Space Opera movies available on 4K Blu-ray, ranked by transfer quality.
dir. Stanley Kubrick
S-Tier Warner Bros. 4K. Kubrick supervised the original 4K scan before he died. The Stargate sequence in HDR is wild on an OLED. Part of the Stanley Kubrick Collection box set, which is the best way to buy it if you don't already own the other Kubrick 4Ks.
Warner Bros. · 4K + Blu-ray
dir. Roger Vadim
S-Tier Arrow Video 4K. Jane Fonda in space. The 60s production design works well in HDR.
Arrow Video · 4K + Blu-ray
dir. Denis Villeneuve
Still the reference disc for a lot of people. The latest 'what are your top 3 reference discs' conversation turned into a roundup and always includes Dune alongside Vertigo, Blade Runner 2049, and Lawrence of Arabia.
S-Tier Warner Bros. 4K. Villeneuve's second Dune. The IMAX sequences and desert photography are demo material.
dir. Andrew Niccol
S-Tier Sony 4K. Ethan Hawke in a near-future genetic discrimination story. The sterile production design works with the 4K transfer.
Sony Pictures · 4K + Blu-ray
dir. Bong Joon Ho
S-Tier Warner Bros. 4K. Bong Joon Ho's sci-fi comedy with Robert Pattinson. The 4K hit during a Target B2G1 sale, which was the trigger for a lot of people to pick it up alongside Kill Bill and Jackie Brown. Walmart's physical media section continues to shrink, and this title got caught in that larger frustration.
dir. Roland Emmerich
S-Tier Lionsgate 4K. Roland Emmerich's movie about the moon falling. The Best Buy steelbook hit $5 USD at Walmart, which is about right. People acknowledged it was an awful movie while buying the steelbook for the shelf. Went to home video about two months after theatrical release, which says something about the box office.
Lionsgate · 4K + Blu-ray
dir. Douglas Trumbull
Arrow's limited edition steelbook sold out quickly on Zavvi. The Zavvi deluxe version had impressive packaging, and the standard edition is the more accessible option. Collectors who already had the Blu-ray still upgraded because early 70s sci-fi photographed on film tends to benefit enormously from the resolution jump. A quiet, beloved film with a dedicated following.
dir. Mel Brooks
When the nefarious Dark Helmet hatches a plan to snatch Princess Vespa and steal her planet's air, space-bum-for-hire Lone Starr and his clueless sidekick fly to the rescue. Along the way, they meet Yogurt, who puts Lone Starr wise to the power of "The Schwartz." Can he master it in time to save the day?
dir. David Twohy
After years of outrunning ruthless bounty hunters, escaped convict Riddick suddenly finds himself caught between opposing forces in a fight for the future of the human race. Now, waging incredible battles on fantastic and deadly worlds, this lone, reluctant hero will emerge as humanity's champion - and the last hope for a universe on the edge of annihilation.
dir. James Cameron
A-Tier Disney 4K. Better transfer than the first Avatar. The underwater sequences work well in HDR more than almost anything else in the format. The steelbook leak photos became a meme before the real artwork was revealed.
Walt Disney Studios · 4K + Blu-ray
dir. Neill Blomkamp
In the year 2159, two classes of people exist: the very wealthy who live on a pristine man-made space station called Elysium, and the rest, who live on an overpopulated, ruined Earth. Secretary Rhodes, a hard line government official, will stop at nothing to enforce anti-immigration laws and preserve the luxurious lifestyle of the citizens of Elysium. That doesn’t stop the people of Earth from trying to get in, by any means they can. When unlucky Max is backed into a corner, he agrees to take on a daunting mission that, if successful, will not only save his life, but could bring equality to these polarized worlds.
dir. Paul W. S. Anderson
A-Tier Paramount 4K. Paul Anderson's space horror. The production design in HDR is the reason to buy this disc.
Paramount Pictures · 4K + Blu-ray
dir. James Gunn
A-Tier Disney 4K. The MCU's space team. Disney's 4K releases.
dir. Christopher Nolan
A-Tier Paramount 4K. One of the most-owned 4K discs in any collection, and the IMAX shots that fill the whole screen are the reason. The new collector's edition swapped the steelbook for a cardboard sleeve, which went over about as well as you'd expect. The original steelbook restocked at Walmart and moved fast.
dir. Duncan Jones
A-Tier Sony 4K. Duncan Jones' debut with Sam Rockwell talking to himself on the moon. The signal around this title mostly came from haul posts and general sci-fi recommendation threads. The 3.5 overall score suggests a decent but not reference-quality transfer.
Shout Factory's 4K landed with a censorship controversy. The theatrical cut had a scene edited out, which Shout acknowledged publicly. Comments split between people defending the director's choice and people arguing the theatrical version should match the original theatrical release. The Chronicles of Riddick 4K from Arrow also circulates in the same collector circles. Disc quality itself is strong.
Shout! Factory · 4K + Blu-ray
dir. Gareth Edwards
The Rogue One 4K went through an OOP scare when Sony took over Disney's disc production. Prices spiked online before people realized it was a manufacturing transition, not a permanent discontinuation. Amazon had it back at $30 USD eventually. The disc itself includes Dolby Atmos and collectors consistently call it the best Star Wars film since the original trilogy. Disney's Star Wars 4K line lacks cohesive cover art, which bothers completionists.
dir. Nicholas Meyer
The starship Enterprise and its crew is pulled back into action when old nemesis, Khan, steals a top secret device called Project Genesis.
dir. Leonard Nimoy
A surprise visit from Spock's father provides a startling revelation: McCoy is harboring Spock's living essence.
When a huge alien probe enters the galaxy and begins to vaporize Earth's oceans, Kirk and his crew must travel back in time in order to bring back whales and save the planet.
After years of war, the Federation and the Klingon empire find themselves on the brink of a peace summit when a Klingon ship is nearly destroyed by an apparent attack from the Enterprise. Both worlds brace for what may be their deadliest encounter.
dir. Jonathan Frakes
The Borg, a relentless race of cyborgs, are on a direct course for Earth. Violating orders to stay away from the battle, Captain Picard and the crew of the newly-commissioned USS Enterprise E pursue the Borg back in time to prevent the invaders from changing Federation history and assimilating the galaxy.
dir. David Carson
Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the Enterprise-D find themselves at odds with the renegade scientist Soran who is destroying entire star systems. Only one man can help Picard stop Soran's scheme...and he's been dead for seventy-eight years.
dir. Stuart Baird
En route to the honeymoon of William Riker to Deanna Troi on her home planet of Betazed, Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise receives word from Starfleet that a coup has resulted in the installation of a new Romulan political leader, Shinzon, who claims to seek peace with the human-backed United Federation of Planets. Once in enemy territory, the captain and his crew make a startling discovery: Shinzon is human, a slave from the Romulan sister planet of Remus, and has a secret, shocking relationship to Picard himself.
dir. Robert Wise
When an unidentified alien destroys three powerful Klingon cruisers, Captain James T. Kirk returns to the newly transformed U.S.S. Enterprise to take command.
dir. J.J. Abrams
Disney A-Tier 4K. The Force Awakens was shot on film, which gives it a leg up over the prequels in 4K. Collectors have been hoping for Dolby Vision and IMAX enhanced versions, but so far it's HDR10 only. The Zavvi steelbook series across all nine episodes has been popular with completionists.
dir. Rian Johnson
Disney A-Tier 4K. Rian Johnson's Star Wars entry is the most divisive film in the franchise, and the steelbook market reflects that split. The people who love it really love it. The Zavvi exclusive steelbook drew some criticism for cropping the iconic Crait poster art, but most buyers were happy.
Disney A-Tier 4K. Rise of Skywalker has become the poster child for "bad movie, good steelbook." The Best Buy and Zavvi exclusives both looked sharp, and collectors who completed the saga set grabbed this regardless of feelings about the film. The disc itself is a competent Disney transfer.
dir. Luc Besson
A-Tier but there are two different versions floating around and people mix them up constantly. The Sony US release and the StudioCanal UK release are different masters, and the StudioCanal disc looks better. Both the standard and steelbook StudioCanal editions use the same disc, so the packaging doesn't matter for picture quality. If you're buying this, get the UK StudioCanal version.
StudioCanal · 4K + Blu-ray
dir. Nia DaCosta
When her duties send her to an anomalous wormhole linked to a Kree revolutionary, Carol's powers become entangled with that of Jersey City super-fan Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel, and Carol's estranged niece, now S.A.B.E.R. astronaut Captain Monica Rambeau. Together, this unlikely trio must team up and learn to work in concert to save the universe.
dir. Paul Verhoeven
Construction worker Douglas Quaid's obsession with the planet Mars leads him to visit Recall, a company that manufactures memories. When his memory implant goes wrong, Doug can no longer be sure what is and isn't reality.
Eagle Pictures · 4K + Blu-ray
dir. Andrew Stanton
After hundreds of years doing what he was built for, WALL•E— a robot designed to clean up the earth—discovers a new purpose in life when he meets a sleek search robot named EVE. EVE comes to realize that WALL•E has inadvertently stumbled upon the key to the planet's future, and races back to space to report to the humans. Meanwhile, WALL•E chases EVE across the galaxy and sets into motion one of the most imaginative adventures ever brought to the big screen.
Criterion Collection · 4K + Blu-ray
dir. William Shatner
A renegade Vulcan with a startling secret hijacks the U.S.S. Enterprise in order to find a mythical planet.
When an alien race and factions within Starfleet attempt to take over a planet that has "regenerative" properties, it falls upon Captain Picard and the crew of the Enterprise to defend the planet's people as well as the very ideals upon which the Federation itself was founded.
C-Tier 4K from Disney/20th Century Studios. The Best Buy steelbook announcement came right before Best Buy stopped selling physical media. Cameron's 4K presentations have been hit or miss, and the original Avatar got a middling transfer.
20th Century Studios · Blu-ray
dir. Gavin Hood
Based on the classic novel by Orson Scott Card, Ender's Game is the story of the Earth's most gifted children training to defend their homeplanet in the space wars of the future.
dir. George Lucas
C-Tier 4K. The prequel trilogy's digital origins limit what 4K can do for these films, and the C-Tier reflects that. Disney had Sony handling physical media production and the Star Wars line has been going out of print, with restocks uncertain. If you want the prequels on disc, buy them when you see them.
dir. Irvin Kershner
The epic saga continues as Luke Skywalker, in hopes of defeating the evil Galactic Empire, learns the ways of the Jedi from aging master Yoda. But Darth Vader is more determined than ever to capture Luke. Meanwhile, rebel leader Princess Leia, cocky Han Solo, Chewbacca, and droids C-3PO and R2-D2 are thrown into various stages of capture, betrayal and despair.
Walt Disney Studios · 4K Ultra HD
dir. Joseph Kosinski
D-Tier Universal Blu-ray. Kosinski's sci-fi with Tom Cruise and an M83 soundtrack. Multiple steelbook editions exist across retailers including a Zavvi exclusive and an EverythingBlu premium. People call it underrated. The D-Tier is because it's still on Blu-ray transfer for the 4K disc.
Universal Pictures · Blu-ray
dir. Geoffrey Sax
The Seventh Doctor becomes the Eighth. And on the streets of San Francisco – alongside new ally Grace Holloway - he battles the Master.
BBC Studios · Steelbook
dir. Allan Holzman
In the distant future, a federation marshal arrives at a research lab on a remote planet where a genetic experiment has gotten loose and begins feeding on the dwindling scientific group.
88 Films · 4K + Blu-ray (Restored)
dir. Rob York
After NASA picks up a trio of mysterious signals from within our own solar system, astronaut Roger Nelson is dispatched on a multi-year solo mission aboard the Magellan spacecraft to investigate the sources.
Criterion Collection · 4K + Blu-ray Special Edition
dir. Phil Lord, Christopher Miller
Amazon MGM still has not put up a 4K preorder and collectors are getting loud about it. French tracker 4k-ultra-hd.fr is showing a Q3 2026 window and hinting at a steelbook, which lines up with community speculation of a summer release, but nothing is confirmed yet. Blu-ray.com's 4K product shell is still empty.
Arrow Video's Limited Edition 4K preorder is live at Diabolik DVD, making it the first legitimate English-language release since the old Blu-ray went out of print. The film shares a screenwriter with Blade Runner and has a small cult following built around Kurt Russell's near-silent performance and the production design that carries over from Ridley Scott's world.
Arrow Video · Limited Edition
dir. Jack Plotnick
A comedic drama about a group of people (and several robots) living on a space station in a 1970s-version of the future. When a new Assistant Captain arrives, she inadvertently ignites tensions among the crew, prompting them to confront their darkest secrets. Barely contained lust, jealousy, and anger all bubble to the surface, becoming just as dangerous as the asteroid that’s heading right for them.
