This holiday shopping season was a great time to pick up a 4K HDR TV, but your new set won’t do much good without something to put on it. Sure, you can fire up the latest comedy special on Netflix, but if you really want to show off what all those pixels can do, grab these movies on UHD Blu-ray.
When it comes to picture quality, there’s nothing yet that can top a 4K Blu-ray. Streaming movies from sites like Netflix or Hulu is more convenient, but if you want the best picture quality possible, Blu-rays are the way to go. Though the medium only matters as much as the image you put in. Some movies don’t even come in full 4K Blu-ray versions. For this list, we didn’t just pick great movies, but ones that are worth buying (and available) in 4K HDR.
Annihilation
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Annihilation is a cerebral sci-fi film from director Alex Garland adapts the novel of the same name. Compared to other movies, it’s less literal and more symbolic in its exploration of themes of change, loss, and recovery. To convey the unearthly nature of the alien presence in the story, the movie uses an oily color palette that’s all the more vivid in HDR’s wide color gamut.
Avengers: Infinity War
It should go without saying that one of the biggest, most colorful superhero movies of the year will look great in 4K, but we’re saying it anyway. Avengers: Infinity War features more characters, locations, and outlandish fight scenes than almost any Marvel film before it. Special effects extravaganzas tend to make particularly effective TV demos, and it’s hard to top the spectacle in this movie.
Crazy Rich Asians
It can be a challenge to make the romantic comedy fish-out-of-water story engaging, but Crazy Rich Asians pulls it off. The film, which features a majority Asian American cast, jetsets across the globe from one gorgeous vista to another. You don’t need a 4K TV to appreciate Constance Wu and Henry Golding charming each other (and us), but seeing the lovingly crafted locations and set pieces in crystal clear, vibrant colors is worth buying the disc.
The Incredibles 2
It took 14 years for Pixar to pick up where the story of The Incredibles left off. The Incredibles 2 is a fitting follow up that packs all the same retro-futuristic glamour that made the first film so popular. We’ll skip past the irony of buying a sweet new TV so you can watch a movie with a villain called “the Screenslaver,” but the movie will look a lot better in 4K. Just mind the epilepsy warning.
A Quiet Place
Remember Jim from The Office? Well, he’s directing movies that he also stars in now. A Quiet Place is a suspense thriller that takes place in a world where sound-sensitive aliens have invaded. To survive, John Krasinski and his family have to live utterly silent lives. If you have a good sound system to go with your 4K TV, all the better for this film. While it gained notoriety for its clever use (or lack) of sound, the improved contrast ratio of and fine detail in your TV will help keep you enthralled while watching for monsters in the dark.
Black Panther
Marvel’s Black Panther was a global phenomenon, inviting viewers into the afro-futurism world of Wakanda, an African nation untouched by the rest of the world. From the five distinct tribes of Wakanda, to the ethereal ancestral plane, every frame of this movie begs to be seen in the highest quality possible. Grab the disc and appreciate the care and detail put into bringing this world to life.
A Simple Favor
Based on a novel of the same name (again), A Simple Favor is a deceptively intricate and genre-savvy thriller following a food vlogger, played by Anna Kendrick, as she attempts to unravel the mystery of her new, wealthy and eccentric friend, Blake Lively. Oh, and hey look, Henry Golding is here again, too. The story of the film is best experienced on your own, but director Paul Feig has a keen eye for cinematography and packs the film with plenty of eye candy. The 4K Blu-ray goes on sale December 18th, just in time to make a stocking stuffer.
Mission: Impossible - Fallout
The Mission Impossible franchise is perhaps best known for its outlandish and exhilarating action set pieces. The latest film in the series, Mission: Impossible - Fallout, features Tom Cruise’s latest death-defying stunts, all in the service of giving you the most exciting action to show off your new TV with.
Hereditary
If you’re into horror movies, but A Quiet Place wasn’t doing it for you, Hereditary should scratch that itch a bit better. This deeply unsettling film about the psychological damage that parents can pass onto their children is a slow burn. It’s the kind of movie that asks to be watched multiple times, and when you come back around for another round, you’ll be glad you have every available pixel to see what you missed the first time.
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