MOVIE REVIEW: ‘Monty Python And The Holy Grail’ 4K/BD Re-issue Is A Disservice To Movie’s Legacy

By: Philip Sayblack

Monty Python and the Holy Grail is without question one of the greatest movies in the history of cinema.  It is an all-out screwball comedy that uses every second of its 91-minute run time to make audiences laugh and succeeds in so doing, too.  It is everything that is right with comedy and movie making in general.  This year, the iconic movie celebrates its 50th anniversary, which proves its longevity.  In celebration of the occasion, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (SPHE) has re-issued the movie in a new two-disc steelbook 4K/Blu-ray combo pack.  Released Aug. 26, this latest presentation of the movie honestly falls somewhat short of expectations, much like so many classic movies that have been re-issued on 4K in recent months.  It does have one key positive, that being the story.  The movie’s problems start to arise in the bonus content.  There is one (yes, one) new extra included in this latest re-issue of Monty Python and the Holy Grail and it is only presented on the set’s 4K disc.  The reality is that it honestly does little to enhance the presentation.  This will be discussed at more length a little later.  Getting back to the positives, there is one more positive to note, that being the collective audio and video.  Each item noted here is important in its own way to the whole of the movie’s latest presentation.  All things considered they make the new 4K/Blu-ray presentation of Monty Python and the Holy Grail a slightly disappointing offering among this year’s new movie and television re-issues.Sony Pictures Home Entertainment’s recent 4K/Blu-ray re-issue of Monty Python and the Holy Grail is sadly a somewhat disappointing new presentation of what is otherwise one of the greatest comedies, if not movies in general, in cinema history.  The movie succeeds in at least one aspect, that being its story.  The story is simple:  King Arthur and his knights of the Round Table make their way across Europe in search of the Holy Grail after God commanded them to embark on the quest.  The whole thing is a fully tongue-in-cheek spoof of the Arthurian legend that does anything but take itself seriously, which is why it is so fun.  That very scene in which they are commanded by God to seek the grail is hilarious in itself.  One cannot help but imagine it had to have been at least some influence behind the creative process behind South Park.  The silliness that happens from there on out ensures nonstop laughter.  From Sir Lancelot going on a mad killing spree because he thought he was saving a princess being held by her evil father, to Sir Galahad essentially being held captive by a group of overly hormonal women who live in a castle by themselves, to the group encountering “The Knights Who Say Nee” and so much more, the sketches that make up this movie’s story are a laugh riot.  Add in the cast’s acting in every single one of its roles and audiences get so much to love.  Every scene is loaded with timeless lines that most audiences can quote by heart by now, proving even further, what makes this movie to this day, so great.  The finale puts a wonderfully silly point to the story.  For those who have yet to watch this movie, that moment will be left for them to discover for themselves.  No doubt it will leave those audiences laughing just as much as audiences who know the movie by heart by this point.
While the story featured in Monty Python and the Holy Grail is the movie’s cornerstone, its latest detracts from its legacy.  That is because of the bonus content included in the new set.  More specifically, the retrospective “examining” what continues to make the movie timeless is the problem.  The featurette, which is essentially just a bunch of celebrities recalling what makes the movie great to them, is included only on the 4K disc.  Knowing this, it really is not much of a memorable extra.  It could have been some kind of academic examination of the movie’s role in cinema history but instead is basically just a celeb showcase with comments about why they love the movie.  Nothing more.  All of the bonus content from the movie’s previous Blu-ray re-issue has been carried over onto this collection and is presented once more on the set’s Blu-ray disc.  That means that audiences who do not own the noted previous re-issue will still be able to enjoy all of said content once more, especially if they do not own a 4K player and/or television (which is to this day still very cost restrictive).  To that end, the movie’s new 4K/BD re-issue proves somewhat less worth owning.  Consumers honestly may actually do better just buying that previous Blu-ray re-issue, all things considered.
Should the previous Blu-ray re-issue not be available and this presentation be the only option, at least audiences know that the audio and video quality in this presentation is passable.  It is obvious in watching the movie on the set’s 4K disc that little to no effort was made to restore the movie for presentation here.  Thankfully though, that did not hurt the presentation.  Audiences will be glad to find that at no point do they have to adjust the volume.  That sound stability is positive to the viewing experience.  The video still has the grain of its original presentation from all those decades ago but is still clean enough here.  To that end, the overall viewing experience herein is mostly positive.  It makes this re-issue at least slightly more bearable but still not enough to make the set worth buying if the previous BD re-issue is available to purchase.
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment’s recently released 4K/BD combo set re-issue of Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a somewhat disappointing new revisiting of what is one of the greatest comedies in cinema history.  The movie’s story continues to shine in this latest presentation.  The one major problem with the re-issue is its bonus content.  All of the bonus content from the previous Blu-ray presentation has been carried over onto this set’s BD disc.  The one extra bonus included in the 4K disc proves to be anything but memorable.  It is just a random grouping of comments from celebrities talking about what the movie means to them.  To that end, it makes the movie’s BD disc more worth it and the set overall less worth owning.  Keeping that in mind, if the BD standalone is still available to own, audiences would honestly do better buying that re-issue.  It will be far less expensive and more worth the purchase.  The only other positive to this set is the production, if one can call it a positive.  Clearly no effort has been made to touch up the movie’s audio and video for its 4K presentation but even with that in mind, the sound and video is still clear enough that audiences can remain engaged and entertained by the story and acting.  Overall, this new 4K/BD steelbook re-issue of Monty Python and the Holy Grail proves to be sadly anything but a fitting tribute for a legendary comedy and movie in general.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail is available now on 4K/BD combo pack.  More information on this and other titles from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is available at:
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