Welcome to the December 2025 edition of the Blu-ray Bounty! As we’re nearing the holidays, I’ll be looking at six new 4K discs that you can add to your now hopefully growing 4K collection, or give to Blu-ray-loving friends or family as gifts.
If this is your first time reading, you can check out previous editions of the Blu-ray Bounty here. In the November 2025 Blu-ray Bounty, we looked at six discs: The Mask, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, Edward Scissorhands, F1, Sunset Boulevard and Nobody 2.
As always, I won’t be reviewing the movie itself, just the quality of the disc’s picture and sound.
Catch Me If You Can
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Based on the book of the same name, Catch Me If You Can follows the story of Frank Abagnale Jr (Leonardo DiCaprio), a man who commits fraudulent scams, posing as a pilot, a lawyer and a doctor, and is pursued by FBI investigator Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks).
Catch Me If You Can looks fantastic in 4K. The 1960s setting is perfect for showing bold colors in cars, buildings and clothing, and the film looks accurate to the time period throughout. Details such as the creases in clothing and uniforms, and skin, look crisp and authentic. Contrast is also solid, with deep-looking shadows. There’s a good level of film grain present, too.
The main audio soundtrack is a DTS-HD 5.1 mix that delivers clear speech and a perfectly rendered score. The intriguing, woodwind-heavy music has great detail and clarity. While there aren’t many sections to showcase a sound system, subtle effects sound accurate and precise, and if you have a good soundbar, you’ll be rewarded.
The Warriors (Paramount)
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The Warriors tells the story of a gang named The Warriors in 1970s New York City who must escape back to their Coney Island home after being framed for the murder of a revered gang leader while being pursued by other gangs and law enforcement. Michael Beck, James Remar and David Patrick Kelly are among its cast.
It’s worth noting that this 4K Blu-ray release of The Warriors is not the Arrow Video version released in 2023, but rather a restoration released by Paramount Pictures, the movie’s original distributor.
Visually, this 4K restoration is superb. The nighttime scenes have powerful contrast, with a good balance of deep blacks and bold highlights. Color is also brilliant, with the vibrant uniforms of the different gangs given plenty of punch in Dolby Vision HDR. Textures are clean and crisp, with skin in particular looking accurate. There’s a good retention of film grain here as well, which adds to the movie’s gritty tone.
The disc’s Dolby 5.1 soundtrack is well presented, with the soundtrack’s electro-funk-rock-laden songs delivered with clarity and power. Speech is clear throughout, and effects, such as the shuffling of feet as gang members run, are audible. Punches in various fight scenes have plenty of impact as well.
Heathers
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Heathers is a satirical dark comedy/thriller starring Winona Ryder and Christian Slater. It tells the story of Veronica (Ryder), whose high school life is turned upside down by the arrival of rebel J.D. (Slater), who is intent on wreaking havoc on the popular kids, including Veronica’s three friends, all of whom are named Heather.
Heathers looks great in 4K, with this Arrow Video restoration giving the movie a real uplift. There’s plenty of detail, with skin and facial features looking true-to-life. Colors are rich and bold throughout, with the Heathers’ outfits all looking vivid. Red especially pops on screen. Blacks are deep and contrast is strong throughout, and I was surprised by how much film grain was maintained. Cinephiles will be pleased.
There are three soundtrack options: DTS: HD MA 5.1, stereo 2.0 and the original mono 1.0. When playing the DTS: HD MA 5.1, speech is clear throughout and while there aren’t many scenes to show off a sound system, the score is detailed, and the occasional loud sound effects, like gunshots, have power.
Pee-wee’s Big Adventure
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In Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, the first feature film starring the character Pee-wee Herman (Paul Reubens), Pee-wee tries to recover his lost bike, travelling across America to do so. It is also Tim Burton’s feature-length directorial debut and the score is provided by regular Burton collaborator Danny Elfman.
The Criterion Collection’s 4K restoration of Pee-wee’s Big Adventure is excellent. As with other movies directed by Burton, the colors are bold and striking. Pee-wee’s red house and bike really pop on screen thanks to Dolby Vision HDR and the bright colors are maintained throughout. Blacks in night scenes look deep, contrast is strong, and detail is nicely maintained. The picture has been cleaned up beautifully, but with a good amount of film grain still present.
There are two soundtrack options: a DTS-HD 2.0 and DTS-HD 5.1 surround. Both sound clear throughout viewing, but the 5.1 mix unlocks well-placed sound effects such as blaring horns from passing cars and the bell of Pee-wee’s bike as he rides past groups in the park. Elfman’s score is well-balanced throughout. This isn’t a showcase disc for sound, but like the picture, it’s well rendered.
His Girl Friday
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His Girl Friday is a comedy starring Cary Grant as newspaper editor Walter Burns, who is about to lose his star reporter and ex-wife Hildy Johnson (Rosalind Russell) after she becomes engaged to another man. Burns suggests they cover one more story together, and they end up tangling with a murderer, Earl Williams.
The Criterion Collection’s restoration of His Girl Friday looks very good. The movie’s black and white picture has strong contrast with rich blacks, bright whites and a wide range of gray tones. Detail is well-maintained, with skin that looks true to life and authentic creases in outfits. There is more film grain retained here than I’ve seen on some other discs, but it doesn’t take away from the experience. In fact, cinephiles will be very pleased with how this disc looks.
This 4K disc only has a mono soundtrack option. While there isn’t a great deal to talk about here, dialogue has been nicely restored and is consistently clear throughout the movie. Sound effects, such as ringing phones or the shuffling of cards at a poker game, are accurately rendered and clear as well.
I Know Where I’m Going!
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I Know Where I’m Going! is a romantic comedy starring Wendy Hiller as Joan Webster, a young woman who leaves her life in Manchester to marry a wealthy industrialist in Scotland, but begins to fall for a navy officer named Torquil MacNeil (played by Roger Livesey).
Another The Criterion Collection restoration, I Know Where I’m Going! looks great in 4K. Detail has been well maintained and contrast is solid throughout, particularly in darker scenes where lamps cast large shadows. There’s a great balance between black and white tones, with a nice range of grays in between. Exterior shots of the Scottish Highlands and the sea have solid detail as well. While not quite as visually striking or detailed as some other black and white movies I’ve evaluated on disc, it’s still a great restoration.
There is only a mono soundtrack present, so while it may not show off your home theater system, the soundtrack itself has been well restored. Dialogue is clear throughout, and while there’s no real separation between speech and effects, such as wind and rain during storm scenes, the effects sound clear as well. Bagpipes in several scenes are also delivered with plenty of clarity.
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james.davidson@futurenet.com (James Davidson)
