A/V Adventurers Club

Hi all, welcome to my first review for the A/V Adventurers Club and what better way to start it out by reviewing the movie this blog is named after – One Battle After Another.

The Facts

Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, One Battle After Another was released in cinemas 26 September 2025. It opened to approximately $22.4 million USD domestically from 3,634 theatres in its debut weekend. The film went on to win 6 Oscars from 13 Nominations including Best Picture the first of PTA’s career.

The 4K Blu-Ray release is being handled in house by Warner Brothers and includes a Dolby Vision HDR Format as well as a Dolby Atmos audio format.

The film has an aspect ratio of 1.78:1 throughout it’s 162 minute runtime.

The release comes with no special features however there will be a steelbook version of the film releasing later in the year that includes over an hours worth of special features.

Audio

One Battle After Another drops on 4K Blu-Ray with what is quite frankly a incredible Dolby Atmos mix. From the get go, hearing Jonny Greenwood’s incredible score take control of all channels had me grinning from ear to ear. In what was a year full of great scores the work done here by Mr. Greenwood stands above and that is felt by this atmos mix.

While I wouldn’t call this a ‘reference’ mix that you want to show off to your friends in the same vein as a ‘Top Gun Maverick’ or ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ the way the surrounds immerse you is top notch, it never does too much and saves it for when it’s needed. Despite having a soundbar that can only simulate the height channels of Atmos, the sounds of a Helicopter hovering around Perfidia Beverly Hills going from left to right was incredible and one of the best uses of said height channels I’ve heard.

Surrounds are also in play when the piano score starts getting louder and louder in the second act which places you directly in Bob’s shoes as he is franticly running around Baktan Cross. The highlight of this mix though comes in the climax of the movie. The river of hills scene is utterly breathtaking, the subwoofer is working overtime throughout this scene and really gets your heart pounding with all the different sounds coming together flawlessly.

While the front channels do most of the work the subtle uses of surround and the way both the score and needle drops are integrated into the sound make this one of the most immersive mixes I’ve had the pleasure of listening to.

Audio Rating – 5/5

Video

One Battle After Another comes to home cinemas with a reference quality video quality. I am a sucker for films shot on film and films like this is exactly why.

PTA shot this on 35mm film bringing back the Vista Vision format that is now experiencing a bit of a renaissance thanks also in part to ‘The Brutalist’, ‘Bugonia’ and the upcoming ‘Narnia’. This format shines on home video with the aspect ratio taking up the full screen with not a single imperfection to show.

The Dolby Vision HDR adds a sharpness to the video but the film grain is still there maintained at a suitable level which adds to a film like this. While the film doesn’t have an expansive colour palette, little things like the trees and sky when Willa is looking up at the Helicopter show off just how well this movie was shot by Michael Bauman, but it becomes a different beast in the night scenes. The black levels on show here would be able to justify purchasing an OLED to anyone especially in contrast to the fires and lights on show during these scenes. All in all this is a reference grade video and shows how superior film can be compared to digital in 2025.

Video Rating – 5/5

Conclusion

In conclusion, this release of One Battle After Another is spectacular and is the only thing that will ever come close to seeing it in a premium format at your local cinema.

It contains one of the most subtle but immersive Dolby Atmos mixes I’ve heard while also being incredible to look at due to the 1.78:1 aspect ratio and cinematography.

The non-existent special features does set this back for me knowing I would have to double dip to be able to watch them down the road but if you are just looking for the movie this is a must own for any 4K collector.

Total Score – 10/10

Thank you very much for reading, this is my first time doing a written review of a Blu-Ray. I’ve been obsessed with physical media ever since I was first watched Shrek 2 on DVD as a kid and fell in love with the special features and menus and have been invested ever since.

I’ll be trying to do a write up of each movie I watch from now on as even if it doesn’t reach many people it’s quite fun writing my thoughts down and it feels like outside of the big review websites it’s just crappy AI summaries so hopefully this can help someone who is trying to make a decision on a purchase.