Essential Cinema: A Curated List of 10 Must-Watch Movies for Ultimate Viewing Pleasure on an OLED Screen

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So, you’ve finally taken the plunge and bought that OLED TV you deserve. You’re in for an eye-boggling time, but you need to feed that TV with the right content to really get the most out of it. Whether you want to experience the best your TV has to offer, or just want to show off to your pals, these are ten movies I personally think make for the best showcase of OLED technology.

1 Mandy

Piccadilly Pictures

This art film starring Nicholas Cage is a personal favorite of mine, and certainly not for the faint of heart. However, if you like psychological horror films, and need a movie that has peerless artistic color use and deep blacks, then Mandy is your best choice. This is probably director Panos Cosmatos’ most well-known work, and just a beautiful piece of cinema you don’t so much watch as let it wash over you.

2 Avatar 2

20th Century Studios

Just as the first Avatar films was the movie to show off 3D technology, or the latest Blu-ray-powered HD TVs, so Avatar 2: The Way of Water is a must-have title for anyone who wants to see what the best TV technology can do. This film is packed with color, but not nearly as much as the first title. Instead, as the title suggests, the film excels at scenes involving water, both above and below the surface. When the explosions start going off and fire breaks out everywhere, the scenes from this film can literally make your jaw drop on an OLED. Though sadly you can’t enjoy the 48fps version at home.

3 Mad Max: Fury Road

Warner Bros.

George Miller did not disappoint in this return to the classic post-apocalyptic wasteland from the classic Mad Max films. This dust-filled desert in Fury Road makes for a surprisingly vivid canvas to show off the strength of your OLED’s color-reproduction prowess.

4 Dune

Warner Bros.

As vibrant as the desert is in Mad Max, Denis Villeneuve’s first Dune film takes a similar setting and desaturates it, so that the desert planet of Arrakis almost feels cold rather than the hot wasteland it is. This film is hauntingly beautiful, and don’t forget that we get to see the lush world of Caladan, the depths of space, and numerous interesting and detailed interiors.

I watched the Apple TV digital version of Dune using Dolby Vision on my LG CS, and it’s definitely one of the most impressive films I’ve seen to date, even if it’s not as flashy and vibrant as some other films on this list.

5 Blade Runner 2049

Warner Bros.

Staying with Denis Villeneuve, Blade Runner 2049 is the visually-stunning sequel to the sci-fi classic Blade Runner and (bracing for the comments) is the better movie of the two in my opinion.

Just like Dune, Blade Runner 2049 doesn’t overdo it with vibrant colors or face-searing fire and explosions, but drenches you in neon glows, misty dank cityscapes, and desaturated desert scenes.

6 Interstellar

Paramount

Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar is a timey-wimey tour de force that can be hard to follow at times, but even if you can keep the plot straight there’s no doubt that this movie looks amazing—and even better on an OLED. From perhaps the first ever accurate rendition of a black hole to a planet covered in shallow water, there’s plenty of visual variety in this flick, and it doesn’t hurt that it’s also an amazing, multi-layered story to boot.

7 Guardians of the Galaxy

Marvel

Guardians of the Galaxy is one of the most imaginative, colorful, and visually interesting films in the massive Marvel Cinematic Universe. It’s not really a superhero film, but rather a quirky sci-fi comedy set in space, featuring a rag-tag group of misfit anti-heroes and a rocking soundtrack. Even if you don’t like superhero films, this movie stands on its own two feet, and it will absolutely show off the strengths of OLED technology like few other films can.

8 Fury

Sony Pictures

Loosely based on real events in World War II, Fury tells the tale of a heroic tank crew facing impossible odds in the final days of the fight against Nazi Germany. I really don’t want to spoil the plot of the film, since it’s better to go in blind, but it’s well worth your time if you like war films at all.

What puts Fury on my OLED must-watch list, is how the film uses fire, explosions, sparks, and anything else that lights up the darkness. Tanks fire egregious amounts of tracer rounds, looking more like Star Wars than a historical fiction piece. Flames feel like they’ll melt the screen, and contrasted with the gloom and smoke, it’s a feast for the eyes.

9 The LEGO Movie

Warner Bros.

The LEGO Movie isn’t just the most faithful adaptation of what LEGO is really about, or the most amazing collection of pop culture references this side of Ready Player One, it’s also a visual triumph. It’s hard to believe that this film is computer-generated, since everything looks like photorealistic stop-motion, except the movie goes far beyond what could ever be possible with practical stop-motion. Also, it’s one of the movies on this list you can enjoy with the whole family.

10 Akira

Funimation/Kodansha

Akirais often credited as the film that really jump-started the mainstream rise of Japanese animation in the US. painstakingly hand-crafted without the benefit of digital tools, this timeless cyberpunk dystopian classic is jaw-dropping on an OLED. You’d think an old animated film wouldn’t have much to offer on newer displays, but every frame feels like its painted into the screen, and Akira is famous for its use of light bloom and color, perfect for OLEDs.

Which movies would you recommend to someone who has just sprung for their own OLED TV? Let us know in the comments what you consider the pinnacle movie to benchmark those glorious organic pixels.

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Essential Cinema: A Curated List of 10 Must-Watch Movies for Ultimate Viewing Pleasure on an OLED Screen