Soylent Green and Falling Down 4K UHD Disc Reviews: Dystopian Horror Meets Urban Rage

From the gloom of Soylent Green’s desperate future to the boiling point of Falling Down’s crumbling present, two more Warner catalog gems have received high-fidelity 4K restorations from Arrow Films.

Soylent Green

In the unimaginably distant year of 2022, everything is in short supply: living space, jobs, clean water, and, most notably here, food. The title of the movie refers to a miraculous edible substance made from plankton, one of the last hopes for overgrown humankind to avoid starvation. Into this bleak urban landscape struts Charlton Heston, deep in the sci-fi phase of his career (see also Planet of the Apes and The Omega Man), here as cynical cop Thorn. Corruption is rampant, but when a big shot with important connections is murdered and the official story doesn’t add up, Thorn follows the clues down a dangerous path to a shocking discovery.

There’s an epic sci-fi actioner yearning to break free from this low-budget, workmanlike production. Heston’s commanding presence elevates the material, as do strong supporting performances from his researcher and roommate, Edward G. Robinson, and the too-pretty-for-words love interest, Leigh Taylor-Young. Some of the movie’s predictions of Earth’s unfortunate fate are close to the mark, while others are thankfully exaggerated (NYC’s population tops 40,000,000!), and it all adds up to an entertaining bit of early ’70s paranoia that makes us wonder what we dodged and what’s to come.

Along with Falling Down, below, Soylent Green is one of a pair of Warner catalog titles receiving a 4K, 16-bit scan and restoration by Arrow Films. Early scenes reveal extraordinary precision in the pattern on Edward G.’s shirt, as well as in his wrinkles and liver spots. Little details can pop nicely, such as the eight-ohm rating on Thorn’s headphones in a late scene. The fairly mundane shooting locations are made far more interesting by the outstandingly lifelike matte paintings by Matthew Yuricich. Grain is restrained but present, although some misty exteriors are surprisingly noisy.

The sole audio option is lossless mono, restored to a clarity rivaling that of its 1973 debut. The movie is dialogue-heavy and always clear, a particular boon to Ms. Taylor-Young’s dulcet tones. Beyond that, there’s the sharp clang of a crowbar on cement and the imposing clank of a steam shovel sent to round up unruly citizens, but not much to show off our speakers.

Both titles arrive as single 100GB discs in simple slipcases with comprehensive little booklets. Soylent Green brings together a wealth of archival bonus content, starting with an audio commentary from Leigh and director Richard Fleischer, the latter also featured in an extensive onstage interview. Mr. Heston’s own retrospective interview is audio-only, presented with the movie playing onscreen. There are also a vintage promotional film and a tribute to Edward G. Robinson. New for this edition is a second audio commentary from a pair of experts.

Soylent Green – Movie Details

• Media Format: Ultra HD 4K Blu-ray (July 28, 2026)
• Studio: Arrow Video
• Theatrical Release Year: 1973
• Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
• HDR Formats: Dolby Vision, HDR10
• Audio Format: Linear PCM 1.0
• Length: 97 minutes
• MPAA Rating: PG
• Director: Richard Fleischer
• Starring: Charlton Heston, Leigh Taylor-Young, Edward G. Robinson, Chuck Connors, Brock Peters, Paula Kelly

Our Ratings

★★★★★★★★★★ Movie

★★★★★★★★★★ Picture

★★★★★★★★★★ Sound

★★★★★★★★★★ Extras

Where to buy

Falling Down

Anyone wanting to reevaluate the canon of filmmaker Joel Schumacher and see beyond what he did to Batman should begin with Falling Down. A dark comedy that’s long on social commentary, it captures one pivotal day in the life of a working man at his breaking point. It’s not just in response to the typical indignities of early ’90s life in Los Angeles; it’s about a world he feels has betrayed him. Yes, he’s as mad as hell and he’s not going to take it anymore, but this deeply flawed, not always likable individual—played to volatile, unhinged perfection by Michael Douglas—does much more than bark. Sure, he goes a little too far with the violence and racist rhetoric during his quest through some of the city’s worst neighborhoods, but some of his frustrations are strangely relatable.

A hit with audiences, Falling Down has remained a cultural talking point, neatly capturing its era and courageously addressing the nasty thoughts lurking in many viewers’ minds. The one big sin the script commits is making too many of the cops overt jerks, repeatedly dismissing the correct hunches of the one good detective, played by Robert Duvall, on the case. It’s an unfortunate trope, likely added to beef up Duvall’s role.

The late Mr. Schumacher had a knack for incorporating ugly scenery that was shot beautifully, and many scenes are manipulated with a pleasant but unnaturally warm glow, a look maintained by the color grading supervised and approved by cinematographer Andrzej Bartkowiak. The image also has appreciable texture, not just in the usual places but in the decrepit concrete and the graffiti scribbled on a phone booth. A persistent, distracting vertical scratch did pop up in a couple of shots, having slipped past the restoration team.

The disc defaults to lossless 2.0, but I actually preferred the alternate DTS-HD Master Audio 4.0 because the sometimes manic sounds of this crazy day are essential to the story, and the surrounds definitely do their part. Random annoyances pile up, ratcheting up the emotional pressure, but atmospheric wind chimes also lighten a quieter moment, and the music tightens its grip again during tense beats. There’s no dedicated LFE, but there is still ample impact when needed.

The above-average archival cast-and-crew commentary, featuring star Michael Douglas, director Joel Schumacher, and several others, is joined by a 2009 on-camera interview with Douglas. New for this disc is a trio of featurettes introducing us to the filming locations, then and now; composer James Newton Howard; and screenwriter Ebbe Roe Smith.

Come to think of it, I suppose you could end your Schumacher film festival with Falling Down instead, just so long as Tigerland and Phone Booth are also on the bill somewhere.

Falling Down – Movie Details

• Media Format: Ultra HD 4K Blu-ray (July 28, 2026)
• Studio: Arrow Video
• Theatrical Release Year: 1993
• Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
• HDR Formats: Dolby Vision, HDR10
• Audio Formats: Linear PCM 2.0, DTS-HD Master Audio 4.0
• Length: 113 minutes
• MPAA Rating: R
• Director: Joel Schumacher
• STARRING: Michael Douglas, Robert Duvall, Barbara Hershey, Rachel Ticotin, Tuesday Weld, Frederic Forrest

Our Ratings

★★★★★★★★★★ Movie

★★★★★★★★★★ Picture

★★★★★★★★★★ Sound

★★★★★★★★★★ Extras

Where to buy

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