Ben-Hur - 4K Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Ben-Hur

Movie:
4K Video:
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Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:


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Movie
When we speak in reverence of the great epics that are from the bygone days of Hollywood, Ben-Hur is at the top of the list along with Lawrence of Arabia, The Ten Commandments, and Spartacus. And while I love all of the above-mentioned movies, very few move me in the same way that Ben-Hur does. It’s a powerful epic that seems to be over before you know it (despite the near 4 hour run time) and tells an amazing tale of two men beset with the same rage, the same hatred, and the same lust for revenge. Yet one is consumed BY it, and one is set free FROM it. And no matter how hard I prepare myself, that final 40-minute finale tears me to pieces every time I watch it.

William Wyler’s Biblical epic is one that garnered him 11 Oscar wins back in 1959 (something not seen since with Titanic and Return of the King), and swept the entire nation as a cinematic masterpiece the second it hit theaters. 67 years later, Ben Hur is still just as potent, and still manages to be an amazing piece of cinematic history in a world that is obsessed with CGI, AI, and finding a way to make great stories again. Ironically, the creation of Ben-Hur is similar to what we see today in Hollywood. Back in the late 1950s, MGM was on the verge of bankruptcy, having had more than their share of flops over the last decade (and some high-profile wins as well), so it shocked everyone when MGM bankrolled the enormous (at the time) $15 million budget to re-adapt the 1925 film Ben-Hur for modern audiences. And whether you count it luck or divine providence, this is the stars aligning in just the right order to pull success from the jaws of defeat, righting MGM’s course and pushing them forward for many years to come.

The tale of Ben-Hur revolves around two men, born in the same era as the , and their intertwining story of revenge and human greed. Judah Ben-Hur (Heston) is the son of the richest prince in all of Jerusalem, and during the year 26 AD, he is living in wealth, while the rest of Israel suffers under the heel of the Roman empire. When his childhood friend Messala (Stephen Boyd) returns from Rome to take control of the Roman legions in Jerusalem, Judah goes out to greet him, only for a loose roof tile to narrowly miss the Governor. Charged for the crime of attempted murder, Judah is put in chains by his friend Messala and sent away, where he is to spend the rest of his short life rowing in the Roman fleet’s galleys.

His family’s wealth stolen, and his mother and sister gone, Judah vows with every breath in his body that he will find a way to come back and avenge his family. Using that hate, he allows it to fuel his body with strength, pushing himself past the limits of mere mortals, and managing to survive 3 torturous years inside the belly of a Roman warship. But as “fate” may have it, Ben-Hur manages to escape and save the life of the Roman Consul in charge of the fleet. As thanks for his heroics, Ben-Hur is given the title of “son of the consulate” and put in charge of all the affairs of his adopted father. Naturally, this leads him all the way back to Jerusalem, where he now has the chance to confront Messala and take his rightful retribution in the great chariot race in honor of the Emperor. But the story is not over. Despite his victory, despite his revenge in seeing Messala gasp his last breath, there is still a thorn of pain and suffering in the man’s soul. Something that can only be quelled by the man who was born in his birth year, and is about to be crucified on a cross by Pontius Pilate that very same week.

As I said above, Ben-Hur is not just an epic, and not “just” a Christian movie. In fact, I’d be hard-pressed to say that it is a Christian film, nor a completely secular one at that. It is a story about three men. Two of them were consumed by hatred and anger, and a third one, reaching out his hand as a way of deliverance from this curse. One man refuses that call, but the second (and we all know who that is) allows the third to take away his pain. It’s a beautiful story, and one that intertwines the story with a thrilling epic in a way that makes them both so intrinsic to each other that there is no way to really unentwine them.

And whether you are a person of Judeo-Christian faith or of another, it is still a powerful story and one of the best epics of the 1950s. Charlton Heston owned his role as Judah Ben-Hur as much as he did Moses in The Ten Commandments, and Stephen Boyd is incredible as the duplicitous Messala (which almost went to Leslie Nielsen back in the day, which would have been an interesting twist). And without these two men, the story may not have been nearly as riveting as it actually was. The entire supporting cast is impressive, but the gargantuan set pieces and handcrafted costumes make this one of the most sumptuous epics ever created. Between that and the stellar performances by Heston and Boyd, Ben-Hur is probably one of my absolutely favorite period piece epics from the golden age of Hollywood.




Rating:

Rated G for General Audiences




4K Video: Video:

The 2011 release of Ben-Hur (all 3 versions of the film) was sourced from a new 8K master back in the day, and was widely considered to be one of the best transfers of the time period. But this new 4K UHD disc was supposedly sourced from a brand new 8K master, using better technology and mastering process to do so. And the results are nothing short of staggering. I don’t hesitate to say this, but this is every bit the Lawrence of Arabia or Blade Runner level awe when it comes to a remaster. 5/5 all the way. The 1959 color palette is gorgeous, with bright reds for the Roman costumes, deep blues and purples for Miriam’s robes, and a natural landscape mixed with a sound stage setup to round things out for jaw-dropping clarity. There is, of course, the optical effects and green-screen cropping up, but that’s something indicative of the filming style of the time period rather than a mark on the encode. All in all, the encode is an absolute masterpiece, and the best looking film I’ve seen in the last several years, bar none.









Audio:

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA track of old is transferred across to the 4K UHD disc, but Warner has also seen fit to include a brand new Dolby Atmos track as well. While the 5.1 mix is a more faithful replication of the theatrical experience, the Atmos mix is a fun little upgrade. It takes what made the 5.1 good and simply amplifies them slightly, with some distinct use of the surrounds and overheads to encompass the listener a little bit more. The raging storms of the sea battle echo all around, and the final chariot race against Messala is jaw-dropping. LFE is not so deep and thunderous as a more modern film, but it is rich and evenly balanced throughout. Dialog is rendered perfectly up in the front of the room, and Miklos Rozsa’s score will make you cry. Again, I almost hate to do this because I loathe giving perfect scores, but this is about as perfect as it gets. 5/5.












Extras:

• NEW Ben-Hur: Anatomy of an Epic
• NEW The Cinematography of Scale
• Charlton Heston & Ben-Hur: A Personal Journey
• Ben-Hur: The Making of an Epic
• Ben-Hur: A Journey Through Pictures
• Screen Tests: George Baker and William Russell
• Screen Tests: Leslie Nielsen and Cesare Danova
• Screen Tests: Leslie Nielsen and Yale Wexler
• Screen Tests: Haya Harareet and Make-Up Test
• Audio Commentary by Film Historian T. Gene Hatcher with Charlton Heston (2 Parts)
• Music Only Track Showcasing Mikos Rózsa's Award-Winning Score (2 Parts)

Final Score: ​

This is an unabashed “Must Buy” for anyone who has a love of classic epics or classic cinema in general. A Hail Mary move by MGM, but one that paid off in a big way, and became one of the most beloved epics of all time. I still have my Black Friday Ultimate Edition package (the one with the statue) sitting on my Blu-ray shelf behind this writing station, and now this new 4K collector’s edition will sit right beside it. I very rarely gush this much about a film, but it is perfect in every way. Amazing story, amazing restoration, a great Atmos track, and some solid extras. No more words, just go buy it.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Charlton Heston, Jack Hawkins, Stephen Boyd, Haya Harareet, Martha Scott, Cathy O'Donnell
Directed By: William Wyler
Written By: Lew Wallace, Karl Tunberg, and Maxwell Anderson
Aspect Ratio: 2.75:1 HEVC
Audio: English: Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Core), English DTS-HD MA 5.1, French, Spanish, German, Italian DD 5.1, Japanese DD 2.0
Subtitles: English SDH, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Korean, Norwegian, Swedish
Studio: Warner Brothers
Rated: G
Runtime: 222 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: February 17th, 2026

Recommendation: Must Own