2024 was a pretty damn good year for physical media releases. We saw blu-ray debuts of films like REDNECK ZOMBIES, TOXIC CRUSADERS, SEEDPEOPLE, SHADOWZONE, MARRIED TOO YOUNG, and THE UNLIVING. We also got a lot of rereleases including *BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED, STRANGE INVADERS, THE BLIND SWORDSMAN: ZATOICHI, DEATH VALLEY, and SUPERSTITION. Lots of quality releases but I could only choose ten. Here is a list of my favorite physical media releases of 2024.
10. The Conan Chronicles (Arrow Video) Released at the beginning of 2024, THE CONAN CHRONICLES brings both 80s Schwarzenegger films together (they were also released separately). Picture and sound quality are everything you would expect from Arrrow and there are a ton of special features. You also get a booklet that combines all of the booklet stuff from the separate releases in one booklet along with two double sided posters.
9. Heroic Trio / Executioners (Criterion) I haven't been the biggest fan of Criterion lately. I think they have gotten kind of lazy when it comes to their special features as well as their hatred of English dubs but I have liked many of their releases over the years including their double feature of HEROIC TRIO and EXECUTIONERS. The picture quality is really good, despite what Dr. Svet Atanasov on blu-ray.com has to say (I don't know why they continue to allow this guy to review blu-rays as it seems like he hates everything) and I like that Criterion did include English dubs even if they are lossy Dolby Digital. For anyone who is a fan of 80s and 90s Hong Kong cinema, this is a very worthwhile release.
8. The Abyss (20th Century Studios) James Cameron has only ever directed one flop and that was THE ABYSS. Audiences had a hard time accepting his underwater adventure which caused the film to lose a lot of money. The film was given a nice Laserdisc release a few years later that allowed Cameron to add back in 31 minutes he cut to get the film's runtime down and it makes it a much better film. The 4K blu-ray that was released in March of 2024 came with its fair share of controversy but I thought it was blown out of proportions. Yes, Cameron used AI to remove some grain but it wasn't as bad as many said it was.
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7. Fearless Hyena Part II (88 Films) Let's get this out of the way: FEARLESS HYENA PART II sucks. It does. Sure, it sucks hilariously but it still sucks. It's a patchwork film where the filmmakers took what little footage was shot before Jackie Chan left the project and combined it with newly shot footage of an actor in disguise along with footage of Chan from the first THE FEARLESS HYENA. It's like what they did with GAME OF DEATH but Chan was still alive. I am including it on this list because the blu-ray rocks. We get a Frank Djeng commentary track and a troubled production history. 
6. Sudden Death (Kino Lorber) SUDDEN DEATH is one of the last bigger budgeted films Jean Claude Van Damme made and it is one of his best. The film is a DIE HARD rip off and it does it very well. Lots of action and big stunts make this film one to look out for. Kino brought the film to 4K blu-ray with grewat picture and sound. A new commentary track along with some awesome vintage featurettes make this a must own.
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6. Sudden Death (Kino Lorber) SUDDEN DEATH is one of the last bigger budgeted films Jean Claude Van Damme made and it is one of his best. The film is a DIE HARD rip off and it does it very well. Lots of action and big stunts make this film one to look out for. Kino brought the film to 4K blu-ray with grewat picture and sound. A new commentary track along with some awesome vintage featurettes make this a must own.
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5. Mean Guns (MVD) Albert Pyun's films have always gotten the short end of the stick. They were never treated all that well. MEAN GUNS was one that was treated the worst. The film was shot in "scope" but we never got to see it that way in the US. MVD finally brought the film to blu-ray here in the US and it was finally presented in its OAR. Three interviews, a trailer, and an amazing commentary from Pyun is what we have here and they are all worth the time.
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4. The Swordsman of All Swordsmen (Eureka) I am going to get this out front: I wasn't the biggest fan of THE SWORDSMAN OF ALL SWORDSMAN. It wasn't the film I thought it was going to be but I do plan on giving it another shot in the future. No, I bought this release because Eureka included THE MYSTERY OF CHESS BOXING, which is a film much more in my wheelhouse. Eurek aput a lot of work into this release and I think more people should check it out.
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3. Impulse (Grindhouse Releasing) IMPULSE is a film I have always wanted to see but I could never find a good enough copy. Thankfully, Grindhouse Releasing came to the rescue and boy, did they stack this release. We get the usual features like commentatry tracks and the like but they have included two other films also directed by William Grefe. You can't beat that especially when they didn't raise the price to accomendate for the two films. An all around great release.
2. Columbia Classics Collection: Volume 4 4K (Sony) Sony has been killing it lately with their physical media releases and this is their magnum opus of 2024. We get 6 films of variying quality along with beautfil picture and sound. I am a huge fan of John Carpenter so the inclusion of STARMAN helped sell the set in my eyes. But the biggest inclusion in this set is the STARMAN: THE COMPLETE SERIES. Who would have thought Sony would include an obscure series most people don't even know existed? The series is pretty good too. Definitely worth the price.
1. The Nico Mastorakis Collection (Arrow Video) If you are into exploitation films and you haven't heard of Nico Mastorakis, you need to look him up. He has made a lot of films you would have seen in the video store during THE VIDEO STORE DAYS. The fine folks over at Arrow Video have gathered up six of his films together in one package that is a lot of fun to go through. The set is a bit light on special features but ones we get are really good.
2. Columbia Classics Collection: Volume 4 4K (Sony) Sony has been killing it lately with their physical media releases and this is their magnum opus of 2024. We get 6 films of variying quality along with beautfil picture and sound. I am a huge fan of John Carpenter so the inclusion of STARMAN helped sell the set in my eyes. But the biggest inclusion in this set is the STARMAN: THE COMPLETE SERIES. Who would have thought Sony would include an obscure series most people don't even know existed? The series is pretty good too. Definitely worth the price.
1. The Nico Mastorakis Collection (Arrow Video) If you are into exploitation films and you haven't heard of Nico Mastorakis, you need to look him up. He has made a lot of films you would have seen in the video store during THE VIDEO STORE DAYS. The fine folks over at Arrow Video have gathered up six of his films together in one package that is a lot of fun to go through. The set is a bit light on special features but ones we get are really good.
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