The Crown: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

The Crown: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie Review

God save the Queen...

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown December 1, 2024

Ah! Breathe it in... The Crown. Rarely dusty and oh so watchable. It's a series known to drive some people in the UK to cursing fits, shaking their fists and heads at the audacity. The audacity! How dare a show recreate delicate national events in such staggering fashion. Huff. What an unflattering, salacious portrait of our dear lords and ladies. With each ensuing season, The Crown has proven increasingly divisive. It's also a series that, in the greater UK and certainly in the US, is nothing short of an addictive popcorn-y soap-drama about members of the British royalty we here in America actually know a few things about. Two wildly different viewing experiences for two wildly different groups of people separated by one very large pond. So apologies to my more sensitive British friends for shrugging my shoulders, skipping any discussion of historical accuracy or cultural appropriateness and striking right at the bottom line: The Crown is a fine investment of your time, even with a wobbly sixth season that struggles to bring things into final focus.

The show is both a riveting character study and a worthy drama packed to the brim with high-level production design, sharp writing and adaptative precision. The cast is killer. The stories propel viewers from episode to episode in binge-worthy succession. The stakes are high and the consequences dire. And it's all rooted in real, verifiable history. Well, maybe. True or sorta true. True-ish? Never mind that. There's a good bit of guesswork padding out the known quantities, so come for the entertainment, the heartbreak and the performances. The Crown rewards those eager to investigate the (possible) inner-workings of the famously and sometimes infamously private royals.

All six seasons of The Crown have been previously released on Blu-ray, but if you haven't already partaken, this chunky but handsome box set is well worth the investment. (And currently will save you quite a bit compared to buying each season separately.) Click on any of the following links to read more detailed overviews of each season's Blu-ray release:

• The Crown: The Complete First Season
• The Crown: The Complete Second Season
• The Crown: The Complete Third Season
• The Crown: The Complete Fourth Season
• The Crown: The Complete Fifth Season
• The Crown: The Complete Sixth and Final Season

The Crown: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Each season of The Crown features a striking 1080p/AVC-encoded video transfer:

• The Crown: The Complete First Season
• The Crown: The Complete Second Season
• The Crown: The Complete Third Season
• The Crown: The Complete Fourth Season
• The Crown: The Complete Fifth Season
• The Crown: The Complete Sixth and Final Season

The Crown: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Each season of The Crown features an excellent DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track:

• The Crown: The Complete First Season
• The Crown: The Complete Second Season
• The Crown: The Complete Third Season
• The Crown: The Complete Fourth Season
• The Crown: The Complete Fifth Season
• The Crown: The Complete Sixth and Final Season

The Crown: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

None of The Crown's seasons have offered much more than a few cursory extras and this complete set is no different. There isn't any exclusive bonus content other than a 24-page photo booklet with a special message from Peter Morgan. Not exactly a huge selling point.

The Crown: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Crown is a fantastically infectious drama that, through highs and a few lows, manages to make an otherwise stuffy, camera-indulgent yet notoriously camera-shy royal family incredibly interesting. Sony's chunk-o-box-set is an easy recommendation, especially with Christmas coming, and buying it is (currently) more affordable than buying each season separately. Go for it. You know you wanna.