Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.5

Babylon Berlin: Seasons 1 & 2 Blu-ray Movie Review

A must-see television masterpiece.

A big-budget German television production (streamed on Netflix), Babylon Berlin is a television masterpiece that is a must-see drama. Based on the acclaimed novel Der nasse Fisch by Volker Kutscher, Babylon Berlin is full of mystery and intrigue: a post-modern and noir-style world. A collaboration between creators Tom Tykwer, Henk Handloegten, and Achim von Borries, Babylon Berlin is essential television. Executive produced by series co-creator and showrunner Tom Tykwer alongside a team comprised of Michael Polle (Crooks Ltd.), Uwe Schott (A Hologram for the King), and Frank Buchs (Pagan Peak).

Berlin circa the 1920's. Gereon Rath (Volker Bruch) is a young police officer who is moved to the Vice squad. Involved in a number of duties, the character finds himself discovering a murky underworld – one which he soon learns is rooted in corruption from within his own department. Can Gereon successfully navigate the world around him?

Charlotte Ritter (Liv Lisa Fries) is a stenographer working within the homicide department. As she becomes close with Gereon, the pair finds themselves involved in a number of unexpected and surprising scenarios – as the characters head down a rabbit hole while searching for the truth. Experiencing hardship, Charlotte also lives a double-life in a cabaret (full of surprises).

As Babylon Berlin unfolds, the head of the police department, Bruno Wolter (Peter Kurth), becomes more mysterious and complicated. What secrets does Bruno hold? The storyline unravels with epic political undercurrents and plenty of mystery. Meanwhile, a train which is believed to hold an unending supply of gold becomes the thirst of Berlin's most villainous men – who will stop at absolutely nothing to get it – even murder.

One of the greatest components of the production is the impressive performances. Volker Bruch and Liv Lisa Fries have great chemistry throughout the series. Both actors bring their A-game and delve into their characters with aplomb enthusiasm. The performances are nuanced and intelligent: well realized on every level. Bruch carries himself with sophistication. Fries is sultry and charming all at once. Peter Kurth is mysterious and compelling in his supporting role. These top-notch performers are certainly part of the reason Babylon Berlin is such a successful series.

From creative-genius Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run, Cloud Atlas).

Another remarkable element of Babylon Berlin is the exquisite production design by Uli Hanisch (Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, Cloud Atlas). The series had an enormous budget – but it looks even more expensive than the enormous price-tag (of around 50 million). Each episode feels cinematic and large in scope. The scale is huge and the sets are just as impressive as large-scale feature- films. An outstanding effort.

Featuring cinematography by Philipp Haberlandt (Deutschland 83, Beat), Bernd Fischer (Fleming, 4 Days in May), and Frank Griebe (Run Lola Run, Heaven), Babylon Berlin is exquisite and seems to present 1920's Berlin in a style that is at-once believable for the time-period while also managing to seem hypnotic and surrealist – as though the series was taking a cue-note from Blade Runner. The visual element stuns and helps make the series appointment television.

The original music score composed by Tom Tykwer and Johnny Klimek (Cloud Atlas, Run Lola Run) is stunning. The music has been on constant re-play in my mind for days since watching the series. A score so transfixing and engaging that is will cast a spell over viewers. The opening/ending themes certainly impress (as does the thematic score music). Each character seems to have a distinctive thematic backdrop and the tone of the music is zippy, airy, and exciting during action scenes. Outstanding.

Babylon Berlin also features fantastic costumes designed by the great Pierre-Yves Gayraud (Cloud Atlas, Perfume: The Story of a Murderer). The outfits designed for the series are truly extraordinary – keeping true to the time period of the series storyline while having a sophisticated aesthetic for all of the main characters. The end results are breathtaking.

Directed by filmmakers Tom Tykwer (The Princess and the Warrior), Henk Handloegten (Good Bye Lenin! ), and Achim von Borries (Love in Thoughts), Babylon Berlin is a masterpiece. Few series reach the heights that these filmmakers have managed to accomplish with Babylon Berlin. As a fan of Tykwer, Babylon Berlin still found a way to exceed my expectations. Years after his energetic Run Lola Run became a cult-classic, Babylon Berlin proves the filmmaker still has the energy and style to win me over. Consider Babylon Berlin must-see TV.

Babylon Berlin: Seasons 1 & 2 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber, Babylon Berlin is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The series is a visual masterpiece and one that has outstanding flair for dramatics. The video presentation handles everything with apparent ease. The image is crystal clear and dynamic. The compression on these episodes is top-notch and far exceeds anything possible on the streaming platform. The video is altogether beautiful, organic, and pleasing to watch. Color reproduction is exceptional as well – showcasing the vivid and colorful landscapes of the series.

As Babylon Berlin has a surrealist quality to it which is hypnotic, the cinematography is often quite experimental. The presentation handles these elements nicely and never seems to suffer from issues with banding or compression anomalies. The video-quality is near-perfection and never disappoints. Fans of the series hoping to see Babylon Berlin in the best quality possible should certainly consider the presentations included on these Kino Blu-ray editions to be essential.

Babylon Berlin: Seasons 1 & 2 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes two lossless audio options: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. The lossless audio on both seasons sound terrific and add an extra sense of ambiance to this production. Dialogue is consistently crisp, clear, and easy to understand throughout. The score compositions are well-reproduced and integrated in to the sound mix with ease. The audio is thoroughly engaging, exciting, and organic. There are no issues with compression woes and the tracks are undeniably crisp sounding. A top-notch audio presentation by Kino Lorber.

The release includes English subtitles. The subtitles are superb and were free from any glaring spelling or grammatical errors.

Babylon Berlin: Seasons 1 & 2 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Babylon Berlin Season 1 and 2 Trailer (HD, 4:00)

Babylon Berlin Season 3 Trailer (HD, 2:27)

Behind-the-scenes footage (HD, 1:35)

Making-of documentary (HD, 46:26)

Babylon Berlin: Seasons 1 & 2 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Babylon Berlin is fantastic television. One of the best produced television series in several years, Babylon Berlin crafts a compelling story that is undeniably brilliant. The performances are first-rate as well. Kino Lorber presents the release with impeccable video-audio and a selection of behind-the-scenes supplemental features. Don't miss it. Highly recommend.