Here at JoBlo, we love physical media – ESPECIALLY 4K discs. To a lot of us, the 4K revolution has really given some of our favourite movies new life, with the format allowing us to see pristine versions of classic films that come the closest to presenting them in a way that allows us to experience them the way first run audiences did when they came out. While DVD and Blu-ray were both great for their time, 4K is miraculous, with movies like The Crow looking better in this format than they have since their original theatrical runs. One of the reasons is that the people doing the 4K restorations usually go back to a movie’s negative to make it look as good as it can, and the people restoring these films are passionate (even if some efforts have been controversial).
Yet, some of our favorite movies still aren’t available in 4K. Granted, some, such as Se7en, are on the way (and sound like they will be worth the wait), but it’s been radio silence on some legit classics. Here are five movies we think are begging for a 4K release.
David Fincher’s Fight Club was one of the biggest titles of the DVD era. Its extras-loaded two-disc special edition was a favourite of any serious collector who grew up in that era (it’s still a favourite of mine). While it has a fine-looking HD transfer, it’s crying out for a 4K restoration, especially with it celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. However, Fincher is known for his exacting standards as far as the presentation of his movies goes on home media, and with him currently busy with the Se7en restoration, we might have to wait a while for this one.
Paul Thomas Anderson is a director whose films are curiously underrepresented in 4K. You’d think his most recent movie, Licorice Pizza, which was shot in 70mm, would have been released in the format, but no dice. The only Anderson movies out in 4K are The Phantom Thread and Punch Drunk Love. One would think There Will Be Blood would have gotten a release in the format, but so far, one hasn’t surfaced. For me, the movie of his that’s begging for a 4K release is his classic Boogie Nights. Anderson experimented with a lot of different film formats when making it, with the movie shot in 35mm, but the adult film sequences are shot in 16mm and on analog video. I’d also love to see an updated version of the classic group commentary track recorded in 1998 for the laserdisc to be included, with people like Julianne Moore, John C. Reilly, Don Cheadle and Mark Wahlberg giving their thoughts on the film close to thirty years after the fact. I’d also LOVE to see Magnolia in 4K.
Last year, Lionsgate announced that they were prepping 4K editions of volumes 1 and 2 to coincide with the 20th anniversary of Quentin Tarantino’s epic. So far, neither has a street date, although it’s possible that QT, now that he’s no longer making The Movie Critic as his 10th (and final film), might be finally taking the opportunity to release The Whole Bloody Affair. One can only hope, but surely, Kill Bill in 4K would be glorious.
Alfonso Cuaron’s Children of Men is one of the most celebrated movies of the 2000s, but like a lot of the director’s work, it’s yet to get the 4K treatment. Cuaron is a home theatre enthusiast, so it’s likely that any release would benefit from both him and DP Emmanuel Lubezki being involved. Gravity is on the way pretty soon, so we may also get a Children of Men redux, which would be great considering what a visually stunning movie it is.
Ok, so this one comes with a caveat. All the classic James Bond movies are out in 4K, but only digitally. If you buy the collection now on iTunes, each movie is available in 4K, but they’re still MIA on physical media, and any connoisseur can tell you that 4K streaming will never compare. Given how evergreen the series has been, it’s crazy that these haven’t gotten a 4K Blu-ray release. However, Amazon now owns the rights to the series, and the entire franchise shows up now and then on Prime Video (in 4K). The streaming numbers have likely been a bonanza for them, so they may be keeping the movies off-disc for the time being. Warner Bros Home Video owns the physical media rights, and a major re-release of these classic films would no doubt be an event for serious collectors, who would shell out some major cash just to have physical copies of these movies in 4K.
What other movies do you think deserve a 4K release? Let us know in the comments!