Ben Stiller is action juggernaut Tugg Speedman. Jack Black is comedy legend Jeff Portnoy. Robert Downey Jr. is acclaimed method actor Kirk Lazarus. When these huge Hollywood stars head into the jungles of Vietnam to shoot a war movie, they have no idea how real things can get. With biting satire, plenty of subversive humor and an unforgettable, Oscar-nominated turn by Robert Downey Jr., co-writer/director/all-around-genius Ben Stiller’s Tropic Thunder is the outrageous action-comedy classic that’ll “blow your mind” (Rolling Stone). The insane cast also features Steve Coogan, Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride, Brandon T. Jackson, Bill Hader, Nick Nolte, Matthew McConaughey and Tom Cruise as volcanic studio executive Les Grossman. This 2-disc special-edition includes both the theatrical cut and the director’s cut.
For thoughts on Tropic Thunder, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:
Video Quality
Tropic Thunder makes its 4K UHD Blu-Ray debut with the Theatrical Cut in a stunning 2160p Dolby Vision transfer remastered by Paramount supervised and approved by director Ben Stiller that allows the film to look better than it ever has. The Director’s Cut has also been remastered in 4K, but it is presented on Blu-Ray since Kino did not want to spring for a new Dolby Vision grade on this cut. The original Paramount Blu-Ray was released in the early days of the format, so this new disc offers strong improvements in all respects.
This new release of the film has a terrific amount of natural film grain that allows this movie to shine and gives a lot of pleasing texture and detail to the transfer. For the first time on home entertainment, you can clearly see specific facets of the environment and production design that were more of a homogeneous block before. Location elements are also given much more depth which makes for a much richer experience. The improvements in contrast and overall clarity are outstanding, especially when you are witnessing elements such as the bloody entrails of a “fallen soldier” in the opening battle that render with a hilariously grotesque immediacy.
The UHD disc contains very deep, nuanced colors throughout which capture the vibrant, natural look of the environment with supreme vividness. The Dolby Vision presentation allows the film to appear more refined than ever, as you get the lush greens of the jungle and the bright orange of various explosions with a lovely intensity. White levels are brighter and offer a greater stability without veering into blooming. Black levels are immensely deep and allow the picture to maintain an excellent amount of depth and fine detail in darker environments. Skin tones look natural and the clarity of the transfer gives you an impeccable amount of facial detail. Other than a few quick instances of banding or softness related to the source, this transfer is practically perfect. Kino Classics has knocked it out of the park again.
Audio Quality
This 4K UHD Blu-Ray release boasts a DTS-HD 5.1 lossless track that packs a major punch. This disc perfectly brings this action-packed comedy to life with a depth and clarity of sound that is staggering. Some fans may bemoan the lack of a new Dolby Atmos track, but what we get is no slouch. As the characters move throughout the world, the sounds of the environment flow out of your side and rear speakers for a fully three-dimensional experience. Each sound is precisely placed with perfect spatial awareness. The track engages all of the channels with sound effects and ambient noise that really makes you feel like you are in the thick of the misadventure.
Kinetic sequences are plentiful with a dynamic sound design that comes through flawlessly. Elements such as bullets whizzing by or explosions all around certainly make an impact. The activity in the low-end is formidable and never lacks for raw power. Dialogue comes through clearly without getting overwhelmed by the score or any sound effects. The effective score utilized in the film comes through with a pleasing fidelity. Kino Classics knocked it out of the park with this track, so those with a good surround sound setup should have a blast with this one.
Special Features
Disc One – Theatrical Cut (4K UHD)
- Audio Commentary #1: Stars Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr. provide a hilarious commentary in which Downey keeps his in-movie promise and remains in-character as Lincoln Osiris/Kirk Lazarus for the commentary. This track is filled with very funny exchanges between the trio along with actual insights into the production of the film such as stunt work, makeup effects, casting decisions and so much more that makes this an invaluable listen.
Disc Two – Director’s Cut (Blu-Ray)
- Audio Commentary #2: Ben Stiller, Co-Producer Stuart Cornfeld, Production Designer Jeff Mann, Co-Writer Justin Theroux, Cinematographer John Toll and Editor Greg Hayden provide a very entertaining and informative commentary which stays a bit more on topic than the other commentary while still having its own moments of levity. You learn about the origins of the project, the photographic style of the film, the location shooting, the performances, the sound design and more.
- Before The Thunder: A five-minute featurette which looks at the origins of the project dating as far back as the late ‘80s during the proliferation of Vietnam films and how the story evolved into what we have now.
- The Hot LZ: A nearly seven-minute piece which takes a closer look at the creation of the epic opening war sequence and how all of the departments gathered together to make it a reality.
- Blowing Shit Up: A six-minute look at use of explosions within the story and what it takes to pull them off safely and effectively.
- Designing The Thunder: A nearly eight-minute featurette which takes a look at the production design of the film including the drug compounds, hotels and more, and all of the care that was put into these sets.
- The Cast Of Tropic Thunder: A 22-minute collection of seven individual character profiles of Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey, Jr., Brandon T. Jackson, Jay Baruchel, Danny R. McBride, and Nick Nolte. In these videos, you get a sense of how each character fits into the world and what the performers bring to their roles.
- Make-Up Test with Tom Cruise: A minute-and-a-half look at the make-up test with Cruise where you see the origins of the dancing. There is also an optional minute-long intro to this by Ben Stiller and Grey Hayden.
- Full Mags – Improv Featurette: An 11-minute assemblage of raw footage of Robert Downey, Jr. improvising in character. There is also an optional minute-long intro to this by Ben Stiller and Grey Hayden.
- MTV Movie Awards – Tropic Thunder: A four-minute skit from the MTV Movie Awards where the three leads bicker about how to promote the film.
- Deleted Scenes, Extended Scenes and Alternate Ending: A selection of deleted and extended scenes are provided here with an intro and commentaries from Ben Stiller and Grey Hayden.
- Rain Of Madness – Documentary: A 30-minute mockumentary is provided about the making of the fictional movie Tropic Thunder which offers a hilarious parody of Heart of Darkness.
- Trailers: This disc provides Trailer #1 (2:29) and Trailer #2 (1:58) for Tropic Thunder and a three-minute trailer for Rain Of Madness.
Final Thoughts
Tropic Thunder is one of the most clever and overall entertaining comedies to come out in the modern era. Its biting critique of the entertainment industry takes no prisoner as it skewers everything from mindless blockbusters to glaring Oscar bait. The script for this one still holds up (almost) completely nearly 15 years later, and all of these elements are precisely executed under the direction of Ben Stiller. The characters that he and the remainder of the stacked ensemble originate on screen are memorable and will always live in our head rent free. If you are going to poke fun at Hollywood, this is how you do it. Kino Classics has released a 4K UHD Blu-Ray featuring an excellent A/V presentation along with all of the legacy special features. If you are a fan, the film has never had a better presentation on home entertainment. Highly Recommended
Tropic Thunder is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray and Blu-Ray.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Kino Classics 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.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.