Black Friday is officially over, and for some of you, that might mean you have bagged some top-notch TV and AV kit at a bargain price. But how can you put your new system through its paces? That's where we come in.
We spend hours every week testing a variety of different home cinema products to determine whether they are worth your hard-earned cash, and that means we get to watch a whole host of different TV shows and movies.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025)
It’s only taken three efforts this century, but Marvel’s first family finally have an outing worthy of their ground-breaking heritage.
We can put the bright and breezy adaptations from the 2000s behind us (the less said about 2015’s miserable effort the better), because First Steps feels like a tricky IP finding its feet. Charming, emotionally engaging and (reasonably) satisfying from a narrative perspective, it’s one of the finest offerings from Marvel’s patchy fifth phase.
Plus, it makes for a great test disc. First Steps’ beautifully realised retro-futuristic reality, which blends cosy 1960s aesthetics with charmingly chunky analogue tech, gives it a unique identity, one which pops with the gleam of chrome bumpers and the resplendent blues of our heroes’ charmingly domestic-looking suits.
Style-wise, First Steps is a sort of live action version of Pixar’s The Incredibles. Sounds pretty fantastic, right?
Buy The Fantastic Four: First Steps on 4K Blu-ray at HMV
Stream The Fantastic Four: First Steps on Disney Plus
Words by Harry McKerrell
Frankenstein (2025)
As someone whose formative years were spent reading and re-reading Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, it’s safe to assume I was quite invested in the release of Guillermo Del Toro’s take on the classic horror novel.
Luckily, it did not disappoint. Not only was the story beautifully crafted with Shelley's fingerprints remaining, but it’s a great film for testing that I can tell I’ll be coming back to again and again.
If you somehow do not know the film’s premise, let me fill you in. Victor Frankenstein (played by Oscar Isaac) becomes obsessed with creating life, and succeeds in building the Creature – a towering yet timid monster portrayed excellently by Jacob Elordi.
Like many of Guillermo del Toro's past releases, Frankenstein looks absolutely beautiful with a macabre fairy tale feel that does not shy away from the gory details of grave-digging or autopsies. Elordi’s take on the Creature is much closer to that portrayed in the novel, moving away from the moaning bolts-in-neck monster that became iconic in the 1931 adaptation.
It’s available to watch on Netflix now, complete with stunning visuals and an emotive score to match.
Stream Frankenstein on Netflix
Words by Robyn Quick
The Black Phone 2 (2025)
2025 has been a great year for horror fans. Over the past 11 months, we’ve been treated to Zach Cregger’s titillatingly creepy Weapons and Guillermo del Toro’s surprisingly tender and sympathetic take on Frankenstein (which as Robyn says higher up this list is amazing).
But this month I saw an under the radar hit at the cinema that has since become one of my favourite sequels in recent memory: Scott Derrickson’s Black Phone 2.
The original Black Phone, starring Ethan Hawke, was one of 2022’s cult hits, telling a creepy tale of survival from the perspective of a trapped child. And while the sequel takes things in a slightly different, borderline cliched, direction it strikes all the right notes for any horror fan.
Creepy haunted locale, isolated from help? Check. Worryingly convincing big bad you genuinely get the ick, hairs on the back sticking up on the back of your head chills from? Check. Wonderfully shot, dark cinematography that feels genuinely oppressive, complemented by decent surround sound full of “bump in the night” scares? Check.
And that’s why, while it likely won’t get the same fanfare as the films mentioned at the top of this entry, it’s still a thoroughly good film I’d recommend to any horror fan.
Buy The Black Phone 2 on 4K Blu-ray at HMV
Stream The Black Phone 2 on Amazon Prime Video
Words by Alastair Stevenson
Prey (2022)
After a few middling sequels (and an awful crossover series), Prey takes the Predator franchise back to basics and delivers the best instalment in decades.
Featuring a phenomenal breakout performance by Amber Midthunder, the prequel sees Comanche warrior Naru take on a primitive Predator in 1719. What we get is a surprisingly respectful depiction of Native American culture and a steady rise in tension before the final face-off – as well as the obligatory gruesome deaths…
While Prey was somewhat unceremoniously dumped on Disney Plus, we highly recommend watching on 4K Blu-ray if you’re able to. The film is full of sweeping vistas and wildlife shots that demand to be seen in the best possible format, and even some of the complex CGI, such as when the Predator’s invisibility gear kicks in, shows great detail.
The sequel has fared somewhat better for its release method – the well-reviewed Predator: Badlands is in cinemas now, with Prey director Dan Trachtenberg returning. We’d be happy if he kept the keys for the entire franchise!
Words by Daniel Furn
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
Although I was certainly old enough to see Brad Pitt take on the role of Benjamin Button when this film was released in 2008, I’ve only recently gotten around to watching it. And maybe I should have done sooner, as it’s an enjoyable watch, with plenty of endearing moments and characters.
An adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's short story from 1922, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button follows the life of a New Orleans native that raises more than just a few eyebrows after being born an 80-year-old man/baby in 1918 but then ageing in reverse.
I won’t go into specifics as no one appreciates spoilers, but along Button’s journey there are some epic, visually stunning moments, the kind that make me wish I had taken the time to watch this film in the cinema all those years ago, with the benefit of their huge screens and high-quality sound systems. Sadly, I had to settle for watching them on a 40-inch TV with no soundbar. Were they still good? Yes. But could they have been better? Absolutely!
So, if you have a system that improves on the one I just described, even just marginally, the epic moments in this film are a great way to give it a good test drive and appreciate them in a way that I simply wasn’t able to.
Stream The Curious Case of Benjamin Button on Apple TV
Words by James Cook
Shrinking (2023 – )
Apple TV's therapist-based drama/comedy caught me seriously off guard. I'd heard good things about it for quite some time, so once I'd finished the gruesome (and ultimately disappointing) Alien: Earth, I decided to use it as a palette cleanser.
And it worked a treat. This show has an incredible ability to make you chuckle one moment and tear up the next, thanks to its nuanced handling of the challenging theme of grief in every facet. It does so in an almost conversational way; never condescending but instead thought-provoking and witty.
It's hard not to crack a smile at the often awkward character interactions, and while it's a little cheesy and synthetic in places (everyone seems to own some very swanky houses in a posh area of California and attend work whenever they please), it's also got a lot of heart.
It's bolstered by a handful of excellent performances by Jason Segel (who also created and wrote the show), Jessica Williams (who is masterful at delivering quippy one-liners), and the one and only Harrison Ford, who completely sheds his Han Solo swagger and swashbuckling Indiana Jones persona for a much more vulnerable, yet still charmingly snarky character.
The first two seasons are available to stream in Dolby Vision on Apple TV (formerly Apple TV+) now, with a third season coming early next year. If you need a pick-me-up show that can make you laugh and cry, then Shrinking is the show for you.
Words by Lewis Epson
Assault On Precinct 13 (1976)
![ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 [Official Trailer - AGFA] - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/SmuM704bMjM/maxresdefault.jpg)
This is worth it for the theme tune alone. It was inspired by Howard Hawks' Rio Bravo, and it wears its Western genre influences on its sleeve.
The plot involves an LA gang called Street Thunder seeking revenge on the police for killing some of their members. The police find themselves under siege in a a station that was set to be decommissioned, and hence is understaffed and under-resourced (so what else is new?).
The police's various attempt to call for back up are thwarted ahead of a final standoff with the gang. No spoilers, but it doesn't end well.
Since release, Assault On Precinct 13 has attracted a cult following, and with good cause. It's a brutal, bloody thriller, and a prime example of the genre in an age when Hollywood was following out of love with cowboys in favour of cops and robbers instead.
Typically for director John Carpenter, it's bleak and bloody, painting modern LA in dystopian colours – there's no one in the surrounding neighbourhood to hear the gunshots because all the housing is set to be demolished. And the score – by Carpenter himself – absolutely kicks.
A 4K remaster has been shown in cinemas, but we're still awaiting a home release. Come on, don't make us cause a siege to make it happen...
Stream Assault On Precinct 13 for free on ITVX
Words by Joe Svetlik
To test out the latest TV and AV kit, we watch a whole lot of movies. There are tried and tested favourites that we come back to often, but we always try to mix it up with new entries.
We also know that you at home may well be on the hunt for some top-notch discs to put your home cinema system to the test. This is where 'Now Showing' comes in, as we give you a monthly run-down of what TV shows and movies we can't get out of our heads.
It could be a film that has an incredible score to challenge your TV's sound system, or a TV show with lots of dark scenes to see how nuanced a projector's picture can be.
As always, we want to hear from you as well! If there are any films you think would make a good test disc, drop them in the comments below.
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