Yellowstone: Season 4 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Yellowstone: Season 4 Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman March 11, 2022

In a short period of time, Yellowstone has become a cultural icon. It is not only the most popular show going, but it has also reached into the popular psyche. It's rare not to go to the grocery store or somewhere out in public with a lot of people and not find a T-shirt saying something about Beth or John Dutton or a ballcap or a car decal with the Yellowstone ranch logo on it. This show sits at the top of the pop culture rankings right now and for good reason. The first three seasons (see Season One, Season Two and Season Three) have woven together a modern-day story of family affairs, business, sprawling social and political drama, and some action and romance into what is not a catchall show but rather a finely molded modern masterpiece of the good, the bad, and the ugly of the Western way of life. So successful is the show that a spinoff, 1883, which builds on the Dutton backstories introduced in season four, is currently streaming.

Note: Some spoilers for season four, and previous seasons, appear below.

Official synopsis: Who shot John Dutton? That is the burning question that left fans reeling in the explosive season 3 finale. Following the brutal attacks on Kayce, Beth, and John Dutton, and with their fates unknown, Rip and the other wranglers wield their own brand of justice to take revenge and defend the Dutton legacy. This season digs deeper than ever into the rich Yellowstone history, with flashbacks featuring Tim McGraw and Faith Hill (stars of the 'Yellowstone' prequel '1883').

Season four picks up immediately where the previous season ended. It is the aftermath of the all-out war against the Duttons and the season could not start with higher stakes. That’s nothing new for the show, but neither is that the action, and the drama behind it, is incredibly drawn and evolved. The story follows through John’s recovery and the investigation into the attack. Who could be behind it? Could it have sourced from somewhere – or someone – closer to the family than it could have ever believed? Season four gets off to a ferocious start and in true Yellowstone fashion it builds tension and depth across the main story lines while also building up the world around the Duttons as well.

In season four, Jimmy’s future and fate play a prominent role in the larger narrative arc as does the season’s introduction of the Dutton family origins on the land, dating back to 1883 (tying into the spinoff show) and featuring the family patriarch played by Tim McGraw and its matriarch played by Faith Hill. Their episodes look back through the lens of family history in some key flashbacks that explore not just the family but the ranch and the region around it. The season also keys in on a new character, Carter (Finn Little), who becomes something of an adopted son to Beth and Rip; and Summer (Piper Perabo), John’s new fling and Beth’s latest enemy.

Additionally, beyond the explosive open, all of the usual sociopolitical maneuverings, and new flashbacks, the season explores with more depth and detail, yet still with an air of familiarity, the day to day life on the Dutton ranch: Jimmy’s injury and future at the ranch, the ranch’s finances, and the various bunkhouse romantic entanglements are all places of vast exploration for the season, offering various maneuverings that collectively push to either reinforce or redefine the family’s fortunes and future and the region’s fate.

Of course, season four thrives with its A-grade production values and incredible performances which reach all the way to the top with Kevin Costner and all the way down to the bunkhouse hands and the various businesspeople and politicians that are driving forces in the show, both new for the season and returning friends and familiars alike. This is not only one of the best shows on television for its narrative excellence, it is also one of the best for its resplendent production values and terrific acting, both of which are on full-force display in season four.

Yellowstone: Season 4 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Little need be said here. Yellowstone's season four Blu-ray looks magnificent. Clarity abounds, details are razor-sharp, and intricacy extends to the microscopic level, allowing faces, facial hair, clothes, ranch land, and various woods and furnishings to leap off the screen with the sort of tactile, real-life detail and definition that pushes the 1080p format to its limits. Likewise, color reproduction is first rate. Everything is well saturated while holding to neutral, lifelike contrast and temperature. Primaries are vivid, secondaries thrive, whites are crisp, and blacks are deep. Source and encode issues are practically nonexistent. It doesn't get a whole lot better than this.

Yellowstone: Season 4 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack is good but a little shallow when it matters the most. The intense gunplay to open the season fails to resonate with the depth and intensity one would expect. Clarity is fine but the track is lacking in aggression. That's a shame, because the sheer chaos should have made for a reference listen, but as it is it all comes across as a bit stymied. That said, surround integration is very good, at least. Music spreads wide and finds more positive volume, depth, and engagement compared to the action. Clarity is very good as well. World environmental details are nicely integrated, too. Dialogue is clear and center positioned for the duration.

Yellowstone: Season 4 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

For this season four release, Paramount has packed Yellowstone with plenty of bonus content spread out over all four discs; discs one-three house only episode recaps but disc four contains all of the additional content. No DVD or digital copies are included with purchase. This release does ship with a non-embossed slipcover.

Disc One:

• Behind the Story (1080p): Brief episode-by-episode overviews. Included on disc one are Half the Money (8:42), Phantom Pain (7:57), and All I See Is You (9:22).

Disc Two:

• Behind the Story (1080p): Brief episode-by-episode overviews. Included on disc two are Winning or Learning (6:27), Under a Blanket of Red (6:37), and I Want to Be Him (8:57).

Disc Three:

• Behind the Story (1080p): Brief episode-by-episode overviews. Included on disc three are Keep the Wolves Close (9:37), No Kindness for the Coward (8:57), and No Such Thing As Fair (9:37).

Disc Four:

• Behind the Story (1080p): Brief episode-by-episode overviews. Included on disc four is Grass on the Streets (14:27).
• Opening Pandora's Box: Making Yellowstone: Season Four (1080p, 37:08): A look at the more unfamiliar, in the modern world, picturesque Americana the show depicts against the backdrop of the more violent and spiteful world of family and sociopolitical maneuverings that bring the show its drama. It highlights in on season four in what is something of a condensed version of the various recaps from the other discs but there is also new content and insight beyond the basic plot ebbs and flows.
• Bloodline Yellowstone Origins (1080p, 10:27): Looking at season four's flashbacks and how they build story and tighten the foundation. It also looks at the parts played by and performances from Tim McGraw and Faith Hill.
• Season 4 Back to the Bunkhouse (1080p, 2:57): A closer, though quick, look at the "growth and transition" in the bunkhouse character arcs.
• Working the Yellowstone Making It All Happen (1080p, 6:26): A look at the production dynamics that are necessary to bring the show to the screen.
• Inside Yellowstone Season 4 (1080p, 3:32): Picking up season four where season three ended and the violence that follows the family and its employees.
• Yellowstone Stories from the Bunkhouse (1080p): Tales from the making of each episode with Denim Richards, Ian Bohen, and Jefferson White who provide a somewhat humorous take on life on the set. Included are segments for Half the Money (11:57), Phantom Pain (10:02), All I See Is You (10:43), Winning or Learning (10:50), Under a Blanket of Red (11:36), I Want to Be Him (10:56), Keep the Wolves Close (11:45), No Kindness for the Coward (10:05), No Such Thing As Fair (10:14), and Grass on the Streets (11:38).

Yellowstone: Season 4 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

As another explosive season comes to a close, it closes in a way that is narratively and dramatically familiar, with the expected emotional pulls and big surprises, but with new angles and priorities. It is bloody, but not as the end of season three was bloody. There's a heavy emotional toll here that once again sets the stage for the highly anticipated fifth season (which is supposedly going to be split between two seven-episode strings). Paramount has done the usual A-grade job on the Blu-ray release, delivering expert video and audio and the usual large assortment of extra content. Highly recommended.