Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (4K UHD Review)

Reviewed by: Sam Cohen
Review Date: Jul 15, 2024
Format: 4K Ultra HD

Director

Adam McKay

Release Date(s)

2004 (July 2, 2024)

Studio(s)

Apatow Productions/DreamWorks Pictures (Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment)

Film/Program Grade: B+
Video Grade: A
Audio Grade: A-
Extras Grade: B-

Review

“It is anchorman, not anchorlady! And that is a scientific fact!” Was there anything more ubiquitous in aughts-era Hollywood pop culture than Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy? The 2004 comedy classic was the product of the Frat Pack, which included Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn, and Steve Carell, among others; a crew of talented actors who all appeared together in high-grossing studio comedies since the mid-1990s. That’s why when you bring up Frat Pack, movies like Old School, Zoolander, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, and Wedding Crashes all jump to the fore. These high-budgeted (for the time) comedies were all categorized by having sophomoric humor and heavy doses of free-wheeling improvisation on their sets. But Anchorman still stands tall as a bit of a lightning in a bottle—a film that quips, zigs, zags and laughs at the absurdity of male chauvinism on broadcast television in the 1970s.

While we may all know Anchorman for Brick Tamland (Steve Carrell, The Office) riding a big, furry tractor or Brian Fontana (Paul Rudd, Clueless) for his cologne made from real bits of panther, it’s important to note that the film being this good is more than a minor miracle. Back when Will Ferrell and Adam McKay were showing an early cut to test audiences, the film was received negatively and the duo had to rewrite and reshoot the central plot that tied together all the various comedic set pieces. Anchorman was initially to be about the Channel 4 news team’s coverage of an elusive group of hippie bank robbers that call themselves “The Alarm Clock”. This entire plot was excised in exchange for the panda story that brings everyone back together during the climax. But why isn’t the absence of a crucial part of the film felt more severely? Because McKay and Ferrell somehow brought together all of this talent with a sharp script, then let them run wild to give the work the extra comedic juice.

Upon my umpteenth watch, it became abundantly clear that Anchorman works because the jokes hit hard, fast, and don’t stop until the credits roll. Aside from all of the quotable one-liners and bits, Anchorman leaned heavily into physical comedy and flights of fancy that made the story that much more memorable. Even the sequence of Ron and Veronica taking off to Pleasure Town enlivened a staid story beat into something else entirely. It’s an approach that both McKay and Ferrell have tried to duplicate over the years to diminishing returns, with the former trading in lighter satire for furiously polemic commentary and the latter acting as a reliable standby and producer of comedies. That said, I think Anchorman is the perfect example of the envelope being pushed *just* enough without being overbearing about whatever it’s trying to say. The 70s-era male chauvinism is a goldmine for jokes, though the film sidesteps from that being a constant, essential gag.

All in all, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy both epitomizes the mid-aughts improv comedy resurgence and successfully engages the audience in its funniest set pieces. Every cameo plays like another friend showing up to the party and making it that much more memorable, every big set piece is designed with all characters engaging rather than just the lead, plus the breathless cinematography by Thomas E. Ackerman gorgeously recreates 70s-era fashion and interior design.

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy came just before the switchover to Digital Intermediates. It was shot on Kodak Vision 35mm stock using Panavision Primo spherical lenses with Panavision Panaflex Gold II and Platinum cameras. The film was finished photochemically initially and framed at the 1.85:1 aspect ratio, but is presented here from a new 4K DI sourced from the original camera negative with the original ratio retained. For its Ultra HD debut, the film has been graded for High Dynamic Range in HDR10 and Dolby Vision, and encoded on a 66 GB disc with data rates hovering between 70 and 80Mbps for the majority of the presentation.

For those who follow Paramount Home Entertainment’s 4K Blu-ray releases intensely, like me, I’m eager to report that this disc is an absolute stunner. The 66 GB disc still gives the film plenty of room to breathe since it only runs for 94 minutes, plus all that sharp detail captured spherically looks wonderful here. From the opening scene, you’re treated to a very handsome 4K image that emphasizes all the beautiful period detail achieved with the production design. Individual whiskers in Ron’s mustache immediately impress, and individual pores, sweat, and those 70s-era pastels gain a huge boost in clarity over the old Blu-ray master. As for grain, there’s a very light yet appreciable grain field overlaying everything, giving details just the right amount of filmic texture. In particular, the animated sequence of Ron and Veronica going to Pleasure Town really impresses in clarity and saturation. You’d expect it to be directly from an animated film with how good it looks. The Dolby Vision HDR grade is delicately applied, pulling as much highlight detail out of costumes, faces, sets, etc. I was really impressed with how the opening pool party looks thanks to the enhanced black levels. Shadow detail is fantastic as well.

The included English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track offers a great presentation of a somewhat-limited source. There’s not a lot of surround effects to be heard, although I’m not surprised. Given the improvisational nature of the production, they were probably just recording for dialogue coverage. That’s why when any of the soundtrack hits fire up, the soundstage immediately expands and envelops you. This is a very front-focused track, much like a TV sitcom from the mid-00s. All in all, it’s a handsome presentation of the source, but it will remind you how the sound design is pretty bare and dialogue-focused. Some good news, though: this 4K Blu-ray offers French, German, Spanish, Italian and Japanese 5.1 Dolby Digital tracks, as well as an audio descriptive option. The original Blu-ray did not come with all of these language options.

Paramount Home Entertainment’s Ultra HD release is a three-disc set that includes the theatrical cut in 4K on UHD, both cuts in HD on Blu-ray, and the Wake Up, Ron Burgundy bonus feature in HD on a third Blu-ray disc. Please note that the two standard Blu-rays included look to be direct ports of the old discs, meaning they’re not sourced from the new 4K master prepared for the UHD presentation. The 4K UHD disc offers no special features, just the main theatrical cut feature. The Blu-ray discs contain the following:

DISC TWO:

Audio Commentary with Will Ferrell and Adam McKay
Deleted & Extended Scenes (SD – 37:53)
Bloopers (SD – 7:45)
Afternoon Delight Music Video (SD – 3:50)
ESPN SportsCenter Audition Ron Burgundy (SD – 1:54)

DISC THREE:

Wake Up, Ron Burgundy (HD – 92:55)
Intro-Commentary with Will Ferrell and Aaron Zimmerman (SD – 12:00)
PSA (SD – 3:41)
Award Speech (SD – 3:12)
Raw Footage “Good Takes” (SD – 39:26)
Afternoon Delight Recording Session (SD – 2:58)
Happy Birthday AMC Lowes (SD – 3:15)
Interviews (SD – 10:14)
Cinemax: The Making of Anchorman (SD – 9:28)
Reel Comedy: Anchorman (SD – 8:29)
A Conversation with Ron Burgundy (SD –- 10:40)
Cast Auditions (SD – 13:03)
Table Read 6/2/03 (SD – 18:37)
Rehearsals (SD – 9:09)
Playback Video (SD – 5:10)
Commercial Break (SD – 2:04)
Teaser Trailer (HD – 1:50)
Theatrical Trailer (HD – 2:32)
“Trounced Spiderman” TV Spot (SD – :17)

This release comes loaded with legacy supplements, all carried over from the 2010 Blu-ray dubbed The Rich Mahogany Edition, with nothing new added. That isn’t to say the extras package is a complete disappointment, as the existing legacy features already provide a lot of content for viewers to watch, including cast rehearsals, fake interviews produced to market the film, music videos, and of course, the bonus feature Wake Up, Ron Burgundy in full. Thanks to the very improvisational nature of the production, footage was left on the cutting room floor, and a lot of it is presented here. So even though there isn’t anything new, this is still the most comprehensive release of the film in terms of its A/V presentation and supplements.

There’s a good chance you’re already a big fan of Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, and luckily this new 4K Ultra HD release provides a huge upgrade in quality over the previous Blu-ray. It’s time to get out of that glass case of emotion and treat yourself to a classic comedy in 4K.

- Sam Cohen

(You can follow Sam on social media at these links: Facebook, Instagram, and Letterboxd.)