Joker 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Joker 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

"How about another Steelbook, Mur-ray?"

Reviewed by Randy Miller III August 26, 2024

Released in the weeks leading up to its forthcoming sequel Folie à Deux, Todd Phillips' visceral Joker gets yet another 4K Steelbook for die-hard fans to devour, this one exclusive to a Gotham City-esque void of chaos and despair: your neighborhood Walmart. As far as variants go, this is a pretty modest one with outer design elements that fit the film's gloomy tone like a glove... and a strangely familiar interior spread. On-disc contents are, of course, totally identical to the standard 4K edition, which means unfortunately we still don't get much in the way of extras here.

Le sigh.

For my thoughts on the main feature, please see my review of the standard 4K edition. Having watched Joker several times since that pre-COVID write-up (almost five years ago already?), I stand by my original rating.

Joker 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

For more details about the included native 4K (2160p/HDR10, Dolby Vision) and Blu-ray (1080p/SDR) transfers, please see my reviews of both the standard 4K edition and the Blu-ray.

Joker 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Likewise, my thoughts about Joker's Dolby Atmos audio can be found in the standard 4K review.

Joker 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This release ships in Steelbook packaging with a preferred (by me, at least) matte finish and spot-gloss elements on the front cover's logo and cast credits, which hover above Joker in an expressive pose near the bottom. Much like the back cover, which shows him emerging from behind the curtain of Murray's talk show above a block of studio text, it features a predominantly black and dark blue-green color scheme that fits the film's bleak tone perfectly well. Inside you'll find a familiar close-up of Arthur applying his make-up in profile that was used in at least one previous Steelbook design. Similarly, the spine text is also printed vertically like that earlier Steelbook. Both discs sit on overlapping hubs on the right side. It's a solid enough design, all things considered, and looks great in-hand.

Details about the minimal on-disc bonus features can be found in my review of the standard 4K edition.

Joker 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Todd Phillips' Joker caused quite the ruckus in 2019 but did more than well enough to guarantee a sequel, which is coming very soon and this 4K Steelbook variant of the original film is timed to take advantage of the occasion. Much like Warner Bros.' standard 4K edition, it's a visual and sonic powerhouse but also features some rather attractive design elements that should appeal to packaging collectors and die-hard fans alike. Recommended.