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The age of streaming hasn’t diminished the appeal of physical media. If anything, the limitations of streaming services have made the perks of owning a Blu-ray more apparent. There’s no worrying about whether or not the movie will be available on a streaming service (or anywhere online) if you own a physical copy.
Another major draw for physical media is the quality of the film’s presentation, for both the disc and box art. The Criterion Collection has long been recognized for its high-quality releases. And while their streaming service has become more convenient, it hasn’t replaced their Blu-rays.
A History of Preserving History on Disc
Even before they ventured into streaming, The Criterion Collection was churning out top-quality home video releases. From LaserDisc to Blu-ray, they have a history of providing the most pristine presentation of movies for your television. Basically, they’re the distributor you went to for widescreen instead of pan-and-scan (the process of trimming a widescreen format to fit a non-widescreen screen).
Some Criterion releases come and go, but the most classic films remain in their collection. Akira Kurosawa’sSeven Samuraiis one of the most legendary samurai films, having inspired numerousAmerican Westerns. Jacques Tati’sMister Hulot’s Holidayproved how well silent slapstick can survive the age of sound. Criterion even preserves more recent films, such as the Oscar-winningAnora, and the films of Wes Anderson.
When Criterion Went Streaming
Before The Criterion Channel came to be, Criterion bounced its movies around various streaming services. In the early 2010s, Criterion had a deal with Hulu (read more about it inthis CriterionCast article). They later partnered with Turner Classic Movies to launch the FilmStruck service in 2016. When FilmStruck was discontinued in 2018, The Criterion Channel filled that void in 2019, carrying over a few features from FilmStruck, like the Adventures in Moviegoing series of celebrity-hosted films.
The Criterion Channel stands out from other streaming services by streaming collections of movies instead of individual films each month. These can range from films by a specific director, such as John Carpenter, to a handful of 1940s noir films. The service also carried over many of the special features from Criterion Blu-ray releases, like audio commentaries and interviews.
One would think all these positives would make The Criterion Channel the ultimate substitute for Criterion’s physical media, and yet it wasn’t for me. It did help feed my hunger for ohysical media, though.
The Criterion Channel
The Criterion Channel boasts classic and revered films from around the world, most of which are featured in The Criterion Collection.
Streaming: A Gateway to… Blu-rays?
When I signed up for The Criterion Channel streaming service early, it was treated like a big deal. The company sent me a cute little metal card signifying my membership and granted me early access to the service, which was slowly streaming one movie at a time. But they also granted me a discount and coupons for their DVDs and Blu-rays.
The reduced price of their videos was a real draw because Criterion releases are not cheap. The average Criterion Blu-ray costs $40, which is a significant reason why I’ve only bought a few over the years. When Criterion DVDs were first released, I would rent as many as I could from my college library for the bargain price I was getting.
That hefty price tag for Blu-rays is what initially made me an easy champion of The Criterion Channel, and it being one of thefew services that offers classic movieswas also a big draw. Priced at $11 per month, you’d be getting your money’s worth even if you only watched one movie a month. Their collection boasts some of the best movies that I was often assigned to watch in school and had to hunt down if they weren’t at the library. Yet I didn’t find myself entirely resorting to the service as a substitute.
A Collector’s Paradise
My Criterion subscription regularly sends me coupons that act as an incentive for the well-known Criterion Flash sales. Twice a year—usually in late-February or early March and then in October—the distributor offers a 24-hour sale with 50% off their entire catalog. Couple the reduced price with the membership discount, coupons, and reward points, and it’s hard not to buy something from the sales. It’s more than just the discounts and offers, too; there’s also a communal experience of chatting with others about what we’ve purchased during the sale.
I will admit there’s an allure to how Criterion crafts their Blu-rays. The covers look nice, the printed inserts are stunning, and the numbered spines activate a level of collecting I haven’t felt since playing Pokémon on Gameboy. It was the incentives offered through the streaming service, however, that gave me the motivation to expand my DVD collection further.
Lining my shelves with the Criterion Collection has been a fun experience, and it’s due in no small part to subscribing to The Criterion Channel. Much like MUBI and its subscription model, which offers a free movie ticket, Criterion encourages film lovers to engage rather than just filling up their watchlists. There’s a physical component that makes collecting physical media more exciting, where opening their Blu-rays feels like cracking open a treasure chest. If some streaming services seem like the enemy of physical media, Criterion Channel has been more of an ally.
