Coming to America - 4K Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Coming to America



Movie:
4K Video:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:


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Movie
Coming to America is what I would consider the movie that put Eddie Murphy on the map as a bankable comedic actor. He had already had a successful set of stand up comedy routines, done the insanely funny Trading Places, 48 hours, and the abysmal The Golden Child, but after Coming to America Eddie Murphy was one of the go-to guys for studios when they wanted a funny lead that would pull in the box office monies. It didn’t help that John Landis, who started his comedic career with Trading Places (48 hours was funny, but nowhere near the comedic film nature), would be the one to direct another box office smash by the king of “hu hu hu!!!!”. It’s a far cry from his later career when he would star in such painful films like Pluto Nash, and back in a time when his enthusiasm for comedy outweighed his desire for a simple “paycheck n go”.

With Coming to America 2 on the horizon it was only natural to see a re-release, either on 4K UHD or the new Paramount Presents 4K remaster lineup. Well luckily it's the former as we get a fantastic new remaster, a steelbook edition (which I'm reviewing today) as well as an identical "standard" release with standard packaging. The only weird thing is that it's one of the few titles that Paramount has deemed non necessary to make a combo pack. There are almost NO releases in 4K without a Blu-ray disc in tow, but like 13 Hours and Days of Thunder, it gets a 4K only release (both in steelbook form and original packaging.

Eddie Murphy is Prince Akeem of the fictional African nation of Zamunda. He’s living in the lap of luxury, but like most men in modern eras, is balking at the idea of an arranged marriage by his father, King Jaffe Joffer (James Earl Jones). Refusing to marry his father’s choice, Prince Akeem tells his father that he is going to America where he fill find his OWN bride. The thing is, King Jaffe has NO idea that Prince Akeek is going over there to search for a bride. He thinks that his son is going over there for an extended “bachelor party”, when in fact the sneaky little prince is figuring a way to get out from under his father’s thumb and gain a bridge of his own choosing.

Accompanied by his best friend and trainer Semmi (Arsenio Hall in a hilarious role), Akeem movies to New York city where he has to take residence in a slummy apartment and working minimum wage at a restaurant. Soon after Akeem falls in love with Lisa (Shari Headley) who is a black awareness activist, and happens to be the DAUGHTER of restaurant’s owner that he and Semmi work at. However, Lisa is dating a hair care model named Darryl, and Akeem has to turn on the charm and try to prove to Lisa, her father Cleo (John Amos), and King Jaffe that defying tradition and following your heart is the true path to happiness.

Coming to America is a product of the 1980s, and it does such with such gust and glee that you can’t help but get involved with the enthusiasm. Eddie Murphy was on top of the world at the moment, and his comedic timing with Arsenio Hall (who is a hilariously underrated comedian in my opinion) to make the jokes work at full speed. There’s plenty of unintentional comedy from the crazy hairstyles, tropes of the time, and outfits, but most of the humor comes from Eddie and crew going gangbusters with a snappy script that goes full tilt till the very last “hu hu hu!” out of Eddie Murphy’s mouth. Eddie is perfectly cast as Prince Akeem, playing the young prince as a charming and confident man who’s nervously just looking for love and his own identity. James Earl Jones is perfect as the powerful and intense King (when isn’t James Earl Jones forceful?), and Arsenio Hall is the perfect foil to Akeem, being the shy and timid one, while till making some of the best bungling jokes of the series.

The film is a bit cliched if you look back at it honestly, but it does so with a sense of sincere 80s honesty that is perfect for the time period. John Landis sets the movie up as a “happily ever after” fantasy with all of the fantasy tropes built into the script. Darryl is the counterpart to what Akeem is SUPPOSED to be (selfish, vain, puts himself above others), while the frog (Akeem), is the true lover that is hidden underneath his ugly (aka, Poor) exterior. King Jaffe is the doting father who wants what is best for his son, but is blinded by his privilege, while Cleo is your typical father who wants what’s best for his daughter, but is blinded by his status as a richer than usual business owner. All culminating in a typical ending where everyone gets what they want and lives happily ever after. Simply put, it just works as a fluffy comedy that doesn't try to be anything its not.




Rating:

Rated R by the MPAA




4K Video: Video:

Straight out of the gate my jaw was hanging on the floor. The opening in the royal palace is just jaw dropping with rich shades of red, gold and black, coupled with incredible amounts of detail. You can see every curve and feature of Eddie’s young face, and the new HDR levels allow the colors to really pop off the screen. The old DNR and smoothed out Blu-ray is long gone, and in it’s place is an incredibly sharp picture with nuances everywhere. Getting to New York is a little bit grungier and sometimes grain spikes, but that was an intentional thing done by John Landis, who admits that he wanted to make the slums of New York look gritty and rough. Details still abound everywhere, and outside of a few long shots (such as an aerial view of the McDowell’s fast food joint that looks a bit grainy and hazy), this is an incredible image. The deep blacks allow for so much detail level to be seen in the grungy little place where Akeem and his man in waiting make their home, and the night club scene is jaw dropping in regards to inky blacks that don’t crush or obscure the image.






Audio:

The Blu-ray also suffered from a Dolby Digital lossy track that was never THAT great (but still serviceable). Just like Trading Places, we get a new upgrade to lossless, this time with DTS-HD MA 5.1 instead of Dolby TrueHD 5.1. The track has never sounded so good, with a rich and vibrant feel that really fills out the sound stage. The palace is filled with rich horn based music, and the sounds of New York are rich and varied. The hustle and bustle of the city really fills out the surround channels, and while the track has never been a bassy affair, there is quite a bit of oomph in the low end. The before mentioned club scene is really punchy. All in all, a great sounding mix that really improves upon the middling Dolby Digital lossy track of the Blu-ray.






Extras:

• 4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM, WITH HDR SUPERVISED BY JOHN LANDIS
• Prince-ipal Photography: The Coming Together of America
• Fit For Akeem: The Costumes of Coming to America
• Character Building: The Many Faces of Rick Baker
• Composing America: The Musical Talents of Nile Rodgers
• A Vintage Sit-Down with Eddie & Arsenio
• Theatrical Trailer

Final Score: ​

Coming to America is one of the films that put Eddie Murphy on the map as a bankable comedic actor, and is still one of his funniest John Landis directed films next to Trading Places. The story is simple as all get out, the plot predictable, but Eddie Murphy manages to eek out every laugh he can out of the simple story line and does so with enthusiastic gusto that only Eddie Murphy in his prime could do. Personally, I would have liked to see Paramount update the new edition something other than new cover art and a new slipcover, but that’s the breaks. While I loved the Blu-ray, it's technical specs were always lacking, but this new 4K UHD totally transforms it and makes it into the film presentation it deserved to be. 5 star video, a great upgrade to Lossless audio, and all the extras from the Blu-ray. If you don't want to pay the higher price of the steel book that I'm reviewing here, Paramount has also released the film in a "regular" packaging for a cheaper price, so choose which you will. Must Buy whichever the packaging you choose.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Eddie Murphy, James Earl Jones, Arsenio Hall, Victoria Dillard, Madge Sinclair, Calvin Lockhart
Directed by: John Landis
Written by: Eddie Murphy, David Sheffield
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 HEVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1, German DTS-HD MA 5.1
Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, German
Studio: Paramount
Rated: R
Runtime: 116 minutes
Blu-Ray Release June 12th, 2018
(steelbook)
(regular edition)

Recommendation: Must Buy.

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. Yes, a great movie worth having that is for sure! Looking forward to the sequel.

 

[Todd Anderson]

Ok. How did they NOT take Trading Places to 4K??

 

[Michael Scott]

Ok. How did they NOT take Trading Places to 4K??

lol, I was a little disappointed it didn't come in 4K too. but it's a great looking blu-ray at least

 

[Asere]

I can't tell you how many times I watched this film back then. I am sure it is really outdated but a classic to me. Thanks for the review!