Westworld 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		0.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Westworld 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman January 30, 2026

Some enterprising psychoanalyst might want to look into Michael Crichton's childhood to see if somehow the future novelist and filmmaker was severely traumatized at Disneyland or some similar facility at a young and very impressionable age. How else to explain that Crichton set not one but two of his most famous pieces in amusement parks gone awry due to off the rails technology? If Jurassic Park is arguably the better remembered of this perceived pair, Westworld has its own (disturbing?) pleasures to experience, and despite being a relatively low budget affair, it delivers with reasonably efficient special effects and an appealing (if again disturbing) premise that should resonate especially strongly with guys who grew up playing cowboy. If Jurassic Park may also still strike the casual viewer as too outlandish to ever come to pass, the rise of artificial intelligence may make Westworld the more unsettlingly prescient of the two properties.

Westworld had a long ago 1080 release by Warner Brothers, and Michael Reuben's Westworld Blu-ray review provides plot information for anyone who may still need it at this late date, as well as a list of supplements and Michael's reaction to the technical presentation.

Westworld 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: While this is a standalone 4K release without a 1080 disc, I am offering screenshots from Arrow's standalone 1080 release of Westworld, as I think it actually provides a better representation of the look of the palette in particular, rather than offering screenshots from the 4K disc which are by necessity downscaled to 1080 and in SDR. Because this release does not include a 1080 disc, the 2K video score above has been intentionally left blank.

Westworld is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Arrow Video with an HEVC / H.265 encoded 2160p transfer in 2.39:1. Arrow's insert booklet contains the following information on the presentation:

Westworld has been restored by Arrow Films and is presented in it s original aspect ratio of 2.39:1 with newly restored 4-channel stereo, stereo 2.0 and mono mixes as well as a legacy 5.1 remix.

The film is presented in 4K resolution in HDR10 and Dolby Vision on the 4K UHD release.

The original 35mm camera negative was scanned at 4K / 16 bit resolution at Warner Bros. Motion Picture Imaging. The film was restored in 4K resolution and color graded at Duplitech.

All materials sourced for this new mater were made available by Warner Bros.

QC review was completed by Pixelogic.

Audio restoration was completed by Þorsteinn Gíslason.

This is another appealing upgrade by Arrow, one which once again may offer the most noticeably instant impact with regard to its HDR / Dolby Vision grades than to any huge improvement in detail levels, though there are definitely upticks there in selected moments (discussed below). As with Warner's old 1080 release, there are still evident variances in color temperature, densities, and overall clarity, and this 4K version may undeniably call further attention to certain ebbs and flows in those regards even more so than Arrow's excellent 1080 presentation. Some may want to consider comparing the opening hovercraft sequence (regardless of any optical effects) or even some of the boarding house material with more brightly lit outdoor scenes, or even some of the bar vignettes, and suffusion and warmth differentiations are not very hard to spot. Those issues aside, the overall look of both Arrow's 1080 and 4K presentations can be a bit darker than the old Warner 1080 disc, something that may help to augment perception of a vivid palette, but which also may tend to improve grain appearance (or at least visibility). This is another 4K effort where grain can definitely be on the chunky side, especially in some of the composited opticals, as in the opening hovercraft sequence. Detail levels can see some subtle but still observable improvements on things like fabrics in both Westworld and Roman World.

Westworld 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Westworld is going to be a boon to audiophiles, with DTS-HD Master Audio 4.0, DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, DTS-HD Master Audio Mono and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 options. Both the stereo and mono mixes are noticeably brighter and less well balanced than either of the surround mixes, and the high end on both the 2.0 and Mono tracks can be on the brash side. Things are much more burnished sounding on the DTS-HD Master Audio 4.0 and especially the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 tracks, and while it may not sit well with purists, I think despite all the new options offered here, I still ended up liking the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track the best. Both of the surround tracks regularly engage the rear channels, but I found the 5.1 track to be more nuanced than the 4.0 track and to have a more consistent sound in all frequencies. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly in all tracks. Optional English subtitles are available.

Westworld 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary by Daniel Kremer is a kind of rare hit or miss in my estimation, with some needless name dropping ("Dick" Benjamin, whom Kremer mentions meeting at several parties) and lots of hemming and hawing in between informational tidbits.


• Cowboy Dreams (HD; 11:42) is a new conversation between Richard Benjamin and producer / screenwriter Larry Karaszewski.


• At Home on the Range (HD; 17:04) is a new interview with James Brolin.


• HollyWorld: Producing Westworld (HD; 34:17) is a new interview with producer Paul N. Lazarus III.


• Sex, Death and Androids (HD; 13:13) is a video appreciation by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, who discusses some unusual sidebars, like the depiction of gender roles in the film.


• On Location with Westworld (HD; 9:08) is an archival EPK.


• Beyond Westworld (HD; 49:39) is the pilot for a proposed 1980 television series, and it's frankly not hard to see why it wasn't greenlit based on this pretty hokey outing.


• Theatrical Trailer (HD; 3:08)


• Image Gallery (HD)

Additionally, this is another very handsomely packaged Limited Edition release from Arrow. An O ring type slipcover encloses a sturdy slipbox which itself holds a keepcase, collectors' booklet and poster. The keepcase features a reversible sleeve and in Russian nesting doll fashion also holds six postcard sized artcards. The perfect bound collectors' booklet should be a treasure trove for the film's fans, with several new essays. The double sided fold out poster features the same art options as the keepcase's reversible sleeve.

Westworld 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Westworld is a lot of fun even as it is increasingly creepy and disturbing. Arrow's new edition sports solid technical merits and some appealing supplements, all in handsome packaging. Recommended.