UPDATE: This page is a great jumping off point for starting your 4K collection, and will be updated occasionally as new movies are brought out, but with the mass dumping by Disney of their movies (Disney/Pixar/Star Wars/Marvel), it is going to take some time to straighten it out, but if you have kids and want something spectacular to watch, pickup “Moana”, “Coco” or “Encanto”. They will blow your socks off.
So, how to you find out which one is worth that extra +$5 that a 4K disk will give you and which just getting the Blu-ray will be better. With over 300 4K disks out, Blu-ray.com, highdefdigest.com and thedigitalbits.com really dive into the 4K reviews, comparing them to the Blu-ray in both video and audio, and they have been very accurate in their evaluations.
Also, this doesn’t take into account a movie that might look and sound awesome, but be a really bad movie. That is depending on personal taste. Like in the case of “Valerian (and the city of a thousand planets)”, looks spectacular, but it has been very difficult to get through. I said the same thing about 3D. It doesn’t make a terrible movie great (Clash of the Titans).
Now 4K Disks may be considered “reference” but one thing will even beat out 4K disks for ease of use and in 400 cases (as of this writing) be in 4K where there is no disk. Case in point, “Hans Zimmer: Live at Prague”, which is my favorite disk for audio, but is only in Blu-ray. Kaleidescape has it in 4K. As I come across movies that are “Kaleidescape Only” I will put that item in bold italics. For more info about Kaleidescape, check out my blog here.
Here is a list of movies (all studios and genres) that either
1) Are an obvious upgrade from the Blu-Ray (audio or video)
2) Movie format or action will be a great demo to show off to your friends and family
3) If it isn’t on this list, it isn’t out yet or was a poor 4K transfer (if it was an improved Kaleidescape 4K, it will be noted)
** – Dolby Atmos
B – Black Panther***, Blade Runner: Final Cut**, Blade Runner 2049**, Blue Planet II, Bram Stokers: Dracula**, Braveheart***, Bridge over the River Kwai**, Bourne Series#, Jason Bourne#, Bumblebee***
C – Cars 3**, Captain America (All 3)**, Christine**, Close Encounters of the 3d Kind, Coco**, Crouching Tiger;Hidden Dragon**
D – Dark Crystal**, Dark Knight Trilogy, Darkest Hour**, Dark Tower***, Deadpool**, Deadpool 2**, Despicable Me 1/2*#, Dredd**, Dunkirk
E – ET: The Extraterrestrial#, Earth: One Amazing Day***
F – Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them** (Crimes of Grindlewald***), Fifth Element**, Fury**
G – Ghost in the Shell**, Ghostbusters (2016)**, Gladiator*#, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol2**, Greatest Showman**, Dr Seuss The Grinch*#
H – Hacksaw Ridge**, Hancock**, Harry Potter (all)#, Hitman’s Bodyguard***
I – Incredibles 1/2**, ID4: Independence Day#, Interstellar
J – John Wick (1/2)**, Jumanji**, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle***, Jurassic Park 4K 4 pack# (Jurassic World#), Justice League***
K – King Kong (2005)#, Kingsman (Golden Circle**), Knowing***, Kong: Skull Island**
L – Labyrinth**, LEGO Movie, Life of Pi, Logan**/Logan Noir**, Lucy**
M – Mad Max: Fury Road**, Magnificent 7**, Man of Steel**, Men in Black (all)**, Mummy#2017**, Murder on the Orient Express (2017)**, The Matrix***, Mission Impossible: All* Last two **)
N –
O –
P – Pacific Rim**, Pacific Rim: Uprising***, Passengers**, Pineapple Express**, Planet Earth II, Push***
Q – Quick and the Dead**
R – Red (1/2)***, Ready Player One***, Ralph Breaks the Internet**
S – Saving Private Ryan***, Secret Life of Pets**, Sing**, Sicario**, Smurfs**, Star Trek (2009)**, Star Trek: Into Darkness**, Star Trek: Beyond**, Star Wars: The Last Jedi***, Starship Troopers**, Straight Out of Compton#, Spiderman: Homecoming***, Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse,** Sully**, Superman: The Movie***
T – The Hunger Games (all**), The Patriot**, The Prestige, The Revenant, The Shape of Water, The Shallows**, Thor: Ragnarok**, Transformers (All)***, The Magnificent Seven**, Trolls**
U – Unforgiven, Underworld**
V – Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets***
W – War for the Planet of the Apes**, Wonder Woman**
X – X-Men: Apocalypse**
Y –
Z –
** – Dolby Atmos
Reference level
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