The 10 Best-Looking Budget 4K Movies, and 3 Settings That Make Them Look Right
This started as a video. Mike covered this on Mike’s Movie Talk first. This is the written version, reorganized to be read rather than watched — and the video is right here on the page if you would rather have it that way.
A 4K disc does not have to be expensive to look incredible. Some of the discs reviewers call reference quality, the ones people put on to show off a new TV, are among the cheapest 4Ks you can buy, and I own every one on this list. Here are the ten best-looking budget 4Ks, counted down, with what makes each one special and which ones I would grab first.
How I picked them
Every movie here is one I own in 4K. Every one was a budget-priced disc on Amazon when I made the video, and every one is regularly named among the best-looking or best-sounding discs by the big review sites. Prices move fast, so check the links below for today's price. If you read my piece on which 4K upgrades are worth it, this is the fun part: the discs where 4K really pays off.
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10. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
This is the 40th anniversary edition, and for a movie from 1982 it looks clean and natural, with real film grain. The night scenes in the woods, with all the fog and the backlighting, look beautiful in HDR. Blu-ray.com called it the best home video edition available. It is HDR10 only, with no Dolby Vision, but the picture is still gorgeous, and it is an easy pickup.
9. Jurassic Park
Universal put out a new version of Jurassic Park on 4K this year that adds Dolby Vision and a new Dolby Atmos mix. The old 4K was HDR10 with DTS:X. If you are buying it now, look for the one that says Dolby Vision or Dolby Atmos right on the front of the case. Reviewers say the extra depth and color are a noticeable step up, and the T. rex scene in the rain is exactly what HDR is made for.
The copy on my shelf is the box set with five Jurassic Park and Jurassic World movies, and it has the old version. I am considering upgrading, but not right now. If you are buying, get the new one while it is still cheap.
8. Jaws
The 50th anniversary edition has Dolby Vision and HDR10 Plus, so it works great on both of my TVs. It also has a Dolby Atmos mix plus the original mono soundtrack if you are a purist, and Blu-ray.com gave the picture a perfect score. If you already own the 2020 4K, the movie disc is the same, so you do not need to double dip. If you do not own Jaws in 4K yet, this is one of the best deals on the list. When I made the video, Amazon said it usually ships in 1 to 4 weeks, so order early if you want it in time for the holidays.
7. The Dark Knight
This one is all about IMAX. Christopher Nolan shot big chunks of the movie with IMAX cameras, and on the 4K those scenes open up and fill your whole TV. The opening bank heist is one of them, and when the picture jumps out to full screen, it is incredible. The sound is DTS-HD 5.1, not Atmos, but it is still a monster of a mix.
6. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
This is the one that shows off color. Every frame looks like a comic book page, and on a good HDR TV the neon and the reds jump off the screen. It is HDR10 only, but it has a Dolby Atmos track that reviewers call reference quality. If you watch movies with the family, or you want something that looks completely different from everything else on your shelf, this is the one.
5. Oppenheimer
Like The Dark Knight, this one switches to IMAX for the big scenes, so the picture opens up and fills the screen. The detail on the faces in this movie is unreal, and one review site scored the picture 99 out of 100. The audio is DTS-HD 5.1, not Atmos, but it is still one of the strongest tracks out there. The Trinity test scene is something you have to hear on a good system.
4. 1917
This is the cheapest movie on the list. The whole film is made to look like one continuous shot, and the 4K looks incredible, especially the night scene with the flares lighting up the burning town. It has Dolby Vision, and High-Def Digest called it a reference-quality release. It might be the best-value 4K you can buy right now.
3. Top Gun: Maverick
This is a true demo disc. It has Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, and the IMAX sequences open up to a taller picture, so the flying scenes fill more of your screen. Reviewers gave the picture a near-perfect score and called the sound demo-worthy. On a full Atmos setup like my 7.2.2, this is the kind of disc where the jets fly right over your head.
2. The Batman
This is the ultimate test for a TV with great blacks, like an OLED. Almost the whole movie is dark and rainy, and on a weaker transfer that would turn into a muddy mess. This disc keeps every bit of detail in the shadows, and the highlights, like the red emergency flares and the headlights in the car chase, really pop in Dolby Vision. It also has a Dolby Atmos track, and Blu-ray.com gave the picture a perfect score.
1. Dune
If I could show someone only one 4K to sell them on the format, this might be it. The desert scenes are super detailed, the HDR makes the sun and the sand look blinding, and the Dolby Atmos track makes the ornithopters and the sandworms shake the entire room. It has Dolby Vision and HDR10, and one reviewer called it one of the best 4K discs he had seen in a long time. The good news is that Dune: Part Two is inexpensive too, so you can pick up both movies in 4K.
Three settings to check before you press play
A great disc can still look bad if your TV is not set up right. These three things make a huge difference.
First, use Filmmaker Mode or the Cinema picture mode. A lot of TVs come out of the factory in Vivid or Standard, and those modes crank up the sharpness and add the smooth motion that makes movies look like a soap opera. Filmmaker Mode turns all of that off and shows you the movie the way it was meant to be seen.
Second, check your HDMI settings. On a lot of TVs, the HDMI port your player is plugged into has to be set to its enhanced or deep color mode, or you will not get full 4K HDR at all. On LG TVs it is called HDMI Deep Color. Other brands call it something like Enhanced Format or HDMI Enhanced. It takes 30 seconds to check, and it is worth it.
Third, if your TV does Dolby Vision, make sure your player is set to output it. Some players, like mine, have it turned off by default, and then you only get basic HDR10. If you play these discs on a PS5 or an Xbox Series X, they still look great, but you only get the standard HDR10.
The short version
If you only grab one, get Dune. For the best value, get 1917. For IMAX, get The Dark Knight, Oppenheimer and Top Gun: Maverick. If you are buying Jurassic Park, make sure it is the new Dolby Vision and Atmos version. Honestly, these will look better than almost anything you can stream.
One more thing. Criterion ran a 24-hour flash sale at 50% off this week, and I grabbed four titles: on Blu-ray, Eclipse Series 5: The First Films of Samuel Fuller and Fast Times at Ridgemont High, and on 4K, For All Mankind and the new Silence of the Lambs. I will show them in my October haul. The big Barnes & Noble Criterion 50% off sale is the one I wait for all year, and I will have a full video on what to grab.