Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

Knuckles 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman September 14, 2024

Sonic has been the face of the SEGA brand for decades, going back, of course, to the original Genesis console and the mascot that always seemed to be front-and-center for SEGA and head-to-head with Nintendo's own mascot, Mario. Of course, Nintendo essentially won that "console war" and Sonic has since gone on to appear in a number of games for Nintenso systems, notably the Switch. But even if SEGA isn't making consoles, Sonic remains something of an icon for the company and a very visible face on the video game landscape. But that is not the only place where Sonic is making himself known. Suddenly it seems there's a new Sonic movie in theaters every few months. Things got rolling with Sonic the Hedgehog, followed by the obligatory sequel, and to be followed by Sonic the Hedgehog 3, coming December 2024. Sandwiched in between the second and third entries is Knuckles, a spinoff TV show made for Paramount+. The six-episode series has been well-received, does a fine job of bridging the gap between the films and filling in some universe lore, and offering cinema-quality aesthetics on the TV side of the spectrum.

Knuckles (voiced by Idris Elba) is remaining on Earth to fulfill a vow he made, but rather than enjoy the benefits of a 21st century lifestyle, he spends his time in training, growing stronger, growing better. But Sonic encourages him to live a little, to “make himself at home,” and, hey, maybe pick up something fun to do other than trying to push himself harder and harder. So, he decides to push someone else harder and harder. Enter Wade Whipple (Adam Pally), a deputy sheriff and amateur bowler who has potential but…can’t harness it. It’s a perfect match, and Knuckles and Wade hit it off. However, it will not be easy going; while Wade deals with family matters, Knuckles is forced to fend off attacks from power-hungry villains, such as The Buyer (Rory McCann), who will stop at nothing to harness Knuckles’ power.

What a fun show! With episodes that hover around 30 or so minutes each (with some well under), the speed of content delivery is quick and the action and humor quotients are high. Each episode is high energy while also nicely narratively driven. It's binge worthy to be sure, both for the raw entertainment value as well as for its accessibility (even for relative newcomers to the universe). The show doesn't take itself too seriously -- and how could it with the video game-meets-real-world influence -- but it's just enough "serious" at the same time to keep the viewer engaged in the story, concerned for the characters, and anxious during action. It's funny, it's got a bit of heart, and it's a really good reason to remain engaged in the Sonic universe while waiting for the next movie.

The series is a technical marvel, too. As mentioned already, it's cinema quality. Paramount did not spare any expense due to the small screen medium, and that's obvious, and appreciated, in every shot, scene, and sequence. So often the TV spinoffs usually seem to take a step backwards in quality, but here, the full scope of production values, the music, the editing, and the visual effects are everything one would expect of a high dollar feature film. Add in wonderful voice work -- Elba and Lloyd are really great -- and this is one of the more enjoyable offerings from Paramount+ one will find on the network (or on Blu-ray, as the case may be).

Knuckles 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc.

The PlayStation 5 Pro was just revealed the other day, and since its reveal there has been a lot of chatter on the Internet as to whether there's really that much of a boost, at least graphically, between the Pro and the standard model. At very close inspection, the Pro is definitely rendering graphics with more sharpness and complexity, especially in backgrounds and in smaller details, but at a casual glance, well, the differences are anything but obvious and striking. That's sort of how I felt watching Knuckles on the UHD format. It looks absolutely terrific -- there is no mistaking that this is a flat-out beautiful picture -- but it's also not appreciably superior to the wonderful Blu-ray. The UHD, like the Blu-ray, renders every digital hair on Knuckles with breathtaking clarity and stability, and if one does a really tight examination of the material on a classic A-B comparison, then yes, there is some minor gain to the overall clarity of that fur, to super fine details on Knuckles' gloves, to human faces and clothes, to natural environments, to odds and ends around the frame. It's better, but most of the time it really takes eagle eyes and a careful study of the material to tell the difference, much like the Internet is seeing on the PS5 Pro comparisons. Certainly, this is the better of the two, but it's not so astonishingly better that it leaves the Blu-ray in the dust. It's refined as far as it can go, taking the picture quality from, say, a 99.7 to a 99.9 on a scale to 100.

On the other hand, the Dolby Vision color grading does make a fairly sizeable difference. The color palette enjoys a boost in fullness, richness, depth, and punch. Obviously, Knuckles' red is the real winner here. The color is fuller, deeper, better saturated, more nuanced and lifelike. Close-ups are really striking, where even some minor variations from one hair to another hair is more evident than it is on the Blu-ray. His white gloves are more brilliant, albeit also showing some dirt with more clarity and contrast. Natural greens are ridiculously vibrant and fuller than the Blu-ray offers. The color accolades extend to everything else, from human skin tones and clothes to dizzying arrays of color in action scenes. Black level depth finds another gear on the UHD as well.

As with the Blu-ray, there are no obvious encode artifacts of note, and the source appears crisp and efficient with no evident noise. This is a real winner from Paramount.

Knuckles 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Dolby Atmos soundtrack is every bit as good as anything to accompany a theatrical production, and why not? Knuckles really is a theatrical quality production masquerading as a miniseries, essentially, so there's no surprise how good a listen this is. The presentation is rich and satisfying, offering, for starters and most obviously, a full and clear dialogue presentation that is grounded in the center and of the utmost quality and realism, not to mention perfectly prioritized for the duration. Musical clarity is flawless, and the presentation is also wide and full with nice subwoofer balance and healthy and perfectly integrated surround usage. The Atmos elements engage with some musical support, too, to lift up the score -- whether gentle support or high impact action music -- and draw the listener right into the middle of every scene. Environmental effects are wonderfully integrated for that mood-critical envelopment and realism, while action scenes and sequences, like the one at the bowling alley at the end of episode one, is just flat-out dazzling for clarity, spatial perfection, overhead usage, low end depth…everything about it is just an audio junkie's dream come true. Audio just doesn't get any better than this in 2024.

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

This UHD release of Knuckles contains the following (very brief) extras:

• Cast Featurette (1080p, 1:53): Recalling the basic plot and cast talking up their enjoyment in working on the show.
• Working with Knuckles (1080p, 1:03): The cast talks up working with Knuckles as if he were a real individual on the set.
• This or That? (1080p, 1:03): Cast picks personal preferences between "speed" and "strength," "blue" or "red," "hero" or "villain," and "cardio and weights."
• Knuckles Impressions (1080p, 1:03): The cast does some impressions of Knuckles (i.e. Idris Elba).
• Gag Reel (1080p, 7:30): Humorous moments from the shoot.

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

A few years ago, SEGA released Sonic Mania, a game that really seemed to revitalize the brand and return the character, and the universe around him, back to its roots. And it has felt like Sonic Mania ever since, what with all the movies and, now, a really solid TV show also paving the way for future generations to get into the character and make lifelong fans of the SEGA icon. The show is fun, breezy, and every bit in the spirit as the first two feature films (and more than likely the third film will follow suit). Knuckles will appeal to fans of the franchise first and foremost but there is also enough novelty and focus here to attract newcomers as well. Paramount's UHD is, needless to say, top class, offering high caliber video and audio to go along with a really disappointing collection of micro extras. Recommended, and note that the show is also available in SteelBook packaging, albeit on Blu-ray only.