Moonrise Kingdom 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		3.5

Moonrise Kingdom 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman December 4, 2025

Note: This version of this film is available as part of Criterion's The Wes Anderson Archive: Ten Films, Twenty-Five Years 4K.

Considering Wes Anderson's penchant for symmetry and Academy Ratio framings, at least at times, about the only problem some diehard Anderson fans may have with Criterion's impressive new set documenting "10 films and 25 years" may be that it's in a rectangular rather than a square box. That oversized box measures nearly 13" wide by 7 1/2" high by 3 1/2" deep and which some "liner notes" from Anderson joke is "upholstered in a sort of burlap canvas". It has a magnetized hinged cover that opens to display ten individual DigiBooks, one for each Anderson film, and each offering two discs, 1080 and 4K UHD, along with a sewn in pamphlet devoted to that film. While all of the films have had previous 1080 releases (not necessarily by Criterion), this set offers the 4K UHD debuts of each film.

Moonrise Kingdom has had several 1080 releases through the years (including re-releases). Ken Brown's Moonrise Kingdom Blu-ray review covers the 2012 release from home studio Universal. Svet Atansov's Moonrise Kingdom Blu-ray review covers the 2015 release from Criterion itself. Both reviews offer plot information, lists of supplements and reactions to the technical presentations.

Moonrise Kingdom 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: Screenshots are sourced off the 1080 disc in this package.

Moonrise Kingdom is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Criterion with an HEVC / H.265 encoded 2160p transfer in 1.85:1. The pamphlet included with the DigiBook has the following information on the master:

Moonrise Kingdom is presented in the aspect ratio of 1.85:1. Supervised and approved by director Wes Anderson, the new 4K digital master presented on the 4K Ultra HD disc was upscaled from the 2K digital intermediate, which was created from scans of the Super 16 mm original camera negative. The original 5.1 surround soundtrack was remastered from the original digital audio files. The feature is presented in Dolby Vision HDR (high dynamic range) on the 4K UHD disc, to preserve the wide color gamut of the theatrical presentation, and high definition SDR (standard dynamic range) on the Blu-ray.

This is now the third film in a row (after The Darjeeling Limited 4K and Fantastic Mr. Fox 4K) to be source from an upscale of a 2K DI rather than a native 4K scan, and that combined with the 16mm source may make this a less overall pleasing looking 4K transfer than others in this set, albeit for those who tend to be like me and who are not always fans of how thick, often splotchy, grain can look in 4K and high dynamic range. Interestingly, this is another effort where the HDR / Dolby Vision grades do offer some differences in my opinion, and the film's unrelenting yellow tones can have at least intermittent hints of greens and blues at times in this version which are not nearly as evident in the 1080 SDR presentation. Also catching my eye in this HDR environment was how despite the prevalence of yellows, the reds in this version are really quite striking, and arguably a bit less orange than they are in the 1080 SDR version. The 16mm source may frankly tend to limit fine detail levels in wider framings, and while obviously an intentional stylistic choice, a lot of the wider framings can be on the fuzzy side. Close-ups fare much better in terms of delivering substantial fine detail levels.

Moonrise Kingdom 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Moonrise Kingdom offers another nicely immersive DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. The ubiquity of outdoor material in this story provides regular engagement of the side and rear channels for a host of ambient environmental effects. There are often rather subtle moments of background effects like breezes wafting through fields, but there are a number of other more bombastic moments as the kids literally weather storms. Another eclectic score combining contributions from Alexandre Desplat and Benjamin Britten is also nicely spacious throughout. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly. Optional English subtitles are available.

Moonrise Kingdom 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K UHD Disc

• Commentary is from 2015 and features Wes Anderson, Roman Coppola, Bill Murray, Edward Norton and Jason Schwartzman.


• The Making of Moonrise Kingdom (HD; separately authored chapters approximately 34:00 total)


• Welcome to New Penzance (HD; 4:01)


• Set Tour with Bill Murray (HD; 2:59)


• Benjamin Britten's Noye's Fludde (HD; 1:53)


• Eleven iPhone Videos by Edward Norton (HD; separately authored chapters approximately 21:00 total)


• Animated Books (HD; 4:14)


• Cousin Ben (HD; 2:03)


• Trailer (HD; 1:52)

The Archive edition features a wonderful pamphlet sewn/glued into the DigiBook with an essay by Geoffrey O'Brien, along with a glut of photos and technical information.

Moonrise Kingdom 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I know a lot of inveterate Anderson fans who count Moonrise Kingdom among their favorites, but I have to say for me personally it tends to be second tier Anderson, along with, say, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou 4K. That said, once again there is a completely individual (if arguably a bit repetitive at this point) perspective and stylistic quirks galore. Those with a tolerance for sometimes chunky grain may have a more generally favorable opinion of the appearance of this 4K transfer, but as with many of the other 4K presentations in this set, the HDR grades provide a wealth of nuance. Supplements are enjoyable. Recommended.