Penguin, The (4K UHD Review)

• Reviewed by: Tim Salmons
• Review Date: Sep 15, 2025
• Format: 4K Ultra HD
• 

Director

Various

Release Date(s)

2024 (March 18, 2025)

Studio(s)

DC Studios/HBO/Warner Bros. Television (Warner Bros. Entertainment)

• Film/Program Grade: A-
• Video Grade: A+
• Audio Grade: A+
• Extras Grade: C+

Review

Post 2022’s The Batman, DC film-based properties were in a state of flux, both on the financial side and the creative, eventually leading to the decision to abandon the then current version of the DC Extended Universe. Matt Reeves had taken over co-writing and directing The Batman from Ben Affleck who departed from the project once the DCEU was coming to an end. The resulting film was a large success, eventually leading Reeves to create more Batman films, as well as other related projects. The first was 2024’s The Penguin, a spin-off HBO TV series headed up by showrunner Lauren LeFranc that has since been almost universally lauded by critics and audiences for its story, design, and performances, considered by some to be one of the best pieces of Batman media ever created... even without Batman’s direct involvement.

In the aftermath of The Batman, in which the homicidal maniac known as The Riddler kills crime boss Carmine Falcone and floods the streets of Gotham City, “Oz” Cobb (Colin Farrell) recognizes an underworld power vacuum after the death of Carmine, and subsequently Alberto Falcone (Michael Zegen), whom Oz shoots and kills in a heated moment during a meeting in what remains of Oz’s former nightclub, the Iceberg Lounge. Oz, visually scarred and walking with a limp due to a childhood deformity, catches a group of teenagers attempting to steal the rims from his car and corners one of them, Victor (Rhenzy Feliz), an orphaned stutterer. Instead of killing him, Oz takes him under his wing to do his bidding. He then confronts the Maroni family, led by crime boss Salvatore (Clancy Brown) and his wife Nadia (Shohreh Aghdashloo), the former of whom is still serving time in Blackgate Prison; and what remains of the Falcone family, including Carmine’s brother and eventual successor Luca (Scott Cohen), and acting boss Johnny Viti (Michael Kelly). Attempting to set up a new drug ring and pit one family against the other in order to take them out by using Alberto’s death as a catalyst, Oz is also facing off against Carmine’s daughter Sofia (Cristin Milioti), newly-released from Arkham Asylum after being falsely incriminated as the serial killer “The Hangman.” As Oz and Victor navigate this new gangland upheaval while also protecting the secrecy of Oz’s dementia-stricken mother Francis (Deirdre O’Connell), Oz does whatever’s necessary to climb the ranks and become Gotham’s reigning crime lord.

Told over the course of eight episodes and roughly eight hours of programming, The Penguin is a thoroughly well-mounted narrative, on par with many other mob-centric TV shows and films, such as The Sopranos and The Godfather series. Instead of focusing on comic book lore as a means to create a superhero-based environment that satisfies a cinematic universe, it focuses on the psychology of its characters and explores themes of classism and mental illness through the lens of a downbeat character study (several in this case), while also dealing with the fallout of the events in The Batman and what effect they had on the dregs of society. Layers upon layers are peeled back as Oz talks and fights his way out of one terrible situation to the next, eventually leading to the why and how of Oz. Paralleled to Oz is Sofia, whose presence is absolutely boiling over with emotion, especially once her full story of betrayal is eventually told. Victor is the virtuous center of the show, so much so that it affects Oz and the way that he deals with Victor, which gradually becomes more familial, and in turn, affects Victor’s moral compass. Francis winds up being the key architect of Oz’s personality, which ultimately unmasks him and why he’s so utterly compelled to come out on top.

There are many moments throughout the show that are absolutely harrowing and heartbreaking, as well as truly shocking, in some instances. Performances are towering across the board, and the production design breathes life into a broken world still reeling from devastation. Inevitably, there are some nitpicks along the way when it comes to some of the visual effects and story beats, but the highs are so good that even a few minor missteps can be forgiven. Above all else, The Penguin is truly gripping storytelling, and one of the finest gangster epics in recent memory.

The Penguin was captured by cinematographers Darran Tiernan, David Franco, Jonathan Freeman, and Zoë White digitally in the ARRIRAW (4.5K) codec using Arri Alexa LF, Arri Alexa Mini LF, and Arri ALFA cameras with Heroes Look and Heroes T.ONE lenses. The results were finished as 4K Digital Intermediates at the aspect ratio of 2.00:1. Warner Bros. Entertainment debuts the show straight from its 4K DI source, which has been graded for High Dynamic Range in HDR10 and Dolby Vision, and presented on three triple-layered BD-100 discs. The presentation of the show is absolutely impeccable, with perfect encoding and the richest of details in every frame. The show offers some variety in the visuals in its latter half, but for the most part, it deals with a sickly-looking world, filled with grit and grime in every facet. That high level of detail is flawlessly replicated here, with the HDR passes taking full of advantage of Gotham’s shadowy environments with deep, deep blacks that offer subtle nuances in the architecture. Costumes and skin textures are crisp, and the whole of the image is stable with no visible errors whatsoever.

Audio is included in English Dolby Atmos (7.1 Dolby TrueHD compatible) with optional subtitles in English SDH. It’s a powerful and dynamic soundtrack that not only features deep, window-rattling low end, but a vast array of aural textures and atmospherics all around Gotham City. Dialogue exchanges are thoroughly discernible and the track is mastered at the appropriate volume. The soundstage is bursting with activity, filling every speaker with carefully-mixed immersiveness.

The Warner Bros. Entertainment 3-Disc 4K Ultra HD release of The Penguin sits in a black Amaray case with an insert that features artwork from one of the show’s promotional posters. The following episodes and extras are included on each disc:

DISC ONE

1. After Hours (UHD w/HDR – 66:22)
2. Inside Man (UHD w/HDR – 55:57)
3. Bliss (UHD w/HDR – 59:14)

• The Penguin: Inside Gotham #1 (HD – 6:00)
• The Penguin: Inside Gotham #2 (HD – 4:26)
• The Penguin: Inside Gotham #3 (HD – 4:55)
• Introducing the Penguin (HD – 5:07)
• The Origin of Oz (HD – 4:04)
• Welcome to Gotham (HD – 4:21)

DISC TWO

4. Cent’Anni (UHD w/HDR – 58:14)
5. Homecoming (UHD w/HDR – 54:14)
6. Gold Summit (UHD w/HDR – 52:14)

• The Penguin: Inside Gotham #4 (HD – 5:40)
• The Penguin: Inside Gotham #5 (HD – 6:26)
• The Penguin: Inside Gotham #6 (HD – 7:41)

DISC THREE

7. Top Hat (UHD w/HDR – 46:09)
8. A Great or Little Thing (UHD w/HDR – 68:01)

• The Penguin: Inside Gotham #7 (HD – 8:17)
• The Penguin: Inside Gotham #8 (HD – 8:05)
• Gotham Re-Envisioned (HD – 4:43)
• Becoming the Penguin (HD – 3:07)
• Who Is the Hangman? (HD – 4:01)
• Hearts of the Penguin (HD – 3:52)
• A Tale of Two Gothams (HD – 3:51)
• Victor Aguilar: The Making of a Henchman (HD – 7:21)

A menagerie of interviews with the cast and crew speaking about the show while making it are spread out over seventeen featurettes, which add up to a little over 91 minutes of material. The Inside Gotham segments cover the plots of individual episodes, while the rest are devoted to more specific subjects. In truth, much of this material overlaps and gets a little repetitive, and would have been better served as a more polished documentary about the show. Besides the interviews, there’s also some behind-the-scenes footage, storyboards, and pre-visualizations. Participants include actors Colin Farrell, Rhenzy Feliz, Cristin Milioti, Deirdre O’Connell, Clancy Brown, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Michael Kelly, Carmen Ejogo, Ryder Allen; creator and showrunner Lauren LeFranc; executive producers Matt Reeves, Dylan Clark; executive producer and director Craig Zobel; directors Helen Shaver, Kevin Bray, Jennifer Getzinger; director of photography Jonathan Freeman; editors Meg Reticker, Andy Keir, Henk Van Eeghen; production designer Kalina Ivanov; supervising art director Deborah Wheatley; costume designer Helen Huang; hair department head Brian Badie; makeup department head Matha Melendez; special makeup prosthetic designer Mike Marino; location manager Keith Adams; special effects set foreman Coryt Candrilli; visual effects supervisor Johnny Han; and fluency consultant Marc Winski.

Without a doubt, Warner Bros.’ 4K UHD presentation of The Penguin is absolute home theater reference material, besides being a terrific program. The bonus material could use some additional attention, but being that we live in an era when most major studios are doing next to nothing with their home video releases in that regard (most of the time), we should be thankful to get what we have here. Regardless, The Penguin on UHD is highly recommended.

- Tim Salmons

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