4K releases on IVL.
dir. Ron Howard
Two feuding siblings carrying on a heroic family tradition as Chicago firefighters. But when a puzzling series of arson attacks is reported, they are forced to set aside their differences to solve the mystery surrounding these crimes.
dir. Ryan Coogler
A-Tier Disney 4K. The MCU film. Gets mentioned in discussions about what looks good on a calibrated display.
Walt Disney Studios · 4K + Blu-ray (United Kingdom)
dir. Stanley Kubrick
Warner put this on 4K as part of the Kubrick catalog, and it's also in the Columbia Classics set. The B&W HDR gives the war room scenes deeper blacks, though the gains show up more in motion than in frame grabs. Columbia Classics is the better value if you don't already own the box.
Sony Pictures · 4K + Blu-ray
dir. Randal Kleiser
C-Tier Paramount 4K. John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. The C-Tier is expected for a late-70s studio musical. The songs do the work here, not the transfer.
Paramount Pictures · 40th Anniversary Edition
dir. Joe Johnston
A-Tier Universal 4K. The weakest Jurassic Park, but Universal's new Dolby Vision remaster actually fixed the color timing issues from the original 4K. The old transfer had a weird tan cast that the new version corrected. There's debate about whether the new Atmos remix is too heavy-handed compared to the original DTS-X mix. The remastered disc was $14.99 USD on Amazon pre-order, which is basically impulse territory.
Universal Pictures · 4K + Blu-ray
dir. Joachim Rønning, Espen Sandberg
A-Tier Disney 4K. Fifth Pirates film with a 3.0 overall score, which is rough. No relevant collector discussion beyond a steelbook listing.
Walt Disney Studios · 4K + Blu-ray
dir. Steven Spielberg
The black and white photography in 4K is consistently cited as reference quality for the format. The 30th Anniversary steelbook is the current edition most people are buying. Paramount's 4K handling of their prestige catalog has been strong, and this is one of the best examples. Not a film anyone watches casually, but the one everyone owns.
Universal Pictures · 25th Anniversary Edition
dir. Edgar Wright
S-Tier with a perfect 5.0 overall score, which is rare. Edgar Wright confirmed the 4K himself. Gruv's 3-for-$30 USD sales regularly include it, and Amazon has had it as low as $13 USD. The film's visual style with all the pixel effects, split screens, and comic book overlays was made for HDR. One collector has 28 copies across different formats and 12 steelbooks, which might be the most dedicated single-title collection in the subreddits.
Universal S-Tier 4K with a perfect 5.0 score. Kubrick's sword-and-sandal epic gets cited as a reference disc in every catalog discussion. The 70mm photography has more detail than a modern display can fully resolve, and HDR finally gives the gladiator pit scenes the contrast they need. Available for under $13 USD on Amazon as a standalone, same disc as the one in the Kubrick 4K box set.
dir. Jon Watts
Sony A-Tier 4K with a 3.0 score. The Holland MCU Spider-Man films are upscaled rather than native 4K, which puts them a step behind the Raimi trilogy and the Amazing films on a technical level. The steelbook market is active but the artwork hasn't won many fans.
dir. M. Night Shyamalan
Universal A-Tier 4K. McAvoy's performance is the reason people own this. The 4K steelbook pairs nicely with Unbreakable and Glass for the trilogy shelf, and collectors who own all three tend to admit Glass is the weak link. The 3.5 score reflects an early Universal disc that's fine but not a showpiece.
dir. John McTiernan
A new technologically-superior Soviet nuclear sub, the Red October, is heading for the U.S. coast under the command of Captain Marko Ramius. The American government thinks Ramius is planning to attack. Lone CIA analyst Jack Ryan has a different idea: he thinks Ramius is planning to defect, but he has only a few hours to find him and prove it - because the entire Russian naval and air commands are trying to find Ramius, too. The hunt is on!
Paramount Pictures · Steelbook (4K + Blu-ray)
dir. Stephen Sommers
Universal's standard 4K is an easy pickup, but watch for copies that shipped in regular Blu-ray cases during last year's case shortage. The EverythingBlu premium sets are long gone at retail, so the standard edition is the realistic path for most collectors.
dir. Andy Serkis
Sony's S-Tier 4K with reference Dolby Vision and Atmos, the kind of disc that earns the upgrade for the Atmos mix alone. The film also lands inside Sony's 3-Movie Collection alongside the 2018 Venom and Last Dance.
