Moon Knight: The Complete First Season 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		0.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Moon Knight: The Complete First Season 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman May 4, 2024

When Howard Carter famously discovered the tomb of pharaoh Tutankhamun in 1922, that archeological (literal) goldmine may or may not have engendered a "curse", but it certainly helped to spark an interest in Egyptology that rippled through the general zeitgeist of the 1920s and beyond and which informed everything from the study of comparative religion to ancient Egypt inspired design choices (which rather interestingly blended quite well with the then nascent Art Deco movement). All of that may have seemed somewhat comical to anyone who may have been a relative elder in the 1920s and who may have lived long enough to remember what was actually called Egyptomania in the mid to late 19th century, where England in particular was suddenly "ground zero" for architectural triumphs (?) like obelisks and where so-called occult organizations like the Golden Dawn had "initiation" traditions which were filled to the brim with supposed Egyptian lore. (Those of us on this side of the pond had our own potential occult adjacent opportunity rife with Egyptology in Helena Blavatsky's Theosophy movement.) As is discussed in a somewhat lengthy making of supplement included with this release, the love of Egypt and Egyptology was front and center once again for the creatives behind Moon Knight, a miniseries which may or may not be returning for a second season (as of the writing of this review, no "official" announcement has been made, but there's of course been plenty of speculation by fans).

Steven ("with a 'v"") Grant (Oscar Isaac) is a kind of hapless schlub working in the gift shop of the British Museum, a venue which any historian will know is, like Golden Dawn initiation rites, filled to the brim with Egyptian artifacts, some of which have become pretty serious (no mummy puns intended) bones of contention between Egypt and England, since Egypt probably understandably feels like the Brits simply came in and took what they wanted over the course of many decades. Steven is obviously very interested in Ancient Egypt, but his harridan boss Donna (Lucy Thackeray) won't even think of promoting him to tour guide. Weird things are alluded to almost from the get go, including the fact that Steven sleeps with one of his ankles bound in a chain, and in a bed surrounded by sand. It turns he thinks he's a sleepwalker, and these "techniques" are meant to keep him in place overnight, but what actually ends up being revealed is that Steven is just one of several personae inhabiting this particular body, with one of the "others" being a mercenary named Marc Spector, who is in turn revealed to be the avatar of Egyptian god Khonshu, and who can in turn morph into the demon slaying title character.

Now it's notable that Moon Knight comes with a "public service announcement" about where to turn if suffering from mental illness, which of course alludes to the seriousness of that subject. That may be why this series' occasional emphasis on "humor" in terms of what is called "dissociative identity disorder" but which might be more popularly termed "multiple personality disorder" potentially can come off as kind of odd feeling. That said, there actually is some humor in this often quite dark series, especially when milquetoast Steven starts "standing up" to first Marc and then some spectral entities that only he can see. There's a spectacularly effective sequence that is both visceral and laugh out loud hilarious in the second episode, for example, which may deal with the mental illness angle only tangentially but where Steven insists he rather than Marc will take care of one of whatever the ancient Egyptian version of a spawn from hell might be, only to look to outsiders (who can't see Steven's nemesis) like he's having some kind of seizure.

Films like Mirage have relied upon the conceit of a hero with amnesia trying to ferret out exactly whom he is and what is going on around him, leaving the audience in the same perplexed state as the focal hero. Moon Knight kinda sorta attempts to do the same, at least in the early going, but is forced to tip its hand relatively early in scenes that frequently feature mirrors or other reflective surfaces that allow Steven to "interact" with Marc. By the time Marc's estranged wife Layla El- Faouly (May Calamawy) and Arthur Harrow (Ethan Hawke), an evil adherent of the Egyptian goddess Ammitt, enter the fray at least two alternate identities of Moon Knight have been offered, but there may be more in store.

Interestingly in terms of the dynamic between Arthur Harrow and Ammitt and Marc Spencer and Khonshu, there's almost a Minority Report element at play since Ammitt evidently is a "precog" of sorts able to discern future peccadilloes, leading Arthur to want to resurrect her so that she can simply rid the planet of everyone who is even potentially bad. Steven/Marc/?/Moon Knight, for all his (their?) instability and tendency toward unmitigated violence, still seems to have some kind of moral compass, though even that compass is set spinning at times especially as Steven in particular questions the "ends justify the means" attitude of his more temperamental cohort members.

Moon Knight: The Complete First Season 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: Screenshots are sourced from Disney / Buena Vista's standalone 1080 release. As tends to be the case with Disney / Buena Vista releases of Disney+ series, this release does not include any 1080 discs, which is why the 2K video score above has been left blank.

Moon Knight: The Complete First Season is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Disney / Buena Vista with an HEVC / H.265 encoded 2160p transfer in 2.39:1. Captured with Arri cameras and finished at 4K, this is yet another generally stunning looking presentation from the folks at Marvel and Disney+. This particular effort may actually benefit from the relative absence of "major" CGI created characters (though there are some regular occurrences including Khonshu, voiced by F. Murray Abraham. But already superb fine detail levels on the 1080 release of this series are noticeably improved throughout this 4K version, starting from the get go with the gorgeously rendered fabric shown in the very opening moments as a kind of gruesome "ritual" involving walking on broken shards of glass is detailed. But even later in the first episode, with a glance at the sand surrounding Steven's bed, there is more clear evidence of how noticeable the improvement in fine detail levels can be throughout this version, which is in and of itself something worth mentioning since fine detail levels are already so excellent in the 1080 iteration. HDR adds some significant highlights throughout, and some of the intense interplay between blacks and whites, especially when the various "versions" of Moon Knight come into play are also given increased luster in this version. The outdoor desert material also has some really beautiful highlights in the beige-ochre range, which would normally probably seem more or less neutral. Occasional almost John Wick-ian purples and teals are utilized, and those also have some additional pop in this 4K UHD version. Some very minor hints of banding which I noticed in the 1080 version have either been ameliorated or outright obliterated in this version.

Moon Knight: The Complete First Season 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Moon Knight: The Complete First Season follows Disney / Buena Vista and Marvel's kind of odd decision to grant their 4K UHD releases Dolby Atmos tracks, while keeping the 1080 versions "limited" to DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 tracks. The Atmos outing on this series is rather rambunctious at times, and engagement of the Atmos speakers is quite noticeable throughout any number of action set pieces, not necessarily involving Moon Knight, or at least Moon Knight as Moon Knight. A case in point: the kind of hilarious car chase early in the series with Steven driving an ice cream truck through windy alpine roads has some noticeable verticality that is not as evident in the 1080 audio. Surround activity is rather impressive in any of the many fight sequences, where a whirlwind of effects can envelop the listener. An interesting score that makes use of almost Carmina Burana-esque choral cues also clearly engages the side and rear channels. Optional English, French and Spanish subtitles are available.

Moon Knight: The Complete First Season 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Disc One

• Assembled: The Making of Moon Knight (HD; 1:04:53) is a well done overview of the production, as well as a good source of information on the history of the character.

Disc Two

• Egyptology (HD; 6:09) features Mohamed Diab discussing his desire to make "real" Egyptian mythology central to the series, while real life Egyptologist Ramy Romany argues the series will educate the viewer one way or the other.


• Gag Reel (HD; 2:11)


• Deleted Scenes (HD; 3:48)

The SteelBook packaging is quite handsome, offering a suitable dark, silvery gray look at our hero on the front panel and a somewhat more disturbing backside view of Khonshu on the back panel. Once again as with several other recent Disney+ / Marvel SteelBooks, the interior panels aren't especially exciting, offering a rather dark and undefined look at Steven and Khonshu. The SteelBook also includes a set of art cards.

Moon Knight: The Complete First Season 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Moon Knight offers a real showcase for Oscar Isaac, and the interplay between the various personalities inhabiting "Steven" becomes rather gonzo as things progress, offering Isaac even more opportunities to strut his stuff. The story is perhaps a tad rote when you get right down to it, playing as yet another riff on the "bringing ancient divinities back to life" idea that has been part and parcel of any number of other properties, notably American Gods. Technical merits are first rate and my advice is those with 4K setups to opt for this version over the simultaneously released 1080 version. Supplements and SteelBook packaging provide additional allure. Recommended.