Nacho Libre 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		1.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.0

Nacho Libre 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 1, 2026

Jared Hess's "Nacho Libre" (2006) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include new program with actress Ana de la Reguera; archival audio commentary by Jack Black, Jared Hess, and co-writer/producer Mike White; archival featurettes; vintage promotional materials; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The new luchadores

That top brass positioned Nacho Libre as one of Paramount’s major summer hits two decades ago is hardly surprising since it is a decision that ultimately reflects the health of the film industry, which has been awful for a long time. Before the year 2000, a film like Nacho Libre, whose production budget was reportedly $32,000,000, would not even have been greenlighted at a major studio, let alone considered a potential blockbuster. What is truly sad, however, is that since Nacho Libre, Hollywood has churned out even bigger duds.

More than two-thirds of what takes place in Nacho Libre can easily be summarized as third-grade improvisational work of the kind that only amateur actors would consider engaging in. At the center of it all is Jack Black, who plays a dim-witted bad cook-turned-terrible monk named Ignacio, struggling to manage a not-so-secret crush on Ana de la Reguera’s Sister Encarnación. To win her heart, Ignacio dons a mask and becomes a luchador, a Mexican wrestler, and together with his sidekick, Esqueleto, a partially reformed thief, played by Hector Jimenez, begins risking his life to feed the orphans that Sister Encarnacion looks after in the monastery both call home.

If the first fifteen minutes of Nacho Libre give you a headache, the rest should fix the problem by making you feel like you are getting a root canal without an anesthetic. Its narrative is essentially one big collection of random situations, each overloaded with some of the absolute worst funny lines you could encounter in a contemporary comedy, and each rapidly evolving into a painful endurance test. On top of this, Black spots a terrible fake Mexican accent. It is all bad, and the longer it goes, the worse it gets.

Bits of the fancy camera work and vivid colors are occasionally somewhat amusing distractions. However, Nacho Libre is shot and directed as a protracted modern MTV commercial, which is why they all emerge in awkward places and at the wrong time. There is no proper quality there, only accidental happenings, which further enhance the bad.

There is no proper chemistry between Black and Jimenez either. Before and after his wrestling career is initiated, Black appears equally fixated on his antics, and all of his improvisational work rehashes the same facial expressions, bad lines, and mismanaged energy. Jimenez is simply an ornamentation that is inserted into Black’s orbit so that a portion of his antics can be diversified. Reguiera is the only meaningful character who does not look like a caricature all the time, but her impact on Nacho Libre remains insignificant.

As the closing credits appeared on my screen, I could not help but think that, not too long ago, the few ‘great’ moments of Nacho Libre might have been used in a short video prepared by a rookie talent agent desperately trying to secure a gig for an unknown actor. It is sad, really, because $32,000,000 should have produced material of vastly superior quality.

The three key people on the creative team behind Nacho Libre -- Jared Hess, Jerusha Hess, and Mike White -- were all involved with the incomparably better comedy Napoleon Dynamite.

Nacho Libre 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Kino Lorber's release of Nacho Libre is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray is Region-Free. However, the Blu-ray is Region-A "locked".

Please note that some of the screencaptures included with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc.

Screencaptures #1-19 are taken from the Blu-ray.
Screencaptures #22-34 are taken from the 4K Blu-ray.

In 4K, Nacho Libre can be viewed with Dolby Vision and HDR grades. I chose to view it with Dolby Vision. However, I also switched to the 1080p presentation and viewed approximately half of the film.

Nacho Libre is an enormously colorful, at times overwhelmingly vivid film, resembling a protracted contemporary MTV commercial. Unsurprisingly, its visuals can look quite impressive in 4K and 1080p. On my system, the entire film looked great, which did not surprise me at all because it was shot only two decades ago. I performed numerous comparisons between its 4K and 1080p presentations, and I cannot say that one is in any definitive way superior. Indeed, both presentations produce visuals boasting excellent delineation, clarity, and depth, and practically identical dynamic range. I felt that select outdoor shots may have been slightly more attractive when viewed in 4K with Dolby Vision, but this is a preference, not a fact. After all, there is so much digital stylization work applied throughout the entire film that it all depends on how you prefer a very small range of even smaller nuances to be displayed on your system. Density levels are outstanding. Darker footage looks equally great in 4K and 1080p. While comparing the two presentations, I did not encounter any troubling encoding anomalies to report in our review.

Nacho Libre 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I used the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track for both presentations of the film. It immediately becomes obvious that it is a modern, very active lossless track, optimized to impress in a variety of different ways. The wrestling footage and some of Jack Black's other antics often reveal dynamic intensity you would typically witness in a legitimate action film. The dialogue is clear and stable. I did not encounter any technical anomalies to report in our review.

Nacho Libre 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary - an archival audio commentary recorded by Jack Black, co-writer/director Jared Hess, and co-writer/producer Mike White.

BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary - an archival audio commentary recorded by Jack Black, co-writer/director Jared Hess, and co-writer/producer Mike White.

• Enter Sister Encarnacion - in this new program, actress Ana de la Reguera explains how she landed her part in Nacho Libre and discusses the shooting process. In English, not subtitled. (27 min).

• Detras de la Camara - an archival program with raw footage from the shooting of Nacho Libre. Also included are clips from interviews with co-writer Jerusha Hess, producer Julia Pistor, Mike White, and Jack Black, amongst others. In English and Spanish, with English subtitles where necessary. (29 min).

• Jack Black Unmasked - presented here is raw footage from the production of Nacho Libre with Jack Black. In English, not subtitled. (13 min).

• Exterior - Hacienda - Night - presented here is raw footage from the shooting of the big party sequence in Nacho Libre. In English and Spanish, with English subtitles where necessary. (15 min).

• Interior - Lucha Libre Ring - presented here is raw footage from the shooting of the wrestling sessions, with an emphasis on some of the more challenging stunts and effects. In English and Spanish, with English subtitles where necessary. (15 min).

• Lucha Libre - presented here is additional information about wrestling in Mexico and the men who choose to make a living with it. In English and Spanish, with English subtitles where necessary. (4 min).

• Hecho en Mexico - additional on-location footage from the shooting of Nacho Libre in Mexico. In English and Spanish, with English subtitles where necessary. (3 min).

• Moviefone Unscripted with Jack Black and Hector Jimenez - the two actors interview each other and answer several fan questions about their collaboration on Nacho Libre in Mexico. In English, not subtitled. (10 min).

• Jack Sings Behind the Scenes -
  
  1. La Cancion de Ramses (4 min).
  2. La Cancion de Encarnacion (3 min).

• Deleted Scenes - presented here are several deleted scenes. In English, not subtitled. (10 min).

• Promo Spots - in English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Trailer - presented here is an original trailer for Nacho Libre. In English, not subtitled. (3 min)

• Cover - reversibel cover with alternate poster art for Nacho Libre.

Nacho Libre 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Securing a multimillion-dollar deal with one of America's iconic major studios to deliver a film like Nacho Libre is like winning the Mega Millions jackpot without buying a ticket. There is no other way to put it. It is beyond wild to see that $32,000,000, reportedly the production budget that top brass at Paramount approved, could purchase a film as bad as Nacho Libre, which, if it had to be made, should have cost only a tiny fraction of this massive sum of money. I was barely able to reach its final credits. Kino Lorber's combo pack brings two outstanding presentations of it on 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray, so if you want a definitive release for your library, plan to acquire it.