Ben-Hur 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		0.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.5

Ben-Hur 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Swing low, sweet chariots.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III February 14, 2026

William Wyler's biblical epic Ben-Hur took home a mammoth 11 Oscar wins in 1959, a feat that's only been repeated twice with Titanic and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (although Sinners might also tie or even break that record in a few short weeks). Regardless of your religious or non-religious background, this sweeping slice of fantastic drama still visually impresses almost seven decades later thanks to its ultra-wide cinematography by Robert L. Surtees, outstanding production design by William A. Horning and Edward Carfagno, a veritable army of background extras, and an intense, thrilling third-act chariot race that continues to thrill first-time viewers several generations later.

It's also been very well-represented on home video during the last few decades, as the first Blu-ray editions were issued back in 2011 as either a standard release or a much more elaborate Ultimate Collector's Edition; Diamond Luxe Edition appeared in 2013, but this was essentially just a reissue. The common thread with all of these releases is that they squeezed this 222-minute epic on two Blu-ray discs -- one 50GB and one 25GB -- but Warner Bros.' welcome new UHD edition gives it more room to breathe across two larger 4K discs; the first is 100GB, and the second 66GB. A third disc of extras is also included, and collectors can also try to track down the optional Steelbook edition.

For a synopsis of the main feature, please see Jeffrey Kauffman's UCE Blu-ray review linked above. My more modest but still favorable 4/5 rating means that I'm not quite as enamored with Ben-Hur as I appreciate it much more on a technical level than a dramatic one. Regardless, this is a very solid 4K package and well worth picking up.

Ben-Hur 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

NOTE: These screenshots are sourced from the UHD disc but downscaled to 1080p/SDR and should not be considered an accurate representation of the 4K picture quality in terms of detail, color, and brightness levels.

Warner Bros.' earlier Blu-ray presentations of of Ben-Hur (identical on all three versions linked above) were and still are exceptional in their own right and sourced from a then-new 8K scan of the original 65mm camera negative, but this outstanding new 2160p/HDR10/Dolby Vision transfer was apparently culled from a more recent 8K scan of that source material using better technology. Whatever the process used here, the end result is nothing short of a revelation: it's the kind of picture quality that makes you wish you had an even larger TV or even a projector to show it off, as the level of fine detail and color depth here is easily among the best I've ever seen on home video, rivaling other prestige 4K titles like The Sound of Music, High Society, and The Searchers. As usual, the HDR layer provides subtle support in terms of color precision, shadow detail, and highlights, staying true to the film's appearance while ensuring that every aspect is as close to perfect as possible. Ben-Hur's visuals won Academy Awards in several categories including art direction / set decoration (AKA production design), color cinematography, costume design, and special effects, and each of these can now be appreciated to the fullest extent. And as usual, the film runs at a very high and supportive bit rate from start to finish, given that it gets a total of 166GB of available disc space here -- that's more than double the Blu-ray, and viewers can and will notice the difference regardless of screen size. In short, it's one of the easiest 5/5 ratings I've ever awarded, and this release is an early front-runner for the best looking title of the year.

Ben-Hur 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Equally impressive are both lossless audio options: a full-blown Dolby Atmos remix as well as a more theatrically faithful DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track, both based on Ben-Hur's original six-channel stereo elements. Either one is an absolutely stellar effort and even the Atmos doesn't take many liberties with potential format-related gimmicks, instead smartly using Atmos' object-based placement and two (or more) overhead channels to serve up a more enveloping and precise atmosphere that delivers crisp dialogue, noticeable channel panning, a suitably wide soundstage when needed, and more than enough support for Miklós Rózsa's outstanding original score, which can also be appreciated on its own thanks to a returning "isolated score" audio option. Even so, I wouldn't blame any purists if they headed straight for the comparatively more reserved but still expansive 5.1 option, which again replicates a more theatrically faithful listening experience while sacrificing no fidelity or sonic enjoyment in the process. Simply put, having both options is about as much as fans could ask for, which certainly means that another perfect 5/5 rating is in order here.

Optional subtitles, including English (SDH), are including during the film and most extras listed below.

Ben-Hur 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This three-disc release ships in a hinged keepcase with appropriately epic cover artwork; a matching matte-finish slipcover and Digital Copy redemption code are also included. As for the extras, we get a few new ones paired with most (but not all) of the supplements from WB's expansive 2011 Ultimate Collector's Edition; missing in action are the 1925 silent version of the film, the 58-minute mini-doc "Ben-Hur: The Epic That Changed Cinema", newsreels, a few clips from the 1960 Academy Awards telecast, a collection of trailers, and of course the printed goodies.

DISCS ONE & TWO (4K Movie)

• Audio Commentary - A legacy track with T. Gene Hatcher and Charlton Heston.

• Isolated Score Audio Track

DISC THREE (Blu-ray Bonus Features)

• NEW! Retrospective Featurettes - This pair of disappointingly short but nicely-produced retrospective pieces features brief comments from film critic Pete Hammond, Academy Museum of Motion Pictures director K.J. Relth-Miller, director of photography Autumn Durald Arkapaw, ASC, and author and film historian Tony Maietta, who all speak about the film's immense production and lasting impact. Also included are supportive film clips (sourced from the new restoration, of course), behind-the-scenes footage, and candid photos from the set. Due to their similar tones, these two featurettes could have easily been combined but both are worth watching.

• Ben-Hur: Anatomy of an Epic (6:47)
• The Cinematography of Scale (8:23)

• Charlton Heston & Ben-Hur: A Personal Journey (78:04)

• Ben-Hur: The Making of an Epic (58:14)

• Ben-Hur: A Journey Through Pictures (5:08)

• Screen Tests (29:10)

Ben-Hur 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

William Wyler's Ben-Hur is almost in its own category as far as Golden Age Hollywood epics are concerned, delivering a widescreen spectacle that lured countless filmgoers away from their shiny new TV sets in 1959 for a visually stunning cinematic experience. That same visual precision is duly preserved on Warner Bros.' welcome new UHD edition, which easily beats the already-terrific 2011 Blu-ray with an 8K restoration and HDR10/Dolby Vision color grading. Along with two lossless audio options and a solid (but not complete) collection of bonus features, it's a very well-rounded release and certainly worth a purchase for fans and first-timers alike. Highly Recommended.