Purple Rain: 40th Anniversary Edition

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In the 80s, there were so many talented and awesome musicians out there that also had that certain mystique about them. Michael Jackson and Prince are two that immediately come to mind, and it’s no surprise Hollywood tried to capitalize on them whenever they could. Prince would rule the radio and movie screen back in 1984, which brings us to the 4K release of Purple Rain: 40th Anniversary Edition, which holds up well after the rain and looks and sounds better than ever.

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Coming off as a skewed biographical film of sorts, Prince plays a character called “The Kid,” an extremely talented musician at the front of a small band that performs at the First Avenue nightclub, the place where everyone goes for a good time. He uses this as an escape from the troubles that plague him at home with his abusive father (played by the late and great Clarence Williams III), while also using this pain to create the hit songs he comes up with.

He soon comes across a beautiful singer named Apollonia (Apollonia Kotero), and they begin to hit it off and fall in love. But of course happiness doesn’t last for long as The Kid’s home troubles begin to strain their relationship, as well as another musician named Morris (Morris Day) that’s looking to be the number one act at the club and take Apollonia with him.

While the acting can be a bit on the hokey side, as though you’re watching an extended music video, it gives the film a certain charm that still holds up well after four decades. Writer William Blinn and director Albert Magnoli do a pretty good job spinning Prince’s real life troubles with his father and making it into the music scene, while adding just enough drama and other content to make it a distorted but interesting take on his life.

Thanks to a great 4K UHD release, the film has never looked or sounded better. All of the colors and details pop out at you perfectly in part to the HDR color working its magic along with the super detailed ultra high-definition doing its part. The Dolby DTS-HD audio is the bigger star here as it makes sure all of Prince’s hits such as the titular song, When Doves Cry, and more rock through your home theater setup like never before.

You would think with this release that Warner would have included all-new special features to go along with it, such as a retrospective of Prince’s life, interviews with family, friends, and those who worked with him and such. Sadly that’s not the case as the extras here are from previously released versions of the film, but still do a good job giving viewers a taste of what went into making this movie.

First there’s audio commentary featuring director Albert Magnoli, producer Robert Cavallo and cinematographer Donald Thorin who share their thoughts on the film, how it came to be, what went into making certain scenes, and more. There’s also some special features that show off the First Avenue club, some behind the scenes footage, music videos for eight of Prince’s classic songs from the film, and more.

It would’ve been nice to have had some new special features on this release, but the Purple Rain: 40th Anniversary Edition is still a treat fans and those new to Prince and his music will want to pick up. It looks and sounds amazing in 4K with HDR and Dolby DTS-HD audio backing it up to make viewers have a great time going crazy with this classic.