Father’s Day Gift Guide 2025: Best 4K Ultra HD movies

With Father’s Day nearly upon us, here are a few gift suggestions for the dad who loves watching classic movies in his 4K-ready home theater.

Gandhi: SteelBook Edition (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, rated PG-13, 2:39:1 aspect ratio, 191 minutes, $65.99) — Actor Ben Kingsley’s Academy Award-winning portrayal of the “Father of India” returns to the ultra-high definition disc format embedded in a sturdy metal collector’s case.

Of the many films one might want to view in a 4K presentation, near the top of the list would certainly be Sir Richard Attenborough’s epic, 1982 biographical drama that covered Mohandas K. Gandhi from his early legal work in South Africa in 1893 to his assassination on Jan. 30, 1948, in New Delhi, India.

He was arguably one of the greatest unassuming leaders the world has ever known, a staunch civil rights activist and the master of nonviolent resistance.

The movie was honored with a richly deserved nine Academy Awards and showcases Mr. Kingsley’s eerie transformation into the legendary figure who used his intelligence, addictive personality and will of the Indian people to free India from British rule.

The ensemble cast also features Rohini Hattangadi as Gandhi’s wife Kasturba; John Gielgud as Viceroy Lord Irwin; Roshan Seth as India’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru; Alyque Padamsee as Pakistan founder, Muhammad Ali Jinnah; and Candice Bergen as photojournalist Margaret Bourke-White.

The digital restoration (now also in Dolby Vision), released on the first volume of the Columbia Classics Collection from 2020, was built from the original 35mm camera negatives.

It showcases the work of Academy Award-winning cinematographers Billy Williams and Ronnie Taylor as they excel at capturing staggering landscapes of India and massive scenes of Gandhi’s followers as well as the minutia of finely textured, embroidered patterns of an Indian woman’s sari.

The film delivers on all that 4K technology has to offer as witnessed in detail as Gandhi speaks at the Qila Rai Pithora in Delhi and the horrendous clarity of the Amritsar massacre.

Notable extras: Of the four-disc set, the digital goodies reside on the included Blu-ray disc’s high definition version of the film and another Blu-ray disc that contains a wealth of production background on the film.

Of course, start with an optional commentary track by Attenborough recorded for the 25^th Anniversary DVD. It found the octogenarian in a more deliberate but still fine form, full of informative nostalgia, production notes and thoughts on his movie’s subject.

Next, a rare picture-in-picture encyclopedic presentation during the film offers multimedia, maps and text entries overtaking the screen and continues to shed insights on the film and more often Gandhi’s history.

The second Blu-ray disc of extras contains roughly two hours of production featurettes, with highlights being a 19-minute interview with Mr. Kingsley, 20 minutes of cast and crew remembering the film and 10 minutes of newsreel footage of the real Gandhi in action.

The SteelBook also does not disappoint with a front cover featuring an illustrated collage of key characters with a headshot of Gandhi dominating and all set against a sunny orangish backdrop of the sky above the Ganges and a lotus flower in full bloom.

The rear continues the steamy color scheme with yellow sun rays highlighting British soldiers on horseback attacking an Indian gathering, with a lotus flower repeated.

The interior spread shows a photo of Gandhi arriving at the Viceroy’s House in New Delhi.

While on the topic of SteelBook editions, Sony has also released a 4K, stand-alone edition of the comedy classic “Stripes” (Rated R, 1.85:1 aspect ratio, 126 minutes, $49.99), perfect for dads who need a laugh, and stars Bill Murray and Harold Ramis as a couple of goofballs who join the Army and deliver near nonstop hijinks.

Owners get all of the extras from the Columbia Classics Collection: Volume 1, 2020 release including the new, two-part, 45-minute retrospective starring Mr. Murray and director Ivan Reitman.

The steel case contains cast photos outside, a stare-down image between John Winger (Mr. Murray) and drill Sgt. Hulka on the inside and Mr. Murray’s big mug on the front cover in a faux recruitment poster.

007: James Bond — The Sean Connery Collection (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, rated PG, 1.75:1, 2.35:1, 2.39:1 aspect ratios, 702 minutes, $104.98) — The actor who first gave Ian Fleming’s famous secret agent cinematic life finally gets an homage to his performances in six films restored for the ultra-high definition home theater fan.

The title of this set says it all with owners getting the chance to appreciate Connery, arguably the best James Bond, in “Dr. No” (1962), “From Russia with Love” (1963), “Goldfinger” (1964), “Thunderball” (1965), “You Only Live Twice” (1967) and “Diamonds Are Forever” (1971).

The films never bore with plenty of high-speed chases, explosions and occasional corny close-quarters fighting while co-starring some wonderfully diabolical villains such as Auric Goldfinger (Gert Frobe) and Ernst Stavro Blofeld (Donald Pleasence), evil minions like Oddjob (Harold Sakata) and Red Grant (Robert Shaw) and femme fatales including Honey Ryder (Ursula Andress) and Pussy Galore (Honor Blackman).

Expect goosebumps the first time Monty Norman’s epic theme plays as the MI-6 agent introduces himself onscreen within movies that arrive sourced from new 4K scans of the original camera negatives and graded for high dynamic range.

All deliver surprisingly vivid color and clarity especially when visiting such exotic locales as Jamaica, Mount Fuji, the Bahamas, the Swiss Alps, Istanbul and Villefranche-sur-Mer in the South of France.

And let’s not forget listening to those theme songs attached to most of the films, now playing in Dolby Atmos, and sung by legends such as Shirley Bassey, Tom Jones and Nancy Sinatra.

Notable extras: First, and always most important, each film gets an archival optional commentary track from the directors including Terence Young (on four movies), Guy Hamilton and Lewis Gilbert as well as the presence of other cast and crew (mostly separately recorded), with John Cork, Ian Fleming Foundation and David Naylor acting as moderators.

The tracks are deeply informative and feature comments from Connery, Norman, editor Peter Hunt, production designer Ken Adams, screenwriter Tom Mankiewicz and actress Lois Maxwell (Miss Moneypenny) to name a few, all edited into the tracks or as a stand-alone commentary in “Goldfinger.”

Each disc also gets an overwhelming vintage collection of supplements going back to DVD release days, with over 10 hours of goodies acting as a digital repository chronicling the history of each film.

Viewers can find featurettes and documentaries broken up by such titles as “Declassified: MI-6 Vault,” “Exotic Locations,” “Mission Dossier” and “Ministry of Propaganda.”

Best of the varied bunch include lengthy making-of featurettes for each film (averaging 30 minutes each), the NBC TV special “Thunderball: The Incredible World of James Bond” (from 1965), a tribute and history of film producer Albert “Cubby” Broccoli, an original radio interview with Sean Connery and a deleted scene from “Diamonds Are Forever” starring Sammy Davis Jr.

Dark City: Limited Edition (Arrow Video, not rated, 2.39:1 aspect ratio, 112 minutes, $59.95) — Director Alex Proyas’ overtly stylish 1998 sci-fi thriller that took viewers into a suffocating and noirish world of deception and control centered around one man triumphantly returns to home theaters in an overwhelming 4K package.

The unlucky guy is John Murdoch (Rufus Sewell), who wakes up in a bathtub with amnesia and near the body of a ritualistically carved-up female prostitute. The mysterious Dr. Daniel P. Schreber (Kiefer Sutherland) warns him to leave and that a group of men are after him.

Not only is Mr. Murdoch hunted by a group of strange men named the Strangers — very slender beings wearing black overcoats and fedoras — but the police are investigating him as a potential serial killer.

The film enters a Twilight Zone as the city gets retuned (rebuilt) at night, and its citizens are injected with new memories, while Mr. Murdoch discovers odd powers and questions his existence in a shifting reality.

For those getting lost in “Dark City,” they will also appreciate the extended cast that includes William Hurt as Inspector Frank Bumstead; Jennifer Connelly as Mr. Murdoch’s wife Emma; and Richard O’Brien, the creator of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” as the evil Mr. Hand.

Viewers get the theatrical cut and a director’s cut, roughly 11 minutes longer and without the intrusive opening narration that Mr. Proyas felt gave away too much of the story.

The new 4K restoration by Arrow Films was created from the original 35mm camera negatives and approved by cinematographer Dariusz Wolski.

The now best-looking version of the film brilliantly brings a world often filled with shadows and darkness to detailed and vivid light and often stars the city and its evolving architecture.

If dad loves a murder mystery with the bizarre twists of a Terry Gilliam and a Wachowskis’ film bundled with an art deco production design of Fritz Lang’s “Metropolis,” Arrow’s “Dark City” package is a splendid gift.

Notable extras: As always expected, Arrow delivers a true gift to the fans of “Dark City” with an abundance of digital goodies, starting with no less than five optional commentary tracks. That has got to be a record.

Two are brand-new and feature a solo effort with the director and the second with co-hosts of the Film Versus Film podcast Craig Anderson, Bruce Isaacs and Herschel Isaacs.

The legacy commentary tracks offer another solo track with Mr. Proyas, a track with writers Lem Dobbs and David S. Goyer and a coveted commentary by Roger Ebert.

That’s right. One of the deities of film criticism offers a fantastic look at the film based on his years of expertise in cinema analysis. What a treat.

Next, a new, hourlong retrospective about a project that was kicking around for decades but that studios thought it was too weird.

It’s the kind of documentary one would hope to include on a special release and features interviews with Mr. Proyas, Mr. Wolski, Mr. Sewell, producer Andrew Mason, production designers Patrick Tatopoulos and George Liddle, costume designer Liz Keough and effects creative director Peter Doyle.

Add a pair of visual essays by film scholars Josh Nelson and Alexandra West and that is roughly 15 hours of extras of “Dark City” dissection.

The sturdy cardboard slipcase with a removable wraparound sleeve contains a double-sided fold-out poster featuring new artwork by Doug John Miller and the original movie poster (14 inches by 17 inches); three postcard-sized, full-color, double-sided cards featuring posters and character photos; a color postcard for Shell Beach (a vacation spot in the film); and a business card for Dr. Danile P. Schreber, a psychiatrist.

And, like that was not enough, a whopping 60-page, full-color, Illustrated collector’s booklet provides new essays by author Richard Kadrey and film critics Sabina Stent, Virat Nehru and Martyn Pedler.

The Outlaw Josey Wales (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, rated PG, 2:39:1 aspect ratio, 135 minutes, $29.99) — Clint Eastwood’s revisionist Western of epic proportions finally gets a 4K upgrade to allow viewers to admire the amazing views of America’s Southwest as well as the too-harsh realities of citizens torn apart and forced to recover from a Civil War.

Director Eastwood also stars as Josey Wales, a Missouri farmer who witnesses the murder of his wife and child by violent pro-Union guerrillas nicknamed Redlegs and joins a group of Confederate bushwhackers to take harsh revenge.

When the war ends, he refuses to surrender and is hunted from Missouri to Texas by his former boss, Capt. Fletcher (John Vernon); the man who killed his family, Capt. Terrill (Bill McKinney); and various bounty hunters.

Along his perilous journey to find peace or vengeance, Wales befriends misfits such as the elderly, “civilized” Cherokee Lone Watie (Chief Dan George) and his mangy hound; a young Navajo woman named Little Moonlight (Geraldine Keams); a couple of ranch hands from a dying town; and an elderly Kansan woman (Paula Trueman) and her granddaughter (a doe-eyed Sondra Locke), both rescued from Comancheros.

He must take care of his new friends, including making a truce with Comanche leader Ten Bears (Will Sampson), and relearn to live in a world where people stop butchering one another.

“The Outlaw Josey Wales” gets a restoration based on fresh 4K scans of the original 35 mm camera negatives with clean up by Warner Bros. Motion Picture Imaging approved by editor Joel Cox and grading handled by veteran colorist Jan Yarbrough.

The resulting presentation features natural and warm colors with a hint toward reds and blues and will never stop impressing while examining the panoramic outdoor western landscapes, desert, grizzled facial features of the characters, bright blue skies and shadowed silhouettes.

Most important, to cement this film as a classic, a spitting, squinting and scowling Mr. Eastwood devours the role of the cold-blooded killer with a heart of gold while spewing some definitive quotables such as “you gonna pull those pistols or whistle dixie,” “dyin’ ain’t much of a livin’ boy,” and “I guess we all died a little in that damned war.”

Notable extras: Warner Bros. gives fans plenty to watch about the production and Mr. Eastwood’s vision of a Western.

Brand new is a seven-minute look at the anti-hero and outlaw as explained by film historians and an eight-minute professorial analysis of Mr. Eastwood’s favorite cinematographer, Bruce Surtees.

Next, enjoy a 30-minute tribute to ” Clint Eastwood’s West” from 2011 with contemporaries, admirers and the man himself exploring his love of the quintessential cowboy and the 30-minute production featurette ” Hell Hath No Fury: The Making of The Outlaw Josey Wales” from 1999.

Also, viewers get a part of the 2021 TV miniseries “Clint Eastwood: A Cinematic Legacy” offering 17 minutes on the director’s reinvention of the Western with interviews featuring Mel Gibson, Martin Scorsese and Kevin Costner.

Finally, and not to be ignored, Mr. Eastwood’s biographer Richard Schickel delivers a sometimes too-scene-specific optional commentary track that also covers much of the production, as well as the movie’s themes and his favorite actor.

Kingdom of Heaven: SteelBook Edition (Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, not rated, 2:39:1 aspect ratio, 194 minutes, $55.99) — Filmmaker Ridley Scott, known for covering in a grandiose style some major events in history during his career, tackled the Crusades in 2005 with a sweeping epic now immortalized in the UHD format.

Specifically, the events surrounding the third Crusade find the director’s often fictionalized movie (depending on which historian one talks to) focused on the emergence of blacksmith turned newly knighted Balian of Ibelin (Orlando Bloom), seeking salvation for himself and his dead wife by joining the wars for the Holy Land.

The outstanding supporting members of the ensemble cast (all portraying real individuals) included Eva Green as Sibylla, the queen of Jerusalem; Liam Neeson as Lord Barisan of Ibelin; Edward Norton as leper King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem; Jeremy Irons as Raymond III of Tripoli; and Ghassan Massoud as the Sultan Saladin, the Muslim who would dare attack and occupy the Kingdom Of Jerusalem.

The production design, vast terrain choices (from desert to forest), costuming and especially the armor used to bring the 12^th century to life can now be scrutinized through another meticulous restoration.

The reference quality cinema brought to home theaters demands being seen in only the largest of monitors and most immersive of sound systems available to appreciate the intense visual presentation culminating with the siege of Jerusalem.

Viewers only get the definitive version of the film, the extended director’s cut that clocks in roughly 45 minutes longer than the theatrical version and is the absolutely preferred version of the film to bring Mr. Ridley’s true vision to home theaters.

Fans wanting to relive the glory days of Hollywood’s epics the once only existed in theaters can also opt for the “roadshow presentation” that includes an overture and intermission to appreciate the 20^th anniversary release of this masterpiece.

Notable extras: This three-disc set offers a Blu-ray and 4K disc versions of the film with goodies as well as a third Blu-ray disc overflowing with previously released extras.

The roadshow version of the film delivers three optional commentary tracks — one with Mr. Scott, Mr. Bloom and writer William Monahan; one with executive producer Lisa Ellzey, Visual Effects Supervisor Wesley Sewell and First Assistant Director Adam Somner; and the final track with only film editor Dody Dorn.

Each film disc also contains the Engineer’s Guide, presenting pop-up facts about the film.

The extras specific disc offers more than three hours of featurettes that cover topics such as script, cast rehearsals, costume design, sound design, locations, world premieres as well as 26 minutes of scholars defending the accuracy of the film.

An elegant and impactful SteelBook will certainly catch a gift receiver’s eye. It features the embossed silver mask of the leper king on the shiny black cover with a Crusader Bailan’s sword handle on the rear and an interior spread featuring a tinted blue and grey photo of Balian of Ibelin with sword drawn and in mid-siege.

Amadeus (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, rated PG, 2:39:1 aspect ratio, 161 minutes, $29.98) — Director Miloš Forman 1984 historical, pseudo biographical drama that won eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, finally debuts in the UHD disc format through a rebuilt theatrical cut to introduce home theater audiences to one of the world’s first rock stars.

Viewers are taken back to 18th century Vienna and meet Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Tom Hulce), a child prodigy, musical genius and slightly certifiable composer.

What plays out is his lifelong, deadly one-sided rivalry with bitter and jealous contemporary Antonio Salieri (F. Murray Abraham) as Mozart writes works such as ” Don Giovanni,” “The Magic Flute,” “The Marriage of Figaro” and the unrealized “Requiem” that would turn him forever into a beloved legend.

The film, based on Peter Shaffer’s 1979 stage play offers a highly entertaining but mainly fictional look at pair’s battles.

It delivers brilliantly through exceptional performance by Mr. Hulce (he should have won the Oscar); Mr. Abraham (he won the Oscar); and a supporting cast that included Elizabeth Berridge as Mozart’s wife Constanze, Jeffrey Jones as Emperor Joseph II and Christine Ebersole as Salieri student, singer Caterina Cavalieri.

The restoration of the “Amadeus” original theatrical cut (assembled from a 4K scan of the reconstructed original camera negative) was completed by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

The result meticulously brings viewers into the gratuitously ornate, highly patterned and colorful world of the wealthy European class showing off the vivid period costuming, architecture and location furnished designs shot in and around the streets of Prague as well as highlighting every variety of those powdered wigs.

And, let’s not forget the operatic and orchestral passages now realized through a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio mix that brings such wondrous music to home entertainment rooms.

Notable extras: Viewers get a previously released full-length documentary from 2002 that offers an hour’s worth look at the complete production and a new retrospective called “Amadeus: The Making of a Masterpiece” that has cast and crew such as Mr. Abraham, Mr. Hulce and production designer Patrizia Von Brandenstein spending roughly 25 minutes remembering the making of the film.

Also worth mentioning, the controversial director’s cut of the film (which added roughly 20 minutes) is nowhere to be found on the solo 4K disc.

However, completists looking to compare can use the included code to unlock that cut on the Movies Anywhere streaming service.

Dirty Harry (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, rated R, 2:39:1 aspect ratio, 102 minutes, $29.99) — Father’s Day would be complete without the chance to watch one of the most recognizable police officers on the planet in a machismo-drenched and misogynistic action thriller.

Let’s re-tap into Warner Bros. celebration of Clint Eastwood’s film catalog and the venerable actors portrayal of Inspector Harry Callahan in director Don Siegel’s violent classic from 1971.

The story finds the steely eyed, sneering-lipped, anti-hero packing his iconic 44 Magnum and on the trail of a serial killer named Scorpio (Andy Robinson).

As Scorpio’s victims pile up, including the burying of a 14-year-old girl, a cat-and-mouse game ensues until Dirty Harry lives up to his name to take down the psychotic killer by any means necessary, including ignoring the law.

Warner Bros. restored “Dirty Harry” using an 8K scan of the original 35 mm camera negative and viewers will rarely watch a movie this old (55 years) now delivering such a visual pop.

Appreciate the clean and bright presentation starting with the barrel of a sniper rifle set against a vivid blue sky or Harry’s maroon vest or stunning shots of San Francisco, as expected from cinematographer Bruce Surtees (nicknamed the “Prince of Darkness”). The film, however, should have a low visibility warning posted dur to dome hard to see moments.

And, best of all, viewers get a reminder of Mr. Eastwood’s status as a pop culture icon when Harry teases his prey with those immortal words, say them with me, “You’ve gotta ask yourself one question: ‘Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?’ “

Notable extras: Warner Bros. does a great job of looking back at the career of one of America’s most beloved filmmakers mixing a collection of new and legacy bonus content.

Start with a pair of weighty retrospectives on Mr. Eastwood voluminous career — ” Clint Eastwood: The Man from Malpaso” (58 minutes) and PBS’ “American Masters Career Retrospective – Clint Eastwood: Out of the Shadows” (87 minutes) — both do a great job of diving deep into his career, packed with interviews and film clips and covering his work up through the 1990s.

Next, film critic, historian and biographer Richard Schickel delivers a stoic and informative optional commentary track about the film and actor, well worth a listen.

Also, viewers only get the pertinent part of the massive 2021 TV miniseries “Clint Eastwood: A Cinematic Legacy,” offering 17 minutes on the career of Harry Callahan.

And, not the best of the bunch, but notable as brand-new to the release, are a pair of featurettes that cover the generational appeal of Dirty Harry as explored by historians, critics and journalists (six minutes); as well as an analysis of Mr. Surtees’ cinematography and the collaboration between Mr. Eastwood and Siegel with film professors offering appreciations (seven minutes).

Tombstone: SteelBook Edition (Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, rated R, 2:35:1 aspect ratio, 130 minutes, $55.99) — Back in 1993, a group of popular actors got together to portray a bunch of iconic gunslingers in director George P. Cosmatos’ famed Western.

Now available in 4K, the popular, mostly historically accurate, drama revisits the story surrounding the legendary shootout at the O.K. Corral where Doc Holiday (Val Kilmer) and the Earp brothers — Wyatt (Kurt Russell), Virgil (Sam Elliott) and Morgan (Bill Paxton) faced off against the nasty, red-sash wearing outlaw gang known as the Cowboys.

Movie-lovers looking for a dose of old-style machismo and pockets of action (especially the finale) will not be disappointed with the snappy dialogue and stellar performances of the four main hombres (especially Kilmer). The supporting cast includes Dana Delany as Wyatt Earps wife Josephine Marcus, Powers Boothe as gang leader “Curly Bill” Brocius and Charlton Heston as wealthy rancher Henry Hooker.

The film looks like it was released yesterday, thanks to a reportedly meticulous remaster and restoration bringing out the golden highlights of Southwestern terrain as well as the grit and grime of cowboys living and dying in a dusty town of Tombstone.

Notable extras: Viewers get only a smattering of digital treats that includes a 27-minute, standard definition “making of Tombstone” and a breezy look at Cosmatos’ original storyboards for the O.K. Corral sequence while missing out on the previously released Cosmatos’ optional commentary and a historical interactive timeline.

However, notable for the gifting of the film is the SteelBook case with a movie poster-style, illustrated collage of the heroes up front and villains behind with a parchment and concrete-style backdrop for the front cover; a U.S. Marshal’s badge on the back; and the interior spread displaying a color illustration of the four main characters walking down the burnt-orangish street and springing to action.

Sands of Iwo Jima (Kino Lorber, not rated, 1:37:1 aspect ratio, 100 minutes, $44.95) — Now available for the first time in the 4K disc format, John Wayne’s first Academy Award-nominated acting effort gives viewers a gritty glimpse into the realities of war.

Director Allan Dwan’s 1949 black-and-white, surprisingly realistic vision of World War II explores a group of raw recruits trained into battle-ready Marines and eventually sent to fight the Japanese, culminating in their participation in the battles of Tarawa and Iwo Jima.

The film is not only great for the complex performance of Wayne as the despised, tough-as-nails Marine Sgt. John Stryker and some slick combat scenes (a tank using a flame thrower to spew streams of fire on a pill box), but “Sands of Iwo Jima” uses military cameramen footage from the actual battles. It incorporates nearly 2,000 real Marines in scenes including Medal of Honor recipient Col. David M. Shoup and U.S. Navy Cross recipient Lt. Col. Henry P. “Jim” Crowe.

The 2160p restoration, culled from a 4K scan of the 35mm original camera negative, reveals an unwelcomed clarity to the fog of war with imagery melding detailed original scenes and sometimes scratchy archival footage for an uneven, slightly jarring visual presentation.

Notable extras: Viewers get a well-researched optional commentary track on the 4K disc, packed with facts from film historian Steve Mitchell and the author of “Combat Films: American Realism,” Steven Jay Rubin.

The included Blu-ray version of the film includes the optional commentary track as well as an 18-minute retrospective from 1993 on the making of the movie, hosted by famed critic Leonard Maltin.