Another month has passed since our last entry in the Now Showing column. That can mean only one thing – it’s time for another one!
The What Hi-Fi? team has been as busy as ever in the test room, putting a variety of kit through its paces, from the highly anticipated LG G5 to a modest Amazon Fire TV Soundbar.
But what have we been using to test this AV hardware? We have classic testers that we always use, such as Blade Runner 2049 and Unbroken, but we also like to mix things up with new movies and TV shows.
And, once again, we are giving you a peek behind the curtain to see what those new movies or TV shows are.
While everyone on the team obviously loves home cinema tech, we are also big movie nerds, and we love to find new films and shows that we can try out on the latest kit as part of our reviewing process. We like to dig out the occasional old classic, too, as you'll see.
And if you're looking for more movies to give your system a workout, also check out our list of the best Dolby Atmos movie scenes.
Civil War (2024)
I admit, I was nervous when I saw the trailers for Civil War. Director Alex Garland, who’s generally stuck to smaller-scale stories such as the exceptional Ex Machina, appeared to be taking on the war movie genre, which felt like a huge departure from his previous work. Thankfully, when I finally sat down and watched the film a couple of weeks ago, my fears were quickly dispelled.
Civil War follows a group of photojournalists travelling through a war-torn United States that is fractured by a major political divide – need I say any more? While there are larger set pieces and brutal battles throughout the runtime, Garland smartly sticks to telling the stories of the journalists, and it results in a gripping and often anxiety-inducing experience.
While I wish it did have more of a political bite (especially considering the themes and current geopolitical climate), the performances and storyline were more than enough to draw me in, and the sensational sights and sounds sealed the deal.
As the film takes place through the eyes of a photographer, gruesome and unsettling scenes are often presented in a cinematic and strangely beautiful way. A certain sequence that involves the crew driving through a burning forest at night is, in the words of our TV and AV Editor Tom Parsons, “begging to be seen on an OLED TV,” and I couldn’t agree more.
Furthermore, the sound is punchy and exciting, with helicopters darting overhead in many scenes (perfect for Dolby Atmos) and realistic-sounding gunshots that had me constantly on edge for the next action sequence.
Expect to see this film mentioned in many of our upcoming TV and AV reviews.
Words by Lewis Empson
Buy Civil War on 4K Blu-ray from Amazon
Total Recall (1990)
Whether it is the over-the-top physical effects, that specific shade of red they used for the fake blood, or Arnold Schwarzenegger's general star quality, there’s something special about action films from the 80s and 90s.
Directed by Paul Verhoeven in 1990, Total Recall may not get the same love as Schwarzenegger's earlier work in The Terminator, but for me, it is one of his best sci-fi movies.
Telling the story of Douglas Quaid, a construction worker turned revolutionary trying to free Mars from its evil corporate overlords, the movie is an outright rollercoaster ride.
Over its one-hour, 53-minute run time, you’ll see everything from tri-breasted space harlots to psychic mutant chest babies grace your screen – and those are some of the more tame elements.
Add to this some superbly hamfisted dialogue, fantastic fight scenes and a plot that constantly keeps you on your toes, and it’s impossible not to love the original Total Recall.
Which is why this month, with it now on Netflix in all its over-the-top gory glory, I revisited Mars for what must be the hundredth time. At least I think I did… it may be a memory implant…
Words by Alastair Stevenson
Buy Total Recall on 4K Blu-ray at Amazon
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)
I was a latecomer to Bryan Lee O’Malley’s Scott Pilgrim graphic novels (probably due to the fact I was three when the first one hit the shelves), but once I got going, I was well and truly hooked. The combination of offbeat humour, inventive plot, and totally unlikeable protagonist really was a tonic.
When Edgar Wright’s movie adaptation Scott Pilgrim vs. the World was released, I was worried it would not capture the spirit of the comics. But much to my delight, the film managed to adapt the experience of reading the graphic novel to the screen brilliantly.
Like the original source material, the film follows twenty-something Scott (Michael Cera) as he falls head over heels for his dream girl, Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). What he does not anticipate is Ramona’s army of evil exes, who must be defeated before he can date her.
Aside from the bonkers plot, it’s also a plain good test disc with fast-paced action scenes and a varied soundtrack. One scene I find myself coming back to is Scott’s battle against the first evil ex, Matthew Patel. A good sound system can be judged by how well it picks up the weight of each punch that Scott fires at his opponent.
Words by Robyn Quick
Watch Scott Pilgrim vs. the World on Apple TV+
Buy Scott Pilgrim vs. the World on 4K Blu-ray at Amazon
The Last of Us – Season 2 (2025)
Don't panic: you'll find no season 2 spoilers here! I won't even mention the thing that happens to that character in that place with the wotsits. Mostly because I don't actually know what's going to happen this season because we're only one episode in.
But, like all mega-fans of the games (honestly, whether you're a gamer or not, you really must play The Last of Us Part 1 and Part 2, preferably in 4K HDR Remastered form on a PS5), I'm desperate to find out which parts have made it into the show and which have been removed or changed.
Season 2 has started well, with Joel and Ellie's relationship still strained by the events at the end of Season 1 – five years ago in the show's timeline. The thorny issue of immigration has already come up, with safe-haven Jackson starting to struggle to house and feed all the refugees heading its way. And a new group with very malicious intentions has been introduced.
Oh, and there are zombies! New zombies!
The first episode is also a great AV tester, with a generally very detailed soundtrack and some superb Dolby Atmos action as Ellie and her new bestie attempt to figure out how many infected are in a building before they head in.
There's some lovely high-contrast stuff that looks great on an OLED TV towards the end of the episode, too – assuming you're watching in 4K HDR via Sky Stream, of course.
Words by Tom Parsons
Watch The Last of Us Season 2 on Now (or get Sky Stream here)
Buy The Last of Us Season 1 on 4K Blu-ray from Amazon
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