Best 10 4K Blu-rays of 2021 - review discussion

A great Top Ten. Not every Movie here is my Mug of Glühwein, but I respect the choices. Not seen the 4K ROTLA disk yet. Is a contender for the New Year's Eve Movie for sure.
 
Apart from Kong Vs Godzilla, No Time To Die is probably my pick of the bunch this year.

In saying that, I've just upgraded all five of the Craig Bonds from blu ray to 4k blu ray and the differences are minimal to say the least. Still, No Time To Die looks particularly lovely.
 
A great list Cas and as ever, a really tricky thing to pull together: not only did Cas have to only use the 4Ks officially reviewed by the site, but he also had to get consensus from four incredibly handsome, talented and intellectually sexual individuals in the Movies Team who all have very different tastes.......

So to take advantage of me having no such restrictions, here is an alternative one made up of not just UK disks but those which have particularly floated my boat this year. So in no particular order, I've adored this year:

  • No Time to Die (UK, Universal) - possibly one of the very best audio/visual transfers known to the format. And the film's not bad too;
  • Six-String Samurai (US, Vinegar Syndrome) - the grooviest Elvis alternative universe flick since Bubba Ho-Tep (which didn't have a band of Russian Elvis impersonators called, unironically, The Red Elvises playing in its post-apocalyptic future), with a dazzling visual transfer and a quite brilliant feature-length making of, all wrapped up in my new favourite packaging ever, the magnet clasp box;
  • Ticks (US, Vinegar Syndrome) - its got some ticks in it. Who eat people. Including Carlton from The Fresh Prince. Who sadly doesn't dance. But its awesome fun. And another bewilderingly good transfer that shows up many of those from huge mega studios;
  • Donnie Darko (UK, Arrow) - yes, I know it had its problems, but once sorted, the picture upgrade is stunningly beautiful;
  • The Final Countdown (US, Blue Underground) - as Steve mentioned on the end of year podcast, this is great little cult classic with yet another stunningly good transfer. And about a million audio options too;
  • Scream (UK, Paramount) - purely because it is such a huge visual upgrade....for years we've had the ropiest of blu transfers of this classic and now it looks beautiful. Almost makes me weep its so good now......;
  • Deep Red (UK, Arrow) - not just one of Arrow's UHDs that DIDN'T have problems, but because its a visual upgrade AND Arrow gave us another 3 hours of new interviews on top of the previous supplementals;
  • The Servant (UK, Studiocanal) - a brilliantly creepy progenitor of Parasite and no other example of how 4K and HDR can benefit 'old' and 'black and white' films is needed. Stunning package;
  • Battle Royale (UK, Arrow) - superb film, great restoration and the package includes both cuts of its sequel as well as actual Top Trump playing cards of dead schoolkids. What more does any film need?; and
  • Le Cercle Rouge (UK, Studiocanal) - stuff the changed colour timing, this looks fantastic. And any chance to own John Pierre Melville in 4K should be taken with the utmost of haste.
So come on AVFers, get yer own lists out.....come on, I dares ya!!!!!!
 
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I'll add a couple more 4K sets that I really enjoyed this year.
  • The Guest by Second Sight - amazing 3-disc set with bundled booklet & synthopop CD :cool:
  • The Thing Collectors Edition - Love this flick and the 4K transfer was cracking
  • Transformers the Movie with a new 4K restoration, my son and I loved watching this, and again a cracking soundtrack!
 
Great list! Some good releases this year so must have been a tough one to narrow down.
 
My favourites this year are:

1) My Fair Lady 2) No Time to Die 3) 10 Commandments 4) Speed 5) Indiana Jones box set 6) Columbia Classics Vol 2 7) Misery 8) Silence of the Lambs 9) Willy Wonka 10) Green Knight
 
Some great lists , what a year it’s been. Some utterly amazing discs , for me - in no order -

True Romance (arrow)
Basic Instinct
The Shawshank Redemption
Battle Royale (arrow)
Do the Right Thing (USA)
Oldboy (arrow)
Dune 21 (Italy)
Columbia Vol 2 set ‘taxi driver’
Moana
The Good, the bad & the Ugly (USA)
Inglorious Basterds
The Suicide Squad
No time to Die
Zack Snyders Justice League
 
In no particular order,

The Thing
Shawshank
Speed
Taxi Driver
Halloween III Season of the Witch
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
True Romance
Unbreakable
Full Metal Jacket.

May 2022 bring a load more 4K discs - in particular, Eyes Wide Shut, The Exorcist, The Ninth Gate.
 
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It has been, and always shall remain as ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’. Not ‘Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark’.

Yet more LucasFilm revisionist nonsense!

Mercifully, they’ve left the title alone in the actual movie. It’s worse than calling ‘Star Wars’, ‘A New Hope’.

Cracking disc though.

Regards,
James.
 
Struth I only own 1 on that list. :blush: Do intend to add 4-5 others when I finally get around to it.

Still got 10-15 movies to watch so too early to compile a best of but TGTBTU was great. The Thing (watched the other night) looked fantastic too.

Though its not my fave film, will take something amazing to top My Fair Lady on technical merits.
 
Howard the Duck, nuff said!
 
Can’t argue with anyones list really. I have all but Star Trek in Cas’s list. I am sure it’s a great set and I know the films mean a lot to a lot of people but I can’t stand Star Trek ☹️

Will just add the Mulholland Drive shoe box edition was a treat to watch and a beautiful thing to own.

Edit: And the Babadook
Edit 2: The Outsiders & Dead and Buried
 
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I have pretty much switched to iTunes digital, so I have most of the titles listed in 4K just not in disc form, but 4K transfers that impressed me were Speed, Scream, Battle Royale and Dog Soldiers.

On the basis that they are the only physical discs I bought, The Elephant Man and Godzilla vs. Kong would be my picks.
 
it was a great year for UHD. My top ten:
01 Tinker,Tailor,Soldier,Spy
02 Taxi Driver
03 Mulholland Drive (Studio Canal)
04 No Time To Die (best picture on UHD)
05 The Seventh Seal
06 A Clockwork Orange
07 Inglourious Basterds
08 Do The Right Thing
09 True Romance
10 Sense and Sensibility
 
I have 6 of those:

Justice League
True Romance
My Fair Lady
Taxi Driver
Star Trek
Indiana Jones

Would also add Speed, that was a true revelation and just looked so spectacular.

Speed was defo shortlisted, but it was tough to get it down to a Top 10. If we'd done 20, it would have comfortably been in there.
 
Knew I shouldn't have looked at this thread, not long bought no time to die and waiting for Dune as it is but got the itch again
 
Great list there.

I was more than somewhat surprised to see Dune omitted, until I read
about it only including those discs released in the UK. If it is not on this year’s list it will have been a cracking year!
 

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