The Stanley Kubrick 3-Film Collection is a 7-disc slipcase box set with three 4K UHD Blu-ray discs and four 1080p Blu-rays. Each movie comes with its own case that mirrors the standalone 4K editions of The Shining, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Full Metal Jacket.
All of Kubrick’s films that have received the 4K treatment are incredible from a technical perspective. If you’ve never watched 2001: A Space Odyssey in 4K, you’re likely to be floored by the updates. It looks so beautiful in 4K that it’s extremely hard to believe it was filmed in 1968. This is a native 4K restoration of the original 70mm wide HD film gauge. It has Dolby Vision and HDR10 as well as DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1.
2001: A Space Odyssey is by far the most feature-rich film in this box set. Along with the 4K disc, it comes with the standard Blu-ray edition with an optional audio commentary track and a bonus third Blu-ray disc with documentaries, interviews, retrospectives, and other behind-the-scenes content.
Inspired by multiple Arthur C. Clarke short stories, 2001: A Space Odyssey is one of the most influential science fiction films ever made. Clarke and Kubrick co-wrote the screenplay.
Speaking of influential movies, Kubrick’s 1980 adaptation of Stephen King’s novel The Shining is widely considered one of the greatest horror films ever made. The Shining’s 4K UHD restoration is just as impressive as 2001: A Space Odyssey. It boasts Dolby Vision, HDR10+, and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. The bonus Blu-ray disc has four bonus videos, including a 35-minute making-of documentary, and a 26-minute behind-the-scenes look at the set design. It also has a fascinating audio commentary narrated by John Baxter, Kubrick’s biographer, and Garrett Brown, the inventor of the Steadicam camera stabilizer used to film The Shining.
Full Metal Jacket, one of the best and most eccentric films about the Vietnam War, is phenomenal on 4K Blu-ray. While it only supports HDR10, not Dolby Vision, it still looks superb, and the DTS-HD surround sound track is fantastic. The Blu-ray bonus disc has roughly 30 minutes of interviews with the cast and an optional audio commentary with several actors and writers.
The three films picked for this box set showcase how Kubrick managed to leap from one genre to another and deliver a movie not quite like anything before it.
