It’s a new year and 2019 has come to a close. I always like to reflect on my favorite physical releases of year. Consumers seem to be moving more and more to streaming services with the launch this holiday season of Disney Plus being the latest. However, 2019 was also a banner year for physical media as well. Several companies really stepped up their game with incredible packaging, extras and in some cases sparkling new transfers of classic films. I will always make the case of physically owning a copy of a movie because it is permanently in your collection, it won’t be dropped or eventually removed from your shelf.
Being that it is 2019, I decided to list my favorite 19 releases of the year. So sit back relax and let’s watch some movies!
10. Avengers: Endgame (Best Buy Exclusive Steelbook)
It’s been 5 years since Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and the world suffered a catastrophic defeat at the hands of the Mad Titan Thanos. Thanos has successfully eliminated half of all life on Earth.
After the return of Scott Lang (Ant-Man) The Avengers believe they have a way to not only bring all the people they have lost, but to defeat Thanos as well. But will the fractured group put their differences aside to defeat Thanos?
The single most amazing accomplishment in movie history is Marvel’s 22 film woven narrative that culminated with Avengers: Endgame. Not only is the movie fun, it hits several crowd-pleasing moments in the heat of a climactic battle with Thanos.
The fact that Marvel pulled this off is amazing unto itself, the fact the Endgame is a satisfying and fitting conclusion is even more impressive. Nothing will replace the experience I had with this film on opening night, when (SPOLIERS!!!!!!) Black Widow sacrifices herself to possibly save the world. I will never forget looking at a woman sitting down and to the right of me bawling her eyes out. Also, I cried like a baby as well when Spider-Man made his triumphant return and everyone in the theater erupted in the loudest cheer I have ever heard in a movie. Avengers: Endgame was one of the greatest experiences I have ever had at a movie. The experience was not lessened at home, Endgame packs one serious punch.
Avengers: Endgame soars onto UHD with an impressive video for your home entertainment system. The movies scope is gigantic and CGI heavy, but the UHD transfer is sharp and full of detail. The colors pop and the textures look incredible.
Endgame blasts its way home with a sonic boom of Dolby Atmos. Everything crunches with clarity. Dialogue is heard and is crystal clear. The music soars and it’s like you can actually feel the punches.
The UHD does not contain any extras, but there is a second blu-ray disc that houses most of the bonus features.
Blu-ray disc one includes an intro from the Russo Brothers as well as a commentary that features the brothers and writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. I highly recommend this track as it covers not only Endgame but walks you through the MCU process.
Disc two contains almost an hour of bonus material in the form of featurettes. The Stan Lee tribute is a favorite and tear jerker. What makes the bonus features unique is it spans not only Endgame, but focuses on Iron Man, Captain America and their journey through the MCU.
The Steelbook from Best Buy is slick looking with a big purple and gold Avengers logo behind the characters who survived Infinity War and a “snapped” away Avengers logo on the back with the heroes that were lost in Infinity War. If you get past the somewhat photoshop-y look of the package it is pretty solid.
Incredible movie, incredible UHD Avengers: Endgame is a most own.
Film: A+
Video: A
Audio: A+
Extras: A
Steelbook: B+
Overall: A