‘House Of Gucci’ 4K UHD Blu-Ray Review – Ridley Scott Lets Chaos Reign In Sprawling Family Drama

HOUSE OF GUCCI is inspired by the shocking true story of the family behind the Italian fashion empire. When Patrizia Reggiani (Lady Gaga), an outsider from humble beginnings, marries into the Gucci family, her unbridled ambition begins to unravel the family legacy and triggers a reckless spiral of betrayal, decadence, revenge, and ultimately…murder.

For in-depth thoughts on House of Gucci, please see my colleague Cassie Brown’s review from its original theatrical release here. 

Video Quality

Shout! Studios brings House of Gucci to 4K UHD Blu-Ray with a terrific 2160p Dolby Vision/HDR presentation. This arrives two years after the film was first released on Blu-Ray in 2022. While this might not be a night and day difference from the Blu-Ray, we believe all Ridley Scott movies should have a presence on 4K UHD. The presentation provides a significant amount of depth on display, especially in the interior shots. The production design is bursting at the seams with period-appropriate details along with the fabrics of clothing which this presentation displays with crystal clear textural detail. 

The image is clean with the subdued color palette presenting a pleasing nuance. The utilization of Dolby Vision expands the spectrum with exquisite splashes of bold colors within the production design, which makes for a very enticing image. The black levels are appropriately deep and inky with no instances of compression detected. Highlights hold firm with no blooming at play. The flesh tones are natural with a magnificent amount of detail present in close-ups. This 4K UHD Blu-Ray is the ideal representation of this movie that should please fans. 

Audio Quality

This disc comes equipped with a magnificent DTS-HD 7.1 Master Audio presentation that absolutely dazzles from beginning to end. From the very beginning narration, the soundscape is set to deliver an expansive experience suitable for an examination of such an empire. Sounds are appropriately rendered with precise directionality from the more kinetic numbers to interpersonal moments of dialogue. Ambient details are plentiful and quite satisfying in the rear and surround channels which adds a nice sense of space to the mix. Music is one of the pillars of this film, and it envelopes the room with an urgency befitting the narrative. Dialogue is presented perfectly clear without ever being overwhelmed by any of the competing sonic elements. The low end is engaged in a really solid way that will have your house moving in the best way. The mix offers up the best experience for those with the home theater system to support it. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided. 

Special Features

• The Rise Of The House Of Gucci – Making Of: A pretty decent 10-minute featurette in which the cast and crew discuss the source material, the care taken to bring this story to life, the family dynamics, the Shakespearean nature of the story, the traits of different characters, the physical transformations within the film and more. 

• The Lady Of The House: A nearly six-minute featurette which puts a spotlight on Lady Gaga as it shows how she prepared to inhabit the character, the admiration she has from her fellow performers, the way she poured herself into the character, her collaboration with Ridley Scott and more. 

• Styling House Of Gucci: A nearly six-minute featurette which takes a look at the makeup, wardrobe, production design and more that allowed this story to be brought to such vivid life. 

Final Thoughts

House of Gucci is a film with potential which is marred by a lack of focus or strong direction. There are some really strong, committed performances in this film, especially from Lady Gaga and Al Pacino, but nobody seems to be acting in the same film. The feature lacks a cohesion that a director like Ridley Scott should have guided the performers toward. When you can get past whatever Jared Leto is doing, there are some intriguing plot elements, but there are just as many unnecessary tangents that grind the film to a screeching halt. The film could have easily lost 45 minutes and would have been a more exciting experience for it. Shout! Studios has released a 4K UHD Blu-Ray featuring a top-tier A/V presentation and a couple of basic special features. While it is not the pinnacle of Ridley Scott’s career, we are glad it is finally available on this format. 

House of Gucci is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Shout! Studios has supplied a copy of this set free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.