There are those among us who proudly describe themselves as “Amblin kids.” Sure, it’s a descriptor I’ve just made up, but if you grew up in the era of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), Gremlins (1984), The Goonies (1985), Back to the Future (1985), An American Tale (1985), Innerspace (1987), Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988), and The Land Before Time (1988) — and these are just a few adventure tales from the 1980s — then it’s safe to say you qualify to use the term (as well as compensation from the trauma). Amblin Entertainment was founded in 1980 by Steven Spielberg (Jaws), Frank Marshall (Back to the Future), and Kathleen Kennedy (Jurassic Park), each one playing a significant role in the stories that shaped an entire generation. One such film sounds wild on paper and, yet, through its execution, is not only hilarious and action-packed, it reminds us that we’re all part of the same ecosystem; the William Dear-directed family adventure Harry and the Hendersons (1987) is receiving a brand-new 4K UHD restoration with enhanced picture, as well as a mixture of new and archival materials, so that a new generation can experience the uplifting and heartfelt tale of found family.
On the way back from an outdoors family vacation in the Seattle woods, the Hendersons accidentally drive their car into something huge when the light of the sun and the dust of the road block driver George’s (John Lithgow) vision. Believing it to be a dead sasquatch, they strap it to the roof of their car and bring it home, only to discover that it’s very much alive. Once everyone, including the creature they name “Harry,” calms down, they find that he’s not only quite friendly, he’s incredibly gentle and sweet. But when the risks of keeping him grow too great, the Hendersons try to get him back home and lose Harry in the process. It’s only a matter of time before Harry’s discovered and word has begun to spread that a real sasquatch is roaming the streets of Seattle and it’s bringing all manner of hunter to town.
The following home release review is based on a 4K UHD retail edition provided by Kino Lorber.
With this 2026 edition, just a year shy of the 40th anniversary of theatrical release, home viewers are treated to a brand-new video restoration and two new audio commentary tracks. The 4K UHD disc features a restoration from a 4K scan of the 35 mm original camera negative, housed on a triple-layered UHD100 disc, and includes both 5.1 and lossless 2.0 audio. By contrast, the Blu-ray includes a new HD master (made through the same materials), housed on a double-layered BD50 disc, and includes both 5.1 and lossless 2.0 audio tracks. For the unaware, the layers and size allow for more data to be held by the disc and the integrity of the information to be better supported, enabling a higher quality presentation through your home theater. Unlike restorations from boutique distributors (such as: 88 Films, Eureka Entertainment, Radiance Films, and The Criterion Collection), there is no included information regarding how the restoration was made or who did the restoration beyond what’s on the Kino Lorber website. While we don’t know how the negative was processed or scanned or any of the treatments it underwent, since Dear returns to contribute a brand-new commentary track, alongside filmmaker Douglas Hosdale (Brokedown Palace), one can safely presume from his participation that he approves of the restoration. From a technical perspective, the Harry restoration absolutely impresses as it holds steadily in the 70 Mbps range for the duration of the film; no massive jumps or dips at any point. For a movie shot on film using a great deal of practical effects (that Rick Baker-designed sasquatch suit remains impressive in its naturalness), one isn’t particularly surprised as titles with lots of digital effects or composition tend to bring down the bitrate (ex. Sonic the Hedgehog 3), even if it doesn’t *noticeably* impact the overall visual or auditory experience. Instead, we’re gifted with an experience in which the tones are completely natural (browns and greens of nature rich, while the skin tones are healthy and not washed out), the variant textures of the sasquatch suit discernable (especially in the nighttime sequences), and heavy grain is only truly visible in the concluding portions of the film. To be clear, it’s not that grain is totally removed, it’s just that the heavy presence is gone, allowing for the goodness within each frame to shine through. There’s no massive impression made by the 5.1 audio track, even if it is designed for post-2010 home theaters. The sound comes through crisp and clean, to be sure, but this isn’t the sort of cinematic experience in which one needs to be enveloped by sound anyway. It certainly helps that all of the new and archival supplemental materials are relegated to the Blu-ray disc, while the 4K UHD disc contains only the three commentary tracks (two new; one archival) which leaves plenty of room on the disc for the feature to be the best version it can be.
Speaking of the commentary tracks, if there’s a bad thing to say about them, it’s that none of the three speak on the use of the Millenium Falcon’s failed hyperdrive post-car chase scene where the Hendersons and Dr. Wrightwood (Don Ameche) are fleeing from hunter Jacques Lafleur (David Suchet). Jumping on the fly through all three commentary tracks, not a one of them mentions it, which is a clear tie-in to friend of Amblin George Lucas’s blockbuster then-Star Wars trilogy (when only the Extended Universe existed past Return). Otherwise, the new commentary tracks are a good time as the one with Dear and Hosdale invites viewers to learn about how Lithgow got attached to the project after much hesitation, the work by Baker to craft the Harry suit (as well as the team to operate it), how Kevin Peter Hall’s (Predator) performance within the suit (even with only his eyes showing) gave Harry a necessary humanity, and a great deal of other tidbits. The solo commentary track from Hats Off Entertainment’s Joe Ramoni switches between film-specific notes to general anecdotes, such as his belief that the “character watches several TVs in a business window” trope seemed to be perpetuated by films and never based in reality.
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