New Year, New Movies For Your Collection
Warner Bros. had a great slate of movies in 2025, from the wildly original Mickey 17, Sinners, and Weapons, to popular franchise titles Final Destination Bloodlines and The Conjuring: Last Rites. 2025 also saw the rebirth of Superman, and brought another videogame property to life with A Minecraft Movie. All hit home video by the end of the year, and what better way to start the new year than to add some (or all) of these movies to your home video library where you'll never have to worry about a favorite title suddenly vanishing from a streaming service.
Check out some brief thoughts on the 2025 4K releases, and consider shopping at the Hotchka affiliate of your choice. Every purchase made through an affiliate link helps support our work here.
Mickey 17 • Sinners • Final Destination Bloodlines • A Minecraft Movie • Superman • F1 • Weapons • The Conjuring: Last Rites
Mickey 17
Hotchka's Patrick Regal summed up the film as a perfect fit for director Bong Joon Ho's sensibilities, with fun performances from Robert Pattinson, Mark Ruffalo and Toni Colette, and inspirations from other classic films aplenty. While it may be a tad over-long, it does make the viewer ponder many questions about life, but only Mickey 17 can answer the most intriguing one -- 'What's it like to die?'
The stunning 4K presentation seamlessly blends CGI effects with practical elements, keeping details razor-sharp with no hint of where an effect ends and a real set begins. Darkness is a big part of the visuals, and the Dolby Vision presentation keeps the blacks nice and inky without any signs of crushing, no digital artifacts, no noise, giving the home viewer as close to a theatrical experience as one can get. The Dolby Atmos audio is also terrific, balancing dialogue and front-field sound effects expertly, while also giving directionality to some of the dialogue as characters move about the scene. The surrounds are also well used, and the height channels kick in for some battle scenes. This is definitely reference material. With a 100 GB disk giving plenty of room for the film's visuals to breath, there is also room for several extras including Behind the Lens: Bong Joon Ho's Mickey 17 (11:35), Mickey 17: A World Reimagined (9:47), The Faces of Niflheim (8:03), and two trailers (4:44 total). If you're a fan of the director, whose films include Snowpiercer, Okja and Parasite, or any of the stars, this may not be the perfect movie but it is a perfect home video presentation that any cinephile would want in their collection.
Ryan Coogler's Sinners is one of the most original and stimulating films of the year, setting the cinema world on fire with its ferocious originality ... which is a major achievement in a time when studios are looking more at focusing on sequels, prequels and movies based on already familiar properties. Just before the movie was released, even Warner execs stated they would go that route instead of nurturing more original product and then they struck critical and commercial gold with Sinners, Weapons and One Battle After Another, proving audiences will show up if the creators are given the time and money to nurture their films without studio 'notes' to get in the way of their vision. The story seems fairly straightforward coming into it, a tale of twin brothers who left their small Southern town for the big city of Chicago, returning under what may be dubious circumstances (possibly having stolen from their mob boss employer), looking to set up their own juke joint with the possibly/probably ill-gotten gains. But things take a turn when the town comes under attack by ... Irish vampires. Now that's a twist no one saw coming but it works in every way. Michael B. Jordan gives two remarkable performances as the twin brothers, and Jack O'Connell makes for a very seductive and dangerous enemy. Add in some brilliant work from a cast that includes Hailee Steinfeld, Delroy Lindo and Wunmi Mosaku, plus a star-making debut by Miles Caton, and Coogler's stunning use of the IMAX format for key scenes which literally take you breath away, Sinners is a movie that should be on everyone's Must See list.
The 4K/HDR10/Dolby Vision presentation, with its shifting aspect ratios, makes this the must-have disc of the year. The details, the desaturated colors, the red blood, the deep shadows all make this a thrilling visual experience, rendering the 4K experience as close to the theatrical experience one can get with a home set-up (and it may be the film to spur people into upgrading their current home video experience). The Dolby Atmos soundtrack runs the gamut from quiet to totally immersive, particularly during the visually and sonically trippy musical number at the juke joint, combining visual and audio elements to great effect. This is a movie you will want to crank the volume to 11 ... but be mindful of your neighbors! The disc also includes a nice collection of extras including Dancing with the Devil: The Making of Sinners (32:29), Blues in the Night: The Music of Sinners (13:47), Thicker than Blood: Becoming the Smokestack Twins (10:47), Spirits in the Deep South (8:00), The Wages of Sin: The Creature Effects of Sinners (10:53), and Deleted Scenes (7 clips, 18:32 total). Sadly there is no commentary, but this collection does a nice job at taking cinephiles behind the scenes. Coogler's mix of Southern drama and supernatural horror, set to an amazing soundtrack of unforgettable music, makes Sinners the must-see movie of the year, and a must-have disc for your collection.
As we've seen in the previous five Final Destination movies, you can't cheat death -- unless you're really, really clever -- and while the fifth movie brought the franchise full circle, literally, this new entry expands on the premise by focusing on a single family, a girl haunted by a recurring nightmare, and how that nightmare connects her entire 'bloodline' to a disaster that happened almost sixty years earlier. Of course, convincing others that Death is stalking them isn't easy, and as happen in a FD film, they learn the hard way that she isn't as crazy as they think she is. If you haven't seen any FD movies, that's fine as this one sits just on the outskirts of the mythology that encompassed those movies, but ... there are Easter eggs for the fans and, most importantly, the final appearance by Tony Todd as William Bludworth, expert on the forces of Death (he is a coronor, mortician and owner of a funeral home so he knows his stuff), who appeared the first two and fifth films in the series. Sadly, Todd died before the film's release, but he was encouraged to write Bludworth's final monologue as if he were giving words of advice to the fans. There could not have been a more fitting tribute or send off.
The theatrical experience already came with a 4K Digital Intermediate, so the transfer to the home media format is going to replicate that experience pretty much as it was seen on the big screen. The movie's opening disaster ranks up there with the second film's the log truck disaster and the fifth's bridge collapse, and the 4K resolution keeps all of the fine detail, textures and colors vibrantly sharp, adding some grisly pleasure to the film's many and very creative deaths. There may be a few dodgy effects, and some minor black crush in some dark scenes but those are rare and do not dampen the generally excellent quality of the presentation. The Dolby Atmos for this one is very active, putting the surrounds and overhead channels to great use, totally immersing you in the mayhem, while other scenes are fairly quiet, the front channel and some light background ambiance doing the work. It's an excellent mix that gives you time to relax before everything kicks back into action. The 4K disc comes with a few extras (WB seems to have done away with the 4K/Blu-ray combos now that 100 GB discs are available) including -- gasp! -- and audio commentary from directors Adam Stein and Zach Lipovsky (once a staple on home video releases, commentaries on new releases have become increasingly rare), Death Becomes Them: On the Set of Final Destination Bloodlines (6:11), The Many Deaths of Bloodlines (7:26), and The Legacy of Bludworth (5:24).
Final Destination Bloodlines is both a reboot and an accessible first view for anyone not familiar with the franchise -- it's also the most financially successful of the six films -- but if you like these horror movies that creatively kill off its characters and keep you guessing, for the most part, as to how they're going to die -- although sometimes the rules get a little bent for plot reasons -- it's an enjoyable ride and the 4K Dolby Vision/Atmos presentation is nearly flawless.
A Minecraft Movie
A Minecraft Movie 4K disc includes an HDR10/Dolby Vision presentation with a Dolby Atmos audio track (which defaults to Dolby TrueHD 7.1 for those without an Atmos set-up). Extras on the single disc include Building the World of Minecraft: Block Party (14:18), Creepers, Zombies and Endermen Oh My! (13:17), A Minecraft Movie: Pixel Pals (13:56), A Minecraft Movie: Block Beats (9:05), and Marlene + Nitwit (5:12).
Superman
James Gunn's Superman seemed to please most audiences while also having its detractors. It may not have been the Christopher Reeve Superman, or even Henry Cavill's Man of Steel, but David Corenswet still did a nice job of making the character his own. Gunn made the right decision in foregoing the backstory of Kal-El/Clark Kent/Superman. If we don't know him by now, we never will. Hotchka's Patrick Regal noted in his review that the film is stuffed with characters you know ... and don't yet know, but perhaps almost requiring audiences to first watch the HBO Max animated series Creature Commandos to bring you up to speed on what is the first movie in the new DCU was a bit too much of an ask. There is also the issue of Lois Lane and Superman having only two real scenes together, and he's only Clark Kent in one scene. It's a very busy movie with a lot of plot devices for an introduction to this new world. Others have praised the CGI work for Krypto the Superdog, but debate whether he was necessary in this film (he will figure more into the Supergirl movie coming this year). Overall, though, it's mostly enjoyable and perhaps Gunn will be able to bring the storylines moving forward into focus a little better.
The 4K disc's Dolby Vision presentation is exemplary, demonstrating great restraint in not boosting everything to the max for home viewing. It's not overly bright or overly colorful, it looks natural, details are sharp with an almost 3D look to the image. The movie looked great on the large cinema screen, and it looks as close to that as one can get with the right home set-up, with no obvious video artifacts on display. The Dolby Atmos audio track is as robust as one would expect from a superhero movie, with ample subwoofer action and active surrounds, while even the more quiet moments still shine with dialogue clearly front and center. For general home viewing, the 4K disc is the way to go (and the Blu-ray is almost as good), and if you have a home theatre set-up, this is the 4K disc you will want to use to wow your friends.
The extras include a nearly one-hour behind-the scenes documentary, Adventures in the Making of Superman, Breaking News: The Daily Planet Returns (5:26), Lex Luthor: The Mind of a Master Villain (5:22), The Justice Gang (10:31), Paws to Pixels: Krypto is Born (5:48), The Ultimate Villain (5:08), Icons Forever: Superman's Enduring Legacy (6:07), A New Era: DC Takes Off (4:43), Kryptunes: The Music of Superman (6:34), and Krypto Short: School Bus Scuffle (5:33). There is also one additional bonus feature, but this one comes with a caveat -- the audio commentary track by director James Gunn is only available on the Digital Copy, which is a tad annoying. Surely there was enough room on the triple-layer disc to include an audio track (removing the lossy 5.1 Dolby Digital track would have been a plus). So if you want to see the movie in its best possible presentation but also listen to Gunn, you'll have to figure out a way to sync up your player and the stream. That being said, this one is a must-have for movie fans.
F1
The 4K HDR10/Dolby Vision presentation for F1 is said to look like a million bucks, while the very active Dolby Atmos soundtrack delivers from start to finish. The disc also includes a number of extras, none of which run longer that six-and-a-half minutes save for one. These include Inside the F1 The Movie Table Read (5:10), The Anatomy of a Crash (6:28), Getting Up to Speed (5:02), APXGP Innovations (5:26), Making It to Silverstone (5:08), Lewis Hamilton: Producer (5:18), APXGP Sets and Locations Around the World (9:26), APXGP and F1: How It Was Filmed (5:45), and Sound of Speed (5:01).
Weapons
Hotchka's Brandon Benitez said in his review that Weapons totally delivers on the promise of Zach Cregger's previous film, Barbarian, calling it 'a genre-bending experience that hits every emotional note possible — horror, comedy, psychological drama, mystery, and even tragedy.' The film features excellent performances from the cast, including Josh Brolin, Julia Garner, Alden Ehrenreich and Benedict Wong, with a career-defining performance from Amy Madigan, a shoo-in for Best Supporting Actress nominations/wins this year. Cregger uses his camera and the score to keep you on the edge of your seat or put you in the middle of the chaos. The violence is graphic, disturbing and unforgettable, but always feels earned, never using gore for the sake of gore. Weapons is multi-layered with its themes and philosophical questions that stand up to repeat viewing, but also keeps you entertained from start to finish. Definitely one of the best films of the year.
Horror movies tend to lean to the dark side of the visual spectrum, and Warner's 4K/HDR10/Dolby Vision presentation does not let Cregger's visuals down in any way. Authored on a triple-layer disc, the image resists any crushing of blacks or evident digital compression. On the other hand, the daylight scenes stand out with vivid colors, from the greens of the forest to Aunt Gladys' colorful ensemble and make-up to her blazing red wig. All of the colors are vivid but never over-saturated. There is very little to complain about with this video presentation. The Dolby Atmos audio mix gets the job done, filling out the space when necessary and keeping the dialogue crisp and clear in the more quiet moments. Even with a 7.1 or 5.1 home set-up, the audio track will still provide a nice immersive atmosphere. Sadly there is no audio commentary, and the three bonus videos are brief, but they include Director Zach Cregger: Making Horror Personal (6:15), Weaponized: The Cast of Weapons (8:53), and Weapons: Texture of Terror (6:49). For a film as original as this, movie buffs would have expected much more information about what went into making the film. As it stands, though, this is still a movie any film fan and horror buff will want in their collection.
The Conjuring: Last Rites
The Conjuring: Last Rites may not be able to hold a candle to the first two films in the Conjuring franchise proper, but it does go a long way in trying to rebuild fan trust after many were disappointed by The Devil Made Me Do It (this viewer was not one of those who were disappointed, but that film was released in the middle of the COVID crisis, debuting both on HBO Max and in theaters that were open on the same day, perhaps diluting its potential). It still may not be perfect, and it clearly sets up a path moving forward for a new team of investigators with the Warrens perhaps consulting from the sidelines, but it is entertaining nonetheless.
The 4K/HDR10/Dolby Vision image gets the job done, retaining the inky blacks as seen on the big screen, with warm and cool colors rendered accurately. Note that this presentation also includes some enhanced IMAX scenes, which switches the aspect ratio of the image from a widescreen 2.39:1 to a full screen 1.78:1 mimicking the IMAX 1.90:1 format. The Dolby Atmos mix serves the material well, adding depth to the ambient sound effects and Benjamin Wallfisch's score. The downmixed version of the Atmos soundtrack also manages to deliver. For what is assumed to be the last film in the series to feature Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as Ed and Lorraine Warren, the bonus content is a bit sparse with just three items: Last Rites: An Era Ends (8:45); The Conjuring: Crafting Scenes (8:42), and Michael Chaves: Believer (7:05). Sadly there is no audio commentary -- it would have been nice to hear from the stars before they move away from the franchise. If you've followed the films and the off-shoots from the beginning, you will definitely want to add this disc to put a cap on this particular story.
Comments
Post a Comment