Welcome to the June edition of the Blu-ray Bounty, where we review some of the best 4K Blu-rays released each month that could make for a great addition to your collection. This month, we’re looking at three new titles.
If this is your first time reading, welcome! We’ve been looking at some of the best 4K Blu-ray releases since November 2024, and you can find previous editions of the Blu-ray Bounty here.
4K Blu-ray is one of the best ways you can experience movies. At TechRadar, we used them to test the best 4K Blu-ray players, the best TVs and the best soundbars, but some of us are also 4K disc collectors ourselves!
For this edition of the Blu-ray Bounty, we’re using a different setup from our usual. The big news is we’ve retired our reference Panasonic MZ1500 OLED TV (thank you for your service) and replaced it with the LG G5, one of the best OLED TVs of 2025. And for one month only, we’ve subbed in the Sony UBP-X800M2 4K Blu-ray player for our trusty Panasonic DP-UB820. The soundbar remains the Samsung HW-Q990C.
As usual, I won’t be reviewing the movies themselves, but the visual and audio quality of the discs to judge whether they’re worth adding to your collection.
Last month, in May 2025’s edition, I looked at Nosferatu, Tombstone and Anora, so be sure to check out what I thought of those discs.
Kingdom of Heaven (2005)
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Kingdom of Heaven, directed by Ridley Scott, is a fictionalised version of the events leading to the Third Crusade of Jerusalem, focusing on the protagonist Bailan of Ibelin (Orlando Bloom). It features an all-star cast including Liam Neeson, Edward Norton, David Thewlis, Jeremy Irons and Eva Green, to name a few. This 4K Blu-ray is the extended director’s cut, featuring an extra 45 minutes of footage compared to the theatrical cut.
Kingdom of Heaven is visually stunning in 4K. There are inky, rich black levels throughout and excellent contrast in shots where flames cut through shadowed areas. Textures are ultra-realistic, with weathered faces and weapons appearing truly lifelike.
Colors in furnishings, flags and elaborate garments are all given a vibrant boost by Dolby Vision HDR, with the reds of the cross and gold in jewellery and on edges of clothing in particular displayed with a dynamic punch.
Kingdom of Heaven features plenty of scenes with galloping horses, and the thunderous soundtrack will allow any subwoofer to show off its power. Speech is crystal clear throughout, and the score is well balanced with all other effects. The Dolby Atmos soundtrack’s surround effects are mostly utilized in battle scenes, where clashing swords, soaring arrows and shouting voices seem to come from all around when fed through a surround sound system.
The Taking of Pelham 123 (1974)
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The Taking of Pelham 123 (1974)
A classic American crime drama, The Taking of Pelham 123 follows a group of criminals led by Mr. Blue (Robert Shaw), who take an entire subway car hostage and demand ransom money. Transit cop Lt. Zachary Garber (Walter Matthau) must lead the negotiations in this tense thriller.
This 4K restoration from Arrow Video really gives textures and details an uplift. The colors of 1970s New York, such as yellow cabs, blue police cars and Garber’s gloriously ugly shirt, also benefit from a Dolby Vision HDR presentation that adds a vibrant yet natural look. Black levels are deep during subway scenes, and the picture’s strong contrast lets lights cut through the dark areas.
Arrow’s disc has two soundtrack options: mono and 5.1. The mono soundtrack is clear enough, though voices felt a bit quiet, and I had to crank up the volume. The 5.1 soundtrack, however, is clearer and delivers heavier bass (like the rumbling of the subway car). It also captures the busyness of New York City, with accurately placed voices and surround effects.
The Monkey (2025)
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The Monkey is a dark comedy/horror about a toy monkey that brings misfortune to a family, usually with over-the-top, gory deaths. Adapted from a Stephen King story, it stars Theo James as twin brothers Hal and Bill, and also features Elijah Wood, Adam Scott and Tatiana Maslany.
The Monkey on 4K Blu-ray has Dolby Vision HDR, which brings out rich black levels and strong contrast, particularly in nighttime scenes with neon signs at a budget motel. Though used sparingly, colors are vibrant and bold. Unsurprisingly, it’s the bright red of blood that benefits from the disc’s vivid HDR punch.
The disc’s DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack doesn’t flex its muscles fully, but it makes the eerie score sound spine-chilling enough, and creates an all-encompassing, immersive feel (get used to hearing Beside the Seaside). Plus, there’s plenty of bass impact during some of the kill scenes, and dialogue is front and center throughout. The soundtrack isn’t a technical masterpiece, but it’s just right for nighttime horror.
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james.davidson@futurenet.com (James Davidson)
