Wes Anderson fans can save big on the recent Criterion Collection box set featuring 4K UHD remasters of 10 of the auteur filmmaker’s movies. The Wes Anderson Archive just launched September 30 with a lofty $500 MSRP, but thanks to the Criterion holiday sale at Amazon and Barnes & Noble, fans can grab The West Anderson Archive for $250. The 50% discount will be available until December 7–unless it sells out before then.
At $250, the 10 movies are going for $25 each, the same price as the average 4K Blu-ray in the promotion. But considering only two of the movies in The Wes Anderson Archive are sold individually on 4K Blu-ray, this box set is the only option. The $250 price sounds like more of a bargain when you think about the cost of buying all of the movies on standard Blu-ray right now (roughly $213). And this box set gets you 4K Blu-ray and standard Blu-ray versions of all 10 films, including The Grand Budapest Hotel, Moonrise Kingdom, Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Royal Tenenbaums, and more of Anderson’s highly original films.
10 Films on 4K Blu-ray for $250 (was $500)
Wes Anderson supervised and approved new restorations of all 10 movies in 4K UHD resolution with Dolby Vision HDR and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound. Here’s the full list:
- Bottle Rocket (1996)
- Rushmore (1998)
- The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
- The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
- The Darjeeling Limited (2007)
- Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
- Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
- The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
- Isle of Dogs (2018)
- The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun (2021)
Only the last two movies on that list are available on 4K Blu-ray outside of this box set–both of them released the same day as The Wes Anderson Archive. Criterion also included 1080p Blu-ray editions of each film.
Additionally, you’ll get over 25 hours of special features, like various audio commentary tracks, deleted scenes, promotional materials, interviews, photo galleries, and various other bonus materials that go deep behind the scenes on the making of each film. The big draw here is that this is a Criterion Collection release, which means that each movie is presented as the director intended. And since Anderson oversaw the development of this box set and he provided final approval, so these are essentially the definitive versions of his films, down to the audio and visual design.
The entire bundle also comes with 10 illustrated book cases for the 20 discs. All of the books are packaged in a deluxe clothbound box that looks like a prop from one of his films. It also includes nine new essays, including one written by Martin Scorsese.
Wes Anderson: The Criterion Collection
The French Dispatch and Isle of Dogs were added to the Criterion Collection on September 30. Both movies are on sale for 50% off, including the 4K Blu-ray editions for $25 each.
You can also save 50% on individual Blu-ray editions of all but one movie in The Wes Anderson Archive. At the time of writing, Fantastic Mr. Fox is the only one that’s not on sale for $20. But as mentioned, you’d spend over $200 on the 10 movies, so if you’re building a Wes Anderson collection, the box set makes more sense. If you already have some of the movies in the collection, you may want to check out the Blu-ray editions of Isle of Dogs and The French Dispatch, as both released alongside the 4K editions and are on sale for $20 each.
The Criterion Collection Wes Anderson Blu-ray Editions:
Wes Anderson films have a distinct look and feel. The director often uses central framing to tell a story, giving his projects a theatrical and scaled-down feel, filling each scene with props and costumes that have a chic, retro-artisanal vibe. The soundtracks are also heavily inspired by the past, as Anderson frequently draws music from the 1960s and 1970s to complement a scene. Anderson has also directed two stop-motion animation movies, which are included in this collection–which feature an amplified take on his quirky directing style.
The Wes Anderson Archive isn’t the priciest box set in the Criterion Collection catalog that’s on sale for 50% off. That honor goes to the enormous CC40: The Criterion Collection. Released last year, this standard Blu-ray box set includes 40 movies. The lineup features an eclectic mix of classic and contemporary films, all accompanied by various special features, and packaged in deluxe packaging. It also comes with an illustrated 216-page book featuring essays on the films inside by critics, scholars, and authors. If you enjoy arthouse cinema, this is the collection to have, if you can afford it. You’re getting critically acclaimed films like Sunday Bloody Sunday, Do the Right Thing, and Repo Man, as well as genre-defining movies like Night of the Living Dead and Persona.
Multiple other Criterion box sets are also worth checking out. Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films Collection, 1954-1975 is a beautiful box set with 15 classic movies. It has premium, display-worthy packaging and an exclusive hardcover book. Normally $225, Godzilla fans can snag this box set for $112.48 while supplies last.
The Criterion Collection Movie Box Sets for 50% off
Other notable Criterion box sets on sale include Bruce Lee’s Greatest Hits, Jackie Chain: Emergence of a Superstar, and Once Upon a Time in China for $62.48 each. You can also save big on Kurosawa’s Yojimbo & Sanjuro on 4K, The Samurai Trilogy on Blu-ray, and Lone Wolf and Cub’s 6-film collection.