February 25, 2022 Mark Pacis

The King’s Man – 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Review

Both Kingsman movies were spy action comedies that didn’t take themselves too seriously. In comparison, The King’s Man is more of a traditional spy thriller that doesn’t quite thrill that often. It’s understandable since these are two completely different types of movies. Yes, it’s the same franchise, but The King’s Man is a historical prequel to the modern-day films with Colin Firth and Taron Egerton.

It’s a shame since the movie is full of some of the best actors working today. In this film alone, the cast includes Ralph Fiennes, Djimon Hounsou, Gemma Arterton, Daniel Brühl, Rhys Ifans, Charles Dance, Matthew Goode, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Stanley Tucci, and Tom Hollander. That’s a stellar cast, and every single actor performs their roles perfectly.

The main problem lies with how Matthew Vaughn brings too many things to the table. In some aspects, the film attempts to be historically accurate while also playing within the sandbox of the Kingsman universe. At the same time, it also tries to set up another franchise within the Kingsman universe by introducing new characters at the end of the movie. On top of all of that, you’ll discover a complex father and son relationship driving most of the film. It’s a lot of concepts in a two-hour movie and, as a result, ends up becoming a jumbled mess.

Action is at a minimum in The King’s Man as well. However, these sequences do leave one hell of an impression. After all, that’s one of Vaughn’s strengths. Not to mention, Vaughn somehow knows how to make middle-aged actors who have never shot action sequences and make them look like bonafide badasses.

Overall, The King’s Man is a film where its story gets a little lost along the way. Much of the charm and fun of the Kingsman films are lost for something much more serious. Most of the time, it doesn’t work. However, there is a dramatic heft there that we haven’t seen in the previous films, and it’s all thanks to the performances of the stellar cast.

Movie Rating: 3/5 atoms

Video

The King’s Man hits Ultra HD Blu-ray with an HDR10 transfer and a 2.39:1 aspect ratio. The brightness is top-notch without losing any detail due to blooming. The black levels are gradational and deep—invigorating scenes and showcasing the stellar contrast of light and dark. But my god, the amount of clarity in this Ultra HD release is spectacular. Right from the get-go, when you see Djimon Hounsou on the carriage, you can see how clear the picture is. Be that as it may, the picture may actually be TOO clean since it’s free of even the slightest hint of film grain. At the same time, the clarity highlights some of the less-than-stellar CGI sequences do stick out. To be more specific, any time a virtual background was used—it doesn’t look as realistic as it should.

Video Rating: 5/5 atoms

Audio

The King’s Man hits Ultra HD Blu-ray with a Dolby Atmos and a core 7.1 Dolby TrueHD Master Audio track. This review will reflect The King’s Man‘s Dolby Atmos track. This is easily one of the best Atmos tracks that Disney has released yet. The object placement is prevalent and completely envelops the viewer. Not to mention, the action-oriented effects are seamlessly blended into the mix to create a balanced and detail-rich soundstage. There are some nice touches from the overhead speakers as well—especially during the action sequences when all hell breaks loose. The score by Dominic Lewis and Matthew Margeson sounds dynamic and three-dimensional across all speakers. Of course, dialogue clarity is first-rate which brings out the finely articulated nuance of all the European accents.

Audio Rating: 5/5 atoms

The King's Man - Ralph Fiennes and Djimon Hounsou

Special Features

The King’s Man‘s Ultra HD Blu-ray disc doesn’t have any special features on it. However, you can find the following special features on the 1080p Blu-ray disc:

The King’s Man: The Great Game Begins
- A Generation Lost
- Oxfords and Rogues
- All the World’s a Stage
- Instruments of War
- Fortune Favors the Bold
- Long Live the Kingsman
No Man’s Land: Silent Knife Fight Sequence and Breakdown
Remembrance and Finding Purpose
Official Red Band Trailer

Features Assessment

Although it doesn’t look like much, the bonus features for The King’s Man are full of quality features. Altogether it clocks in over two hours, and there’s not a skippable feature in the lot. “The Great Game Begins” contains six individual segments covering a different facet of the film’s production. As you can imagine, this is where you’ll spend most of your time. The “No Man’s Land” breakdown is a poignant behind-the-scenes look at how they pulled off the action sequence.

Even though the “Remembrance and Finding Purpose” segment has nothing to do with the making of the film, it’s still a wonderfully heartfelt look at wounded soldiers and how they found solace with their service and the trauma of their injuries through training and sports competition.

Special Features Rating: 4/5 atoms

Overall, The King’s Man is a decent prequel to the Kingsman universe. Although this new franchise has a rough start, it does set up some exciting things for any potential sequels. The video transfer and Atmos mix are spectacular, and the special features are equally fantastic as well.

Overall Rating: 4.5/5 atoms