10 Best Blu-ray Movies for Home Theaters

Demonstrate that plasma and subwoofer with these Blu-ray titles that you'll actually enjoy.

There is nothing quite like popping a Blu-ray disc or DVD into your new system, hearing that first explosion or the swelling score, and witnessing the opening scenes of a truly great film. No doubt you’ve read many articles about the best discs to show off your system with. Unfortunately, you’d be hard-pressed to actually sit through some of these recommended movies, because despite how great the audio and video may sound and look, the film may suck. So toss your Fifth Element and Speedracer discs aside and enjoy one of these 10 films that feature excellent audio and video, not to mention incredible stories.

Iron Man

Iron Man is one of the best comic-book productions in recent years, thanks in large part to Robert Downey, Jr.’s portrayal of Tony Stark, the compelling and flawed central character. When Stark, a frivolous playboy who also happens to be the genius behind a large weapons manufacturer, experiences firsthand the devastating destruction that his wares bring about, he has to use the same ingenuity that built an empire to defeat the nefarious corporation he’s so long been a part of. The film is intentionally grainy and dark in the opening desert scenes, but when Stark refines his Iron Man product, the film goes into visual overdrive. Check out Iron Man’s first flight for an epic demo scene. The audio is absolutely reference quality, and it doesn’t get any more fun than this: Iron Man is constantly clanging about and blowing things up as gunfire whirs through the surround channels. This is a must-own reference film for your collection. After all, nothing beats two giant man robots fighting in the street for pure cinematic impact.

(Ultimate Blu-ray Two-Disc Edition, $40; DVD, $35)

Casino Royale

It’s an obvious choice, but to leave Casino Royale off our list of reference discs would be a blunder. The highest-grossing Bond flick thus far reinvented the franchise for a post-911 world, removing the cheese and cheek of previous Bonds like Roger Moore and Pierce Brosnan, while maintaining the characteristics we love about the spy. The colors are lush in this movie, almost to the point of looking overly contrasted – especially on the sun-bathed outdoor scenes. Check out the poker game for an incredibly detailed reference scene. Meanwhile, the soundtrack is practically flawless, so any scene here is worth demoing. We especially like the dynamic, early foot-chase scene in Madagascar, which features some startlingly realistic surround effects.

(Blu-ray, $39; DVD, $20)

Blade Runner

Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner is the quintessential new-era sci-fi flick, which added sophistication and drama to the genre and ushered in a flood of like-minded movies like Minority Report, Children of Men, and even E.T. While we can’t recommend earlier DVDs for audio and video quality, we can recommend the newer Blu-ray releases, such as the Ultimate Collector’s Edition, to show off your system with aplomb. Video has been cleaned up from previous versions to be reference quality, and the dramatic backdrop of a futuristic city is something to behold in high-def. While the color palette is dark, it looks natural and realistic despite age-old special effects. Audio is also stunning, with the haunting score and atmospheric details of outdoor scenes shining, like the rain in the final scene. If you add one sci-fi movie to your collection, let it be Blade Runner.

(Ultimate Collector’s Edition Blu-ray, $100)

Letters from Iwo Jima

Here’s a film that proves you don’t have to have an acid-trip color palette to shine as a demo disc. The muted colors of Letters from Iwo Jima play to the more subtle niceties of a good video transfer, like great shadow detail, deep black levels, and a razor-sharp image. As for audio, the film is fantastically well balanced between quiet ambient noises and earth-shaking battle scenes. The story itself is also genius, with director Clint Eastwood  humanizing the enemy and examining the psychology – not the heroism – of soldiers.

(Blu-ray, $35; DVD, $20)

No Country for Old Men

This meditation on morality is the ultimate story of good versus evil, featuring an ending that will leave you mind-struck. The lead characters, Josh Brolin, Tommy Lee Jones, and Javier Bardem offer master-class performances, and the film’s measured pace is a nice contrast to its intense subject matter. While this might not be the first film you think of to demo your HDTV, due its subdued color palette, you won’t be sorry you did. The transfer is practically perfect, with gorgeous detail in close-up scenes, natural skintones, and beautiful, sweeping vistas of West Texas. Audio is equally as exciting; it’s subtle where it needs to be and dynamic in the more intense moments. Check out the detailed sound of Anton Chigurh’s cattle-gun for a mind-blowing (pun anyone?) experience.

(Blu-ray, $35; DVD, $30)

There Will Be Blood

There Will Be Blood features arguably one of the best characters ever to come to the big screen. Writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson has unflinchingly given Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis in an Oscar-winning role) a brave character arc in which the greedy, conflicted, and misanthropic “oil man” struggles with his own nature. Long story short: Plainview has the chance to redeem himself, but chooses not to. The film has somewhat of a sepia tone on interior scenes, but it is appropriately somber, and a great contrast to the warm sunlight of exterior scenes against the stark backdrop of the oil fields. The content is, in few words, endlessly cinematic. Plainview’s silver-tongued voice coming out of the center channel speaker cuts through the expanse of your living room and is as clear as if he was standing in the room with you. For a more robust surround experience, check out the oil-explosion scene, which will put your subwoofer through its paces.

(Blu-ray, $40; DVD, $30)

Ratatouille

Every home theater enthusiast will, at one time or another, be called upon to show a children’s movie, which is all well and good, considering that digitally animated films are some of the best source material to show off your system. Of course, with all the regurgitation and cliché infused into the genre, you need a film with a fresh story and cutting-edge digital animation, and that means a Pixar film. We like Ratatouille – one of the few animated films out on Blu-ray – about an aspiring chef and rat “working” in a French restaurant. The video is pristine, with one of the best high-def presentations we’ve seen on an animated film. The colors are, well, delicious, and the care that went into the CGI is obvious, with every individual strand of the rat’s hair clearly rendered. The audio is likewise extremely palatable, with the uncompressed soundtrack on the Blu-ray disc taking home top honors. Where some animated films feature ADD-inducing, overly bombastic soundtracks, this film has a warmer, more subtle audio landscape, which is perfect considering the subject matter.

(Blu-ray, $30; DVD, $30)

Planet Earth: The Complete BBC Series

Shot completely in high-def on five continents with a budget of $25 million, Planet Earth has crossed over into the mainstream in terms of street cred. It is, perhaps, the definitive nature documentary. The series is known first and foremost for its content, featuring footage of animals and plants never before seen on camera, such as the amazing dance of the bird of paradise. But it also shines on its breathtaking image. You’ll be glued to your HDTV watching images of these fascinating plants and animals – every hair, every feather, ever fang is finely detailed. Colors are vibrant and true-to-life, with lush green foliage and underwater scenes stealing the show. While the audio isn’t as exciting, as it is mostly voiceover, the video and content are enough to earn this documentary a permanent place in your movie collection.

(Blu-ray, $100; DVD, $65)

3:10 to Yuma

Westerns aren’t big box-office draws these days; even the temporary resurgence of the genre due to films like Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven has dwindled. That’s why 3:10 to Yuma is such a refreshing change to the cinematic landscape. A commentary on good versus evil, and man’s inherent nature, are the film’s sweeping themes. But the story still appeals to modern audiences, in no small part due to the excellent casting of Russell Crow and Christian Bale – modern faces on a historic landscape. The audio is energetic and even bone-shaking, especially in the climactic final scenes. Video is spotless, as well, with a color palette and realism that enhances the story. Even if you aren’t a fan of the Western genre, we recommend this dramatic, sometimes-shocking shoot-em-up film as demo material for your home theater.

(Blu-ray, $40; DVD, $20)

2001: A Space Odyssey

Stanley Kubrick’s weird, futuristic sci-fi opus stands the test of time. While 2001 has come and gone, the creepy HAL 9000 super-computer is no less ominous today than it was when the film was released in 1968. Some may find the pace plodding, and indeed, it is an exercise in minimalism. Kubrick isolates his protaganist and antagonist in the eerily quiet confines of outer space to show the sterile aesthetic of man versus machine. The juxtaposition of classical music in the space age sets you up for a jarring experience and the oddly dulcet tones of HAL’s voice are surprisingly natural, especially for a computer. The film has been cleaned up for the high-def age, and the transfer on the Blu-ray disc is colorful, with great contrast and eye-catching colors.

(Blu-ray, $29;  DVD, $27)