Rating summary
| Movie |  | 4.5 |
| Video |  | 5.0 |
| Audio | | 4.5 |
| Extras |  | 3.0 |
| Overall | | 4.5 |
Spartacus 4K Blu-ray Movie Review
Reviewed by Martin Liebman July 22, 2020
Universal and Best Buy have collaborated on a store exclusive SteelBook for the long awaited UHD release of Director Stanley Kubrick's
1960 Epic 'Spartacus.' The disc and digital content is identical to that found in the concurrently released wide release. See the 'Special Features and Extras' section of the review below
for more on the SteelBook's look and feel.
For a full film review, please click
here; note that this link points back to the 2010 Blu-ray.
Spartacus 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality
For a full UHD video review, please click here.
Spartacus 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality
For a full UHD audio review, please click here.
Spartacus 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras
Universal's Spartacus SteelBook is a bit smooth but not glossy. With a darker color scheme it will not show an excess of handling fingerprints.
The image depicts a raised arm holding a sword straight up into the air. The wrist is wrapped in a leather restraint but the chain around the wrist has
been broken, clearly symbolizing a slave's rise to freedom and the taking up of arms. It's a very appropriate image for the film's story. The film's title
runs across the center in large white Roman-like letters. "A Stanley Kubrick Film" text appears above in smaller white type. There's a mild reflectiveness
to several of the elements, including the sword and the broken restraints. A dark green background frames the art. The rear panel furthers the theme of
rebellion, here with spears and torches raised upwards, one torch very prominent front-and-center. The same green background frames the content. A
small, barely visible Universal logo and some legalese appear bottom center in white. The spine maintains the green background color. The film's title
has been positioned center in smaller size but in the same white Romanesque lettering. A small white Universal logo has been placed at the bottom.
Inside, the digital copy code is tucked underneath the left-hand-side tabs. The two discs, one UHD and one Blu-ray, are situated on the right in
staggered-stacked formation. The inner print is a two-panel spread that features several warriors on horseback, amongst them Spartacus, who appears
squarely on the left-hand side. A blue sky fills the entirety of the background real estate.
For a breakdown of the on-disc supplemental content, please click here.
Spartacus 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation
For Spartacus and SteelBook fans, this release is a match made in heaven. A world-class 2160p/Dolby Vision UHD is paired with a very a
attractive SteelBook packaging variant. As with the wide release disc, this SteelBook presentation earns my highest recommendation.
