Monty Python and the Holy Grail Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.5

Monty Python and the Holy Grail Blu-ray Movie Review

Sony has re-released 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail' to Blu-ray to coincide with the film's 40th anniversary. Technically, the release appears identical to the 2012 version. Supplements are largely the same, with one major addition and one major subtraction, outlined below. This particular release comes with some added goodies, but the disc is also available by itself for a significantly lower cost.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

For a full video review, including screenshots from the film, please click through the link above.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

For a full audio review, please click through the link above.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Monty Python and the Holy Grail's special edition arrives in a castle-shaped outer box that measures about 8" high, 6" wide, and 2.5" deep and includes a clear plastic slipcover emblazoned with the film's title on the front, technical and supplemental content on the back, and film title and package contents on the side. The top of the box houses a small plastic case that includes several rubber toy farm animals -- a cow, a duck, a pig, and a goat -- and pictures of cows emblazoned on their case. The larger box opens from the side and reveals a secondary box that houses the rest of the goodies: a Blu-ray copy of the film (plus slipcover), a small pamphlet, and a plastic catapult. The pamphlet includes directions for assembling the catapult on the front, the Monty Python 40th anniversary logo on the back, and notes from both Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam penned in May 2015.

Assembling the catapult is simple. The plastic piece slides into a hole on the back of the outer packaging. That's it. Place one of the animals (or whatever) on it, hold it down (and hold the box too...it's not heavy enough to stand still with the extra pressure on it), and let it rip! Flying animals over the castle wall. It's simple and it's fun. How much fun? It's good for a smile but not much more. It'll look nice on the shelf, too, and might make for a decent conversation piece, but that's about it. Note that more (unofficial) small farm animals can be bought at crafty stores, like Hobby Lobby.

As for traditional on-disc supplements, there's not a lot of change here compared to the previous release. Most notable is the addition of 2015 Tribeca Film Festival Q&A with Terry, Terry, Mike, John and Eric! (1080p, 30:18), a traditional sit-down -- with plenty of classic Python humor -- in which the listed primaries discuss the movie for its 40th anniversary celebration. This disc also includes the Original Theatrical Trailer (1080p, 3:09). Otherwise, the included supplemental content is identical to the previous release, with a few subtractions, including the The Holy Book of Days Second Screen, the US 2001 Re-Release Trailer, BD-Live functionality, and the Sony preview collage.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

For die-hard fans only. The new thirty-minute reunion Q&A session is fun and a supplement longtime Python fans will likely enjoy on several occasions over the years. The packaging fluff doesn't add much, particularly at a premium that, at time of publication, is about 3x greater than the standalone release. Hardcore collectors might just squeeze out barely enough value here, but casual fans are encouraged to pick up the older release or the new standalone instead.