Howard the Duck 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Howard the Duck 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

"Trapped in a World, err, SteelBook He Never Made!"

Reviewed by Justin Dekker July 15, 2026

From director Willard Huyck, the director of 'The Messiah of Evil' and writer of 'Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom', comes the new 'Howard the Duck: 40th Anniversary Limited Edition SteelBook 4K' courtesy of Universal. With George Lucas ('Star Wars', 'THX 1138') on hand in an executive producer role, the film stars Lea Thompson ('Back to the Future'), and Tim Robbins ('Tapeheads'), along with the titular character's voice provided by Chip Zien. This release brings forward all of the legacy supplemental features from the previous 4K UHD release, and boasts an excellent video presentation paired with a solid DTS:X audio track. A Blu-ray disc and a Digital Code redeemable via Movies Anywhere are also included. For a discussion of this new SteelBook, please scroll down to the "Special Features and Extras" section

Created by Steve Gerber (who receives a writing credit here) and Val Mayerik, the character of Howard the Duck first appeared in Marvel's Adventure into Fear #19 way back in December 1973. At that point little more than a background character, the grouchy cigar-chomping duck quickly became popular with comic fans, even getting his own monthly title in 1976. Over time he would partner with Man-Thing, become a member of The Defenders, and appearing in a host of other titles alongside the likes of She-Hulk, Ghost Rider and many others. An unusual but entertaining character, he seemed an unlikely choice to make a proper jump to the big screen before any of Marvel's heavy hitters and more bankable characters. While this cinematic outing may not have been an overwhelming success, Howard the Duck has briefly popped up in a few other modern Marvel films hinting that, perhaps, bigger things are yet to come for the cantankerous character.

For an appreciation of the feature film, please follow this link.

Howard the Duck 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Thoughts regarding the 2160p presentation of the film can be found by following this link.

Howard the Duck 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Comments about the DTS:X audio track that accompanies the film can be found by following this link.

Howard the Duck 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

In a nod to the characters print origins, the cover of the new Howard the Duck: 40th Anniversary Limited Edition SteelBook 4K resembles that of comic book, going so far as to reproduce the Comics Code Authority's seal of approval in the upper right corner. The bulk of the cover is a montage of images dominated by the film's three primary characters: Howard the Duck - whose head consumes the left half of the cover, Lea Thompson's Beverly in the center, and Tim Robbins' Phil located just behind her and to the right. A lightning-streaked purple sky is found above them along with he film's title in its usual font, and a banner containing the words "George Luca Presents" along the top edge. The words "Earth Wasn't Ready" are found in the lower left. The back cover catches an image of our star from behind. He's seated in a director's chair with the film's logo printed on the back. He reclines, seemingly exhausted, with a telephone receiver held to his ear with his left hand, and a lit cigar held loosely in his dangling right hand. This image is placed in front a deep purple starfield. Logos for Universal and Marvel appear in the bottom left corner and a product number is found in the bottom right. The spine continues this color scheme with a deep and almost black purple at the top giving way to a more vibrant purple toward the bottom where Universal's logo is found. The film's title sits in the center. The SteelBook sports a high gloss finish that adds luster to the bright colors. There aren't any embossed or debossed elements.

Opening the SteelBook, the tabs on the left hold the Digital Code. On the right side, the 4K UHD disc and the Blu-ray disc are stagger-stacked, each on its own hub, with the 4K UHD disc on top. Removing all of the contents reveals a panoramic two-panel collage of images from the film focusing mainly on Howard the Duck, Thompson's Beverly and Robbins' Phil, along with the boldly stylized printed phrases "Shocking!", "Earth Wasn't Ready", and "It Had to Happen", among others. If you've seen the film, you know the scene to which that last statement pertains. Overall, the SteelBook's cover is especially entertaining, and the entire design captures the irreverence and, dare I say, preposterousness of the character(and the film) well.

For a detailed accounting of the legacy on-disc extras which are brought forward here, please follow this link.

Howard the Duck 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Upon it's release, Howard the Duck was an oddity, just as he was, to a degree, in the comics world from whence he came. Superhero movies weren't quite the juggernaut in the mid-1980s as they are today, and this film's closest (timewise) caped competition from the major studios came from Superman III in 1983, and Superman IV in 1987, Supergirl in 1984, and Swamp Thing in 1982. While some may have a fondness for Richard Pryor's appearance in Superman III, and the Wes Craven directed Swamp Thing boasts solid creature effects and Adrienne Barbeau among its primary asses, there was a certain silliness inherent in each of these films that feels unintentional which, in my mind, puts them on relatively equal footing as this one about the Master of Quack-Fu. While the film ay not be for everyone, those who count themselves among it's fans will find much to enjoy here. So, for those on Earth who are ready for it, the stunning new Howard the Duck: 40th Anniversary Limited Edition SteelBook 4K comes strongly recommended.