The Pink Panther Strikes Again Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

The Pink Panther Strikes Again Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 4, 2026

Blake Edwards' "The Pink Panther Strikes Again" (1976) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include archival program with actress Lesley-Anne Down; archival program with editor Alan Jones; archival audio commentary by critic Jason Simos of The Peter Sellers Appreciation Society; vintage promotional materials; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Mortal enemies

The Return of the Pink Panther and The Pink Panther Strikes Again dramatically transform Herbert Lom’s character, Chief Inspector Charles Dreyfus, for a reason that is impossible to miss while viewing A Shot in the Dark, which significantly transforms Peter Sellers' character, Inspector Clouseau. In A Shot in the Dark, Sellers is always under the spotlight, creating all the chaos and virtually all the laughs, never facing an opponent like David Niven’s The Phantom to ease his leadership. It is exhausting work, and it does not take long before the quality of Sellers’ improvisations begins to suffer. In The Return of the Pink Panther and The Pink Panther Strikes Again, Christopher Plummer and Lom do plenty to help Sellers, which is why both films produce more consistent, superior laughs.

In The Pink Panther Strikes Again, Dreyfus, now a certified lunatic, escapes from a mental institution and immediately vows to eliminate Clouseau. To do so, Dreyfus summons some of the greatest criminals and instructs them to kidnap Dr. Hugo Fassbender (Richard Vernon), a renowned physicist, whose groundbreaking research is to be used to build an advanced superweapon. After Dr. Fassbender is successfully kidnapped and brought before Dreyfus, who has barricaded himself in an ancient castle, the superweapon is built and promptly used to demolish the United Nations Headquarters building in New York. In a televised address to the White House, Dreyfus then demands that the President (Dick Crockett) take out Clouseau on his behalf, or witness his superweapon wipe out an entire country, possibly even a continent. Just hours later, in Germany, at a very busy Octoberfest, Clouseau, while working on yet another very complicated case, instantly becomes a target for a motley crew of great assassins, all serving various governments. However, Clouseau not only survives multiple attempts on his life, but accidentally steals the heart of the sexy Russian assassin Olga (Lesley-Anne Down), who then promptly ditches her dangerous profession to be his girlfriend. Soon after, Clouseau also embarks on a dangerous mission to save the world from his deranged nemesis.

The concept is right. The cast is good, and the fireworks are just about perfect. However, the time is wrong. The Pink Panther Strikes Again should have been completed a year after A Shot in the Dark, in 1965, not more than a decade later, in 1976. Both Sellers and Lom already look too old, and while their energy is commendable, a lot of the material the two shot with Blake Edwards has a different vibe. It is the type of vibe that emerged in various Eurospy films during the 1970s, virtually all of which rehashed the same pulpy action material. (The majority of these films were, and still are, pretty entertaining. However, they did not have a great talent like Sellers, so they emphasized the same pulpy action material, which is the main attraction in The Pink Panther Strikes Again as well).

On paper, the supporting cast looks impressive, but it is underused. For example, Omar Sharif plays the greatest Egyptian assassin and spends only a couple of minutes in front of Edwards' camera. Down appears very, very late and fails to convince that she is anything but a gorgeous distraction for Sellers and the audience. Leonard Rossiter and Colin Blakely play Sellers’ British counterparts, and while both leave a predictably good impression, a lot more could and should have been done with their talents. Byron Kane’s hilarious impersonation of Henry Kissinger should have been used more, too.

Harry Waxman’s cinematography is solid yet fails to excite. Indeed, despite many outlandish characters entering Sellers' orbit, quite a few of which could have done very well in a lavish James Bond film, only the fireworks look just about perfect.

The Pink Panther Strikes Again Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a1080p transfer, The Pink Panther Strikes Again arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release introduces an exclusive new 4K restoration of The Pink Panther Strikes Again sourced from the original camera negative. The 4K restoration will also be available on 4K Blu-ray in this combo pack release a week from now.

The 4K restoration is a significant upgrade in quality. There is only one segment of the film where ideally more should have been done to ensure that the visuals are as convincing as they could be. It is the segment where Peter Sellers attempts to enter the ancient castle. In several frames, always on the right side of each frame, there is an unmissable color fading, accompanied by very light color pulsations. The rest of the film looks gorgeous. Delineation, clarity, and depth range from excellent to outstanding. The density levels of the visuals are very good, too. However, I must mention that there are native fluctuations in the footage where the superweapon is used and various special effects are used to reveal its enormous power(s). Color reproduction and balance are very convincing. All primaries and supporting nuances are properly set and balanced. They are lush and healthy. In darker indoor and nighttime footage, shadow nuances are convincing. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. I noticed a few tiny blemishes, but there are no large cuts, debris, warped or torn frames to report. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Pink Panther Strikes Again Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I viewed almost the entire film with the DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track. I thought that it was excellent. It has a very nice range of nuanced dynamics and, in the areas where it needs to raise the intensity, it produces good contrasts. In several places, the quick dynamic spikes feel a bit too strong, but it is almost certainly how the original soundtrack was finalized. The dialogue is clear, sharp, and easy to follow. However, some of Peter Sellers' mumbling, which of course features a very strong fake French accent, could be somewhat tricky.

The Pink Panther Strikes Again Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this archival audio commentary was recorded by Jason Simos of The Peter Sellers Appreciation Society. Simos follows the same format that he used for his audio commentary of A Shot in the Dark. There is plenty of interesting information about the clash between Peter Sellers and Herbert Lom's characters, the construction and lensing of various important sequences, the quality of humor, and various small yet crucial details (like the constant demotion of Lom's character). Also, there is good information about Blake Edwards' direction and the evolution of The Pink Panther films, as well as the various locations that they visited.

• Panther Musings - A Life in Films with Lesley-Anne Down - in this archival program, Lesley-Anne Down discusses her background and early modeling career, as well as her transition to the film industry and the various roles she earned. Down also comments on some 'bad' choices she made -- like misinterpreting the importance of playing a Bond girl -- and her involvement with The Pink Panther Strikes Again. In English, not subtitled. (22 min).

• A Cut Above - Editing the Pink Panther Films with Alan Jones - in this archival program, editor Alan Jones recalls his professional relationship with Blake Edwards and work on The Pink Panther Films. Jones also comments on scenes that were altered because of suggestions he made, as well as his interactions with a few of the stars that made The Pink Panther Strikes Again. In English, not subtitled. (25 min).

• Clouseau, The Greatest Fumbler in the World - this archival program takes a closer look at Peter Sellers' famous character and a few of his unique qualities. Included in it are clips from an interview with Blake Edwards and Sellers, commenting on the production of The Pink Panther Strikes Again, as well as raw footage from the shooting process. In English, not subtitled. (8 min).

• Trailers - presented here are a few vintage trailers for The Pink Panther Strikes Again. In English, not subtitled. (6 min).

• TV Spots - presented here are a few vintage TV spots for The Pink Panther Strikes Again. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Radio Spots - presented here are a few vintage radio spots for The Pink Panther Strikes Again. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Cover - a reversible cover with vintage poster art for The Pink Panther Strikes Again.

The Pink Panther Strikes Again Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

A decade is a long time. Had The Return of the Pink Panther appeared a year after A Shot in the Dark and The Pink Panther Strikes Again followed immediately after it, the progression of the franchise would have been different. All of the films that came after A Shot in the Dark are still enjoyable and vastly superior to virtually all recent comedies you would see in your local theater. However, it is quite clear that they are all borrowing from the blueprint that made various Eurospy films attractive, and their stars already look a bit too old. Also, the Eurospy films competed on a very busy playground, where the James Bond films consistently emerged victorious. Kino Lorber's release introduces an excellent new 4K restoration of The Pink Panther Strikes Again, which will also be made available on 4K Blu-ray in this combo pack release. RECOMMENDED.