The Penguin [4K Ultra HD]

Cast: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz

Release Date: March 18, 2025

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Disc Rating: 8.5/10

Synopsis:

Starring Colin Farrell in the title role, the DC Studios drama THE PENGUIN continues The Batman epic crime saga that filmmaker Matt Reeves began with Warner Bros. Pictures’ global blockbuster and centers on the character played by Farrell in the film.

‘The Penguin’ picks up after the events of the film ‘The Batman’ and accompanies Oswald Cobb (aka The Penguin) as he sees a clear opportunity for advancement within the organization following the death of Carmine Falcone. When Carmine’s troubled son Al with a history of alcohol and drug problems is set to take over as head of the criminal empire Oz initially tries to play nice before losing his temper and gunning down the new boss. As he sets out to hide his mistake and dispose of the body before things go wrong, fate connects Oz with a troubled young man named Victor who he reluctantly takes under his wing and the two set out on a new quest for respect together. But when previously incarcerated daughter Sofia Falcone who Oz shares a troubled history with returns to find answers about her brother, it begins a fight for control with everything up for grabs.

Continuing the world introduced in the 2022 film ‘The Batman’, ‘The Penguin’ was developed by Lauren LeFranc and focuses on criminal Oswald Cobb, with acclaimed actor Colin Farrell reprising his role as the show’s title character. The series also stars Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz, Deirdre O’Connell, Carmen Ejogo, Theo Rossi, Clancy Brown and Michael Kelly along with more and nearly all deliver notable and solid performances in their respective roles, yet Farrell and Milioti frequently tend to steal the show with their stellar portrayals of Oz Cobb and Sofia Falcone.

‘The Penguin’ is a dark, brutal and uncompromising series that follows more in the style of gritty gangster shows and films than it does its superhero film predecessor; delivering a powerful, stylish and unforgettable exploration of Gotham’s underground and one of the city’s most iconic villains. The series never holds back in showcasing the vile nature of Oz and just how far he’s willing to go in order to get what he desires. It’s bleak, bloody, vulgar and never hesitant to delve into dark and unsettling territory as it explores not only the current quest of our lead to reach a higher status in Gotham’s criminal underworld but also various aspects of his family life and what led him to becoming the person he is today.

It’s impressive just how capable ‘The Penguin’ is of making you cheer for Oz one moment only to make you utterly despise him the next and it’s a rare treat to see a series that was spun off from a PG-13 superhero film go down such a dark path and embody such a drastically different tone and style, while still retaining the look, vibe and familiarity of the world introduced in the movie. If you’re a fan of the DC Comics world in general or even just of Colin Farrell but haven’t yet had the chance to give ‘The Penguin’ a whirl I would strongly encourage doing so, because it’s safe to say that the odds are it isn’t what you’re expecting.

‘The Penguin’ arrives home on 4K Ultra HD in a 3-disc 4K UHD collection courtesy of Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment which features all eight episodes from the series sporting gorgeous Ultra High Definition presentations with Dolby Vision and HDR-10. The stunning UHD video presentations are nicely enhanced by immersive and frequently hard hitting Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 compatible) soundtracks for each and together they bring the show home in its entirety looking and sounding tremendous. In addition to the noteworthy video and audio presentations, the release also features a rewarding helping of bonus content including more than an hour of behind the scenes Featurettes that explore bringing the series to life. If you’re a fan of the series or of the world created in ‘The Batman’ and are already contemplating a purchase, this 3-disc 4K set should not disappoint and is recommended.

VIDEO:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of ‘The Penguin’ features a full 2160p Ultra High Definition presentation with Dolby Vision and HDR-10 presented in the show’s original 2.00:1 Aspect Ratio on all 8 episodes. The video presentations look spectacular, with the eight episodes split between three discs for optimum quality and they deliver clean, sharp and richly detailed presentations from start to finish on every episode. Detail is great and noticeable on everything from the scar and other details of Oz’s face, along with clothing, backgrounds and interiors, while the Dolby Vision HDR provides more deep and lifelike colors noticeable on pieces of clothing, along with Oz’s purple (sorry, plum) colored car and more. All of which is perfectly boosted by deep, rich black levels and shadowing that never falter or disappoint. Overall, these are very nice Ultra High Definition presentations that bring the show home looking tremendous and they should easily thrill fans and newcomers alike.

AUDIO:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release features a Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 channel compatible) soundtrack on all 8 episodes. Please note that this review pertains solely to the Dolby TrueHD 7.1 audio presentations. These multichannel soundtracks are a treat themselves for the most part and aside from an odd balancing issue solely on episode five that seems to have far too many effects out of place and pushed to the front right channel (something that I believe was also the case when it was released on HBO and Max) they offer clean, crisp and notably aggressive audio presentations on every episode. They repeatedly take advantage of all seven available channels in order to send everything from music, bullets and rain to crowd chatter and plenty more zipping throughout the various speakers at every reasonable opportunity, while ensuring that all dialogue and other audio elements that might be occurring simultaneously remain clean and fully audible. Overall, these are mostly fantastic Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 compatible) soundtracks that sound great throughout and should have fans pleased.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of ‘The Penguin’ features a nice helping of bonus content in the way of various Behind the Scenes Featurettes that explore different aspects of bringing the series to life. Included are ‘Inside Gotham’ episodic Featurettes for all eight episodes (running approximately 51 minutes in length altogether), in addition to ‘Introducing the Penguin’ (running approximately 5 minutes), ‘The Origin of Oz’ (approximately 4 minutes), ‘Welcome to Gotham’ (4 minutes), ‘Gotham Re-Envisioned’ (5 minutes), ‘Becoming the Penguin’ (3 minutes), ‘Hearts of the Penguin’ (4 minutes), ‘A Tale of Two Gothams’ (4 minutes), plus ‘Who is the Hangman: A Portrait of Sofia Falcone’ (4 minutes) and ‘Victor Aguilar: The Making of a Henchman’ (7 minutes).

*Please note: The above images were provided by HBO/ Warner Bros. and are not reflective of the actual 4K Ultra HD release or its quality. A standard Blu-ray copy of the series was not included in the release that could be used for screenshots therefore the above publicity stills were utilized. They are all the property of Warner Bros. Discovery, HBO, DC Studios and any other respective owners.

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Disc Rating: 8.5/10

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‘The Penguin’ is Now Available to Own on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD & Digital from HBO, DC Studios & Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment

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You can purchase ‘The Penguin’ on 4K UHD at Amazon HERE!

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