5 Best Movies To Test On Your New 4K TV

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It's a sweet feeling unpacking a brand-new 4K TV. Purchasing one of the best smart TVs of 2025 can really level up your media or living room, but you may not know the right movies to really show off what your new television is capable of. Worry not, as our list contains some of the best movies that you can watch to test your new 4K TV.

The following flicks aren't just going to look spectacular on a 4K television; they're all rather solid films on their own, as well. From hand-drawn animation to advanced CGI and even old-school practical effects, each one of them is going to be a flick you can use to show off the capabilities of your new 4K TV to your friends. We did our best to tell you where each movie is streaming, but we also made sure that each of these movies is available on 4K Blu-ray if you don't want to worry about varying bit rates and compression. If you find yourself becoming a cinephile after this list, you can also check out the best 4K Blu-ray box sets to really get your movie collection going. 

When "Evil Dead" director Sam Raimi gets a hold of a Marvel franchise, prepare to buckle up. Though "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" is a sequel to 2016's "Doctor Strange," this film makes the list nonetheless for having visuals that will look great on a 4K TV. This sequel receives plenty of praise for Raimi's camera shots and heavy visuals — especially as the characters traverse different universes. We gave our take on the film back in 2022, and we really enjoyed Director Raimi's style and methods.

In this sequel, Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) teams up with a teenage girl (Xochitl Gómez) possessing mysterious powers who is capable of traversing the multiverse. Doctor Strange journeys through alternate realities with the help of some familiar allies, along with some new friends. In addition to Gómez and Cumberbatch, "Doctor Strange" also stars Elizabeth Olsen, Benedict Wong, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Rachel McAdams, among others.

The film holds a 73% Tomatometer score and an 85% Popcornmeter score on Rotten Tomatoes. In a 2022 review for Memphis Flyer critic Chris McCoy states that "Sam Raimi doesn't need $200 million to make a great film, but when he has it, he shows everyone how it's done." The film is currently streaming on Disney+ and Hulu, though Amazon does have this one on 4K Blu-ray Ultra HD for $35.00, where it holds 4.4-stars with over 18,830 reviews and an Amazon's Choice emblem.

If you're looking to show off the visual prowess of a 4K TV, then almost any movie from director Stanley Kubrick should do just fine. 1971's "A Clockwork Orange", the highest-ranked Kubrick film on IMDb's Most Visually Stunning Films list, is 2 hours and 16 minutes of straight eye candy that can pack quite the punch. 

Based on a 1962 novel by Anthony Burgess, "A Clockwork Orange" is set in an alternate future of England, where Alex (Malcolm McDowell) and his gang of Droogs terrorize the city. After being jailed for a murder, Alex submits to experimental behavior modification and returns to the world a different man. Along with McDowell, "A Clockwork Orange" stars Patrick Magee, Michael Bates, and Warren Clarke, among others.

With 12 wins and 26 nominations, "A Clockwork Orange" earned Kubrick Best Picture and Best Director nominations at the 1972 Academy Awards. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an 86% Tomatometer score and a 93% Popcornmeter score. In a 2023 retrospective for Medium, critic Carys Soper says, "The distinct visual style of 'A Clockwork Orange' is characterised by a unique blend of vibrant colours, bold compositions, and meticulously designed set pieces." The film is available to rent on Amazon Prime Video or Apple TV, though Best Buy does have the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray available for $29.99.

A movie about giant monsters battling equally large robots can be a great way to test a new 4K TV. Directed by Guillermo Del Toro, 2013's "Pacific Rim" is an homage to classic kaiju movies like "Godzilla" or "King Kong," but it's got enough style and substance that can make it worth a watch for even those unfamiliar with the genre.

"Pacific Rim" is a story about monstrous beasts — known as Kaiju — arriving from a portal under the Pacific Ocean to attack Earth. To protect itself, Earth deploys Jaegers — special giant robots that need to be controlled simultaneously by two pilots. With the Kaiju attacks becoming more frequent, Raleigh Becket (Charlie Hunnam), a former Jaeger pilot, is called upon to work with his new partner Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi) and destroy the portal. Along with Hunnam and Kikuchi, "Pacific Rim" also stars Idris Elba, Charlie Day, and Ron Perlman, among others.

Holding a 72% Tomatometer score and 77% Popcornmeter score on Rotten Tomatoes, the film is rife with immersive visuals and stunningly-crafted CGI. In a 2013 review for Showbiz 411, critic Leah Sydney states, "'Rim' is scary, smart, and scientific, with humor weaved throughout. The visual effects are stunningly believable and artistic in every scene." The film is available to rent on Amazon Prime Video, Plex, or Apple TV, but Amazon also has the 4K UHD Blu-ray for $17.01. The Blu-ray holds a 4.7-star rating with over 27,770 reviews and also has the Amazon's Choice kudos.

Released in 1988, "Akira" is still highly regarded for its detailed, hand-drawn animation and incredibly smooth action sequences. It's a film that helped bring Anime to the West, and it's a frequent guest on best animated movies of all time lists. Set in an alternate 2019, thirty years after World War III, Neo-Tokyo (formerly Tokyo) is ruled by corrupt leadership. With the government frequently dealing with societal unrest, a motorcycle gang led by Tetsuo (Nozomu Sasaki) finds itself in the middle of a secret military operation that ultimately gives Tetsuo and his friend Kaneda (Mitsuo Iwata) psychic powers. Unfortunately, Neo-Tokyo isn't prepared for what happens next. 

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 91% Tomatometer score and a 90% Popcornmeter score. In a 2010 review for Eye for Film, critic Donald Munro states, "Visually, Akira is stunning. The way smoke billows, engulfing everything like a growing amoeba; the attention to detail; the shafts of light that tie parts of the story together all give the film a truly distinct look." For those interested, "Akira" is available to stream on CrunchyRoll, but can also be rented through Amazon Prime Video. Best Buy also has the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray for $22.49, where the product holds 4.8 stars with over 1,020 reviews.

Though this entry should be nothing more than a link to where you can buy the 4K Blu-ray, obviously, we have to say something about one of the greatest sci-fi movies, if not one of the best movies ever made. Though director George Lucas did make some CGI alterations to 1980's "Empire" over the years, the film remains famous for redefining practical special effects. Suffice to say, it's going to look great on your 4K TV.

For a quick refresher, "Empire Strikes Back" follows Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) as he starts his training with Yoda (voiced by Frank Oz), a Jedi Master. At the same time, his friends Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), and Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) are being hunted by Darth Vader (David Prowse) and the dangerous bounty hunter Boba Fett (Jeremy Bulloch). "The Empire Strikes Back" also stars Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Daniels, and Kenny Baker, among others.

The film holds a 93% Tomatometer score and a 97% Popcornmeter score on Rotten Tomatoes, and it ranks #15 on IMDb's great movies of all time list. In a review published on RogerEbert.com, critic Roger Ebert says, "There is a generosity in the production design of 'The Empire Strikes Back.' There are not only the amazing sights before us, but plenty more in the corners of the screen, or everywhere the camera turns." The film is streaming on Disney+, and it's also available on 4K UHD Blu-ray for $39.99 through Amazon. The Blu-ray holds a 4.8-star rating with over 9,400 reviews and also holds the Amazon's Choice seal-of-approval.

When selecting this list of movies, there were two major criteria: the film needed to show off the capabilities of a brand-new 4K television, and the film needed to be passable as entertainment, as well, with IMDb's list of most visually appealing movies serving as an inspiration. 

When choosing the best Blu-ray products for this list, we scoured the internet for the best prices while still keeping user ratings in mind. Each product holds a 4.0-star rating or better, and this is based on actual user reviews. When applicable, bonus points were also given for an item having the Amazon's Choice seal of approval.