Ocean's Thirteen 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		0.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

Ocean's Thirteen 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

One last round.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III April 26, 2024

Steven Soderbergh's highly successful Ocean's Trilogy included three separate star-studded movies: Ocean's Eleven, Twelve, and Thirteen, each debuting between 2001-07. These were all early releases for the then-new Blu-ray format and, as such, featured VC-1 transfers and low bit-rate Dolby Digital 5.1 audio. Now almost two decades later, we finally get them all in 4K UHD courtesy of Warner Bros., who brought in Soderbergh to supervise fresh new 2160p/HDR10 transfers. The audio has also received a welcome upgrade to DTS-HD 5.1 and the extras are sourced from the studio's 2014 Ocean's Trilogy Collection, which included a bonus disc full of then-new supplements. All three films can be found together in the new Ocean's Trilogy 4K set, or separately via three slick-looking 4K Steelbook variants.

Ocean's Thirteen continues the sequential naming convention before the spin-off Ocean's 8 went backwards; it caps off Soderbergh's trilogy in style and is typically seen as a respectable silver-medal winner. For a synopsis and review of this third film, please refer back to Marty Liebman's coverage of Warner Bros.' 2007 boxed set.

Ocean's Thirteen 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

NOTE: These screenshots are sourced from the earlier Blu-ray edition and are for decorative purposes only.

Despite the comparatively bland palette of its Steelbook (seen below), Ocean's Thirteen is an overwhelmingly colorful affair with huge pockets of extremely vivid hues that push this new 2160p/HDR grade into overdrive. For the most part it's handled beautifully, creating almost non-stop visual interest that makes Thirteen perhaps the most consistently arresting film in the trilogy. Is it too much? Maybe not, but my only minor issue here is that skin tones lean a bit too warm in specific sequences, although in all fairness the sporadically cranked colors of this film's diverse locales are all revved up to match. Nonetheless, my memories of this one (in theaters and on home video) was that it's always been a bit "extra" in terms of visuals, which is often true of sequels this late in a franchise's life span. One thing's for sure: those who like their films loud in the visual sense will be pleased as punch: scene after scene in Ocean's Thirteen is an inarguable stunner and, with a few exceptions, it seems true to the original intentions of its director.

Speaking of which, like the other two films in the trilogy, this new 4K presentation of Ocean's Thirteen was recently completed under Soderbergh's presumably watchful eye at Warner Bros. Discovery's Motion Picture Imaging (MPI) facility and otherwise displays all of the overwhelmingly purposeful strengths seen elsewhere in the Ocean's trilogy. Fine detail is exceptional, as is depth, contrast, black levels, and stability, with the picture sporting an extremely clean appearance that conveys the original texture of its source material. It's yet another winner and a firm stamp on the director's 4K catalog going forward: Contagion looked great on UHD, and next month's release of Magic Mike should follow suit. (I'd like to think Soderbergh just crashed at MPI for a few months and did 'em all in one shot.)

Ocean's Thirteen 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

This DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix, supervised by the film's re-recording sound mixer and sound editor Larry Blake, unsurprisingly matches Ocean's Thirteen's overwhelmingly dazzling visual improvements. Clearly outpacing the older Blu-ray's somewhat anemic Dolby Digital 5.1 track, this much more full-bodied presentation fits the film like a glove and likewise feels entirely clean and precise with crystal-clear dialogue, meaty surround activity, and a presence that doesn't change the overall "feel" of that older presentation. Instead this is more of a concentrated effort meant to bring Thirteen back to theatrical life and, even on a modest 5.1 setup, should sound quite impactful. I've no real complaints here: this is simply high-quality audio that we probably should have gotten the first time around.

Optional subtitles, including English (SDH), are included during the main feature and all applicable extras below.

Ocean's Thirteen 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Similar to the other entries, this stylish Steelbook package (the only full-blooded red one) mimics a deck of playing cards and looks great in hand. The small details unique to this film are appreciated and create a striking monochomatic image. Inside is a group photo of the main players and the UHD disc features a similarly printed design. My only gripe is that the exterior is very glossy; something a bit closer to true matte or semi-gloss would have been better suited to the intended "playing card" aesthetic. It's still a fine-looking effort and goes great with the other two.

Most of the below on-disc extras are recycled from the 2007 Blu-ray (later re-issued as part of this set); though one or two very minor legacy supplements seem to be missing in action, a pair of retrospective pieces first made for WB's 2014 Ocean's Trilogy Collection are included as well. Please see both linked reviews for more details.

• Audio Commentary with director Steven Soderbergh and writers Brian Koppelman & David Levin

• Third's a Charm: The Making of Ocean's Thirteen (29:46)

• Ahab with a Piggyback: The Means & Machines of Ocean's (9:03)

• Jerry Weintraub Walk and Talk (2:25)

• Masters of the Heist (44:02)

• Deleted Scenes (4 clips, 4:35 total)

Ocean's Thirteen 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Steven Soderbergh's Ocean's Thirteen brings the trilogy to a close in style, even if it doesn't quite recapture the first film's magic. So just like the sequel, there probably aren't nearly as many people interested in owning it separately... and while it certainly fits in smoothly with the other recent Ocean's Steelbooks, I'd imagine that most will be revisiting Thirteen via WB's much more budget-friendly Ocean's Trilogy 4K set. Either way, the 4K A/V merits are excellent and the legacy supplements are also good, but this one's still only for packaging collectors who want to go "all in".