Sing Street: 10th Anniversary Edition (4K UHD Review)
- Review Date: Aug 10, 2026
- Format: 4K Ultra HD
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Director
John CarneyRelease Date(s)
2016 (August 11, 2026)Studio(s)
Distressed Films/Likely Story/Lionsgate/The Weinstein Company (Lionsgate Limited)- Film/Program Grade: A
- Video Grade: A
- Audio Grade: A
- Extras Grade: B
Review
This review is dedicated to the memory of Glen Hansard, Carney’s friend and former bandmate in The Frames, who contributed to the songs of Sing Street. May the road rise up to meet you.
Every once in a while, a film shows up, seemingly out of the blue, that shakes off the trends of its day and feels like a breath of fresh air. Written and directed by John Carney (of Once, Begin Again, and Power Ballad fame—also well worth your time if you haven’t seen them), Sing Street is set in Dublin in 1985 and tells the story of a 15-year-old Irish boy named Conor (played by Ferdia Walsh-Peelo), who’s forced to attend a new Catholic school due to money troubles and a family life in turmoil. Thankfully, though he’s picked on at school by day, he’s able to escape into a love of music by night, with his older brother Brendan (Jack Reynor) serving as his guide. But it’s when Conor meets 16-year-old Raphina (Lucy Boynton) that his life really begins to change. Raphina is sexy, mysterious, and claims to be a model, so Conor asks if she’d like to appear in a music video his band is making… which means that he suddenly needs to form a band! He does, of course, with other outcast lads at his school, and soon the act of writing and performing catchy songs and making videos together not only bonds Conor and Raphina with a group of new and lifelong friends, it makes them all believe that anything is possible.
I’ll just say this plainly, right now: Sing Street is pure joy from start to finish, and one of the best indie films of the last twenty-five years. It’s funny, charming, and full of heart, with surprisingly sage observations on the nature of family, brotherhood, and friendship. As a card-carrying member of Generation X, let me tell you: Sing Street perfectly captures the feeling of what it was like to grow up as a teenager in the early 1980s. And the music! The soundtrack includes classic tracks by Duran Duran, The Clash, The Cure, The Jam, Spandau Ballet, and many other acts of the day, as well as eight infectious and hooky original tracks (performed by the title band) that will stick in your head for days after you finish watching this. If “Drive It Like You Stole It” had come out in 1985, it would have blown up the Billboard charts and been in constant rotation on MTV. Hell, there’s even a fantasy 1950s high school dance sequence that’s straight out of Footloose and serves as a nice homage to Back to the Future. With the exception of Game of Throne’s Aidan Gillen (who plays Conor’s father) the cast here was relatively unknown on this side of the Atlantic, but they’re spot on to the very last member. (Something I didn’t realize until recently is that Eamon’s mom is played by Carney’s real wife, Maecella.) Best of all, Sing Street boasts that rarest of all elements in cinema today: a damn-near perfect ending.
Sing Street was captured digitally by cinematographer Yaron Orbach (Begin Again, Power Ballad, Orange Is the New Black) in 5K resolution in the Redcode RAW codec, using Red Epic cameras with Leitz SUMMILUX-C and Angenieux Optimo lenses, save for one scene (the fantasy 1950s dance) that was shot on 35 mm photochemical film in the Super 35 format using Arricam LT cameras. The project was finished as a 2K Digital Intermediate at the 2.39:1 scope aspect ratio for theaters. For its debut on Ultra HD, that 2K DI was upsampled to 4K and the image was subsequently graded for high dynamic range compatible with both Dolby Vision and HDR10. It’s been encoded for release on a 100GB disc to ensure the highest possible data rates, which average about 70 Mbps.
The first thing that should be said here is that this presentation offers a dramatic improvement over the previous Anchor Bay Blu-ray release. Detail is magnificent, despite the 2K source—this is classic case of better pixels in equals better pixels out; the 5K image capture makes a real difference. Skin and textile detail is remarkable. But it’s the color and contrast that really benefit from the wider gamut. Where as the previous Blu-ray (reviewed here) had obvious contrast and color space issues (it tended to look very washed out), the palette now is rich, accurate, and well-saturated, with deeply dark shadows and truly bold highlights—this is a luminous image. And as the aforementioned fantasy dance scene was shot on film, you can see the difference in subtle organic grain and colors that look even more lush and warm. Bottom line: Sing Street has never ever looked better than it does here in 4K.
The film sounds better too, with a brand new English Dolby Atmos mix that shines sonically. On its own, the previous Blu-ray’s English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio mix sounded perfectly good. But in comparison, the dialogue here is much clearer overall and more natural sounding. My wife and I have seen this film literally dozens of times—it’s a favorite title to play when people visit the home theater—and as we were watching this new disc, she commented more than once that she was hearing lines of dialogue she’d missed previously. And while the Atmos isn’t particularly filled with surround gimmicks, the music is where this mix really shines. When Conor and Eamon start playing “Up” for the first time, the mix starts with just the two of them front and center. But as the camera spins to reveal the whole band, the soundstage widens until the music is coming from all around. “Drive It Like You Stole It” benefits too, as does Sing Street’s “Brown Shoes” mic drop. And if you’re not at least a little moved by the music as Conor and Raphina take their big leap of faith in the film’s final moments (set to Adam Levine’s “Go Now”), your heart might be frozen indeed.
Both Lionsgate’s 4K disc and the Blu-ray that accompanies it (which, I’m pleased to say is also remastered with Atmos sound) include the following special features…
- The Risk of Rock & Roll: Going Back to Sing Street (HD – 28:21) – NEW
- Making Sing Street (HD – 4:54)
- Writer/Director John Carney & Adam Levine Talk Sing Street (HD – 3:25)
- Cast Auditions (HD – 17:36)
- Theatrical Trailer (HD – 2:32)
- TV Spots (HD – 6 spots – 2:49)
- B-Roll (Upsampled SD – 11:32)
- “Drive It Like You Stole It” Music Video (HD – 4:00)
The Risk of Rock & Roll was newly created for this 10th Anniversary release and features Carney and producer Anthony Bergman looking back at the film. They talk about the project’s origins, its music, the casting and actors, the production design and costuming, etc. This is set to remastered film footage as well as unseen production video and artwork created for the film. Notably, you get to see behind-the-scenes on the shooting of Sing Street’s cheesy “The Riddle of the Model” music video, as well as the prom sequence.
The rest of this material is legacy content that carries over from previous Blu-ray and DVD releases, and some of it is simply vintage EPK material collected here on disc in the States for the first time (the trailer, TV spots, B-roll footage, and music video). There’s also a Movies Anywhere Digital code on a paper insert in the packaging, which features a study slipcase with original art by Courtney Autumn Martin, a Digipack to hold the discs (with illustrations that recall A-ha’s “Take on Me” music video), and a mini reproduction of Conor’s vintage 1980s Lions Exercise notebook, featuring Raphina’s digits on the cover along with various musings, song lyrics, sketches, and video storyboards within. It’s a clever inclusion.
To call Sing Street a modern classic seems somehow insufficient. This film is a gem—nay, a miracle—and I love it dearly. Yes, it’s rooted in nostalgia, but it doesn’t depend on that alone. Sing Street soars on its own merits, thanks to its original characters and music, and the fact that it proudly wears its heart on its sleeve. This is an unabashedly optimistic story about that time in every young life when it still feels as if all you have to do to make your dreams come true is reach out and grab them. And Lionsgate has delivered a 4K upgrade that’s truly worthy of the film. If you already love Sing Street, this Ultra HD release is not to be missed. And if you haven’t seen it yet, it’s worth a leap of faith. Drive it like you stole it, people!
- Bill Hunt
(You can follow Bill on social media on X, BlueSky, and Facebook, and also here on Patreon)