Every year we put together a list of the best 4k Blu-ray Discs based on movie quality, video/audio quality, and bonus materials included with the purchase. This year we’re trying something different. Rather than lump all the titles into one Top 10 list we broke it down into categories including “Best New Film,” “Best Remaster,” “Best Series,” “Best Animated,” “Best Classic,” and “Best Box Set.” Some categories include a runner-up. This way, classic films get a chance to make it to the list just as much as a new title. We wrote up a mid-year review in July based on the 4k Blu-rays from January through June, 2023. And, we’ve also got an ongoing Best 4k Blu-rays of 2023 list. Now, here are the Top 10 Ultra HD Blu-rays along with some honorable mentions down below.
Best New Film
Oppenheimer
Well, it wasn’t hard to predict Oppenheimer making the Top 10 list of 4k Blu-rays this year. And by all accounts, we can’t rank any other disc higher in terms of video and audio presentation, as well as breadth of bonus materials. A likely Oscar-nominee for Best Picture, Oppenheimer on 4k Blu-ray delivers an immaculate presentation with HDR10 (enhancing both color and black and white footage) and varying aspect ratios (only on Blu-ray Disc!) that emphasize the storytelling. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack is a masterwork.
All Quiet on the Western Front (Runner-Up)
Netflix Original Film All Quiet on the Western Front is a 2022 film (that won 4 Oscars!), but didn’t release on 4k Blu-ray until March 2023. It was worth waiting for the physical media edition. The color grading in the movie is exquisite (enhanced with Dolby Vision and HDR10), and the sharpness of the 2160p resolution is unbeatable on 4k Blu-ray. The Dolby Atmos surround sound and haunting soundtrack by Volker Bertelmann immerse you in this war story that takes place at the end of WWI. The bonus features and 24-page booklet make one of the year’s most exceptional 4k disc releases.
Best Remastered/Restored
Titanic
One of the most successful and iconic films in history is also one of the best 4k Blu-rays of 2023. James Cameron’s Titanic (1997) arrived on 4k Blu-ray Disc on Dec.5, 2023, celebrating 25 years since premiering in theaters. The movie was a technical achievement in film history and the 4k restoration reflects the quality images and audio presented on the big screen. We gave Titanic perfect scores in all categories: Movie (5/5), Video (5/5), Audio (5/5), and Bonus Features (5/5). The 4k Blu-ray is also available in a Collector’s Edition with over 15 hours of bonus features.
Star Trek: First Contact (Runner-Up)
As the first franchise film to feature the Borg, Star Trek: First Contact succeeds in presenting the haunting species in 4k resolution with excellent color rendering via Dolby Vision HDR. The Dolby TrueHD 7.1 audio delivers a punch where it needs to, but is otherwise clean in its dialogue and effects delivery. The film is available as a single 4k Blu-ray title or within the Star Trek: The Next Generation 4-Movie Collection with ‘Generations,’ ‘Insurrection,’ and ‘Nemesis.’
Best Series
Loki: The Complete First Season
Great storytelling and an amazing home theater experience put the Marvel Studios/Disney+ series Loki at the top of our list of the best 4k Blu-rays in 2023. The episodes are presented in 2160p at 1.78:1 aspect ratio with the HDR10 High Dynamic Range, providing superb details and color depth. The English soundtrack in Dolby Atmos delivers an exceptional immersive experience. Wandavision and The Mandalorian are also listed in our more extensive list of the Best 4k Blu-rays of 2023.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – Season One (Runner-Up)
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – Season One 4k Blu-ray Buy on Amazon
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is more like the classic TV series than other spin-offs, but in terms of audio and video quality is lightyears away. The series, already available to stream in 4k on Paramount+, looks even better with higher bitrates delivered on 4k Blu-ray. The color depth, sharpness, and contrast ratio are exceptional in this series. And, the DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack provides an explosive audio experience. Both Season One and Season Two of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds were released in 2023, and both look and sound amazing on 4k Blu-ray.
Best Animated
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is an absolute masterpiece of animated filmmaking. It’s hard not to think about where it will sit in history along with films such as Akira, Spirited Away, and The Iron Giant. The film certainly expanded on Into the Spider-Verse by introducing a new visual vocabulary. In terms of home theater experience, the bigger this film is viewed the better, and the more audio channels the more you can hear what the audio engineers had in mind. We highly recommend adding Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on 4K Blu-ray to your library alongside “Into the Spider-Verse.”
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas is an absolute treasure in the genre, containing more than 227 animated characters that come to life in 4k/HDR10. Directed by Henry Selick and written by Tim Burton, the full-length stop-motion animated film was Oscar-nominated for Best Effects, Visual Effects. The soundtrack is provided in DTS HD-Master Audio 7.1 channel surround sound makes creative use of the audio stage, providing an even better home theater experience for this cult feature.
Best Classic Remaster
The Alfred Hitchcock Classics Collection Vol. 3
The third volume of classic Alfred Hitchcock films compiles five more remastered films on 4k Blu-ray including Rope (1948), The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956), Torn Curtain (1966), Topaz (1969), and Frenzy (1972), each from a 4k restoration and encoded with HDR10 High Dynamic Range. Audio is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (except The Man Who Knew Too Much in DTS-HD Master Audio 3.0 Mono). It’s a delight to see this classic films in 4k for the first time, and each movie has never looked or sounded so good.
Best Box Set
Transformers 6-Movie 4k SteelBook Collection
We could have easily chosen the Titanic Collector’s Edition for the best box set, but let’s spread the wealth and pick what was one of the nicest-looking and most comprehensive box sets of the year, the Transformers 6-Movie 4k SteelBook Collection. Sure it would have been nice if there was a spot for Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, but you could also say that about the James Bond collection and other box sets. Regardless, this is a nicely designed package that holds all six films in SteelBook cases (incorporating a magnet to close the lid) and includes a collectible Autobot decal.
Honorable Mentions
Avatar: The Way of Water
There is no doubt Avatar: The Way of Water is one of the best home theater (and movie theater) experiences with enough eye candy to keep viewers focused during its 3 hours and 12 minutes. You can really show off your HDR TV as the 4k Blu-ray is rich with color and hues you may not have known existed. And, the film utilizes Dolby Atmos’ object-based sound format by placing audio in 3-dimensional space, creating an immersive experience that is one of the year’s best.
Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is not only a lot of fun as an action film and dive into D&D lore, it’s also a great-looking presentation on 4k Blu-ray. The film boasts some good color depth that’s enhanced with Dolby Vision/HDR10. There is no degradation in the video that we could find, and the sharpness is impressive even in close-ups. The soundtrack offers some quality immersive moments in Dolby Atmos, with a wide range of frequencies offering a quality and expansive audio experience.
Evil Dead Rise
Written and directed by Lee Cronin, Evil Dead Rise from Warner Bros./New Line Cinema is one of the best home theater films of the year. Presented in 4k with HDR10 High Dynamic Range, the images in this horror/supernatural thriller are rich with color and detail. But the soundtrack is the real star here, with a Dolby Atmos/TrueHD 7.1 mix that delivers an intense and immersive audio experience loaded with environmentals, low frequencies, and height effects that elevate the story.
John Wick: Chapter 4
As far as action sequences, amazing cinematography, and heart-pumping audio, John Wick: Chapter 4 ranks very high on our list of the best 4k Blu-rays of 2023. The excellent video imagery looks great on 4k/HDR displays and home theater projectors, boasting deep color palettes and rich black levels. The Atmos sound is completely immersive in the fight scenes, and the car chase is one of the best audio & video experiences of the year.
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One was no doubt the biggest action film of the year when you consider its scope, and the home media release reflects the movie’s ambitions. Filmed in multiple locations around the world, ‘Dead Reckoning‘ has so much to offer in terms of beautiful imagery and set design that render strikingly on 4k displays. The soundtrack raises the bar for other movies in its clarity of mix and dynamic range, experienced best through an Atmos sound system.
The Last of Us: Season One
The Last of Us: The Complete First Season released on 4k Ultra HD in July, 2023. The series was already available to stream in 4k with Dolby Vision and Atmos from Max, but the physical media presentation delivers an almost perfect image with a consistent grain that looks good even on 100-inch and bigger screens. The Atmos soundtrack delivers an immersive experience, taking viewers through the video game-inspired post-apocalyptic landscape. A dialogue-heavy story drives this slow-burner, with payoffs in each episode.
Wandavision: The Complete Series
Wandavision was an absolutely refreshing take on the superhero genre and specifically Wanda Maximoff “Scarlet Witch” and Vision. The streaming quality on Disney+ isn’t bad, but the 4k Blu-ray is just pure excellence on a disc. Episodes are presented in 2160p/HDR10 with variable aspect ratios including 2.39:1, 1.85:1, and 1.33:1. And, the English audio is provided in Dolby TrueHD 7.1 with 3-dimensional object-based placement of sounds. Plus, the SteelBook Collector’s Editions include never-before-seen bonus extras and three concept art cards.
Also See: The Best 4k Blu-ray Discs of All Time
