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Blu-ray

Blu-ray

3065 films on Best Blurays

Type: Format

Page 116 of 154

Films where Blu-ray is in a pick or an upcoming release.

Director: Chris Noonan

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray

Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

But it is not well-compressed see caps

Best Audio:

(The Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray 5.1 was not well-handled, contains inaudible artifacts but is largely the same with the last Universal Blu-ray)

Director: Kevin Reynolds

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Arrow 4K Blu-ray
Ulysses Cut: Germany Plaion 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Best Audio:

Ulysses Cut: Arrow Blu-ray included in 4K Blu-ray

Director: Wong Kar-Wai

Video format: 1080p Blu-ray

4K · Disappointing
Best English-Friendly:

2010 US Kino Lorber or 2012 UK Artificial Eye

Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Best Video:

2017 JP Kadokawa Blu-ray

Video Notes:

2017 JP Kadokawa Blu-ray has the best encoding out of all the older discs.


Kino Lorber and Artificial Eye Blu-ray use the same master, between the two the PQ on Kino's release is slightly better, but the difference is negligible.

The 4K restoration (Criterion, 4K etc) are cropped to 2.35:1, have revisionistic colour grading and other changes.

Caps: old master, old master vs 4K restoration

Wong Kar-Wai on the framing:

With Fallen Angels, I have changed the format to cinemascope, because it was originally what I had intended to release the film in. When we were cutting the film, we accidentally turned the Steenbeck on anamorphic instead of standard. I felt that the film looked much more interesting because it enhanced the distance of the characters on top of the extreme wide angle that we shot on. Back then, it was impossible to shoot a film in standard and release it in anamorphic. With this restoration, we have successfully fulfilled this wish.

Best English-Friendly:

Majority of the episodes: US GKIDS/UK Anime, Ltd. Blu-ray

Episode 16: US ADV Perfect Collection DVD Box Set

Original broadcast versions of E21-24: US ADV Platinum Edition DVD Box Set

Sources: x.com (opens in a new tab) · movie-censorship.com (opens in a new tab)

Best Video:

Majority of the episodes: US GKIDS/UK Anime, Ltd. Blu-ray

Episode 16: Japan 1999 DVD for the original LaserDisc/VHS master (all "remastered" releases including the Blu-rays use a low quality 35mm internegative as it's main source after the original 16mm negatives became lost. Comparison)
Original broadcast versions of E21-24: Japan King Records Blu-ray Comparison of both cuts for each episode

US ADV Perfect Collection DVD Box Set uses the same master as the Japan 1999 DVD, but it's at a lower bitrate and slightly altered colour grading

Best Audio:

Japan King Records Blu-ray has "Fly Me to the Moon" song intact

The Collector's Edition US GKIDS/UK Anime, Ltd. Blu-ray has both Netflix and ADV English dubs

US OOP ADV DVD/VHS releases have "Fly Me to the Moon" song intact

Director: James Keach

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

Director: David Fincher

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly:

2025 WB 4K Blu-ray or the 1997 New Line DVD (CCE colors)/Netherlands Blu-ray (2000 restoration) for a purist version

Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab) · notonbluray.com (opens in a new tab)

Best Video:

2025 WB 4K Blu-ray, better detail and everything, or the 1997 New Line DVD (CCE colors)/Netherlands Blu-ray (2000 restoration) for a purist version

Video Notes:
  • 4K caveat: A variety of VFX set pieces and touch-ups were added in scenes throughout the film, probably for continuity or consistency, although they might be unnecessary or revisionist. Clouds are added to clear sky of the last act.

  • AI is used to fix an unwanted camera movement in one scene.

  • some shots had been further stabilized, resulting in strange motion blur.

Best Audio:

Cinema DTS

Audio Notes:

Also has missing dialog intact.
But it can be argued that the Warner Bros 4K Blu-ray 5.1 (remix) is technically a better mix.

Additional Info:

More info on the different color grades over the years: https://notonbluray.com/blog/the-case-of-se7en/

Director: Kenneth Branagh

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

Director: Kathryn Bigelow

Best English-Friendly:

Germany Plaion Ultrabit 20th Anni. Blu-ray

Additional Info:

UK Blu-ray is censored

Director: Emir Kusturica

Best English-Friendly & Video:

BFI Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Kino Lorber and BFI similar

Best Audio:

BFI

Audio Notes:

BFI > Kino Lorber

Director: Martin Campbell

Video format: 4K Streaming

Best English-Friendly:

MGM Blu-ray 

Best Video:

MGM Blu-ray: old DNRed video master

4K Lowry master on Streaming (better than DNRed Blu-ray) and Ultimate Edition DVD more detailed but heavily cropped on all sides

LaserDisc master: excellent LaserDisc video master ported to Special Edition DVD

Best Audio:

Theatrical Dolby Digital 5.1: LaserDisc and Special Edition DVD

Theatrical Dolby Stereo SR: LaserDisc

Theatrical DTS 5.1: DTS LaserDisc

Blu-ray 5.1 new transfer

Director: Rob Reiner

Best English-Friendly:

Warner Bros Blu-ray

Director: Mario Piluso

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

Director: Martin Scorsese

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

2019 Universal 4K Blu-ray

Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

France Seven7 has Dolby Vision and Atmos unlike the US disc but was most likely encoded in the wrong color space

Best Audio:

Cinema DTS, Blu-ray 5.1, DVD 5.1

Director: Michael Mann

4K · Disappointing
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Theatrical Cut: Old Warner Bros DVD or fan restoration

Revised Cut: 2012 Japan Blu-ray

Sources: fanrestore.com (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Theatrical Cut: Old Warner Bros DVD or fan restoration

Revised Cut: 2012 Japan Blu-ray for less revisionist colors, 2022 Disney 4K Blu-ray is controversially regraded and too dark overall.

Best Audio:

LaserDisc 2.0 (restores censored dialog). Comparison of 5.1 mixes
For the 5.1: LaserDisc AC3 vs US DVD AC3 vs Japan DVD DTS

Director: Hayao Miyazaki

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Studio Ghibli The Collected Works of Hayao Miyazaki Blu-ray

Additional Info:

The Ghibli ga Ippai SPECIAL Short Short 1996-2016 Blu-ray has a different video transfer that has a tealer tint and slightly tighter framing.

Director: Robert Rodriguez

Video format: 4K Streaming

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Italy Eagle Pictures Blu-ray

Also Streaming in 4K on Paramount+

Additional Info:

France/Germany StudioCanal Blu-ray has more extras

Director: Danny Boyle

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion 2026 4K Blu-ray (UPC 715515334617)

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

> Criterion 2024 4K Blu-ray > Film4 4K Blu-ray

  • Criterion 2026 redid the encoding and none of the blocking issues any more, see disc info and nicolas' review

  • Criterion 2024 encode struggles with brighter areas of the image but still superior to Film4

Best Audio:

5.1: Universal EU Blu-ray - Criterion and Lionsgate are missing LFE, otherwise the same
Stereo: Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Additional Info:

Film4 4K Blu-ray is on a BD-66, both Criterion releases are on BD-100 discs. 

Criterion 2024 release bitrate: 94.67 mbps

Criterion 2026 release bitrate: 93.66 mbps

Film4 bitrate: 62.00 mbps

Director: Nick Park

4K · Worse Than BD
Best English-Friendly & Video:

2009 Lionsgate US or UK 2 Entertain OOP Blu-ray

Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab) · Reddit (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:
  • The BBC 4K collection and Shout! Factory 4K collection all use the same source, and are all unfortunately using AI upscaling and DNR'ed They are worse than the blurays and the 2023 US Shout! Factory collections are even prone to disc-rot.

  • 2009 Lionsgate US (also prone to disc-rot) or UK 2 Entertain OOP Blu-ray will be the way to go.

  • The 4K collection's Blu-ray seems to be a reprint of previous releases.

Best Audio:

4Ks have low-pitched music and sound effects (and that includes Shaun's baas) correct-pitch voices: https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=21536116&postcount=109

Director: Stuart Baird

Best English-Friendly & Video:

US Cut: old Warner Bros DVD (first pressing from 1997, pre 2010), alleycat's preservation better
International Cut (censored): Warner Bros Blu-ray

Sources: movie-censorship.com (opens in a new tab)

Additional Info:

International Cut changes: https://www.movie-censorship.com/report.php?ID=2965833

Director: Jeremiah S. Chechik

4K · Worse Than BD
Best English-Friendly & Video:

France ESC or Spain Blu-ray?

Video Notes:

Germany Hanselab 4K Blu-ray is disappointing with AI upscaling

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