop has a deadlier plan—take it through an armed robbery with his crew. Ernest R. Dickerson, the acclaimed cinematographer whose collaborations with Spike Lee include Do the Right Thing and Malcom X, made his directorial debut with this powerful drama steeped in ‘90s urban lifestyle. JUICE features the acting debut of Tupac Shakur and a hit soundtrack that includes Eric B. & Rakim, Naughty by Nature, Big Daddy Kane and Salt N’ Pepa.

For thoughts on Juice, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic here.

Video Quality

Juice makes its long-awaited 4K UHD Blu-Ray debut with a fairly solid 2160p/Dolby Vision transfer that allows the film to look better than it ever has. When compared to the old Blu-Ray, this disc offers subtle improvements in key areas. This new release has a fine amount of natural film grain that allows this movie to shine and gives a lot of pleasing texture and detail to the transfer. There are moments where the grain ebbs and flows, but mostly it remains consistent. For the first time on home entertainment, you can clearly see specific text and objects located in the production design. The image presents with a miraculous amount of depth that makes the environment feel more three dimensional than ever. The improvements in contrast and overall clarity are also outstanding which is important when you have someone like Dickerson trying to catch the noir feel.

The UHD disc contains very sophisticated colors throughout, most notably when it comes to the vibrant clothing and certain lighting elements. The most impressive moments of Dolby Vision implementation are in the black levels that exercise a much greater depth and control without any crush. With this the picture maintains an excellent amount of detail in darker environments. White levels are brighter and offer a greater stability without veering into blooming. Skin tones look more natural and the clarity of the transfer gives you a great amount of facial detail. This transfer is a treat for fans of the film. The place where this disc falters a bit is in the shoddy encode that allows for macroblocking, especially in the brighter moments. This is not a typical problem with recent Paramount releases, so we can only hope this is an anomaly and not a sign of things to come. For those who are curious, there is not a Blu-Ray included with this release.

Audio Quality

The 4K UHD Blu-Ray comes with a decent DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless audio track that could stand to be a bit more dynamic. Rather than provide this film with a new Dolby Atmos presentation, it sticks with the previous 5.1 presentation. The sound design seems primed to open up to the world in a really fulfilling way, but the track does not seem comfortable stretching too far beyond the front speakers. The movie occasionally offers up chances for the track to show off with some key moments giving the speakers more of a workout. The music is presented with an impressive amount of clarity and fidelity. It is used effectively throughout the presentation, but it never overpowers the dialogue or other important information. The dialogue comes through clearly and never falls victim to any digital anomalies. Rear speakers could stand to get a larger amount of activity throughout. The low-end support likewise could provide a more substantial bass response. The track is not a disappointment, there is just a feeling that it could be a bit more fierce.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Director Ernest R. Dickerson provides an incredible commentary track in which he skillfully remembers 25 years worth of anecdotes about the production of this film including unique details about each cast members, reasons behind certain creative decisions, the collaboration with various crew members, the development of the story, the film’s reception and legacy, and much more that you will not want to miss. Dickerson is never at a loss for words and he provides great information consistently until the end.

You’ve Got The Juice Now: A 19-minute retrospective in which Dickerson discusses what sparked his central idea for the film, how he developed the script, the themes of the story, notes that were given by the production company, the casting and performances, the ending of the film and much more. There are also some great anecdotes from producer David Heyman, stars Omar Epps and Jermaine Hopkins, and vintage on-set interviews with more members of the production. This is an impeccably produced piece which fans will love.

Wrecking Crew: A 24-minute featurette which delves even deeper into each individual character, the performers, the storylines of each person and more. In addition to hearing a lot of personal stories about the production of this film, there are a few tidbits about other famous faces who auditioned for the film who did not get cast.

Sip The Juice – The Music: A 13-minute piece which shines a spotlight on how important the music is to the film, the influence of Hank Shocklee and more. This is a good mixture of new and vintage interviews.

Stay In The Scene – The Interview: A 23-minute vintage interview in which the four main performers discuss their experience with the film. This piece is extra special since you get to see Tupac joking around with his castmates and breaking down what he thinks about his character.

Final Thoughts

Juice is a film that has its fans, but it does not get nearly the level of recognition that it deserves. Director Ernest Dickerson crafts a layered, palpable noir that brings a fresh perspective to the genre. He also gets some amazing performances from his entire ensemble, especially Omar Epps and Tupac Shakur. This film is just as vital to the DNA of ‘90s cinema as some of the movies more prominent in the cultural conversation. Paramount Home Entertainment has released a 4K UHD Blu-Ray featuring a pretty strong A/V presentation and a nice selection of special features. If you have yet to pick this one up, you should definitely carve out time for this one. Recommended

Juice 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: 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.