The Death of Superman 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

The Death of Superman 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Warner Brothers, in conjunction with Target, has released an exclusive 4K UHD SteelBook for the 2018 DC Universe animated film 'The Death of Superman.' The release is also available via both standard Blu-ray and a wide release 4K UHD as well as a Blu-ray only Target SteelBook, a Deluxe Edition Blu-ray that ships with a figurine, and a Limited Edition Gift Set that includes a 98-page hardcover graphic novel. So fans have plenty of options for this new release, but certainly the Man of Steel would gravitate to the 4K SteelBook, yes?

The Death of Superman 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

For a full Blu-ray video review, please click here. For a full 4K UHD video review, please click here.

The Death of Superman 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

For a full UHD audio review, please click here; note that the Blu-ray and UHD releases share the same primary soundtrack.

The Death of Superman 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Many times a SteelBook release will feature alternative artwork, for better or for worse, from the mainline, standard packaging releases. The Death of Superman's Target exclusive SteelBook is a little different, retaining the same awesome front cover artwork as seen across the entire spectrum of releases listed above. And why mess with perfection? The image of Superman's tattered cape, looking almost blood-red, flapping against desolated rubble, the result of the Man of Steel's epic battle with the unstoppable alien Doomsday, is a prolific front cover that looks even better on the SteelBook packaging. The film's title and the DC logo are prominently, but tastefully, displayed above in black, not taking anything away from the gorgeous artwork.

The rear panel, beyond the removable cardboard sheet that contains all of the sale points (pictures, plot synopsis, tech and credit clusters, etc.) features another epic image depicting a battered Superman and the colossal Doomsday doing battle high above the Metropolis skyline, each in a pose ready to strike with powerful fists. Dark clouds loom and lightning strikes crackle in the background. It's a wonderful image and if Warner Brothers was smart, a larger print would be made available for sale. Front and rear panels are prone to fingerprinting, but the color scheme renders them much less visible than some. The spine is a simple black with the film's title prominently displayed in red. A Blu-ray logo appears at the top (even as this set contains a 4K disc, though it is essentially the same quality as the Blu-ray) and DC and Warner Brothers logos appear at the bottom.

Inside, buyers will find the digital copy voucher tucked into the tabs on the left hand side. The right hand side contains the Blu-ray and UHD discs, which are staggered-stacked. Both discs are fairly pedestrian in terms of disc artwork. The Blu-ray features the tattered Superman cape in grayscale while the UHD is a predominantly black disc with somewhat stylized lettering for the film's title. The inner artwork is a two-panel spread featuring, on the left hand side, an image of Superman's tomb/memorial as seen at film's end (which would normally be a major spoiler but since the film is titled The Death of Superman is it really?). The right panel continues the image but is mostly nearby trees against a dark nighttime backdrop, which leaves the interesting part of the artwork for the side most readily visible. An unobtrusive credits listing appears on the bottom of the left-hand panel.

The Death of Superman 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Death of Superman is so good that it got this reviewer excited to dig into the entire DC animated back catalogue (watch for a review of the DC Universe 30 film boxed set soon). This is also hands-down one of the best looking SteelBooks of the year. Very highly recommended, though the smart money might be on saving a few dollars and picking up the Blu-ray only SteelBook release considering that the UHD presentation isn't a significant upgrade, if it is one at all, over the 1080p presentation. Note that I have bumped the final score by half a point over Michael's UHD review solely to reflect the quality of the SteelBook packaging which I believe to be one of the nicest on the market and a jewel in my growing collection.