10 must-own 4K UHD Blu-rays of 2020-21 (1 Viewer)

[Martin Dew]

When Jaws gets a release on a new physical media format it seems fair to conclude that the same format has finally matured and consolidated. The Spielberg classic got its rightful stamp of approval and distribution on 4K UHD last summer. During the Covid-19 outbreak, with release schedules understandably restrained, it is nevertheless true that over the past 12 months we have seen some of the most anticipated and mouthwatering titles arrive on 4K UHD Blu-ray. These are exciting times for movie collectors and home theater cave dwellers!
We asked our trusty team at Reviewers Corner here on HTF to offer some suggestions for their favorite platters from the past year and so have come up with a list of the Top 10 must-own movies in no particular order. Interestingly, everything on this roundup is a catalogue title and shot on 35mm or 65mm film (and not recorded with digital cameras). Perhaps that is testament to the incredible ability of the format – with its increased resolution and...

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[Johnny Angell]

A very good list. I already have Spartacus, Jaws, and Hitchcock.

 

[Jeffrey D]

I have Jaws, and the Lord Of The Rings trilogy.

 

[cstegall]

Well, apparently I'm a well trained consumer, because I have everything here except The Ladykillers. I've looked at it a couple of times on Amazon UK, but they want so much in shipping charges these days that I've not been doing much importing lately. Time for a fresh web search, I guess. Great list, BTW.

 

[titch]

Lawrence Of Arabia, Battle Royale, Django, Tremors, Akira, Dawn Of The Dead, Breathless, Santa Sangre, Basic Instinct, Midsommar, Crash, La Haine, Daughters Of Darkness, A Perfect Planet, The Princess Bride are all stellar 4K UHD releases.

 

[Jeffrey D]

Lawrence Of Arabia, Battle Royale, Django, Tremors, Akira, Dawn Of The Dead, Breathless, Santa Sangre, Basic Instinct, Midsommar, Crash, La Haine, Daughters Of Darkness, A Perfect Planet, The Princess Bride are all stellar 4K UHD releases.

I ordered Tremors- that should be coming soon.

 

[John Sparks]

How about the MATRIX TRILOGY? Not sure when it was released. Glad I bought my Panny 420 to use with my Epson 6040 to really enjoy it on the 110' screen in my home theater.

Never mind...2018 was the release date...where does time fly as you age???

 

[Carlo_M]

Thanks for the reminder about lotr. Amazon had it on sale for 70 with same day delivery for prime members. Just got it in my grubby little hands.

 

[Jeffrey D]

Thanks for the reminder about lotr. Amazon had it on sale for 70 with same day delivery for prime members. Just got it in my grubby little hands.

Wow- $70 is a good price.

 

[Tino]

@Martin Dew said

“The Spielberg classic got its rightful stamp of approval and distribution on 4K UHD in October of last year.”

Jaws 4K was released on June 2 2020.

 

[Martin Dew]

@Martin Dew said

“The Spielberg classic got its rightful stamp of approval and distribution on 4K UHD in October of last year.”

Jaws 4K was released on June 2 2020.

Thanks, you are correct.

 

[Dave Moritz]

I have everything on the list but Ladykillers

 

[Carlo_M]

I admit I don't know what the criticisms were about the LoTR 4K transfer (outside of how likely the effects--of which there are many--were likely finished in 2K). But I will say I'm halfway through the first disc of Fellowship (so...one quarter of the way through FotR?) and this transfer looks and sounds fantastic. To the naked eye, in motion, I so far have zero issues with this transfer.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I admit I don't know what the criticisms were about the LoTR 4K transfer (outside of how likely the effects--of which there are many--were likely finished in 2K). But I will say I'm halfway through the first disc of Fellowship (so...one quarter of the way through FotR?) and this transfer looks and sounds fantastic. To the naked eye, in motion, I so far have zero issues with this transfer.

I think the big criticism was that Peter Jackson made an intentional decision to adjust the look of the films slightly to better match the look of The Hobbit - some people would have preferred that the films were presented looking exactly as they did in theaters. But it’s an intentional choice, not a product defect.

 

[Carlo_M]

I think the big criticism was that Peter Jackson made an intentional decision to adjust the look of the films slightly to better match the look of The Hobbit - some people would have preferred that the films were presented looking exactly as they did in theaters. But it’s an intentional choice, not a product defect.

Huh. That's an interesting thing to do. I guess unlike some of my favorite classics, I don't know the original LoTR color palette at all, so any changes made were not apparent to my eye upon viewing. I can understand for those who loved the way the movie looked in its original color palette why they may not be thrilled, but to me, I was never that aware of the palette, certainly not enough to note a difference without going back and forth swapping discs, which I have zero desire to do.

 

[titch]

I admit I don't know what the criticisms were about the LoTR 4K transfer (outside of how likely the effects--of which there are many--were likely finished in 2K). But I will say I'm halfway through the first disc of Fellowship (so...one quarter of the way through FotR?) and this transfer looks and sounds fantastic. To the naked eye, in motion, I so far have zero issues with this transfer.

The DNR is noticeable if you project onto a large screen.

 

[OliverK]

The DNR is noticeable if you project onto a large screen.

Not sure a screen is needed but I certainly found it so distracting that I went back to Blu-ray (despite those not being very good either) for the second and the third part of the trilogy.

Both the Hobbit trilogy and more so the LOTR trilogy represent the worst high profile UHD releases that I had the displeasure to witness and I consider them a huge disappointment and missed opportunity to do something really spectacular with them.

 

[titch]

Not sure a screen is needed but I certainly found it so distracting that I went back to Blu-ray (despite those not being very good either) for the second and the third part of the trilogy.

Both the Hobbit trilogy and more so the LOTR trilogy represent the worst high profile UHD releases that I had the displeasure to witness and I consider them a huge disappointment and missed opportunity to do something really spectacular with them.

Simply baffling to me why they received so much praise. It's like the early days of blu-ray transfers. Five years into UHD releases, I certainly can recognise what a quality native 4K transfer looks like.

 

[Robert Crawford]

The DNR is noticeable if you project onto a large screen.

Most of us don't project onto a large screen which is why I can't agree with some of the criticisms here. I'm just not seeing the same level of issues you guys are experiencing.

 

[OliverK]

Simply baffling to me why they received so much praise. It's like the early days of blu-ray transfers. Five years into UHD releases, I certainly can recognise what a quality native 4K transfer looks like.

Yes it is hard to understand.

I would like to see the people who are responsible for how the LOTR trilogy looks give a presentation of how they look really good when shown on a big screen at close viewing distance, not sure they would still think they did a great job under those circumstances.