The best Blu-rays of 2024
Welcome to the one place your movies are safe: the land of physical media.
Perhaps you’ve lost faith in streaming companies to make your favorite movies easily available. Maybe you saw Max delete original films and shows from its platform. Perhaps you’re tired of Netflix cycling movies on and off the service. You could just be tired of having to Google where to find a particular movie, only to learn that what you found is already out of date.
We make an effort to celebrate not just what’s new on streaming, but what you can still own on Blu-ray or 4K UHD. Discs have better sound and image quality, but their real selling point is their permanence.
I had my own breaking point with streaming that launched my return trip to the shores of physical media. A couple of years ago, I began to notice many movies weren’t available to stream, neither on a subscription service nor VOD. In fact, some I could hardly even find on physical media, because the film got caught in a licensing dispute or its owners simply didn’t feel they’d make enough money off a restored release.
That’s why I’m so happy to share these recommendations, most of which come from medium and small labels, from big names like Criterion and Arrow to up-and-comers like Radiance and Severin. As retailers like Best Buy scrap their Blu-ray aisles and studios like Disney hand off distribution duties, these dedicated labels are keeping hundreds of films from falling off the face of the Earth.
What follows is our rolling list of the best Blu-ray and 4K UHD discs of 2024. We update the list regularly, so be sure to check back for the latest recommendations!
Arnold always had it.
In 1982’s Conan the Barbarian (released two years before the first Terminator film), the champion bodybuilder turned actor looks like he left the Gold’s Gym weight room and strolled onto set, yet he delivers a fearless performance that should be the envy of Juilliard grads. Don’t believe me? Focus on what Schwarzenegger does with his face.
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