Another year has been and gone with startling speed, and countless AV products have passed through our test room. That means we have had to put them through their paces with a whole host of different test discs, from action-packed blockbusters to slower indie releases.
We've been documenting the discs that have been used the most each month through our 'Now Showing' column, but which ones stuck out the most to our team of experts as the best ones of the year?
Civil War
While in some ways I’m a little bored with writing about Alex Garland’s Civil War, not to do so in an end of year wrap-up would be sacrilege, given how much we’ve used it for testing in 2025.
This relatively little-known move from last year is highly unusual in its presentation. While the subject matter and events are exceptionally gritty, concerning as they do a bloody modern-day civil war in the US, the picture is beautifully crisp, bright and vibrant.
It looks fabulous from a good TV or projector, then, but it’s also packed with challenging scenes, from the super high-contrast forest fire to the nighttime attack on Washington DC and the daylight mustering of the Western Forces.
This is a movie that tests every aspect of your display device’s performance – and it’s great for audio, too, with that Washington DC scene in particular exercising your sound system’s ability to fill your room with the sounds of battle, place effects accurately within the soundstage, and ensure voices are intelligible throughout.
On top of all of that, the movie itself is superb, never becoming boring even on the hundredth watch. No wonder it’s become such a firm fixture in our testing process.
Words by Tom Parsons
Buy Civil War on 4K Blu-ray at Amazon
28 Years Later
2025 was a great year for horror fans, such as myself. For starters, we had Weapons, one of the creepiest movies I’ve seen in quite some time, complete with a haunted house, evil old lady and possessed kids; it’s a dark, thrilling ride from start to finish. Then we had the thoughtful, emotive remake of Frankenstein from Guillermo del Toro, which is a visual feast from start to finish. But the one that sticks in my mind most is 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple.
Why? Well, for starters, it's a proper sequel to 28 Days Later, one of the most iconic zombie movies of its time that helped launch the career of lead man Cillian Murphy and put Danny Boyle on the map, both for his decision to shoot purely digitally and for his excellent cinematography. So it’s automatically got a place saved for it in my memory palace.
But second, and more importantly, it’s a fantastic film full of heart-stopping action sequences, tense stand-offs with the infected and an emotional narrative that had me all but in tears during one sequence with Ralph Fiennes towards the end of the film. Its use of surround sound is also one of the best I’ve seen this year, with you hearing and feeling the infected lurking in the shadows as much as you see them. The end result is a horror that has you constantly feeling on edge. There’s one scene, in particular, where a father and his son race across a river, fleeing from an infected hot on their heels that still sticks in my mind.
And that’s why it’s the highlight of 2025 for me and one of the few films from this year I continue to revisit, even when I’m not testing home cinema hardware. If you haven’t already, I’d strongly recommend giving it a watch.
Words by Alastair Stevenson
Buy 28 Years Later on 4K Blu-ray at HMV
Stream 28 Years Later on Apple TV
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
Even though it was only released at the tail end of the year, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery has quickly proved itself to be a worthy entry to the What Hi-Fi? disc rotation.
We have used both of the previous entries, Knives Out and Glass Onion, for picture and sound testing before so it's great to see the tradition continuing.
Like all good mysteries, the film kicks things off with a mysterious death. The murder in question is that of Josh Brolin's cantankerous priest, Monsignor Wickes, who is mysteriously slain in an empty church storage room during a service. All the signs point to young priest Jud, played by Josh O'Connor, but there is more to the story than meets the eye and Wickes' congregation know more than they are letting on.
Where the first Knives Out is set in the peak of autumn and the second takes place in dazzling sun, this film takes us to the depths of winter. Director Rian Johnson gives each frame an air of wintry gloom and suspense that lends the film a gothic overall feel.
It properly challenges a system's picture performance with its abundance of dark detail during the scenes shot in the church's beautiful interior. Much like Conclave, another great test disc, the use of religious garb also gives a system a run for its money with the textured red ceremonial robes set against the cold white church stone.
Stream Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery on Netflix
A Complete Unknown
The music biopic genre might be a tad oversaturated these days, but A Complete Unknown at least skips the lifetime overview for a focused look at the enigmatic Bob Dylan’s rise and controversial move to electric. While it could’ve perhaps gone further, it certainly doesn’t try to sugarcoat Bob’s early years, showing him strain relationships with long-term friends, lovers and fans alike as he makes a career move that in many ways will define him and the era.
It’s bolstered by a trio of Oscar-nominated performances by Timothée Chalamet, Edward Norton and Monica Barbaro, all of whom do their own singing. And it’s during some of these musical performances that the film really comes alive – and provides a perfect opportunity to show off your sound system. The recreations of the famous Newport Folk Festival are, of course, ideal demo scenes, showing impressive directionality as the camera moves through the crowds, allowing you to hear the claps, cheers and eventually, boos from every angle.
Musical films can sometimes be forgotten but are excellent choices for sound testing, and A Complete Unknown was one of the best of the year.
Words by Daniel Furn
Buy A Complete Unknown on 4K Blu-ray at Amazon
Stream A Complete Unknown on Apple TV
Thunderbolts*
Being a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) isn't as easy as it used to be. More often than not, I go to the cinema with a knot in my stomach, unsure of whether I'm about to be treated to a top-notch superhero flick in line with early entries in the franchise, or have to endure a dud akin to the likes of Thor: Love and Thunder or Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania.
Thankfully, Thunderbolts* is a case in which the former applies, which wasn't really what I was expecting. Marvel has taken a group of B-list anti-heroes from some of its middling offerings, such as Ant-Man and The Wasp and Falcon and The Winter Soldier (it's just occurred to me that those titles sound very similar), and mashed them together to make a team of morally dubious bounty hunters.
With that in mind, my expectations were fairly reserved. Thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised by this film in nearly every aspect. Seriously, it's fun, exciting, action-packed and even unexpectedly emotional. This film has enough heart to give the Guardians of the Galaxy a run for their money at times, and it's the most engaged I've been in the MCU in what feels like years.
It also happens to look and sound fantastic, which is why I've relied on it for a lot of audio testing this year. The soundtrack provided by Son Lux (who also scored Everything, Everywhere, All at Once) is superb, with unique percussion segments and triumphant crescendos providing unique dynamic shifts.
It's also one of the only recent Marvel movies that doesn't look totally artificial. The comic book brand (which is owned by Disney) made a big deal of shooting on location and hiring the cinematographer of the visually striking A24 flick The Green Knight, Andrew Droz Palermo, to make this film look good, and I can see why.
If you need to have your faith in Marvel restored, or you just want an action-packed blockbuster that delivers on being fun and emotional while also looking and sounding great, then you should certainly give Thunderbolts* a try.
Words by Lewis Empson
Buy Thunderbolts* on 4K Blu-ray at Amazon
Stream Thunderbolts* on Disney Plus
MORE:
Check out our picks for the best streaming services for movies and TV
As well as the best 4K Blu-ray players
And the best OLED TVs
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
