Se7en – 4K UHD Blu-ray Review
Commissions Earned
Film Title: Se7en (1995)
Release Date: 2025
Rating: R
Runtime: 127 minutes
Region Coding: Region Free
Distributor: Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment
Audio Formats: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
High Dynamic Range: HDR10
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
Version Reviewed: 4K UHD Blu-ray
Release Date: 1/7/25
Director: David Fincher
Cast: Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, Gwyneth Paltrow, R. Lee Ermey, Richard Roundtree, Kevin Spacey, John C. McGinley
Jump to Sections:
Movie | Video | Audio | Bonus | Closing | Screenshots
Full 4K Tech Specs found at the bottom
click to view a 4K Screenshot
The Movie
“Se7en” (also known as “Seven”) was a 1995 film directed by David Fincher. Fincher is a renowned filmmaker known for directing a diverse range of cinematic works. His films include “Alien³” (1992), “The Game” (1997), “Fight Club” (1999), “Panic Room” (2002), “Zodiac” (2007), “The Social Network” (2010), “Gone Girl” (2014), and “The Killer” (2023).
The screenplay was written by Andrew Kevin Walker. He is an accomplished screenwriter. He has also made significant contributions to the film industry. Walker is best known for screenplays for films like “Brainscan” (1994) and “8MM” (1999). He also worked on “Sleepy Hollow” (1999), “The Wolfman” (2010), and “The Killer” (2023).
The narrative focuses on two New York Police Department (NYPD) homicide detectives. One is a rookie, “Detective Mills” (Brad Pitt). The other is a seasoned veteran, “Detective Somerset” (Morgan Freeman). Their mission, entrusted by the police captain (R. Lee Ermey), is to apprehend a serial killer. The killer’s pattern starts to emerge. It seems they’re drawing inspiration from Christian teachings. They are particularly influenced by the seven deadly sins: gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, pride, lust, and envy. This movie certainly fits into the postmodern noir genre.
It is noteworthy that Detective Mills is married to a woman named “Tracy” (Gwyneth Paltrow). One evening, Mills receives a visit from Somerset at his residence. During the visit, Mills introduces Somerset to his wife and they dine together as a family. The two men primarily discuss their work, but they also spend some time getting to know each other.
Mills and Somerset are assigned a challenging and unsettling task: apprehending and comprehending this serial killer. It is advisable to anticipate that the investigation will emotionally strain one or both of these detectives. “Se7en” is a very interesting film. It depicts a serial killer in a very scary way. So, don’t be surprised if things can quickly become quite disturbing.
Movie Rating: 5 (out of 5)
click to view a 4K Screenshot
Video Quality
“Se7en” on 4K UHD Blu-ray is presented in the 2.40:1 aspect ratio with HDR10 form of high dynamic range. This movie received a 4K restoration from Warner Bros. Discovery’s Motion Picture Imaging (MPI) Labs. They scanned the original 35mm camera negative at 8K resolution. The restoration process was overseen by the film’s director David Fincher.
The movie was shot on 35mm film in the Super 35 cinematographic process. The Aaton 35-II, Panavision Panaflex Gold, and Panavision Panaflex Platinum cameras were used, all with Panavision Primo spherical lenses.
Next, let me get technical about the 4K UHD Blu-ray Disc here. This release uses a BD-100 (100 gigabytes) disc, 92.81 gigabytes total, and 74.6 gigabytes itself for the film. Looking back on it, the 2011 Blu-ray Disc release of the film used 39.6 gigabytes in total. And out of that, it used 34.1 gigabytes itself for the film (in HD), in the [outdated] VC-1 video codec. So, this 4K version is roughly 2.19 times larger of a file than the HD version.
Based on my observations via my 4K UHD Blu-ray player, this seems to peak at around 125.6 Mbps. It then runs roughly around 80.3 Mbps and dips down as low as 36.9 Mbps. According to info on the PC side, this seems to have an overall video bitrate of 70.4 Mb/s average.
Now, before I do a comparison with the Blu-ray, I want to discuss something. Director David Fincher has shared insights about this restoration, in several recent reviews. With Collider.com he discussed using AI technology to use four different camera shots to help fix an unwanted camera pan. He also spoke with Entertainment Weekly about how he used AI technology with the restoration. Below are two particular quotes regarding this.
“”In this case, there was this unasked-for and unearned camera pan where a character moved, and then the camera panned over to follow them but followed them late and overshot them and ended up seeing more of the bar than was intended. But the performance in it was so good that we went with it. Well, in this case, we can take that and go, ‘What’s the issue here with stabilizing this pan that happens at such an inopportune time?’ There was no issue in terms of the background. We had enough of the background, but at the beginning of it, we had cleaved off one of the actor’s shoulders, and he’s wearing a black leather jacket, and there’s no data.”
“So we took three or four different shots from earlier, which had a jacket in them that we liked, and then we input that, and then we had it spit back out AI, and then took the background from where the camera landed and just composited them together. So it ends up being the most thrillingly stupid fix in the world because if you see it, we didn’t do our jobs. And you probably won’t see it. You probably won’t be aware that it’s happened. But you look at it, and you just think to yourself, ‘It’s so nice that we can fix that kind of stuff today.””
– David Fincher with Collider
“”Throwing this new kind of technological firepower at stuff was, for me, really revelatory. We ran into things that heretofore had never been noted. I mean, shots that were fundamentally out of focus that you couldn’t read on film and couldn’t read even in HD. And then you get to 4K downsampling of the 8K scan. And we did end up going in and doing little split screens and using AI to sharpen things so that we could reestablish what was intended to be looked at. I think we probably took a little over a year — and left to my own devices, it could have been twice that.“”
– David Fincher with Entertainment Weekly
Fincher spoke with the Associated Press regarding the 4K with HDR being able to show things you cannot see in a theatrical showing, from a film print. He also discussed how they scanned at 8K resolution because he didn’t want to have to ever go back and do this restoration process again. Here are some of those quotes.
“”It was a little decrepit, to be honest,” said Fincher. “We needed to resuscitate it. There are things you can see in 4K HDR that you cannot see on a film print.””
“Fincher has over the years overseen several restorations of the film (including one for laser disc) but decided this needed to be the last. It’s why he insisted on an 8K scan that they could derive the 4K from. He wanted to ensure that it wouldn’t have to be repeated when screens get more advanced.
“I don’t want to do this again,” Fincher said. “What we’ve essentially gotten to with this is that this is the new negative. This will be the new archival storage element.””
– David Fincher with Associated Press
Next, I want to visually compare the original Blu-ray and the 4K UHD Blu-ray. I’ll show you the screenshots for both the 2011 Blu-ray and the new 2025 4K UHD Blu-ray releases. For those who want to see more Blu-ray VS. 4K screenshots, click the text below.
Blu-ray VS. 4K Screenshots Comparison:
SOURCES: 2011 Blu-ray (left), 2025 4K UHD Blu-ray (right)
You can tell from the comparisons above. The new 2025 4K UHD Blu-ray offers a brighter picture over the 2011 original Blu-ray. The 4K comes with a newfound amount of detail, especially in facial close-ups. The black level seems more solid now many thanks to the addition of high dynamic range. Some slight framing changes seem to have been made. Also, the color timing has slightly changed to feel a tad bit more warm. Overall, this new 4K UHD Blu-ray is a major improvement. It looks exceptional. It earns a perfect 5 rating for video quality.
4K UHD Blu-ray Screenshots
Video Quality Rating: 5 (out of 5)
click to view a 4K Screenshot
Audio Quality
“Se7en” on 4K UHD Blu-ray is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound mix, with a DTS 5.1 core for those who cannot decode the aforementioned lossless format.
It is noteworthy that previous home video releases of this film included DTS:ES 6.1 on DVD and DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 on Blu-ray. These mixes were specifically designed for home video releases. This mix appears to be reverting to the original theatrical 5.1 surround sound mix that most 35mm showings utilized.
Despite the decision to remove the extra rear channels, this mix performs exceptionally well within a 5.1 surround configuration. In fact, there were a few problems with those earlier home video releases’ mixes. Still, it is undeniable that this movie has consistently delivered exceptional audio quality on DVD and Blu-ray. This quality is unsurprising, given the increased bandwidth available for peak audio bitrate around 5.1Mbps at times. It sounds fantastic, and that’s all there is to it.
The primary distinction you will notice is that dialogue is distinctly conveyed via the center channel speaker. It is never overshadowed by sound effects or music. Thus, no volume adjustment is required. The rear channels get a lot of use throughout the film. One notable highlight is the sound effect of rain. It surrounds you thanks to the rear channels. Low-frequency effects (LFE) are significant. The original musical score by Howard Shore gets mixed well into the rear channels. It can also gets some action via the more intense music by Nine Inch Nails or the sound effects.
Needless to say, you will feel a great amount of bass through the subwoofer. Additionally, the rear channel presence is strong. The primary sound effects and music are perfectly delivered and driven by the front left and right channel speakers. This is one very intense 5.1 lossless surround sound mix that is full of “demo material” sequences. With that in mind, it is not surprising. “Se7en” on 4K UHD Blu-ray earns a perfect 5 rating for audio quality.
Audio Quality Rating: 5 (out of 5)
click to view a 4K Screenshot
Bonus Materials
A Digital Copy of the film is included (via paper insert) which is compatible with Movies Anywhere. You can use it across various online video services. These include VUDU (Fandango at Home), AppleTV, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, and Chromecast. It is compatible even with smart TVs from television makers like LG & VIZIO. Digitally, this is in 4K resolution with Dolby Vision (or HDR10) and 5.1 surround sound. This is no surprise that you get Dolby Vision digitally but not on the physical media release.
Bonus materials included on the 4K UHD Blu-ray are listed below.
- Commentaries includes 4 audio commentary tracks:
- Audio Commentary – “The Stars” features David Fincher, Brad Pitt, and Morgan Freeman.
- Audio Commentary – “The Story” features Richard Dyer, Andrew Kevin Walker, Richard Francis-Bruce, Michael De Luca, and David Fincher.
- Audio Commentary – “The Picture” features Darius Khondji, Arthur Max, Richard Francis-Bruce, Richard Dyer, and David Fincher.
- Audio Commentary – “The Sound” features Ren Klyce, Howard Shore, Richard Dyer, and David Fincher.
- Deleted Scenes (10 minutes, 11 seconds – HD) includes six scenes total.
- Deleted Scenes with Audio Commentary (10 minutes, 11 seconds – HD) features David Fincher.
- Alternate Ending (12 minutes, 57 seconds – HD) features an “Original ‘Test’ Ending” and “Animated Storyboards of Un-Shot Ending.”
- Alternate Ending with Audio Commentary (12 minutes, 57 seconds – HD) features David Fincher.
- Production Design (8 minutes, 56 seconds – HD) includes sketches and narrative.
- Still Photographs (41 minutes, 38 seconds – HD) features an audio commentary by photographer Melodie McDaniel. It also includes audio commentary by David Fincher, and audio commentary by photographer Peter Sorel, and a few others.
- Theatrical EPK – Promotional Materials (6 minutes, 40 seconds – HD)
- “Mastering for Home Theater” (23 minutes, 18 seconds – HD) is from the DVD days.
- “Exploration of the Opening Title Sequence” (8 minutes, 34 seconds – HD) includes early storyboards. It also holds a rough version and the final edit. This features the options of either DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound or with audio commentary tracks. The commentary tracks are as follows:
- Stereo Audio Commentary One – The Concept – Designer Kyle Cooper
- Stereo Audio Commentary Two – The Sound – Brant Biles & Robert Margouleff
The bonus materials total approximately 112 minutes. This does not include the multiple audio commentary tracks for the film and some featurettes. So, that’s almost 2 hours of extras. Plus, you get a 4K digital copy of the film that features Dolby Vision, unlike the physical media release.
Bonus Materials Rating: 4.5 (out of 5)
click to view a 4K Screenshot
Closing Thoughts
“Se7en” from 1995 proves to be one of the finer films that director David Fincher has made in his career. The performances given here by Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt are unforgettable. It’s certainly worth noting that this film was well received by critics. In fact, it is “Certified Fresh” based on critics reviews at Rotten Tomatoes.
In terms of video quality, this comes from an 8K scan and restoration that was overseen by the film’s director. It looks incredible now in 4K resolution with HDR (high dynamic range). This is by far the best that this film has ever looked and probably will ever look on home video. Fincher mentioned that he doesn’t want to repeat this process. They decided on an 8K scan in case technology changes. This way, they can release something superior in the future.
In terms of audio quality, this brings back the 5.1 surround sound that was originally heard during most theatrical showings on 35mm back in 1995. All of the other home video releases featured 6.1 and 7.1 surround sound mixes and this goes back to the original. It sounds downright excellent.
In terms of bonus materials, you receive four audio commentary tracks for the film itself. There are also almost 2 hours of extras. Some of those extras include audio commentary by David Fincher. Plus, there’s a digital copy of the film included.
Overall, this is one Very Highly Recommended 4K UHD Blu-ray release. The folks at Warner Bros. Discovery Motion Picture Imaging (MPI) labs and at Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment did an amazing job here.
In terms of 4K UHD Blu-ray release, this gets:
5 (out of 5) for video quality
5 (out of 5) for audio quality
4.5 (out of 5) for bonus materials
Overall Verdict:
Very Highly Recommended
Available As:
2025 4K UHD Blu-ray Release
Available at: Amazon | GRUV | Walmart
2025 4K UHD Blu-ray SteelBook Release
Available at: Amazon | GRUV | Walmart
Commissions Earned
4K UHD Blu-ray Technical Specifications:
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
Exact Runtime(s): 2:06:54
Audio Format(s): English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (with a DTS 5.1 core), Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono
Languages: English, Japanese, French, German, Spanish, Czech
Subtitles: English, Japanese, French, German, Spanish, Dutch, Chinese, Korean, Czech, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish
HDR: HDR10
Disc Size: BD-100
Disc Use: 92.81GB total / 74.6GB for the film
Video Bitrate: 70.4 Mb/s