Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Tut Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman September 24, 2015

Few historical figures have garnered quite so much interest as Egypt's young Pharaoh Tutankhamun, elevated to leadership status before his tenth birthday and living only a decade or so longer. Perhaps it's the allure of the child ruler, perhaps it's the relative recency of his tomb's discovery, or perhaps it's just the mouthful of a name that can be shortened into a single syllable word that's come to popularly define ancient Egypt on practically the same level as "pyramid" and "Sphinx," but there's no denying the legacy and popularity of one of the world's most recognized leaders of its ancient past. Spike TV's succinctly titled miniseries Tut dares to explore the young Pharaoh's life in a dramatized three-part feature that aired over three nights from July 19-21, 2015. The show is rich in superficial detail but shallow in dramatic depth, looking the part but feeling rather forced in the way it's been molded to fit into the modern world of high stakes historical recreation drama (see richer, but similar, examples like The Borgias and Spartacus) that are all about power manipulation, sex, and violence with only, it seems, the costumes and backgrounds changing to suit the time period in question.

The year is 1332 B.C. Egypt is the most powerful nation in the world, and her ruler has been poisoned. Before Pharaoh Akhenaten (Silas Carson) dies, he appoints his young son Tutankhamun (Kaizer Akhtar) ruler of the land and demands he marry his sister Ankhesenamun (Sibylla Deen) to maintain the family's pure bloodline. A decade passes. Tutankhamun (Avan Jogia) is a leader of the people who efforts to break away from the status quo and finds himself pulled in several different directions by those closest to him, including his most trusted advisor, Grand Vizier Ay (Ben Kingsley), his military General Horemheb (Nonso Anozie), and the High Priest Amun (Alexander Siddig). The nation is warring with a Syrian tribe called The Mitanni, and the Pharaoh falls in love with a young girl named Suhad (Kylie Bunbury) who is half Mitanni and half Egyptian. Meanwhile, Ankhesenamun becomes romantically involved with Ka (Peter Gadiot), Tutankhamun's best friend.

There's no denying that Tut looks the part. The series dazzles with its authentic appearing wardrobe and set design. It's a meticulous, even glorious endeavor that seems detailed down to the last stitch, decoration, applied layer of makeup, location, and even grain of sand. Visually, the series is resplendent. But does it feel the part? And are its glories only skin-deep? Tut cannot escape the clutches of modern day TV drama, with amplified bits of power struggle intrigue, violence, and sex meshing so deeply into the very fabric of the show's being that even its otherwise overwhelmingly positive production design cannot see it through. There's an immediate feeling of familiarity with the program, not so much with the characters or even the setting but instead the ebbs and flows that define it. The now-standard-fare TV drama details that course through its sandy veins leave it feeling like any other of the many run-of-the-mill programs like it. Tut efforts to create a show that's visually authentic but at the same time immediately familiar. Dramatic license runs amok as characters and historical events are wrenched into a particular mold meant to entice the audience rather than build up a more solidly grounded and realistic portrait of the famed Egyptian ruler.

Still, the show proves somewhat entertaining even under its type-amplified drama. It moves rather quickly for a series of its size, understandably slowing down at times as it maneuvers through variations on the same themes but speeding through many of its key moments and flashier examples of sex and violence. Battle sequences are appropriately intense, not particularly standing apart from any other graphically violent sword-and-sandal epic but carrying the series well enough when the story shifts away from the drama for some epic clashes that look and feel the part of a major Hollywood movie. More important, the cast is strong enough, generally, at least as far as the story allows. Veteran actors Kingsley and Siddig are unsurprisingly the series' best, both managing to find a certain character depth while playing, on paper and frequently in the series, one-dimensional figures. Avan Jogia satisfies as Tut, though never bringing quite as much humanity to the part as it seems to demand. He doesn't command the screen, either, not in the same way Kingsley, Siddig, and Nonso Anozie manage, but he displays enough of the naiveté and break from their reigns to give the character some shape, even if it's hardly a groundbreaking character representation, favoring instead a fairly routine portrait of a young leader caught in the crosshairs of his closest allies.

Tut Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Tut's 1080p, 1.78:1-framed transfer impresses in every area of concern. The predominantly sandy, earthy color palette is accentuated by a lovely display of support shades including teals, blues, and purples, all of which stand apart but, at the same time, melt into the world's otherwise bland color scheme for an authentic overall appearance. Details are sharp and accurate. Intimate facial makeup and lines are readily apparent, though the smoothest-skinned actors tend to look a bit more pasty. Terrain and stone work are magnificently tactile and richly complex. Black levels are suitably deep, revealing shadowy backdrops and corners with natural ease. Flesh tones appear accurate across the spectrum. Minor noise creeps into some of the lower light shots, but the transfer suffers from no major bouts of macroblocking, aliasing, or other anomalies. This is a rich, high yield presentation from Paramount.

Tut Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Tut features a satisfying Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Music is a keystone element that's big in posture, well spaced across the front, offering full surround support, and delivering a positive low end weight to add depth and distinction. Musical clarity is solid throughout, perhaps a tick or two below optimal lifelike transparency but certainly well above standard. The track springs to life during battle sequences, too. The blend of music, screaming throngs of soldiers, clanking swords, gooey gore, and other details pull the listener into the mayhem. Smaller moment-specific effects are rock solid, such as a falling metal gate or crackling lit torches that support basic mood. Dialogue enjoys front-and-center placement and consistently even prioritization. This is an excellent all-around soundtrack from Paramount.

Tut Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Tut contains several extras on disc two. A UV digital copy voucher is included with purchase.

• The Costumes of Tut (1080i, 3:31): Costume Designer Carlo Poggioli shares some insight into the the wardrobe authenticity and its construction. The cast talks up the quality, too.
• History Revealed (1080i, 6:49): A look at blending historical accuracy and manufactured drama and the real life discovery of Tut's tomb and his reign with acclaimed UCLA Egyptologist Kara Cooney.
• Unmasking the Legend: The Making of Tut (1080i, 23:43): A look at casting and performances, core story details, character specifics, crafting battle scenes, shooting in authentic locations, costumes, and more. A few bits and pieces repeat from the previous supplements.

Tut Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Tut isn't a terrible series, it's just a forgettable one. Its historical recreation at least feels rich and carefully assembled, but the core drama and characters cannot escape the modern sensibilities to which they're designed to appeal. There's no depth to the story that audiences haven't explored before and the characters and setting don't feel the least bit necessary to the central story. It's all window dressing covering up the same old thing that so many mature-oriented modern TV shows have explored time and again. Still, it looks great and flows well enough. It's not a substitute for cramming the night before a test on ancient Egypt, but Tut at least offers an always resplendent and passably entertaining peek into ancient times that seem all too similar to so many other time periods repurposed for TV. Paramount's Blu-ray release of Tut delivers tip-top video and audio. Supplements are light and to the point. Rent it.