Written and directed by Taylor Sheridan (Hell or High Water), ”YELLOWSTONE” is an engrossing family drama that follows the epic story of a multi-generational family that controls the largest contiguous ranch in the U.S. In Season 4, the fates of Kayce, Beth, and John Dutton are unknown as Rip and the other wranglers wield their own brand of justice to take revenge and defend the Dutton legacy. Jacki Weaver, Piper Perabo and Kathryn Kelly join the cast in guest starring roles in the impressive ensemble that includes Oscar®-winner Kevin Costner, Luke Grimes, Kelly Reilly, Wes Bentley, Cole Hauser, Kelsey Asbille, Brecken Merrill, Jefferson White, Forrie Smith, Denim Richards, Ian Bohen, Finn Little, Ryan Bingham and Gil Birmingham with Will Patton.
For thoughts on Yellowstone: The Complete Fourth Season, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic here.
For previous thoughts on the series, check out my review here.
Video Quality
Yellowstone: The Complete Fourth Season arrives on Blu-Ray courtesy of Paramount Home Entertainment with a tremendous AVC encoded 1080p transfer. The level of detail in this presentation remains as impressive as ever, as all of the minute aspects of the costumes and production design are razor sharp. Black levels are appropriately deep and give way to a nice amount of detail in shadows. The bright whites do not fall victim to any blooming in this presentation. There are no egregious instances of aliasing or compression artifacts detectable here. This presentation is a step up from the streaming and broadcast versions of the show, which suffer slightly from being overly compressed. The show has a natural color palette that expertly showcases the beautiful vistas on the ranch. There are some impressive instances of vibrant colors popping off the screen, especially in the deep green grass and blue open skies. Skin tones appear very natural across the entire cast with even the most minor facial details on display. This Blu-Ray is simply dazzling as Paramount continues its winning streak with the series.
Audio Quality
This Blu-Ray comes with an immersive Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless track that opens up this series quite nicely. Environmental sounds are an important aspect of this track as it shows off the natural sounds of the world such as the blowing wind or noises from animals. These ambient sounds are precisely placed in the surround channels. Dialogue always comes through crisp and clear without being stepped on by the swelling score or any sound effects. The series’ music from Brian Tyler and Breton Vivian continues to perfectly set the tone for the story. All instances of music are presented with nice fidelity within the mix. This is not a show with huge action pieces every minute of every episode, but kinetic moments are given the appropriate power in the mix when it counts. There are some standout moments throughout the season that present a forceful showing in the low end. The audio presentation here is 5-star on all levels.
Special Features
- Behind the Story: Every episode is given an accompanying in-depth featurette which amounts to over 1 hour and 15 minutes of material all together. Through these videos you get a closer look at certain characters, an analysis of plot developments, highlights from the episodes and more. These are fun additions that are worthwhile for fans.
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- Half The Money (8:42)
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- Phantom Pain (7:57)
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- All I See Is You (9:22)
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- Winning Or Learning (6:27)
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- Under A Blanket Of Red (6:37)
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- I Want To Be Him (8:57)
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- Keep The Wolves Close (9:37)
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- No Kindness For The Coward (8:57)
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- No Such Thing As Fair (9:37)
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- Grass On The Streets (14:27)
- Opening Pandora’s Box – Making of Yellowstone Season 4: A 37-minute featurette that provides a very in-depth look at the narrative arc of the season, evolving character dynamics, the cowboy life, the future of the show and more. This is surprisingly meaty and worth checking out as a supplement to the show.
- Bloodline – Yellowstone Origins: A nearly 11-minute featurette which takes a look at the flashbacks that are introduced in season four and how they strengthen the foundation of the narrative while leaving room for their own moments of suspense and intrigue. There are some great interviews with Tim McGraw and Faith Hill.
- Season 4 – Back To The Bunkhouse: A three-minute look at the Bunkhouse characters arcs during this season and how the show keeps fleshing out this part of the ensemble.
- Working the Yellowstone – Making It All Happen: A nearly seven-minute look at all of the production elements that have to come together to make this show a reality. This team appears to be a well-oiled machine that works well together to make the magic happen.
- Inside Yellowstone Season 4: A nearly four-minute piece that examines how this season is an evolution from the previous seasons, new additions to the cast, big revelations and more.
- Yellowstone – Stories from the Bunkhouse: A collection of ten behind-the-scenes discussions with Denim Richards, Ian Bohen, and Jefferson White that offer an amusing take on each episode. All of these videos together total nearly two hours of fun content that will keep you entertained.
Final Thoughts
Yellowstone: The Complete Fourth Season finds the show continuing to grow in popularity and narrative prowess. The show has no issue with evolving and introducing thrilling new developments while respecting everything that has been building throughout. One of the most exciting bits of this season is the development of the Dutton backstory that gave birth to the spinoff series 1883. The cast continue to deliver pretty compelling work, and the direction is assured at every turn. Paramount Home Entertainment has delivered a Blu-Ray that offers a truly beautiful A/V presentation and some surprisingly in-depth special features. If you have already fallen for the first three seasons of the show, there is no reason why you would stop now. Recommended
Yellowstone: The Complete Fourth Season is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Paramount Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
