Tech
10 Best 4K UHD Blu-ray Discs of 2025
The 10 Best 4K UHD Blu-ray Discs of 2025 arrive at a moment when I keep hearing the same weary refrain: physical media is dead. And yet, it refuses to lie down. 2025 was a genuinely stellar year for 4K discs, one that challenged me and plenty of other disc mavens just to keep up, let alone narrow things down to a definitive decade. As always, the criteria are unapologetically strict: highly watchable and rewatchable films with reference-level picture and sound, extras that add real value instead of padding a press release, and, when studios bothered to try, packaging with some genuine shelf appeal. To keep the playing field level, only 4K discs I personally reviewed made the cut, and multi-movie boxed sets were left out entirely.
Agree? Disagree? Any must-owns that I somehow missed? Drop me a comment down below.
Outland Limited Edition (Arrow)
Peter Hyams’ Outland was, for me, the top of the crop in a year filled with truly outstanding releases. Props to Arrow for rescuing this largely forgotten sci-fi classic, a thrilling High Noon in space that helped Sean Connery turn the corner on his Bondian past. Though the image is intentionally dim and gritty; full of claustrophobic interiors and airless exteriors on the third moon of Jupiter, realized with the help of then-cutting-edge analog visual effects; the disc surrenders sublime shadow detail and punchy colors from beginning to end. I opted for the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack–the disc defaults to the original Oscar-nominated LPCM stereo mix that reintroduces us to yet another propulsive Jerry Goldsmith score. New interviews, new featurettes and a new commentary join the 2012 archival Hyams track for a near-perfect evening in the home theater.
Where to buy: $29.99 at Amazon
Kingdom of Heaven (Fox/Disney/Sony)
While 2025 brought us three of cinephiles’ most-requested 4K upgrades; Tombstone, Kingdom of Heaven and Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World; all in SteelBook-exclusive drops from Disney/Sony, Kingdom rose above. The new Dolby Atmos audio dutifully provides exactly what the epic adventure demands from scene to scene, from subtle atmospheric cues to a mighty, sprawling mix for the grand battle scenes. Video quality is more natural and more detailed than even the excellent HD Blu-ray, here with the restored director’s cut and roadshow versions on both 4K and 1080p discs (Scott was closely involved in this release and the theatrical cut is nowhere to be found, so what does that tell us?). This set does an admirable job porting most if not all of the unholy amount of bonus content that has supplemented this title since its earliest editions, with an introduction, three commentaries and an augmented viewing mode, plus a third platter loaded with days’ worth of bonus content—yes, mostly SD, but you’re still watching it anyway.
Where to buy: $59.99 at Amazon
Dark City Limited Edition (Arrow)
A fast sellout, Arrow’s slipcased hardbox of Alex Proyas’ trippy Dark City was the only way to get the theatrical and director’s cuts (quantifiably different and both excellent) together in DP-approved 4K restorations in Dolby Vision, just the thing for all those shadows–each with new Dolby Atmos remixes. The two-disc set is loaded with new and old bonuses, now including five (!) audio commentaries on Proyas’ preferred, longer cut, as well as some of the wonderful physical goodies for which Arrow’s limited editions are so well-known: reversible cover art, a two-sided poster, artcards and more.
(The well-adorned 4K director’s cut is currently available in a single-disc edition.)
Where to buy: Check Amazon
This Is Spinal Tap (Criterion)
This is Rob Reiner’s first theatrical feature, the beloved “mockumentary” that set the standard for decades of comedies since. Criterion’s 4K preserves its deliciously grainy 16mm origins, although you might want to click over from the subdued vintage LPCM stereo to the 5.1 for a more dramatic jump from the low-key interviews to the heavy-duty rock-and-roll. The three-disc set is packed with goodies, notably all three legacy audio commentaries together for the first time, in addition to over an hour-and-a-half of outtakes, a new featurette and a cleverly designed companion booklet.
Where to buy: $49.99 at Amazon
Wicked (Universal)
Everything we could have hoped for from a recent, big-budget movie, Wicked boasts a spectacularly colorful Dolby Vision image and thrilling Dolby Atmos audio, the flying characters conspicuously present in the overhead channels. It’s the extras here that really pushed it over the top, though: In an age where new filmmaker commentaries are becoming all too rare, Universal gives us two separate tracks, the first with director Jon M. Chu and the other with stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. These are in addition to deleted scenes, featurettes, a 45-minute “making of” plus a surprisingly well-produced Sing-Along mode.
Where to buy: $21.99 at Amazon
Hard Boiled (Radial/Shout! Factory)
Regarded by many as the pinnacle of Hong Kong action, this final pairing of director John Woo and star Chow Yun-fat made a huge international splash, with Hollywood seeking to emulate its uniquely over-the-top violence and balletic “gun-fu” choreography. Shout! has long brought us special editions that are a cut above, but their Hong Kong Cinema Classics label has set a new standard, here with a 4K scan of the camera negative, presented in Dolby Vision with 1992-authentic Cantonese and English mono. A lavish three-disc set in a rigid library box with a fantastic companion book, Hard Boiled carries a brand-new Woo commentary, another from historian Frank Djeng, as well as a third track ported from the Criterion Collection laserdisc, further enhanced by a gallery of new talent and expert interviews.
Where to buy: $85.99 at Amazon
The Sound of Music (Fox/Disney/Sony)
Before you judge, remember that this was once the highest-grossing movie of all time and the winner of Best Picture and four more Academy Awards. A true story and a stage adaptation done right, Music was shot on location and de-cornified to give audiences the best-ever telling of a singing, dancing family’s defiance of the Nazis. For the 60th anniversary, Fox scanned the original 65mm film negative at 8K and performed extensive restoration with jaw-dropping results, especially impressive on larger screens. The purpose-built new Atmos track, sourced from the 70mm 6-track magnetic stereo master, is pure joy, for the enduring Rodgers & Hammerstein songs and so much more. All this, and some picture postcards, too!
Where to buy: $29.99 at Amazon
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (Sony)
Right from the SteelBook cover; with its vintage, oh-so-Python poster art; we know we’re in for a treat, as we journey back some 50 years to experience the lads’ timeless, side-splitting spin on King Arthur’s noble quest. This was a low-budget indie, so the quality of the Dolby Vision image here is a genuine revelation, and the accompanying Dolby Atmos sounds better than any comedy has a right to. The extras are an intriguing and quite generous mix of old and new, from the expected to the obscure.
Where to buy: Check Amazon
Sinners (Warner)
Go in spoiler-free and you might not even realize what you’re in for with Ryan Coogler’s utterly original and flawlessly executed genre-bending period piece. The entire movie was shot in large-format, a combination of IMAX and the recently resurrected Ultra Panavision 70, so the image shifts between 16:9 and 2.76:1 aspect ratios, each with remarkable depth, high contrast, and tight, organic grain. The events cross over into the supernatural, and the Atmos audio powerfully conveys the dark forces all around. The music is intrinsic to both the story and our greater cinematic odyssey, and by the time you read this, composer Ludwig Göransson might well have added another Oscar to his collection. Extras are solid, but might an awards sweep lead to a more substantive double-dip by Warner?
Where to buy: $34.98 at Amazon
Lilo & Stitch (2002 & 2025; Disney/Sony)
An unavoidable tie as both the original animated classic and its modern live-action remake shone as brightly as the Hawaiian sun. The 2002 starter flaunts its watercolor aesthetic in lush 4K, paired with a five-star Atmos remix brimming with mighty bass and inspired new surround moments. The 2025 redux succeeded in the unenviable task of recreating the sweet, charming story of a precocious youngster and her GMO “pet” in flesh and blood and CGI (with a few plot changes along the way), ultimately delivering a billion-dollar global hit. The gorgeous island scenery in this one could make it a 108-minute ad for tourism to our 50th state, and but for some stingy LFE, it too is reference-quality. Stay tuned after the ‘ohana-friendly frolics for a respectable assortment of extras in each set.
Where to buy: $40.99 at Amazon