Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		0.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.0

Ray Donovan: The Movie 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman July 4, 2022

There are quite a few similarities between Ray Donovan and Dexter. Of note is that they were both popular Showtime shows that did not end in a way that pleased fans. And both have now worked to resolve that fan disappointment with postscript content. Dexter (the complete series is available on Blu-ray) did so with a special special event series while Ray Donovan (only seasons one, two, and three of seven available on Blu-ray) has now done so with this feature length film succinctly titled Ray Donovan: The Movie. It's a time shifting postscript that fills in some much-needed character and story elements that flesh out the full series arc to greater satisfaction. Caution, however: this is for serious fans only; anyone coming in with this as the starting point will be hopelessly lost.

Official synopsis: A showdown decades in the making brings the Donovan family legacy full circle. As the events that made Ray who he is today finally come to light, the Donovans find themselves drawn back to Boston to face the past. Each of them struggles to overcome their violent upbringing, but destiny dies hard, and only their fierce love for each other keeps them in the fight. Whether they stand together or they go down swinging, one thing is certain -- Ray doesn't do loose ends.

This film weaves together past and present to point to a more certain future endgame for the Donovan family and the individuals and the world around it. The film has tons of character moments and narrative depth on hand, sure to satisfy fans who have been craving a more reliably firm and meaningful finale to the Ray Donovan narrative. As noted above, the film will only reward longtime fans who have been following the show with a high degree of interest and knowledge of its characters. However, it is not fan service but rather an answer to a call for something more substantial to put an end to the larger story. To spoil most anything that the film offers, beyond its hybrid approach that weaves together past and present, would be to ruin the enjoyment, but rest assured that fans will find this to be a much more satisfying close than what the series provided at the end of season seven.

For those lamenting that there is no extended season or special event, as was the case with Dexter, fear not. While only clocking in at about the length of two episodes, the film finds plenty of time to explore and bring story lines to fruitful conclusion. The film is not amplified in style because of the change in medium; it looks and plays like Ray Donovan. The cast never misses a beat, and it shouldn’t considering that season seven wrapped only a couple of years ago.

Ray Donovan: The Movie 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Showtime delivers Ray Donovan to the UHD format with a 2160p/SDR image. That is correct: there is no HDR or Dolby Vision color spectrum upgrades for this release. The color grading is mostly a wash, then, with the UHD essentially replicating the same look for skin tones, whites, and blacks; comparisons reveal perhaps the slightest edge to the UHD on white crispness and overall color brightness, but that could also be attributed to slight variations of player specifications used for the A-B comparisons. The resolution boost does next to nothing for the image, either. Eagle-eyed viewers may note a marginal, at best, uptick in sharpness and fine detail, but nothing that makes enough of a difference to warrant even the slight upgrade cost to the UHD (which, at time of writing, is $1 on Amazon.com). Frankly, the review for the Blu-ray (see here) suffices for this release; just expect a minimal upgrade to clarity and sharpness and slightly better noise management in low light. Note that the score is relative to other UHDs; in isolation the image is fine.

Ray Donovan: The Movie 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Showtime brings Ray Donovan: The Movie to the UHD format with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack, the same as is available on the Blu-ray. The track is probably best remembered for its natural cadence and intimate presentation parameters. The track is very active in terms of bringing subtle atmosphere into scenes. Listen closely to a heartfelt dialogue around the 44-minute mark, one of many such scenes in the movie. The scene is filled with extremely gentle and light, but very mood realistic, city sounds in the background. Dialogue commands the scene with clarity and realism, as it does for the duration, but it is that sense of place and atmosphere that sells the scene's authenticity. Of course, city exteriors, busy barrooms, and other more densely packed and alive locales offer more, and the track is always in good balance in terms of location immersion. Music is capably clear and wide, mostly lingering across the front. Musical aggression rises and falls as the situation warrants, but mostly the track plays it tight to the vest and simple, but never afraid to add some modest supportive bass for that realistic depth. A few gunshots are decently crisp but lack serious punch. Revving car engines, smacks with a baseball bat, and some other action-oriented moments also offer some impressive aggression (listen in the 50-minute mark during a violent confrontation for the best the track has to offer in terms of action immersion and clarity). This is a good track all around.

Ray Donovan: The Movie 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This UHD release of Ray Donovan: The Movie contains no supplemental content. The main menu screen offers only the option to play the film and toggle subtitles on and off. No Blu-ray or digital copies are included with purchase. This release does not ship with a slipcover. The Blu-ray is similarly devoid of bonus content.

Ray Donovan: The Movie 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It is curious to see Ray Donovan: The Movie release to physical 4K and 1080p Blu-ray when only the first three seasons of a seven-season run are on Blu-ray. Fans who want to own the entire thing, physically, will have to piecemeal the set together with some DVDs, which is a shame because the entire thing certainly deserves to be on physical high definition. For those who purchase this film on UHD, that is going to be three different formats for one show. Be that as it may, this featureless feature film UHD looks and sounds very good, albeit the video quality is barely indistinguishable from the Blu-ray. Save $1 (as of time of writing) and buy the Blu-ray instead.