Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Yellowstone: Season 5 Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman May 22, 2023

Paramount has released the first eight episodes from the 14-episode fifth season of 'Yellowstone' to Blu-ray. The smash hit TV show and popular culture icon has had a long run of success on television and on Blu-ray. This fifth season release includes the series-standard top-grade video and audio presentations and the usual array of quality bonus content. See below for links to the first four seasons; newcomers who have heard about the show and desire to jump in would be best served to start at the beginning (or even the prequel show '1883') and only then venture into season five.

• Season One
• Season Two
• Season Three
• Season Four

Official synopsis: Determined to protect his land and legacy at any cost, John Dutton (Kevin Costner) takes his fight to the halls of government in the most explosive season of Yellowstone yet. But with greater power comes further scrutiny…of his family, his land, and the morally questionable measures he's taken to protect them both. As new threats emerge and old enemies return, John, Beth, Kayce, Rip, and Jamie learn that power has a price.

In many ways Yellowstone has reached the point where it's not going to take audiences by surprise anymore. The rush to its side has built a substantial fan base and battle lines between the "love it" and "hate it" crowds are well drawn (admittedly, if ratings and merchandising are anything to go by, the former is handily winning out over the latter). Through five seasons, the show has established its characters, run them all through the wringer, and left plenty of scars behind, both physical and emotional. Season five continues in the same spirit of building off the now long-established character beats and what have become foundational tropes for the show, and the question is whether the season can walk that line between maintaining the status quo while veering far enough away from expectations to both satisfy established fans and keep the momentum going to gain new audiences. It does, with evolved dynamics and the family finding itself in new positions of power and leadership that only complicate the already fragile battle lines that have come to define the show.

Season five doesn't do much to rope in new audiences, but it offers enough movement to satisfy longtime viewers who will be more or less pleased with the continuance of various natural dramas and political maneuverings that promise to threaten the ranch's future and that will expand its reach beyond its preestablished borders, at least for a time. The season sees the Dutton family at a crossroads, which is pretty much where it finds itself in every season and in various season finales (or midseason breaks, as the case may be here), with finances putting the ranch on the precipice. There will be choices to make and futures to determine when things pick back up for the second half of season five, which in six episodes promises a bit more momentum with so much now hanging in the balance.

Yellowstone: Season 5 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Once again, a new season of Yellowstone arrives on Blu-ray with a crisp, sharp, organic, and clean 1080p transfer. The image's excellence pushes the Blu-ray format's boundaries for detail, offering incredibly complex facial features with striking ease. The level of inherent complexity and organic accuracy is second-to-none; viewers will be left regularly stunned by the level of clarity on display, the tangible depth to skin elements, accuracy to the finest hairs, and the definition on every bit of makeup seen throughout the episodes. Enviornmental details are superior for crispness and clarity as well, whether expansive Montana vistas or intimate interiors in homes and offices and especially in the bunkhouse where there's a bit more "stuff" scattered about to offer more significant textural goodness, but needless to say wherever the camera is pointed, viewers will discover detail that the format cannot top. Color expertise is consistent, too. The palette is natural, rich, and full, with vivid natural greens, beautiful warm woods, and striking colors on various neckties, shirts, dresses, and other clothing. Blood is also vivid. Black level depth is near perfect, whites pop, and skin tones look natural, influenced only by ambient lighting. There is a little bit of noise but it's hardly ever bothersome and never really all that noticeable. This is a tip-top Blu-ray transfer from Paramount.

Yellowstone: Season 5 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The series-standard Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack delivers a listen that is in-line with previous seasons. As always, the level of sonic clarity is very high, offering precision detail to music, dialogue, atmosphere, and effects. Front side stretch impresses and surround usage is balanced: never too aggressive but never dialed back. Listeners will enjoy airy open spaces and firm, front-center focused interiors. Higher yield action elements produce ample depth and definition. Musical spacing is excellent and detail is very good. Dialogue drives the show and it is always clear, center focused, and well prioritized for the duration.

Yellowstone: Season 5 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

For this season five 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 not ship with a slipcover.

Disc One:

• Behind the Story (1080p): Brief episode-by-episode overviews. Included on disc one are One Hundred Years Is Nothing (4:52), and The Sting of Wisdom (6:02).

Disc Two:

• Behind the Story (1080p): Brief episode-by-episode overviews. Included on disc two are Tall Drink of Water (7:02), Horses in Heaven (6:02), and Watch 'Em Ride Away (6:02).

Disc Three:

• Behind the Story (1080p): Brief episode-by-episode overviews. Included on disc three are Cigarettes, Whiskey, a Meadow and You (7:22), The Dream Is Not Me (7:37), and A Knife and No Coin (7:30).

Disc Four:

• Undeniable Passion: Beth & Rip/Monica & Kayce (1080p, 18:04): Exploring these characters and their relationships in great detail.
• Musical Crosscurrents with Composers Brian Tyler & Breton Vivian (1080p, 13:47): A quality piece exploring the show's musical scoring.
• Giving Everything to this Land: Yellowstone Returns (1080p, 35:55): A deep dive into season five: how the show has arrived, where it is, and what it means for the story in its present state and moving forward in future episodes. It looks at character places, new dynamics, and the high drama that defines the show's present course.
• Inside Yellowstone Season 5 (1080p, 3:02): A quick look at the show's success, storylines, and forward momentum.
• Yellowstone: Inside the Phenomenon (1080p, 22:08): Denim Richards and Ian Bohen host a look back at the show with an eye towards the present and future.
• Inside the Real Yellowstone Ranch (1080p, 4:05): Shane Libel discusses what's it's like for a major TV production and cultural sensation to be filmed inside his home.
• 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 and story content. Included are segments for One Hundred Years Is Nothing (7:42), The Stong of Wisdom (7:49), Tall Drink of Water (8:28), Horses in Heaven (9:37), Watch 'Em Ride Away (8:50), Cigarettes, Whiskey, A Meadow and You (8:33), The Dream Is Not Me (9:48), and A Knife and No Coin (10:24).

Yellowstone: Season 5 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

At this point, Yellowstone "is what it is" through four and a half seasons, and while the show continues to amplify character beats, any change in the dramatic current is more about reinforcement rather than redefinition. The characters are established, the conflicts are settled in, the family's place in local and state politics are firm, and everything about the show is like a chess match well into the middle stages where the pieces are maneuvered on the board and the audience is waiting for that big move that will suddenly upset the established dynamic and push towards a resolution. Is that reached in season five, at least in these first eight episodes of season five? Eh...in some ways the viewers can see the plan, but it's pretty stagnant at the same time. The show moves some pieces but there's not that big, swooping, game-changing maneuver in play. Maybe that's coming in the second half of season five. This feels like a lot of stagnation and not much more. Paramount's Blu-ray is also stagnant when comparing it to previous releases, but in this case that's a good thing. Video and audio remain top-notch and as usual a very healthy assortment of extras are included. Recommended, though fans can be sure a "full" season five release and a boxed set with all five seasons (and probably another one with one or more spinoff shows) will at some point invariably release as well.