The Marvel/Disney+ series Moon Knight makes it way to physical media as a 2-disc set in 4K with steelbook packaging.
The Production: 4/5
Steven Grant (Oscar Isaac) is an oafish nerd who works in the gift shop at a museum in London, but tends to wake up in very odd places. To help prevent him from what he believes to be sleepwalking (even half way around the globe) he chains himself to the bedpost each night, yet still wakes up in bed still tethered but exhausted and bruised. He’s also losing time, often entire days, and misses a date he never knew he had set up with a co-worker by two days after first thinking he had been stood up. But something is at play here, something Steven suddenly becomes aware of when he begins to hear voices. One is a deep baritone asking him where Marc is, the other is, well, Marc Spector (also Oscar Isaac), who apparently is living inside Steven. The deep baritone voice is the Egyptian god Khonshu (F. Murray Abraham) who does eventually reveal himself and explains that Marc is Khonshu’s avatar (a living being carrying out his commands as Moon Knight). Khonshu is at odds with Egyptian goddess Ammitt, whose avatar is Arthur Harrow (Ethan Hawk). Ammitt wants to judge the world, taking any souls she deems as not balanced, and Khonshu is trying to stop her. Adding to the adventure is Marc’s estranged wife, Layla (May Calamawy), who joins Scott/Marc in their journey to stop Harrow from un leashing the spirit of Ammitt.
That is a lot of plot, which is spread out rather nicely over the six nearly one-hour episodes. We get the origin story of Moon Knight, a rather logical explanation of Scott and Marc’s relationship (which is kind of spoiled during the end credits of the first episode with a disclaimer), lessons in Egyptology, all wrapped up in a fun but rather dark-themed ride. Isaac is terrific here, able to switch between Steven and Marc instantaneously. Ethan Hawk makes for a rather menacing yet quiet villain who is all-in with Ammitt’s evil plans. And for those who have not watched the series on Disney+ or on these discs, do stick around for a mid-credits scene during episode six.
Video: 5/5
3D Rating: NA
Moon Knight was captured at 4.5K resolution using Arri Alexa LF and Mini LF cameras and completed as a 4K digital intermediate in the 2.39:1 aspect ratio for most of its running time (there is a brief 1.33:1 sequence), and is available on Disney+ in “4K” with both Dolby Vision and HDR10 high dynamic range. While Disney’s 2160p HEVC encode on this 2-disc set only offers HDR10, the increased bitrates really make a difference, allowing for a much cleaner and sharper image than what is available on the streaming subscription service. Colors are also more vibrant and contrast is greatly improved, especially in the many darkly lit sequences that can be hard to make out on the streaming version.
Audio: 5/5
Moon Knight features a very robust and active Dolby Atmos mix that is available on disc in lossless Dolby TrueHD, while the streaming version is lossy Dolby Digital+ Atmos that just does not have the clarity that the lossless Atmos on disc provides. The action sequences are the highlights of this mix, but even the quieter sequences benefit with the added ambience from the height speakers. LFE is also strong here, providing added support for crashes, explosions, etc. Dialogue is clear and understandable throughout.
Special Features: 3/5
Disc One
Assembled: The Making of “Moon Knight” (1080p; 64:53): This is the excellent documentary that looks behind the scenes with the cast and crew that has been available on Disney+.
Disc Two
Egyptology (1080p; 6:09): A brief rundown with show runner Mohamed Diab and other cast and crew members discussing some of the Egyptian mythology used in the series.
Gag Reel (1080p; 2:11)
Deleted Scenes (1080p; 3:48): Two scenes are included – Don’t Go There and Breaking the Cycle.
Concept Art Cards: Three post-card size cards with concept art.
Overall: 4/5
I had originally put off watching Moon Knight on Disney+, as it seemed a bit too dark for my wife’s tastes. While I still feel it is too dark for her, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Moon Knight : Season 1 [4K UHD] [Steelbook]
$44.96 $37.98
Todd Erwin has been a reviewer at Home Theater Forum since 2008. His love of movies began as a young child, first showing Super 8 movies in his backyard during the summer to friends and neighbors at age 10. He also received his first movie camera that year, a hand-crank Wollensak 8mm with three fixed lenses. In 1980, he graduated to "talkies" with his award-winning short The Ape-Man, followed by the cult favorite The Adventures of Terrific Man two years later. Other films include Myth or Fact: The Talbert Terror and Warren's Revenge (which is currently being restored). In addition to movie reviews, Todd has written many articles for Home Theater Forum centering mostly on streaming as well as an occasional hardware review, is the host of his own video podcast Streaming News & Views on YouTube and is a frequent guest on the Home Theater United podcast.
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