I don’t buy new TVs or monitors often, but when I do I like to put them through their paces like anyone else. For me, the best way to do this is watching a few of my favorite movies that pose one or another visual challenge.
This isn’t just great because it helps me figure out how to tune my TV to my liking, it’s also a great excuse to watch some movies. While the exact list changes from time to time, these are the titles most likely to be played first on any new screen I get.
I’ve linked to the UHD Blu-ray versions of these movies below, but you can find most of them on streaming services or for digital purchase. However, be aware that the streaming versions are far from the quality of the disc versions of these movies, and so won’t have quite the same punch.
Avatar: The Way of Water
The original Avatar used to be my go-to for showing off my first plasma TV to visitors, but as much as I love that original film (which gets a lot of undeserved hipster hate) I think Avatar: The Way of Water blows it away on every level. While I’ll probably never get to replicate seeing it in 3D with high frame rates in the cinema again, it’s still an amazing movie with all of that stripped away and will push any TV to its limits with color, motion, and detail.
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Set several years after the first film, the humans are back to burn down more of the planet Pandora, and our hero Jake Sully, who is now permanently a giant blue cat, needs to drive them off once again. This time with the help of a new tribe of Na’vi who prefer the beach to the forest.
Avatar: The Way of Water
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James Cameron blows the first Avatar out of the water (or is that into?) the water visually, but also manages to tell a much better story this time.
Akira
Based on a much lengthier manga (graphic novel) Akira is an undisputed animation classic whether we’re talking Western or Eastern animation. The craft that went into this hand-made film is legendary, and even with the help of digital tools and CG, there’s never really been anything that looks like this ever again.
Akira is worth playing on any new TV because the film has a unique visual texture, amazing glowing neon lights (which are real lights shining through the animation cells) and crisp detail in every frame you don’t get from modern animation that was never a real film cell. The color palette is muted but rich, and the action scenes will give your TV’s motion processing system a run for its money. Plus, it’s just a damn good movie.
Akira Steelbook 4K
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The anime that launched the medium’s popularity in the USA is now available in 4K.
Aliens
Ridley Scott’s Alien is one of the best movies of all time, and kicked off one of the best franchises in history, but I think there’s little denying that James Cameron’s Aliens is the better film, and is probably the best film in the entire series. Most of what we think of as iconic elements from the world of Alien actually featured in this movie, not the first one, and the influence of the visual design can be felt in numerous movies that followed.
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While there has been some controversy over the 4K remaster of this film, if you don’t like the upscaling anomalies or the changes made by the director to things like film grain, the standard Blu-ray release is an excellent alternative. Some would say it’s still the best version of the film.
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As to why I like rewatching Aliens on a new TV, well, this is one movie that will give LCD TVs in particular nightmares. The film is generally very dark, it is grainy, and if your new TV with local dimming suffers from bloom you’ll see it in Aliens. Alternatively, its just a gorgeous movie to watch on an OLED, with all that shiny black alien skin and grimdark retro-futuristic technology and phosphorescent screens.
Aliens
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James Cameron’s powerful follow-up to Ridley Scott’s Alien is arguably the best film in the franchise.
Blade Runner 2049
Yes, I know it’s sci-fi geek blasphemy, but I don’t actually like the original Blade Runner film much. Apart from that ear-rending Vangelis soundtrack, I have yet to see a cut of that movie (and there are many) that doesn’t have pacing problems. Nonetheless, you can’t argue with the aesthetic of Blade Runner and how influential it’s been on the cyberpunk genre. Blade Runner 2049, on the other hand, is a movie I genuinely love and think surpasses the original in every way.
The plot and acting aside (which are great) Denis Villeneuve absolutely flexes the visuals in this film, with every frame a masterclass in lighting, composition, and detail. It goes from cold, brutalist environments, to neon cyberpunk cityscapes, to a warm orange post-apocalyptic desert. Never for a second in this film is there a visually boring moment, and that makes it pefect to see what your new TV can really do.
Blade Runner 2049
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Denis Villeneuve’s smashing follow up to cult-classic sci-fi film  Blade Runner is arguably better in every way than the original, while setting a new standard for the visual arts.
Dune
I’d never thought that Villeneuve could follow up Blade Runner 2049 with something even more visually stunning, but Dune takes what he started there and just runs with it to new heights. An adaptation of one of my favorite books, we go from the beatiful blue world of Caladan to the harsh sands of Dune, while being shown insanely detailed costuming, sets, and action set pieces that mix practical and CG effects in a seamless way.
Dune
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Denis Villeneuve finally adapts the classic novel into movie form. A visual masterpiece, and an excellent retelling of possible the greatest sci-fi story in history.
Dune is a landmark film, and even if you don’t care much about the source material, there’s no denying that it’s a fine technical benchmark for any display.
There are, of course, many honorable mentions. The Batman is a good substitute for Aliens, and you can never go wrong with The Matrix, but, of course, if we follow this particular white rabbit, we’ll be here all day.
