The Penguin: The Complete First Season 4K Review (Warner Bros.)

The Penguin is a 2024 crime television series developed, produced, and co-written by Lauren LeFranc (Chuck, Impulse, Hemlock Grove, and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.). It was directed by Craig Zobel (The Hunt, Compliance, Mare of Easttown, One Dollar, and Z for Zachariah), Kevin Bray (Walking Tall, All About the Benjamins, Cold Case, Suits, and Burn Notice), Helen Shaver (Lovecraft County, Quantum Leap, Vikings, Judging Amy, and The Outer Limits), and Jennifer Getzinger (Mad Men, Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Westworld, and Suits). It was produced by Matt Reeves (The Batman, Batman: Caped Crusader, The Yards, Cloverfield franchise, Ordinary Joe, The Passage, and Felicity). It’s a spin-off from 2022’s The Batman. After the death of crime kingpin Carmine Falcone (played by: Mark Strong from Kick-Ass, 1917, Shazam!, Kingsman franchise, Zero Dark Thirty, and Green Lantern) and a post-flood crime wave, it motivates gangster Oz Cobb (played by: Colin Farrell from The Batman, Daredevil, In Bruges, The Lobster, Miami Vice, Fright Night, and True Detective) to fill the power left in the criminal underworld of Gotham City. Falcone’s children which includes Sofia (played by: Cristin Milioti from How I Met your Mother, The Wolf of Wall Street, Fargo, Palm Springs, and The Sopranos) and Alberto (played by: Michael Zegen from The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Boardwalk Empire, Rescue Me, and The Walking Dead) attempt to keep their family together with the assistance of Johnny Vitti (played by: Michael Kelly from Dawn of the Dead, Man of Steel, Jack Ryan, House of Cards, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, and The Sopranos) to keep control. Crime boss Salvatore Maroni (played by: Clancy Brown from The Shawshank Redemption, Starship Troopers, Thor: Ragnarok, John Wick: Chapter 4, Pet Sematary II, The Flash, and Dexter: New Blood) has his own plans. This causes chaos between some of the most dangerous people in the city. Oz finds himself a driver Victor Aguilar (played by: Rhenzy Feliz from The Tender Bar, Encanto, Runaways, and Teen Wolf) and he takes care of his lonely mother Francis (played by: Deirdre O’Connell from Dragonfly, Secondhand Lions, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Daredevil, and What Happens in Vegas) while playing the brutal game to overcome all of his enemies!!!! Filmmaker Matt Reeves created a new gritty and dark universe for the iconic world with 2022’s The Batman. It continues with The Penguin for this television series from HBO and it doesn’t hold back at all. The script really focuses on upcoming criminal Oz Cobb aKa The Penguin and the recently released from the criminally insane Sofia Falcone trying to run the streets of Gotham after the disastrous aftermath of The Batman events. The Penguin is one of the greatest TV adaptations of all time when it comes to the DC Comics universe. My only complaint is John Turturro not returning as Carmine Falcone but at least he had a quality replacement so it still works. Mark Strong was really good as the iconic villain for the flashbacks here. Colin Farrell transforms into Oz Cobb for The Penguin. He’s top notch as one of Gotham’s most evil and he’s kinda an antihero for this version of the legendary character. Cristin Milioti steals the show as Sofia Falcone. She’s back from Arkham Asylum and she wants the respect that she’s never gotten before from her powerful family. I was definitely not expecting this to be half her show considering it’s name but it ended up that way. Rhenzy Feliz was a pleasant surprise as Victor Aguilar. He’s the loyal driver and right hand man for The Penguin. He’s different from most of the people from this gritty world and he stands out from the others. It was a nice addition that was created just for this TV series. Character actor Clancy Brown delivers a new version of the infamous Salvatore Maroni in this. They really changed up this known villain for The Penguin and it was a refreshing approach for the underrated Sal. Brown made the bad guy more relatable. The rest of the supporting cast included Michael Kelly, Michael Zegen, Deirdre O’Connell, Carmen Ejogo (The Purge: Anarchy), Theo Rossi (Sons of Anarchy), Daniel J. Watts (Werewolf by Night), David H. Holmes (High Fidelity), Shohreh Aghdashloo (House of Sand and Fog), Aria Shahghasemi (Legacies), Robert Lee Leng (See You in Your Nightmares), Joshua Bitton (Grotesquerie), and Myles Humphus (Iron Fist). The Penguin is loaded with twists and shocking moments, it really keeps you on your toes. Since it’s on HBO, it pushes the boundaries a little more and it has all kinds of violence. It’s only 8 episodes but almost every one of them are bangers. Everything is at it’s highest possible quality when it comes to The Penguin. It has a great mix of crime, drama, comedy, action, family, and suspense. The tension and thrills are very consistent, it’s always an unpredictable environment here. Marvel needs to take some notes from this one for adapting comic book material for television. The ending is heartbreaking and shocking, I hope they keep this going for a long time. The Penguin is a fantastic extension of the Batman universe, it’s so much fun and beyond entertaining with strong replay value. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!! Let’s discuss this high definition presentation and special features from Warner Bros Pictures! All of the 2160p (2.00:1) transfers with Dolby Vision and HDR10 on each 8 episodes look amazing in 4K for this home video release. This is one of the best visual television shows this year. The cinematography, locations, and production design really pop on the screen here. It has English: Dolby Atmos and English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 tracks on the UHD. The Penguin is explosive when it comes to the audio and it’s packed with some intense moments that really test your home set up. All of the dialogue is crisp, the action is elevated, and the music has a killer boost to it. It has English SDH subtitles. Disc 1 has 3 different “Inside Gotham” extras that’s a little over 13 minutes. The creative minds and actors behind the show break down each episode with a quick recap. They chat about the main characters and the storylines during it. It has the little over 5 minute “Introducing The Penguin”. A variety of people go over the series. They bring up following up The Batman with this. They mention The Penguin getting a bigger opportunity in this. They highlight Gotham and the locations. It has the 4 minute “The Origin of Oz”. They go over the development and they really focus on Oz. They chat about him being smaller in the criminal underworld to rising up in this. It has the little over 4 minute “Welcome to Gotham”. This explores Gotham as a major character. It’s the aftermath of the previous chaos. Disc 2 has has 3 more “Inside Gotham” extras that’s a little over 20 minutes. The cast and production team behind the series break down each episode with a short recap. They talk about the important characters many subplots during it. Disc 3 has has 2 more “Inside Gotham” extras that’s a little over 16 minutes. The creative minds and actors from The Penguin break down the final 2 episodes with a fast recap. They discuss the lead characters and what’s going on during it. It’s a cool inside look into the TV show. It has the almost 5 minute “Gotham Re-Envisioned”. They talk about Reeves version of Gotham and The Batman universe. The visuals and locations are the subject here. It has the 3 minute ‘Becoming The Penguin”. They chat about the development and process of setting up this iconic villain. They go over the look of Oz and the transformation. It has some awesome behind the scenes footage. It has the 4 minute “Who Is the Hangman: Portrait of Sofia Falcone”. It covers the origin and brief history for the character. They break down why she acts the way she does in this. It has the almost 4 minute “Hearts of The Penguin”. This focuses on the women in Oz’s life especially his mother. It has the almost 4 minute “A Tale of Two Gothams”. It shows and displays the many different sides of the classic Gotham. It has the little over 7 minute “Victor Aguilar: The Making of a Henchman”. This character was created for the show and he becomes very important when it comes to The Penguin. They show appreciation to the dedicated soldier to Oz from this 1st season. The Penguin is loaded with all kinds of bonus material. They are all shorter so they are easy to get through on all 3 discs. The Penguin is currently streaming on HBO Max if you are curious. This is a must own and it needs to be in every DC Comics collection. It’s available everywhere right now, CHECK IT OUT!!!!