The movies came back in 2022, after a lot of involuntary down time. And thankfully, no cases of COVID have been traced to movie theaters, which for the most part upgraded their ventilation systems for everyone’s safety. But many audiences remain wary, and miss the experience. For them, and others, it’s hard to go wrong with a holiday gift of movies, or a TV box set to binge-watch without ads. Here are a few of our favorites, as we offer you our last-minute 2022 holiday gift guide for movies and TV.
Star Trek: The Collection 4K UHD + Blu-ray + Digital Copy $88.57
Star Trek did an annoying double-dip by releasing a box set of just the first four movies last year, and now present all six original cast movies in 4K. But this is the one to get, featuring the newly remastered director’s edition of The Motion Picture, as well as director’s cuts of The Wrath of Khan and The Undiscovered Country. Resell your previous versions, or any redundant digital codes, to offset the cost, and make it an even better deal. Less than $15 apiece for these 4Ks is a great deal.
Batman: The Long Halloween DCU 4K Ultra HD 4K UHD
Deluxe, Deluxe Edition
$38.49
Possibly the best Batman animated movie since Mask of the Phantasm, The Long Halloween depicts Batman as comics fans know him best. Driven, staunchly virtuous, often discouraged, but determined to beat back the darkness as much as any one man can. Facing a whole host of classic villains and a mysterious serial killer during his early days under the cowl, this adventure makes a fine companion piece to The Batman, which may seem like the more obvious holiday gift. Previously sold in two parts, it’s finally viewable as a complete film.
Jurassic World Ultimate Collection – 4K Ultra HD Digital $59.99
Ten bucks a movie for the Jurassic saga is certainly not the worst idea in the history of bad ideas. Cynical adults may not like every movie in the set, but kids love dinosaurs, and will watch them no matter what the antics of the humans around them are. Follow the exploits of Ian Malcolm, Ellie Satler, and Alan Grant at the disastrous Jurassic Park, then join Owen Grady at the upgraded Jurassic World and its ramifications for the entire planet. Finally, see the two casts meet to try to shut down the operation before it causes environmental collapse. The story will probably continue, but two trilogies are complete in this set.
Westworld: The Complete Fourth Season (4K UHD/Blu-ray/Digital Code)
$49.99
With Westworld about to get unceremoniously yanked from the streaming service of the network that produced it, physical media might be the only place to watch season 4 for a while. Relish what we now know to be the final season, as the hosts remake the real world in even stranger ways.
Halo: Season One Limited Edition Steelbook
Limited Edition, 4K Steelbook Edition
$49.99
Hardcore gamers may not have loved the Halo series, but despite its rationing out of game-style battles (one every two episodes on average), it’s a fine sci-fi series. Pablo Schreiber brought the physicality to the role of Master Chief, the greatest soldier of the future with no memory of where he came from. Bonding and bickering with the AI Cortana (Jen Taylor) and falling for traitor Makee (Charlotte Murphy) complicated things, but the MC could righteously kick ass when required. With an emotionally cold protagonist and sterile-looking sets, the show may have felt a bit distant — but that aspect felt most like a video game.
Game of Thrones: The Complete Collection (4K UHD + Digital Copy) $124.99
Harp on the divisive ending if you will, but to coin an Internet cliche, the real Game of Thrones was the friends we made along the way. Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen, Tyrion Lannister, Jorah Mormont, Littlefinger, Brienne of Tarth, Hodor, even that little rat bastard Joffrey…they still bring smiles and scowls to the faces of fans who hung in there for eight seasons. Even when George R.R. Martin killed off and abused favorite characters just to prove he could. Why not enjoy the best version possible, from the beginning, with all the extra bells and whistles? In UHD, there’s even a chance more of the Battle of Winterfell will come into focus from the darkness.
Superman & Lois: The Complete Second Season
$21.69
For many fans, Tyler Hoechlin is the definitive live-action Superman, embodying the character’s optimism and hope. As a husband and father on this series, he offers a contrasting, more grounded vision that Zack Snyder’s more operatic take. But you don’t have to pick one — there’s room for many takes on the Man of Steel, but if you haven’t seen this one yet, it’s time to look up at this guy.
Sony Pictures Classics 30th Anniversary 4K Ultra HD Collection
$174.93
Not every new 4K in this set is a genre flick, but it bears mentioning for its new UHD versions of modern fantasy and fantasy-adjacent favorites like Guillermo del Toro’s The Devil’s Backbone, Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s The City of Lost Children, and Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. We could even make a case for Charlie Kaufman’s Synecdoche, New York and Tom Tykwer’s Run Lola Run. If you don’t care for the other dramas (and one documentary) included, plenty of fans will be happy to buy them from you individually, since right now this is the only way to get them.
Bill & Ted Face the Music/Bill&Ted Bogus Journey/Bill&Ted Excellent Adventure (3 Film Bundle/Blu-ray + Digital) (BD) $15.99
Getting older can be both excellent and bogus in its own ways, as middle-aged Bill S. Preston Esquire and Ted “Theodore” Logan learned in the quarantine hit threequel Bill and Ted Face the Music. Own their complete saga for a price that averages out to just over $5 per movie, as the San Dimas-based duo go from spaced-out high-schoolers with a time machine to interdimensional travelers between Heaven and Hell. Finally, see them attempt to steal from their own futures in a misguided attempt to kickstart their destinies and possibly destroy reality. All the while, they remain excellent to each other, and party on, dudes.
Back to the Future: The Ultimate Trilogy [4K Ultra HD] $34.99
1985 is now longer ago than 1955 was in 1985. So while the Back to the Future saga’s depiction of 2015 is completely dated, its alternate dark-timeline 1985 looks mighty close to 2020. Still, nobody has to get all the references to enjoy the near-perfect trilogy (what kid today has ever heard of Pepsi Free?), because they are so densely packed, and every plot point pays off. Enjoy again or for the first time with an hour of new bonus features and UHD remaster.
Also check out our other Holiday Gift Guides:
Superhero Hype’s 2022 Holiday Gift Guide For Toys and Collectibles
Superhero Hype’s 2022 Holiday Gift Guide For Books
Superhero Hype’s 2022 Holiday Gift Guide For Games
