Stripes - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray SteelBook

Seeing as how I reviewed this film just a scant four years ago, my opinion of it and this disc haven’t changed really. Stripes remains a hilarious '70s war comedy with a generation of talent in their prime. I still don’t know how or why my parents showed me this flick as a kid but it’s been a part of my collection since the VHS days. Countless viewings later I still thing it’s one of the funniest films ever made - specifically the Theatrical Cut. Since there’s no point rehashing that material when I already wrote one review, here’s what I had to say back in Novemnber 2021.

Best friends John Winger (Bill Murray) and Russell Ziskey (Harold Ramis) live dead-end jobs with no prospects. After John loses his job, girlfriend, car, apartment, and pizza all in the same day - he convinces Russell the best thing for them to do is join the army. Only army life isn’t exactly as advertised on television. Immediately John pisses off Sargent Hulka (Warren Oates). After hundreds of pushups, days upon days of KP, and miles of rain-soaked marches - somehow their platoon graduates basic training and is put in command of the Army’s newest and most lethal urban assault vehicle - an armored campervan. 

In the post-Vietnam post-Nixon era, Hollywood was either churning out the tense and terrifying conspiracy thriller movies like The Parallax View or they were pumping out military spoofs the likes of M*A*S*H. Obviously, Ivan Reitman’s Stripes falls into the latter category. Without a genuine war to fight, the idea of joining the army was viewed as a dodge or hustle to get out of trouble and cash an easy paycheck. In the late 90s when I was closing out my high school career, I knew so many guys who joined ROTC programs or went into the service simply to get the G.I. Bill and pay for college without a loan. The military was something that could be joked about. That obviously changed about 20 years ago. You can’t really make miliary-themed comedies like Stripes anymore. Similarly, you can’t really make terrorist action/comedies like True Lies anymore. 

In the pantheon of military comedies, Stripes may not lead the pack, but it’s a damn funny entry nonetheless. What I like about this one, in particular, is that it’s not out to make the military the butt of a joke but instead has fun with the idea that a slacker like Winger could survive the service. The interplay with Murray and Warren Oates’ Hulka is gold. Oates plays it straight as can be letting Murray’s brand of subtle humor shine as a result. Ramis also shines as the affable Ziskey. I love that he’s the “smart” one of the pair but so often gets pulled into a bad situation because he’s also spineless against Winger’s prodding. After that, we have to give a mention to John Candy’s lovable Ox. It may be a small role, but he steals every scene. 

Now, Stripes is also a prime example of how an Extended Version of a comedy just doesn’t work. Running at nearly fifteen minutes longer, there’s nothing in the Extended Version that makes this movie actually “better.” If anything the extra footage throws off the flow of the film and makes for a weaker comedy. The footage of Winger and Ziskey getting dropped into Central America may fill a sort of plot hole, but it doesn’t add to the movie. It's actually a leftover plot device when Cheech and Chong were attached. It’s not funny and goes on for so long. By the time things get back to the main movie, you’ve forgotten what’s going on. There’s a good reason this material got cut. It’s fun as a curiosity, but I never enjoy watching the Extended Version. But for those who do enjoy the longer version, kudos to Sony for including it on this 4K release. 

Stripes is a family favorite where I come from. I don’t remember how old I was when my parents first showed this one to me, but for how often they fast-forwarded or muted it - I was probably too young. Regardless, this is one of my very favorite comedies. I was a little surprised to see that Sony was including it with the Columbia Classics Vol. 2 set, but I’m glad to see it get the love and attention it deserves. I've seen this flick a hundred times and it always makes me laugh.

Vital Disc Stats: The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray 
Stripes scores it’s second run on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray with a new two-disc 4K UHD + Blu-ray + Digital SteelBook release from Sony. The 4K is again pressed on a BD100 disc with the same BD50 disc serving up the 1080p version and the bulk of the extra features. The SteelBook packaging is a nice reproduction of the theatrical poster on the front with some simple still shots on the back behind the j-card. Each disc loads tot heir respective menus, the 4K again with a static image and the bonus features along the right side of the screen.

As with so many Sony re-releases on 4K UHD, Stripes returns to 2160p now complete with a Dolby Vision HDR grade for both cuts of the film. Was it worth it? Eh, sure. I guess. Truthfully that previous HDR10 transfer didn’t leave a whole lot of wiggle room for improvement. It was already a great transfer and like so many of the Sony Dolby Vision upgrades, the improvement in colorting, black levels, and contrast is relatively incremental. I already gave the HDR10 transfer a 4.5/5 rating. This edition is a 4.75/5. Yes, it’s better, but not in such a leap that I’d say those who were happy with the version on the Columbia Classics Vol. 2 set need to run out and buy this one too. There’s no reason for that. Even checking bitrates the two discs are relatively neck and neck to the point that details are indistinguishable. 

Here’s what I had to say about the HDR10 disc:

Stripes has never had a great home video history. The first Blu-ray release offered up little to no improvement over the DVD so I never bothered to upgrade. Plugging in this native 4K 2160p HDR10 transfer was like seeing the movie again for the first time! I was immediately impressed with the detail clarity and how well this transfer manages film grain. Past Blu-ray and DVD transfers really struggled with it often being left with a noisy and unsatisfying image. Film grain is retained here but is well resolved and organic without ever appearing too noisy. Image clarity lets you fully appreciate all of the small details. 

HDR10 also gives this film a lovely boost in the colors, black levels, and contrast. Colors appear well saturated with nice deep blues, yellows, and reds. Army uniforms are appropriately olive drab. Black levels are better than I’ve ever seen them. Past releases suffered from some heavy crush issues and that’s not an issue. The heavy black night scene when Winger tries to go AWOL or when the group hits the strip club, blacks are nice and inky with great shadow separation and image depth. 

Likewise the audio options haven’t changed. This disc still offers the DTS-HD MA Mono, DTS-HD MA 5.1, and the Atmos mix. The only one of the three I don’t much care for is the 5.1 mix. While it’s filled in with some new effects and other frills to sound more dynamic, I actually enjoy this Atmos mix quite a bit. At the time of my initial review I gave it the edge with the original mono audio close behind. In recent viewings I’ve gone back to the mono more and more so I think I’ll adjust that slightly. Both tracks do their jobs well. By comparison the 5.1 mix never really did anything for me and it still doesn’t. It’s so front heavy and thinly spread it barely registers for me as an interesting or worthwhile surround experience. The Mono is great. The Atmos is impressive. Those really are the only two tracks that need your attention. 

Likewise with most of the disc specs, the bonus features package is identical. We have the newer extras on the 4K Disc with the archival bonus materials and the audio commentary on the included Blu-ray. Once again, that frustrating issue of the commentary only being included on the Blu-ray continues with this release. 

4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

• 40 Years of Stripes with Bill & Ivan: That’s the Fact Jack! (HD 20:30)
• 40 Years of Stripes with Bill & Ivan: Lighten Up Francis (HD 24:18)
• Theatrical Trailer

1080 Blu-ray

• Audio Commentary featuring Ivan Reitman and Dan Goldberg (Extended Version Only)
• Stars and Stripes - Part One (HD 28:14)
• Stars and Stripes - Part Two (HD 27:29)
• Deleted and Extended Scenes (HD 29:10)
• 1983 TV Version of Stripes (SD 1:43:58)

Stripes remains one of the funniest military comedies of any generation. It’s brash and crass but it’s funny as hell and the kind of movie that just isn’t made these days. You certainly can’t make a military comedy like this in our geo-political climate! As this movie remains a comedy classic, it’s a terrific showcase for a generation of rising talent. For this release Sony enlists Stripes for a second tour of duty on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray free from the confines of a multi-film collection. This new two-disc SteelBook option gives folks the chance to pick this title up solo. The included Dolby Vision HDR grade really doesn’t give the already great transfer much heft, it’s just a nice little accent so don’t feel the need to double dip. Audio is the same. Extras are the same. My final recommendation is the same - Highly Recommended - but it's specifically for people who didn’t buy the Columbia Classics Vol. 2 Collection or those who really love SteelBooks.