Just bought yourself a Blu-ray player? Finished GTA IV and looking to stretch the home cinema talents of your PlayStation 3? Then invest in one (or more) of the Blu-ray Discs in our Top 50, which celebrates the best that the HD format has to offer.
50 Return to House on Haunted Hill - Warner Home Entertainment, £27.99
We’re the first to admit this horror sequel isn’t a great film. But its interactive Choose Your Own Adventure-style viewing mode makes it sing as a modern-day Blu-ray marvel. There are 90 different permutations of the tale available to view including additional lesbian ghost sex!
49 28 Weeks Later - 20th Century Fox, £28.99
Due to its low budget origins, this impressive sequel isn’t the best-looking BD disc ever. However, it will leave you quaking with fear thanks to a dynamic and expansive DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix that drags you into the heart of the on-screen horror.
48 The Fountain - 20th Century Fox, £24.99
Director Darren Aronofsky's provocative tale of love across millennia was rendered almost unwatchable on DVD thanks to a muddied, indistinct transfer. Thankfully this sublime Blu-ray print easily makes amends, rendering the dreamlike visuals perfectly.
47 The Tudors: The Complete First Season - Sony Pictures, £34.99
This sex-fueled American TV drama about the early years of Henry VIII’s reign certainly benefits from this three-disc set’s gorgeous 1080p transfers. The verdant landscapes and detailed costumes look almost 3D and the copious flesh-tones are extremely well-rendered.
46 Closer - Sony Pictures, £17.99
Proof positive that hi-def isn’t just about explosive blockbusters... This challenging and involving tale of tortured love affairs looks simply spectacular on Blu-ray. And really, which red-blooded man wouldn’t want to watch Natalie Portman strip in 1080p?
45 Bram Stoker’s Dracula - Sony Pictures, £17.99
Even if it didn’t boast an impressive MPEG-4 transfer, there would still be plenty to recommend about Francis Ford Coppola’s take on the Dracula story. Not least the wonderful new extras including a commentary, four-part 72 minute documentary and 12 deleted scenes.
44 Kingdom of Heaven: Director’s Cut - 20th Century Fox, £28.99
This vastly improved re-edit of Ridley Scott’s historical drama contains some of the most epic battle scenes yet witnessed in hi-def. If they’d only kept the legions of extras from the four-disc DVD, this Blu-ray Disc would have been much higher up our list.
43 The Simpsons Movie - 20th Century Fox, £28.99
It's understandable that you might not expect much from a hi-def version of The Simpsons. But, thanks to a straight digital-to-digital transfer, this feature film outing for Homer and family never looks less than spectacular, while the DTS-HD MA mix is as light and bouncy as you'd expect from animated fare.
42 Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby - Sony Pictures, £24.99
One of the first discs to take advantage of the additional storage space offered up by dual-layer 50GB discs, the hilarious Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby made the most of it by ensuring that all of the many extra features are presented in 1080p, just like the film itself.
41 Ghost Rider: Extended Cut - Sony Pictures, £24.99
This camp comic-book spectacular roars into life on Blu-ray courtesy of a razor-sharp transfer that makes the most of the eye-popping special effects and the kind of dynamic uncompressed PCM 5.1 mix that will rattle the foundations of your house.
40 Rocky Balboa - MGM/20th Century Fox, £24.99
Sylvester Stallone's long-awaited return to the ring delivers a knock-out punch with its devastating combination of glossy (if stylised) MPEG-4 visuals and lossless audio that drag you right into the ring with the pugilists and guarantees you feel every blow that's landed.
39 Blood Diamond - Warner Home Video, £25.99
Part action thriller, part message movie, Blood Diamond is a gripping look at the cost of the diamond trade. The already impressive hi-def package is completed by the inclusion 47 short behind-the-scenes vignettes that didn't even appear on the two-disc DVD release.
38 Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior - Warner Home Entertainment, £25.99
You can keep your Braveheart and your Lethal Weapon, for our money Mel Gibson was never better than when he brought post-apocalyptic warrior Max Rockatansky to the big screen. In addition to a lovingly restored transfer, this hi-def disc also trumps the bare-bones DVD with a fascinating director's commentary.
37 The Searchers - Warner Home Video, £25.99
Over the years Warner Home Video has made a name for itself as a true master when it comes to restoring classic movies. One of the first to appear in hi-def is John Ford's epic western, which looks utterly breathtaking thanks to landscapes that look so 3D you'd think you could step right into the screen.
36 Starship Troopers - Walt Disney Home Entertainment, £26.99
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