Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.5

Columbo: The Return Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 22, 2024

Columbo: The Return (1989-2003) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The only supplemental features on the release are optional music & effects tracks for each episode. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for each episode. Region-A "locked".

The second box set with classic Columbo goodness reveals a different detective. Initially, the changes are small and some are perhaps easy to miss, but after the transition from the 1980s to the 1990s, they become too obvious. Even though he is still as witty as he was in previous years, Columbo looks older and slower now, much like a man who constantly does things against his will.

But each episode provides ample evidence that Columbo still loves his job, possibly even more than he did in the past. In Columbo Goes to the Guillotine, while trying to capture a dangerous chameleon, Columbo risks his life performing a trick that has killed a veteran magician. In Rest in Peace, Mrs. Columbo, the old-timer then becomes a target after a psychopath accuses him of taking her beloved husband away from her. Columbo’s adventures during the 1960s and 1970s are different because at their center are only classic puzzles with multiple pieces that need to be properly arranged.

The screenplays have evolved, too. There is more diverse material producing more complex and ultimately unpredictable characters. There is more politics and sex, melodrama and glitz. In Agenda for Murder, a crooked California politician who wants to be the next District Attorney kills a former partner whose crimes have been exposed and unleashes a series of events that irreversibly alter a heated presidential race. When Columbo appears to get the killer, he faces a few of the state’s most powerful men. In Murder in Malibu, while trying to solve another complicated murder case, Columbo also spends time in the glitzy world of the wealthiest and most privileged members of society.

Predictably, the casting choices are bigger and bolder as well. There are foreign stars, like Anthony Andrews, getting as much time in front of the camera as George Hamilton, Faye Dunaway, and William Shatner. Many of the smaller parts frequently introduce vastly superior character arcs, too.

Columbo’s journey from the magician’s murder to the puzzling suicide of the tabloid reporter in the final episode covers a lot of contrasting material. (Consider this: in the final episode, Columbo enters some of the darkest corners of the rave scene in Los Angeles to solve yet another case). However, the quality of this material remains consistent, which is quite remarkable. The two key reasons that ensure this consistency are Peter Falk’s ability to remain fully in control of his aging character and keep it looking natural in a constantly evolving environment. It is not as simple as it sounds. In fact, it sounds borderline ridiculous, and yet Falk pulls it off.

Some of the directors who worked on these episodes of Columbo include Leo Penn (“Columbo Goes to the Guillotine”), James Frawley (“Murder, Smoke, and Shadows”), Sam Wanamaker (“Grand Deceptions”), Daryl Duke (“Columbo Cries Wolf”), Patrick McGoohan (“Agenda for Murder”), Vincent McEveety (“It’s All in the Game”), and Jeffrey Reiner (“Columbo Likes the Nightlife”).

Kino Lorber’s twelve-disc box set gathers the final twenty-four episodes of the classic TV show, fully remastered in 4K by Universal. Each episode comes with an optional music & effects lossless track.

Columbo: The Return Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted 1080p transfers, the twenty-four episodes in Columbo: The Return arrive on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

UPDATE: Please note that our review includes technical information indicating that some episodes are not presented in their original ratio. They are reframed from 1.33:1 to 1.78:1, so their native composition is altered. The information is in the release's profile, at the top of the page. Previously, I had assumed that this technical information was enough to highlight the issue.

Apparently, all episodes were remastered in 4K by Universal. However, their quality varies a lot. The best looking ones are the earliest episodes. I would not describe their appearance as flawless, but they have the most attractive organic appearance. Delineation, clarity, and depth range from good to very good, in a few places approaching excellent. Various density fluctuations are easy to see, but these are not the type of fluctuations that poor digital work may introduce. They are inherited. In a few of the early episodes, primary blue is shifted toward turquoise, but I still think that the overall balance is fine. Yes, in select areas color temperature could have been better with better set primarily blues, but I did not see any distracting anomalies. Unfortunately, virtually all of the latter episodes reveal obvious big traces of filtering. In "Columbo and the Murder of a Rock Star" and "Death Hits the Jackpot", for instance, there is quite prominent smearing that eliminates native detail. The smearing affects fluidity, too, so most quick zooms and pans do not look as they should. (You can see examples of these anomalies here, here, and here). This is unfortunate because it is very, very easy to see that the raw files must have been excellent. Image stability is outstanding. I spotted a few nicks, but there are no large cuts, debris, warped or torn frames to report in our review. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Columbo: The Return Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Each of the twenty-four episodes in the twelve-disc box set comes with an English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for each episode.

Even though the earliest episodes come from the 1980s and the final episodes are from the 2000s, the quality of their soundtracks is practically identical. Clarity, sharpness, and depth, are equally great, while dynamic intensity is extremely similar. All dialog was very easy to follow. I did not encounter any encoding anomalies to report in our review.

Columbo: The Return Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Music & Effects Track - each episode comes with an optional music & effects lossless track.

• Booklet - a 12-page illustrated guide with technical information about each episode.

Columbo: The Return Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It is incredible to see how Columbo moved through the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, and reached the 2000s producing consistently great content. I spent a little over two weeks with its final twenty-four episodes, many of which I had no memories of, and was amazed how a lot changed in them and yet their quality remained the same. (The last episode where Peter Falk enters the Los Angeles rave scene feels bizarre, but it is still great). Needless to say, I could not be happier to have Columbo on Blu-ray. However, the folks at Universal could have done a much better job remastering many of the latter episodes. RECOMMENDED.