Lars von Trier's The Kingdom Trilogy Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Lars von Trier's The Kingdom Trilogy Blu-ray Movie Review

"To those who will not listen, all is silence."

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown January 21, 2025

Lars von Trier by way of David Lynch. Sold yet? That's all it took me, but maybe you need more convincing. The Kingdom Trilogy is an absurdist horror-comedy from the controversial director in the vein of Twin Peaks divided into three miniseries. It's got a mean sense of humor too, and you'll find yourself hard pressed not to laugh as the hauntings and summonings in the Riget go further and further off the rails. It never grows too rickety or wobbly, though, clinging to von Trier and co-helmer Tomas Gislason's visions of a battle between good and evil that could easily have pitched itself right over the edge.

The Kingdom is divided into three miniseries: The Kingdom I (1994), The Kingdom II (1997), and the much more recent final chapter, The Kingdom: Exodus (2021). The story follows the staff and patients at a strange hospital in Copenhagen dubbed Riget ("The Kingdom") where mysterious happenings capture the attention of the arrogant Dr. Stig Helmer, a consultant neurosurgeon, and Sigrid Drusse, a medium who continually finds ways back into care in an attempt to commune with the ghost of a young girl that walks the halls. You could almost mistake it for a knock-off Stephen King plot (ironic considering King adapted the series for ABC in 2004), except for the haunting presence of Lars von Trier, who injects a wicked wit and an increasingly bizarre series of subplots that drag the series into weirder and weirder waters. Zombie serums, misshapen babies, demons and satanic cults are only a hint of what's in store for the uninitiated. Does it all come together by the end? Yes... and no... and yes. As is the case with any von Trier production, meaning is wrapped in enigmas with far too many possible answers, very few of which the director is eager to specify. It's a wild ride to be sure, one that echoes the verve and veracity of Lynch's Twin Peaks to such a degree that it may as well be a love letter.

Sick, twisted and, God help me, laugh out loud funny at times, The Kingdom is a curious mashup of tried-and-true ghost stories, creature features, zombie tales and a sliver of 1960s cinema's fascination with the Prince of Darkness. There are no rules that could be laid out on paper; only what von Trier defines as boundaries, which given an episode or two, he ends up breaking through again and again. The series almost plays like a practical joke: just how far can I push my audience? How long will they follow me down this dark and demented road? How willing will they be to accept stranger and stranger developments that seem designed only to serve my impish revelry? But that would be selling The Kingdom and von Trier short. Always the provocateur, the filmmaker sidesteps his own distractions to infuse each episode with characters you don't mind being pushed around by; storylines you have to see through to the end; plot twists and turns that demand attention and, by some odd miracle, make some semblance of sense. And I can't say enough about the series' comedy, which works and works wonders on the funny bone.

Like Lynch's Twin Peaks, though, The Kingdom's weakest act is its third, far more recent trilogy capper. Filmed more than twenty-five years after its second miniseries aired, the closing five-episode run doesn't quite know what to wrap up, or how. Surviving cast members are reunited to decent effect, but the grungy, dirty production values of the first two miniseries is so polished and new that it loses some of its tattered, roughly tailored charm. The results are less serialized and more manufactured, heavy on tying up loose ends and light on breathing new, much-needed toxicity into old lungs. The destination doesn't spoil the journey outright, nor undo what's come before. But it certainly feels lesser, plodding, and not nearly unwieldy enough. Even so, The Kingdom Trilogy remains a delightful slice of von Trier's early career that delivers as much as it promises and slinks as much as it slithers. It's dark, delirious stuff but its madness is full of method and meaning.

The 7-disc Blu-ray release of The Kingdom Trilogy includes the following episodes:

The Kingdom I - Discs 1 & 2

1. The White Flock - Mrs. Drusse, a hypochondriac psychic, gets herself admitted to the Kingdom Hospital because she believes the building is haunted. Meanwhile, Dr. Helmer, a Dane-hating Swede under investigation for malpractice, joins the hospital's secret brethren.

2. The Alliance Is Calling - Mrs. Drusse continues her investigation, Krogshøj steals the severed head from Mogge and uses it to blackmail him, while Bondo is at his wits' end when a patient's relative refuses to hand over his liver that's infected with a rare cancer.

3. A Foreign Body - Dr. Helmer decides to steal an incriminating report but, unbeknownst to him, Krogshøj has the same plan. Bondo wants to transplant the cancerous liver into himself, and Mrs. Drusse finds out Mary didn't die of TB as reported.

4. The Living Dead - Dr. Helmer goes to Haiti which angers his gun-wielding girlfriend, Judith may be pregnant with a ghost, Mrs. Drusse reburies Mary's remains but her troubles are only just beginning, and Operation Morning Breeze turns into a farcical disaster.


The Kingdom II - Discs 3 & 4

5. Mors in Tabula - Dr. Helmer returns from Haiti with a zombie poison but has trouble administering it. Mrs. Drusse is back in the Kingdom after being struck by a van. Judith has to learn to love her deformed son who is the reincarnation of Age Krüger.

6. Migratory Birds - Dr. Helmer continues to work with his zombie-flying serum, Mrs. Drusse has a new spiritual mystery to solve, and Judith has just given birth to a deformed baby with a fully formed adult head and a rapidly growing body.

7. Gargantua - Krogshøj is revived, Christian becomes the new Falcon, the Little Brother wants to die, and Mrs. Drusse, inspired by her son's dream, takes a flight around the hospital.

8. Pandamonium - Helmer, blackmailed into marriage by Rigmor, kidnaps Mona, Krogshøj considers eugenics, Drusse discovers a satanic sect beneath the hospital, Judith won't let her son die, Bondo finds his half-brother, and Christian races blind.


The Kingdom: Exodus - Discs 5-7

9. Straws - A mysterious voice calls upon the sleep walker, Karen, during a nightmare. The Kingdom is in need of her assistance, and at the hospital, she finds an ally in the porter, Bulder.

10. The Congress Dances - Karen has a new vision that could possibly aid her in locating the voice. At The Kingdom, preparations are being made for the annual pain congress, but it seems that the demon, Grand Duc, is on the guest list.

11. Older Brother - Karen locates the spiritual core of The Kingdom. Helmer discovers what he was looking for at the hospital, but after a violent clash with Naver, he realizes that things do not always proceed according to plan.

12. Barbossa - Karen attempts to solve the task that was given to her, but evil forces work against her and Bulder. Dr. Helmer has had it with Danish stupidity and plans an act of terrorism against the Danes and The Kingdom itself.

13. Exodus - Karen, Krogen and Bulder are fighting against the clock. The time has come to clean The Kingdom of all evil spirits once and for all, but much can still go wrong.

Lars von Trier's The Kingdom Trilogy Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

It might take a minute for The Kingdom Trilogy's 1080p/AVC-encoded video presentation to grow on you, particularly in its opening four-episode salvo. Dirty, grimy and incredibly grainy, it isn't a looker, to be sure. But as faithful transfers and remasters go, this may as well be described as a miracle of resurrection proportions. Colors are skewed toward browns, oranges and dingy whites, just as von Trier intended, and the series doesn't shy away from a muddy, sometimes even murky image. Reds pierce through and some scenes are bathed in night-vision green, but little else defies the established palette. Black levels are deep and inky, unfortunately to the point of crushing, though optically rather than by fault of the encode. Likewise, detail is exacting, despite the fact that grain is far sharper than most edges and textures. (The sign of an excellent restoration but not necessarily beneficial aesthetically to the picture.) Close-ups are much better, as are episodes in The Kingdom II (produced three years after Part I at a higher budget) and especially Exodus (released some twenty-five years later in 2021). As you watch, take note that each episode literally looks better than the last, with Exodus peaking by breaking away a bit from the grittier first two miniseries. All told -- and without any hint of wayward blocking, banding or other nonsense -- I can't imagine The Kingdom Trilogy, taken as a whole or divided into parts, looking any better than it does here. MUBI has done tremendously well by von Trier and should be commended for prioritizing faithfulness to the source and film elements above all else.

Lars von Trier's The Kingdom Trilogy Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Kingdom Trilogy features DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and 5.1 surround tracks, both of which sound great. The stereo mix is clean and clear, reproducing the original audio flawlessly. There is some noise and air hiss present from time to time, but both trace back to the series' sound design and not something more sinister. The 5.1 surround track, meanwhile, makes good use of the rear speakers and LFE channel to heighten scares and supernatural encounters. Directionality is convincing, pans are smooth and dynamics are quite good. Dialogue is always intelligible too, without any prioritization issues.

Lars von Trier's The Kingdom Trilogy Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

MUBI's packaging makes for a handsome box set. A fold-out DigiPak is housed within a hard slipbox. Most of the discs don't overlap and have their own hub (except for discs 6 & 7, which are layered overtop one another). Also included is a companion booklet with a state from the director, along with six art/photograph cards. It's all very simple but also an attractive bundle. Extras include:

• Select Episode Audio Commentaries

• In Lars von Trier's Kingdom (SD, 42 minutes) - Largely an interview with von Trier, this production documentary allows the director to discuss the project in full. Oddly, while the other discs have an "Extras" menu alongside "Play All" and "Episodes," Disc 7's special features are accessed by first clicking on "Episodes," at which point an "Extras" submenu appears.

• Behind the Scenes (SD, 26 minutes) - Interviews with Lars von Trier and the cast.

• TV Commercial (SD, 5 minutes) - A commercial von Trier directed for the Ekstra Bladet, a Danish newspaper.

Lars von Trier's The Kingdom Trilogy Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Hail Satan, kids. Or Age Krüger, whichever you prefer. The Kingdom Trilogy is dark, demented, deliriously funny stuff, perfect for those who love David Lynch's Twin Peaks or have a special place in their hearts for horror comedies with body-horror edge. And MUBI's 7-disc Blu-ray box set is hands down the best (well, technically only) way to watch the series thanks to a terrific video presentation, strong lossless audio offerings, and a solid complement of extras. This one comes recommended.