Welcome to the November 2025 edition of the Blu-ray Bounty. This is an exciting edition as it’s the 1st anniversary of the Blu-ray Bounty (time flies!). We’ve reviewed some superb 4K discs over the past twelve months, and I’ve got 6 new discs to add to the growing lineup.
If this is your first time here, you can check out previous editions of the Blu-ray Bounty here. In last month’s roundup, October 2025, I looked at 5 discs: The Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, The Sound of Music, Jurassic Park: Rebirth and Dead of Night (1945).
4K Blu-ray plays an important role in testing here at TechRadar, as it’s one of our primary sources for testing the best TVs and best soundbars due to its superior bitrate for video compared to 4K streaming and uncompressed audio. Not only that, but many of us here are 4K Blu-ray fans and collectors ourselves.
As usual, I won’t be reviewing the movies themselves, but will just be commenting on the video and audio quality of each disc.
The Mask
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One of the first movies that led to Jim Carrey’s rise to superstardom, The Mask is a classic ’90s comedy/comic book movie. It tells the story of a bank teller named Stanley Ipkiss (Carrey) who finds an enchanted mask that turns him into a super-powered troublemaker when he wears it. The movie also marked the acting debut of Cameron Diaz.
This 4K restoration from Arrow Video looks visually stunning. Textures have cleaned up, giving them a crisp, detailed look. Creases in clothing, people’s faces and skin, and even the surroundings look great. Contrast in darker scenes is strong and blacks are deep. For cinephiles, there’s still a nice amount of film grain present.
But, where the disc shines is in its color reproduction. The iconic yellow of The Mask’s suit is wonderfully bright and punchy without looking oversaturated. The neon of the Coco Bongo nightclub is vivid, and if you have a TV with high peak brightness, these neon highlights really pop on screen, especially with Dolby Vision.
There are several soundtrack options, including Dolby Atmos and 5.1-channel. The 5.1 version has a much warmer sound with a focus on bass, as evident in the musical sections. The Atmos soundtrack is much brighter but also creates a wider soundstage, with accurate sound placement: every wacky cartoon sound effect as The Mask spins around like a tornado is mapped with precision. Speech is clear throughout, and there’s a great balance between surround effects and front channels.
One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest
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One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest is a the story of a criminal named Randle McMurphy (Jack Nicholson) who feigns mental illness to escape normal prison time and finds himself put in a mental institution. Here, he befriends the other patients and rebels against Nurse Ratched, the lead orderly. A multiple Academy Award-winning movie, this 4K version was restored by the Academy itself.
Visually, this 4K disc has breathed new life into the movie. Textures are crisp with newly refined detail, with clothing and the stubble on McMurphy’s face looking true-to-life. Blacks are rich and contrast is powerful during night scenes, with a great level of shadow detail. Colors are used sparingly throughout the movie, but any colors present such as green grass or the blue of the patient’s uniform looks authentic.
The 4K disc has a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio soundtrack and while there aren’t many scenes to show it off, speech is always clear and subtle sound effects are effectively placed during quieter moments.
Edward Scissorhands
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Edward Scissorhands, one of director Tim Burton’s most notable movies, stars Johnny Depp as the titular character, and tells the story of an artificial human who has blades for hands. He is taken in by a suburban family and falls in love with their daughter Kim (Winona Ryder).
This 4K disc of Edward Scissorhands looks fantastic. Color reproduction is one of its biggest strengths, with the gaudy, eye-popping colors of the suburban houses and people’s clothing really jumping from the screen. Greens, pinks, purples – every color is vibrant and bold, especially when watched in Dolby Vision. But, there’s also an excellent balance: colors not only look vivid, but natural too.
Elsewhere, blacks are deep, whether it’s Edward’s suit or the dark walls of the mansion. Contrast, as seen during night scenes, and between the black of Edward’s suit and the white of the snow, is strong throughout. Textures have been upscaled and appear clean and crisp.
The 4K disc’s Dolby Atmos soundtrack is punchy and immersive. Danny Elfman’s unmistakable score, with twinkling bells, raucous upbeat horns and delicate strings, is delivered with real clarity. More subtle effects, such as the clicking of Edward’s scissors, are also refined and accurately placed in the soundtrack’s wide soundstage.
F1
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A movie centered around the world of Formula 1 racing, F1 follows Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt), an aging driver brought in to help a struggling F1 team. The movie blends fiction with reality as real drivers, F1 crew, and teams are featured as the opposition to the fictional APXGP team.
Unsurprisingly, where F1 shines on 4K disc is its Dolby Atmos soundtrack. Sounds are mapped with real precision, and there’s plenty of power to show off your home theater’s subwoofer. The rumble of the F1 car’s engines, screeching tires and the sound of the wind whipping around the cockpit during POV sequences when Sonny is in the driver’s seat are all delivered with clarity and make for a dynamic viewing experience.
Visually, this is a clean 4K presentation. Textures are true-to-life, and close-up shots of drivers and the cars are detailed. The colors of the car’s livery and the driver’s uniform are bold and punchy while also looking accurate. The disc is also a great test for your TV’s motion handling capabilities, as there’s plenty of fast-paced action throughout with cars winding around the track.
Sunset Boulevard
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Sunset Boulevard is one of cinema’s most iconic movies. It tells the story of Joe Gillis (William Holden), a screenwriter who is drawn into the world of former silent film star Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson) as she plots a return to the screen.
This 4K restoration of Sunset Boulevard is brilliant. Textures have benefitted from a serious uplift, looking clean and refined, especially in skin, where you can see the wrinkles. The black and white picture has strong contrast, with a wide range of gray tones. Though the picture has been cleaned up, Cinephiles will be pleased with the amount of film grain that’s been maintained.
The movie features a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtrack and a remastered version of the original mono soundtrack. The 5.1 soundtrack delivers clear speech and has been expertly cleaned up. Gillis’ narration is well balanced with the movie’s score, where the strings create great tension and intrigue without being overbearing.
Nobody 2
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Nobody 2, starring Bob Odenkirk, is the sequel to Nobody. Following the events of the first movie, Hutch Mansell (Odenkirk) takes a vacation but finds himself caught up in more trouble with organized crime and corrupt local officials.
As you’d expect from an action movie like Nobody 2, the Dolby Atmos soundtrack is the highlight. Gunshots and punches have serious impact and will give your subwoofer a workout. Ricocheting bullets are tracked with real accuracy, creating dynamic movement. More subtle effects, such as reloading gun clips or breaking glass, sound refined and could be clearly heard in my system’s rear speakers.
Visually, this is another clean 4K presentation. The more colorful buildings and the backdrops of the lights of the funfair look bright and vivid, but also true-to-life. Close-up shots of people’s faces show great detail in wrinkles, stubble and scars, and contrast during darker scenes, such as the light from Mansell’s cigarette in the dark room or the lights of the carnival against the night sky, is strong. This is a solid 4K disc that will look good on most TVs.
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james.davidson@futurenet.com (James Davidson)
