The Top 15 Best Criterion Blu-Rays Ever Released

The Criterion Collection is a boutique brand of Blu-rays and DVDs, with its ever-growing library of titles. There are plenty of films to choose from, varying in genre, decade, and cultural significance. So, here are the top 15 Criterion Blu-Rays released.

15. 12 Angry Men

This 1957 film, directed by Sidney Lumet, is often considered the best courtroom drama ever made. 12 Angry Men offers a look behind closed doors after the arguments have been made. The film is shot and takes place in a single location, with the ensemble cast never once leaving the deliberation room. Lumet’s direction makes this film’s runtime fly by, and the incredibly talented cast helps to make each argument compelling as 12 men determine the fate of a Puerto Rican teenager accused of murder. With an excellent HD transfer of the film and rare archived interviews with director Sidney Lumet, this Criterion Blu-Ray is an essential piece of cinema.

14. 8 ½

Marcello Mastroianni plays Guido Anselmi in the film 8½, and it centers around Guido’s film production and how it is slowly falling apart. Some of the best movies made have been about making movies, and 8½ is no exception. Made by the influential and incredibly talented Federico Fellini, 8½ perfectly conveys an artist’s struggles and how closely one creative’s life can be tied to a project, with his personal life and project simultaneously falling apart. The Criterion Edition of this film also includes Fellini: A Director’s Notebook, a rarely seen pseudo-documentary about Fellini and his work that makes this Blu-Ray an incredibly alluring grab.

13. Barry Lyndon

Stanley Kubrick is an iconic director known for his intense attention to detail. Never has it been more on display than in the historical accuracy of Barry Lyndon. This 1975 film is a sprawling historical epic that chronicles the titular character’s journey from poverty to war to high society in the 18th Century. Perhaps the most well-known and famous aspect of this film is the all-natural lighting of the film, an incredibly difficult feat that was done in the name of accuracy. The 4K digital restoration of this film, as well as all-new documentaries and featurettes that go into great detail… well, Stanley Kubrick’s great detail.

12. Brief Encounter

Based on Noël Coward’s play Still Life, Brief Encounter is all about a love affair that is fated to end poorly. A chance encounter akin to something like Richard Linklater’s Before Sunrise (also available on Criterion), actors Trevor Howard and Celia Johnson are absolutely phenomenal in this heart-wrenching and endearing film. Featuring a short documentary about the making of the film and audio commentary from a film historian for the film, this Brief Encounter Criterion Blu-Ray is another must-have.

11. Don’t Look Back

This Criterion Blu-Ray features director D. A. Pennebaker’s revolutionary documentary, which offers an intimate look at Bob Dylan during a 1965 tour the famous artist was on in England. Viewers will practically feel like a fly on the wall as they watch Dylan get into debates with journalists, get surrounded by manic fans, and converse and hang out with fellow artists. The restored 4K digital transfer of the film features short films from the same director, an alternate opening, and unreleased Dylan recordings for the film. Don’t Look Back is a perfect companion piece to the upcoming Timothee Chalamet Biopic pic on the artist directed by James Mangold.

10. Eraserhead

David Lynch is an interesting director, to say the least. His unorthodox viewpoint and how he tells his stories have confounded and intrigued viewers for decades. If you want to see how it all started, look no further than the Criterion Blu-Ray for Eraserhead. The 1977 debut feature is hard to describe plot-wise, and that’s pretty much all I can say about this black-and-white shot film whose surreal visuals, frightening practical effects, and an odd leading performance from Jack Nance. The Criterion comes with a documentary also directed by Lynch on the making of Eraserhead, and the director-approved restoration of the film would be an excellent addition to a physical media collection.

9. Ikiru

Akira Kurosawa is more well-known for his Samurai epics (more on that later in the list) than his intimate and smaller-scale works. However, his 1952 film Ikiru tells the tragic story of a man with little time left to live who decides to make the most of it. Ikiru is structured in two parts, before and after the lead character’s death, Kanji Watanabe. It’s the director’s most human film, and the Criterion Blu-Ray has stunning and in-depth documentaries on both Ikiru and Kurosawa that feature insightful interviews from the director.

Related: 10 Best Tim Burton Movies, Ranked

8. John Cassavetes Boxset

John Cassavetes has often been touted as the biggest proponent of independent film, and this boxset is a shining example of that. Each film in this box set, Shadows, Faces, A Woman Under the Influence, The Killing of a Chinese Bookie, and Opening Night, are all directed by Cassavetes and made without any studio interference. Self-financed and with a clear vision, Cassavetes paved the way for future filmmakers to follow in his footsteps, and every film in this boxset is a shining accomplishment that serves as a prelude to the independent film scene that is still as active today.

7. Raging Bull

Martin Scorsese is a director who needs no introduction. Even the most casual movie watchers are aware of this director and his knack for style, especially when it comes to gangster films. With Raging Bull, viewers get to experience Scorsese in his earlier years with one of his most iconic and frequent collaborators, Robert De Niro, in an Oscar-winning turn as boxer Jake La Motta. Joe Pesci and Cathy Moriarty are also featured in this visceral picture, now newly released in 4K Criterion Blu-Ray (supervised by Scorsese himself) with three different audio commentaries and archived television interviews. This Criterion is a must-have for any fan of film.

6. Seven Samurai

Seven Samurai is perhaps Akira Kurosawa’s most well-known film. This three-hour-long epic tells the story of a village in 16th-century Japan that hires a group of warriors to protect them from bandits. Don’t let the simple premise fool you — Seven Samurai is ambitious, wildly entertaining, and surprisingly thoughtful in the presentation of its characters and their motivations. Toshiro Mifune and Takashi Shimura are just two of many legendary actors in this film that help to make it even more fantastical and have its emotional beats hit just as hard. The supplements for this feature include an in-depth conversation with Akira Kurosawa, a making-of documentary, and two audio commentaries that make this one of the best Criterion Blu-Rays ever released.

5. Tampopo

Coined as a “ramen western” in the description on the back of the Criterion Blu-Ray, Tampopo is a sensual and extraordinary film from director Juzo Itami. The film explores food culture through a wholly unique angle as a group of culinary enthusiasts meet and usher the Widow of a Noodle Shop Owner on a journey for the most perfect recipe. The supplements on this Criterion display the lengths the company will go to for a unique viewing experience, featuring interviews with ramen scholars, a 90-minute making-of documentary, and whole new English subtitles that make this Blu-ray an essential purchase.

4. Gregg Araki’s Teen Apocalypse Trilogy

Containing the three films Totally ****ed Up, The Doom Generation, and Nowhere, the Gregg Araki’s Teen Apocalypse Trilogy Criterion Blu-ray boxset is nothing but chaos in the best way possible. The independent films of the 1990s were already pushing the boundaries of what movies could be, and these three films are a testament to that. The boxset captures teen angst and lesser-shown aspects of Los Angeles. The boxset comes with plenty of commentaries and a new Q&A with Gregg Arakai and is undoubtedly an impressive 4K Blu-Ray release.

3. The Red Shoes

The Red Shoes has just recently received a 4K UHD Blu-Ray upgrade from Criterion, making it the perfect time to purchase this film. The Red Shoes is a technicolor masterpiece from beginning to end, thanks to its unmatched production design, cinematography, and beautiful performances from its cast. The supplements for the film feature an insightful look into the remastering process, audio commentary from 1994 featuring the cinematographer and composer, and interviews with those who made the film. Overall, it is a must-see and a must-buy for any film fan.

2. The Umbrellas of Cherbourg

Jacques Demy’s heartfelt musical features a star-making performance from Catherine Deneuve that conveys the emotions and struggles of its central characters through achingly beautiful songs. The whirlwind romance at the center of The Umbrellas of Cherbourg is perfectly encapsulated by the somewhat frenetic and fast pacing of the film, and the included documentary about the making of the film, along with interviews with Catherine Deneuve, make this Criterion Blu-Ray a worthy purchase.

1. Yi Yi

Directed by Edward Yang, this mesmerizing look into a Taiwanese family’s life over one year is essential viewing. The film’s ability to capture the most intimate or even sometimes mundane moments of the family at the center of the film is very impressive, and the Criterion Blu-Ray featuring an audio commentary track from the now-deceased director makes this DVD even more special than it already is. Yi Yi is another easily justifiable purchase due to the movie’s significance alone.

And those are the top 15 Criterion Blu-Rays ever released.