Which Criterion 4K Upgrades Are Worth Buying Again? Eyes Without a Face, Seven Samurai and the Ones to Skip

A Criterion 4K lists for $50, and most of them come with the same Blu-ray you may already own. So the real question is not 4K versus Blu-ray. It is whether the 4K comes from a new scan. I own more than 200 Criterion movies, and I went through every Criterion Blu-ray on my shelf to see which ones have a 4K now and which are worth buying again. Four are big upgrades, one is a surprise, and three I would skip or hold off on. One of them, The Silence of the Lambsad, I bought anyway.

Two things that change the math

First, every Criterion 4K includes a Blu-ray in the case, but that disc is usually the one you already have. If you own the Blu-ray, you are paying for one new disc: the 4K.

Second, look for a new scan. If Criterion went back to the original camera negative for a brand new 4K restoration and your Blu-ray came from an older master, the jump is large. If your Blu-ray already came from that same restoration, the 4K is mostly about HDR. That is sometimes worth the money and sometimes it is not.

The big upgrades

Eyes Without a Facead is the one I am buying at the Barnes & Noble sale for sure. It is a 1960 French horror film, and I was glued to it the entire time, even though I am not a big watcher of subtitled movies. My Blu-ray is from 2013. The 4K is a new restoration from the original camera negative, and reviewers say it is the best the film has ever looked. It is black and white, so there is no HDR, but the detail and grain are a big step up. At 50% off, it lands around $25, and that is an easy yes for me.

Seven Samuraiad comes next. My Blu-ray is from 2010, and the 4K is a brand new restoration. The original camera negative no longer exists, so it was made from the best surviving film element. Reviewers call it an astonishing leap over the old disc. It is standard dynamic range and the audio is basically the same, so you are buying it for the picture. It is a three-disc set that lists for $59.95, which should be about $30 at the sale.

His Girl Fridayad just received a new 4K from the original nitrate negative, and it has Dolby Vision. My Blu-ray uses an older master, so this is a real upgrade. Reviewers gave the picture a perfect score.

Paris, Texasad has a new 4K restoration, supervised by Wim Wenders himself, with Dolby Vision. The upgrade over the Blu-ray is huge, with one catch: the new color grading leans noticeably more teal and green. Some people love it and some purists do not. If you like the way your Blu-ray looks, look up comparisons first, and wait for the sale either way.

The Last Emperorad is not on my shelf, but it is the best example of a huge jump. Criterion's old Blu-ray from 2009 was called blurry and over-compressed by one reviewer, and it was in a narrower frame. The 4K comes from the camera negative, returns to the original widescreen theatrical framing and adds the 218-minute TV version. That is the kind of upgrade that feels like watching a different movie.

The surprise: Some Like It Hot

My Some Like It Hot Blu-ray from 2018 was already made from a 4K restoration, and the 4K disc uses that same restoration. On paper, you would skip it. But reviewers call it a surprisingly strong upgrade because of the HDR. They say Dolby Vision does wonders for the blacks, grays and shadows, and the disc adds a new 5.1 soundtrack. So even with the same master, it is worth it. Wait for the sale, when it should be about $25.

The ones I would skip, or wait on

The Big Heat is a great film, but Criterion released the Blu-ray and the 4K on the same day from the same new restoration. If you bought the Blu-ray, as I did, you already have the best version of the picture in HD. The 4K adds resolution and Dolby Vision, and that is all. If you love it, wait for the sale. If not, keep your Blu-ray.

The Seventh Seal in 4K uses the same restoration already in Criterion's big Ingmar Bergman box set, which is where my copy comes from. It is standard dynamic range with no HDR, and reviewers are split on whether it is a noticeable or small improvement. If you have the box, I would keep it.

In the Mood for Love is not on my shelf either. The 4K uses the same restoration as the Wong Kar-wai box set, and the colors were changed to lean a lot greener. One reviewer called it Criterion's first real misfire. If you love the old Blu-ray, hang on to it.

The one I bought anyway: The Silence of the Lambs

Criterion released The Silence of the Lambs in 4K on October 20, and I grabbed it in their flash sale, even though I already own the 2018 Criterion Blu-ray. When I looked into it, the 4K is not a new restoration. It is the same 4K restoration from the original camera negative, approved by the cinematographer, that was used for the Blu-ray, with the same extras and the same audio. What is new is the actual 4K picture with Dolby Vision, and reviewers still call it an easy upgrade. One said you can see the wire holding up the moth.

My copy has not arrived yet, so I will report back once it does. If you already own the 2018 Blu-ray, this one is a want, not a need. At the sale it should be about $25. Even when I do my homework, I still double-dip sometimes.

Check whether another label already did it

Some of your Criterion Blu-rays may never get a Criterion 4K because another label already released one. Do the Right Thingad is a good example: Criterion never did a 4K, but Universal did, and it costs less than many Criterion Blu-rays. The Night of the Hunter is on 4K from Kino Lorber. Anatomy of a Murder and It Happened One Night are in Sony's Columbia Classics 4K box sets. Before you wait on Criterion, check whether someone else already has.

If you do not own a film at all, buy the 4K. The Blu-ray comes in the case, so you are covered on every player in the house. That is what I did with Mulholland Drive and Blue Velvetad, and one reviewer said the Mulholland Drive 4K runs circles around the old Blu-ray.

My three questions for any Criterion upgrade

1. Is it a new scan, or the same restoration I already own? 2. Does it add HDR, especially Dolby Vision? 3. Is it on sale? At $50 it is a tough sell. At $25 during the sale, almost every one of these is worth it if you love the film.

The short version: Eyes Without a Face, Seven Samurai, His Girl Friday and Paris, Texas are big upgrades, and Some Like It Hotad is the surprise. For The Big Heat, The Seventh Seal and In the Mood for Love, I would keep my Blu-ray.