How much better can Aliens, True Lies, and The Abyss look in 4K? James Cameron fans can find out the answer to that today, as all three films are now available to watch in ultra HD courtesy of platforms that include Prime Video, Apple TV, and Fandango/Vudu.
Here’s a link to the Vudu page and its description for True Lies, which, according to comparisons that were spotted by r/4kbluray, appears to be a decent upgrade versus the older versions of the film. (Many are saying that there is some serious DNR at play here, but it doesn’t seem to look as severe as what can be found in the 4K version of T2: Judgment Day.):
Arnold Schwarzenegger is special agent Harry Tasker, a top spy in the ultra-secret omega sector who also dances a mean tango – although to his neglected wife, Helen, (Jamie Lee Curtis) he’s just a dull computer salesman. But while Harry’s been busy fighting terrorists, Helen’s been gathering secrets of her own. And when their two secret lives unexpectedly collide, Harry and Helen find themselves in the clutches of international terrorists, fighting to save not only their marriage but their lives as well.
The 4K versions of Aliens and The Abyss: Special Edition are also on Vudu, the latter of which received a special, one-night-only-screening in theaters earlier this month:
(The Abyss) After a nuclear submarine mysteriously sinks in a remote part of the ocean floor, a team of divers on a prototype underwater oil rig are pressed into service by the U.S. Navy in a rescue attempt. When a hurricane cuts off contact between the surface and the underwater depths, the crew begin to see evidence of a strange, possibly alien intelligence at work. While Chief Bud Brigman (Ed Harris) bickers with his ex wife and boss (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), the Navy commander begins to grow increasingly paranoid about the mysterious alien life and threatens to use a recovered nuclear weapon to destroy everything.
(Aliens) The terror continues in this chilling, critically acclaimed sequel as Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), the sole survivor of the Nostromo’s deadly encounter with the monstrous Alien, returns to Earth after drifting through space in hypersleep for 57 years. Although her story is initially met with skepticism, she agrees to accompany a team of Colonial Marines back to LV-426…and this time it’s war!
“I can say without a doubt that [The Abyss] is by far the best looking of the 3,” said one viewer. “There isn’t much in the way of grain to be seen, but there is still good fine detail and depth to the image. It doesn’t look nearly as processed as Aliens and True Lies to me.”
All of these films are available to purchase digitally for $19.99 ahead of their 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray releases, which are scheduled to arrive on March 12, 2024.
Avatar 3, a new installment of Cameron’s blockbuster franchise that may or not make another $2+ billion at the box office, is on track for a Christmas 2025 release.