4K Blu-ray Review: Coming To America SteelBook

Blu-ray Reviews, Reviews, Top Story

With the sequel Coming 2 America on the horizon, Paramount has released a special 4K SteelBook edition of Coming to America for fans to pick up and add to their collection. This is the first time the film has been released in the 4K format (for those who aren’t collectors of SteelBooks, the film is also being released in a regular 4K case as well) and let me tell you, even if you already own the film on Blu-ray, this is the copy to own.

I feel like a broken record talking about Paramount’s fantastic track record of upgrading their film library to the 4K format, but if you’re going to be a broken record, it’s best that you’re one for a positive reason, is it not? Yes, once again Paramount has knocked it out of the park with the restoration process, as Coming to America looks brand new, with very little film grain left (just enough to give it that filmic vibe) but not enough to distract from the viewing experience at all. The movie just looks spectacular and clean and is a joy to watch.

Now for a movie that played on TV every other week while I was younger, amazingly enough I’d never seen it before. It’s just one of those films that fell through the cracks, but that’s now been remedied and I can easily say it’s one of my favourite Eddie Murphy movies without question. For those of you who may be like me and haven’t seen it yet, Coming to America tells the story of an extremely pampered Prince named Akeem (Murphy) who, on his 21st birthday, is set to be married in an arranged marriage.

But Akeem is tired of his coddled lifestyle (we’re talking so much so that he’s not even allowed to wipe his own backside) and wishes to set out to America to find his own bride – someone who has a mind of her own and wasn’t simply groomed to obey his every order. So alongside his best friend, Semmi (Arsenio Hall), Akeem sets off to New York in attempt to find the love of his life.

The comedy here holds up really well, with plenty of laugh out loud moments. The story itself is fairly by the book, but with the talents of Murphy and Hall, it really does set itself apart from the usual comedic fair that would simply rely on formula to get by. It also helps that Akeem is a good man at heart, and his quest for true love is altruistic and one that the audience can get behind. It’s just a truly fun, feel-good film that’s also incredibly funny. This is also one of the first movies where Murphy dons makeup to take on multiple roles (though they’re fairly minor characters, unlike his take on The Nutty Professor. Hall joins him in taking on multiple roles via makeup as well, and their changes are quite impressive!)

Since fans may be wondering whether or not the SteelBook is the direction they should go, let me delve into that a bit so you know what to expect. The front of the SteelBook is a beautiful image of Prince Akeem front and center in full princely attire, standing in regal fashion in front of a cinderblock wall. On the wall in a somewhat graffiti-type style is the title of the film, as well as an American flag pointing down to Akeem’s right, and the Brooklyn Bridge on the lower half of the case to his left, and Queens drawn below him. It’s really a wonderful composition that captures the tone of the film perfectly.


On the back of the case we’ve got a continuation of the cinderblock wall, which gives the SteelBook a nice, balanced look, and in the center there’s Akeem’s crown artistically drawn in a bit messier graffiti-style that was found on the front. While the style is different, it works well since the crown is the only thing found on the back. It helps the image take up more room, while also still feeling stylistically accurate.


On the inside we get an image of Akeem and Semmi (one on each side) posing in front of the same wall. These are less artistic interpretations and more promotional shots from the film, where they’re donning their “Let’s blend in as true New Yorkers” apparel. It’s the perfect contrast to the image on the front of the case, and a logical and fun way to fill the interior of the SteelBook, bringing the focus to the film’s two biggest characters.

There’s also a fun poster tour poster of a Randy Watson gig, Murphy’s musical alter-ego in the film. Fans of the film are sure to get a kick out of it and it’s a nice little bonus!

4K Blu-ray Video and Audio Review:

As mentioned prior, this movie looks absolutely gorgeous. Regardless of whether you buy the SteelBook or the regular 4K edition, definitely pick one of them up as they truly do bring the film to another level over the previous Blu-ray release. There’s simply nothing to complain about, as the film just looks completely revitalized on every level in this 4K restoration.

Paramount has also unsurprisingly delivered on the audio front, giving fans of the film a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack that accentuates both the dialogue, as well as the music and score throughout. This superb audio upgrade sings in harmony alongside the remastered visuals to once again deliver a must-own 4K experience to Paramount’s extensive film library.

Special Features:

The special features don’t bring anything new to the table, so if you own the Blu-ray and have checked out the special features there, then you’ve seen it all before. It would’ve been great to have gotten an updated feature from Murphy and Hall, but it’s entirely possible it just didn’t work out. Even still, the main selling point of this release is the 4K remaster, and that’s more than enough to warrant a purchase.

Prince-ipal Photography: The Coming Together of America – This feature is just under 25-minutes in length. It talks about how the film came to be, how quickly it had to come together, the casting process, and the themes found within the film. If you haven’t seen the special features yet, then dive right in, as even though they’re older, they’re still great!
Fit for Akeem: The Costumes of Coming to America – This is an 18-minute feature that sees the various wardrobe styles used within the film.

Character Building: The Many Faces of Rick Baker – This is a great 13-minute feature that focuses on the make-up work done by Baker to help Murphy and Hall bring their minor supporting characters to life.

Composing America: The Musical Talents of Nile Rodgers – This feature is 12-minutes in length and focuses on Rodgers work on the film and some of his career in general.

A Vintage Sit-Down with Eddie & Arsenio – This is a 6-minute featurette that sees Murphy and Hall give their thoughts on the film a year later. This is one I would’ve loved to have seen updated, even if it was the only addition to the features, but again, it’s possible that doing so just wasn’t plausible with how things have worked out this year.

There’s also a Theatrical Trailer and Photo Gallery for those interested.

Paramount Pictures Presents Coming to America. Directed by: John Landis. Written by: David Sheffield, Barry W. Blaustein. Starring: Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, James Earl Jones, Shari Headley, John Amos, Madge Sinclair. Running time: 116 Minutes. Rating: 14A. Released on 4K Blu-ray: Dec. 1, 2020.

Brendan Campbell was here when Inside Pulse Movies began, and he’ll be here when it finishes - in 2012, when a cataclysmic event wipes out the servers, as well as everyone else on the planet other than John Cusack and those close to him. Brendan’s the #1 supporter of Keanu Reeves, a huge fan of popcorn flicks and a firm believer that sheer entertainment can take a film a long way. He currently resides in Canada, where, for reasons stated above, he’s attempting to get closer to John Cusack.