The Ark of the Sun God 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

The Ark of the Sun God 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 18, 2026

Antonio Margheriti's "The Ark of the Sun God" (1984) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new program with assistant director Edoardo Margheriti; exclusive new program with writer Giovanni Paolucci; vintage trailer; and more. In English or Italian, with optional English and English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

directed some original projects too, but the copycats were the ones that earned him a reputation among film buffs in Italy and abroad. The best of these copycats were well-funded projects that attracted big stars and revealed rather remarkable enthusiasm, which is what made them successful.

The Ark of the Sun God fits somewhere between the worst and the best of the copycats Margheriti directed. Its biggest critics insist that it is an undercooked project that fails to be even remotely entertaining. Its biggest fans do not disagree that it has problems, some pretty serious ones too, but claim that it often looks good and is quite entertaining. Perhaps unsurprisingly, both groups agree that it does not deserve to be associated with the film that inspired it, Raiders of the Lost Ark.

While I am not a fan of The Ark of the Sun God, I find it easier to side with those who have a more positive take on what it does to impress. It is primarily because of two reasons. The first reason has to do with the fact that The Ark of the Sun God is a decent international co-production with a lot of quite nice-looking material that was shot on location in Turkey. When he was hired to direct copycats, Margheriti usually used the resources he had at his disposal to shoot as much such material and as well as he could, and the material that he did for The Ark of the Sun God is some of the more attractive I have seen. The second reason has to do with the genuine enthusiasm the star of The Ark of the Sun God, David Warbeck, and a few other actors around him reveal. Margheriti and Warbeck made several films together, and it is easy to tell that they had a very good relationship because in all of them, each very effectively complemented the other’s work. In The Ark of the Sun God, Warbeck has a lot of freedom to improvise, and the enthusiasm he channels through his character allows Margheriti to shoot plenty of material whose quality exceeds that of the finished film.

Unfortunately, the screenplay that Giovanni Paolucci and Giovanni Simonelli handed to Margheritti must have been average at best. Admittedly, scripting an Italian genre film to be seen as a close relative of Raiders of the Lost Ark is essentially a recipe for disaster, but a case can be made that this disaster could have turned its weaknesses into its greatest strengths. After all, the most effective Italian copycats repeatedly used this very trick. In The Ark of the Sun God, there is very little such material, and virtually all of it materializes because of Warbeck’s improvisations and enthusiasm.

The screenplay dispatches Warbeck’s character, a notorious American safe cracker, and his sexy girlfriend (Susie Sudlow) to Istanbul, where the former is hired to uncover an ancient scepter that belonged to Gilgamesh. As the safe cracker and a shady character (Ricardo Palacios) reporting to his employer begin gathering information, a local dignitary (Aytekin Akkaya) instructs his men to begin following them, hoping that they would discover the lost Temple of the Sun God, where the scepter is supposed to be. As the safe cracker and his unlikely partner become aware of the men who are following them, a lot that can go wrong goes terribly wrong.

The Ark of the Sun God offers uneven but decent entertainment of the kind that Italian copycats were known to offer during the 1970s and 1980s. It looks good, or as good as an Italian copycat should, but it lacks a great sense of humor and witty one-liners that could have transformed it into a cult film. It is worth seeing. However, it is not one of the top films in Margheriti’s body of work.

*Severin Films presents The Ark of the Sun God with original English and Italian tracks. The English track is preferable. However, like the Italian track, it utilizes plenty of overdubbing.

The Ark of the Sun God 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Severin Films' release of The Ark of the Sun God 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 that appear 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, including the actual color values of this content.

Screencaptures #1-25 are taken from the Blu-ray.
Screencaptures #30-34 are taken from the 4K Blu-ray.

The release presents a 4K restoration of The Ark of the Sun God, sourced from the original camera negative. In native 4K, the 4K restoration can be viewed with HDR. I viewed it in its entirety in native 4K. Later, I spent time with its 1080p presentation on the Blu-ray.

In 2024, we reviewed this British combo pack release of The Ark of the Sun God, produced by local label 88 Films. I have it in my library and performed several comparisons.

Severin Films' native 4K and 1080p presentations are extremely similar to the ones from the British release, which is excellent news. I did not scrutinize particular areas of these presentations because, on my system, delineation, clarity, and depth looked virtually identical. The dynamic range of the visuals was identical as well. Color reproduction and balance are great. In a few places, there might be small unevenness in the saturation levels -- with primary blue and primary brown being affected the most -- but the overall temperature of the visuals remains the same. Also, in darker areas, such as the footage from the cave, all dark nuances look equally great here. There are no traces of any problematic digital corrections. Image stability is excellent. I noticed a few nicks and blemishes popping up here and there, but I would still describe the visuals as very healthy.

There isn't a big difference in quality between the native 4K and 1080p presentations. On the native 4K presentation, grain exposure is more pronounced, and the expanded color gamut helps some visuals appear more vibrant. However, the overall quality of the 4K restoration is excellent, and both presentations effortlessly reflect its strength.

The Ark of the Sun God 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH (for the former) and English (for the latter) subtitles are provided.

Both tracks feature overdubbing. However, the English track should be considered the original track for the film because all actors deliver their lines in English. Bothy tracks have native limitations as well. For example, there are small balance issues, and in some areas, usually with action footage, dynamic activity is inconsistent. However, this is how the original soundtracks on many Italian copycats were finalized.

The Ark of the Sun God 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Trailer - presented here is a remastered original trailer for The Ark of the Sun God. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

BLU-RAY DISC

• Trailer - presented here is a remastered original trailer for The Ark of the Sun God. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Second Unit Chronicles - in this new program, assistant director Edoardo Margheriti comments on the exact period when he began working with his father, Antonio Margheriti, and discusses in great detail how The Ark of the Sun God came to exist. Margheriti also comments on his father's excellent professional relationship with David Warbeck, as well as the evolution of the Italian copycat films. In Italian, with English subtitles. (30 min).

• Raiders of the Sun God - in this new program, writer Giovanni Paolucci explains how he became involved with The Ark of the Sun God as a very young and inexperienced writer, and how his tremendous love for Raiders of the Lost Ark influenced his work. Paolucci also comments on his interactions with David Warbeck, with whom he had already done some work, and Antonio Margheriti, who had a reputation for doing great special effects. In Italian, with English subtitles. (20 min).

• Antonio Margheriti Recalls David Warbeck - in this short archival program, Antonio Margheriti comments on his professional relationship with David Warbeck and the films they made together, including The Ark of the Sun God. The program was recorded for a print article by Peter Blumenstock. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

ADDITIONAL CONTENT

• The complete original soundtracks of The Hunters of the Golden Cobra and The Ark of the Sun God presented on CD.

The Ark of the Sun God 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Despite many undeniable flaws, virtually all of which have something to do with the screenplay handed to Antonio Margheriti, The Ark of the Sun God is a decent Italian copycat worth seeing. Obviously, anyone expecting it to come even remotely close to matching the quality of the film that inspired it, Raiders of the Lost Ark, is guaranteed to have an underwhelming experience with it. Severin Films' combo pack presents an excellent new 4K restoration of The Ark of the Sun God on 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.