It’s the most wonderful time of the year – when you get to pick the perfect present for the loved one in your life. If you’re Christmas shopping for the movie buff in your life, there’s a whole glut of Blu-rays and 4K Ultra HD discs sure to make them happy on the big day – and Empire has gathered the cream of the crop in one handy gift guide.
Whether you’re shopping for a partner, a parent, a sibling, a friend, or even yourself (hey, why not be your own secret Santa), we’ve got something for everyone – the latest releases, must-have cult favourites, special collector’s editions, 4K remasters, binge-able boxsets and more. Anything listed here should delight the cinephile in your life, so get ready to bag a Blu-ray that goes beyond the basics to deliver some real-life movie magic this Christmas. Happy shopping!
Feel the need… the need for both the original 1986 Top Gun and this year’s mega-smash sequel Top Gun: Maverick, housed together in one convenient set and presented in eye-boggling super-sharp 4K. Make sure you find the biggest screen possible to watch them on and let them take your breath away.
This year’s extraterrestrial blockbuster Nope proved to be another huge yep for writer-director Jordan Peele – and it’s arriving on home release in a three-movie collection along with his game-changing Get Out and mind-bending Us, a knockout triple-bill of cinematic excellence. Get in.
Targaryen fever is catching like lime-green wildfire. Yes, Game Of Thrones is back in a big way with the excellent first season of House Of The Dragon – tangling a tragic web of betrayals, miscommunications and power grabs, 200-odd years before Daenerys broke the wheel. Expect rewatches to bring all kinds of new juicy details and sneaky foreshadowing.
Any self-respecting Bong Joon-ho fan likely already has the gorgeous Curzon box set released last year, which collected every feature film he’s made – except genre-busting eco-adventure Okja. Now, Criterion brings the superpig satire to Blu-ray for the very first time, packed with special features. A must-have for Bong-heads.
There can be only one… giant new box set of Russell Mulcahy’s eccentric ‘80s fantasy classic. As well as the scrubbed-up shiny 4K movie, this edition (with gorgeous new Matt Ferguson artwork) comes with a 64-page booklet stacked with essays, a prequel comic, art cards and more.
How fitting is it that a definitive new set of officially the best Robin Hood film (don’t @ us) comes from the good folk at Arrow? This Ultra-HD set includes the theatrical cut for the first time since DVD, a 60-page illustrated booklet, tons of extras, and lovely new Paul Shipper art. And yes, that hilarious Pierce Brosnan documentary is in there.
If your pockets are as deep as your love for German arthouse cinema (whose aren’t!), then this giant 22-disc set covering the great Wim Wenders’ entire career – housed in a beautiful slipcased hardback book and all – is a cinephilic dream. Films include Paris, Texas, Wings Of Desire, Buena Vista Social Club, and Pina.
A few years ago, Arrow released a beautiful box set of the Ring movies – and now, they’ve given the same treatment to The Grudge. The set includes six films from the original Japanese saga, including the previously video-only Ju-On: The Curse and Ju-On: The Curse 2, while standout film Ju-On: The Grudge also comes on a 4K disc (the rest are on standard Blu-ray). Have yourself a terrifying Christmas.
Get the Blade Runner fan in your life their 126th copy of Ridley Scott’s sci-fi masterpiece, with this deluxe set in Warners’ new Film Vault range. The numbered package includes the film on 4K and Blu-ray, multiple pieces of artwork, and a paperweight. (Other inaugural Film Vault titles include Scarface, Goodfellas and 1917.)
Nothing says "Merry Christmas" like a heart-stopping ghost story. The BBC’s festive classic (albeit Muppet-free) MR James adaptations are spruced up on Blu-ray for the first time in a set that includes Whistle And I’ll Come To You, The Stalls of Barchester, A Warning To The Curious and Lost Hearts.
Before The Departed, there was Infernal Affairs – the twisty cops-vs-crooks Hong Kong crime thriller that provided the basis for Scorsese’s Oscar-winning adaptation. Criterion presents the original trilogy in a new set that any fan of East Asian cinema would love to own.
hmv.com
Yeah, baby, yeah! Celebrating two and a half decades of Mike Myers’ shagadelic spy, all three Austin Powers films are collected in a special set along with a set of art cards, a 32-page booklet, a poster for the original film, and more. Groovy.
Here’s a prime directive if you’re shopping for a Trekkie: boldly go and get them this Ultra-HD set of the six original-crew Star Trek movies – including the newly-refurbished Director’s Edition of 1979’s Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Image quality set to stunning.
www.zavvi.com
A film as lavish and opulent as Francis Ford Coppola’s vampire adaptation deserves the presentation to match – and this collectable Steelbook celebrates three decades of Drac, presented on a 4K disc. Perfect for horrorheads.
Prepare to swoon over Criterion’s release of Wong Kar Wai’s gorgeously aching romance, renowned as one of the greatest films ever made about love. That this edition now makes it more easily available to own in the UK is a Christmas gift in itself.
Think cooking your Christmas dinner is stressful? Buckle up for a pulse-pounding restaurant thriller (no, really) as Stephen Graham’s head chef faces rising heat over a rapidly-spiralling service. Oh, and it’s all shot in one continuous take to really amp up the claustrophobia. Pick up this special edition Blu-ray before the upcoming spin-off series arrives.
How about spending the festive period with the Griswolds? Have the hap-hap-happiest Christmas since Bing Crosby tap-danced with Danny Fucking Kaye, thanks to this newly remastered Ultra HD disc of the comedy perennial.
Obsessed with Everything Everywhere All At Once? Check out this ass-kicking Hong Kong ‘80s action classic starring Michelle Yeoh and Cynthia Rothrock (in her first film), directed by Cory Yuen – now freshly-released on Blu-ray by Eureka.
If you can handle the abject terror of pitch-black folktales, step right up for Second Sight’s special edition of Robert Eggers’ horror masterpiece – stacked with cast interviews, commentaries, Eggers’ short film Brothers, and much more. What is Christmas for if not living deliciously?
Generally overshadowed by the (slightly) more accessible Mulholland Dr., David Lynch’s most underrated film finally gets the attention it deserves with a Criterion disc – also including a 97-minute documentary.