Blue Planet II 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.5

Blue Planet II 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

BBC and Best Buy have released the amazing 'Blue Planet II' to the UHD format in an enticing SteelBook presentation. The disc content is identical to the four disc (three UHD, one Blu-ray) standalone 4K release. Neither set ships with the program on Blu-ray disc, which is only available separately. Read on for more on the SteelBook presentation in the "Special Features and Extras" section below.

Blue Planet II 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

For a full 4K/HDR UHD video review, please click here.

Blue Planet II 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

For a full audio review, please click here; note that the Blu-ray and UHD discs share the same 5.1 lossless soundtrack.

Blue Planet II 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Blue Planet II's SteelBook looks much better in person than it does in the stock image at the top of this page, where colors appear a little flat and overly bright. The actual SteelBook is a bit more balanced and subtle. The blue color is a little deeper and more flattering. The front cover features a sea lion swimming through the sea, clearly near the water's surface with the brighter sun-influenced water color up top. Below is some colorful underwater foliage. The program's title and tagline are tastefully and unobtrusively displayed in the top third while the BBC Earth logo non-invasively sits at the top-left. The rear panel shares the same basic color scheme with the prominent blue giving way to sunny waters at the top. A starfish walks atop others of its kind in the image's bottom-third section. The spine carries over that attractive deep blue with the film's title centered in thin black lettering. A small BBC Earth logo appears up top. The SteelBook is mildly reflective and will pick up fingerprints, but the color scheme renders them not particularly bothersome.

Inside buyers will find the four discs, which each receive their own panel, with UHD disc one on the left hand side and the supplemental Blu-ray on the right. UHD discs two and three are stored in a leaf in the middle, one per side. My sample does not snap shut. Nothing appears to be broken, but the package might be a hair too thick with the middle leaf. Removing the disc on the left reveals a large sea turtle swimming in water similarly colored to the front and rear external panels, with darker water on the bottom and lighter, sunnier waters at the top. The right hand side depicts a great white shark patrolling its part of the ocean with water the same color gradations as the turtle's left side.

Blue Planet II 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Blue Planet II's SteelBook is another handsome one, and the on-disc content is terrific. Fans can't go wrong buying the program in any of the three available options, but collectors will certainly want to splurge on this packaging variant. The entire SteelBook set earns my highest recommendation.