With physical media making a resurgence lately, it’s really opened my eyes once again to just how much better it is to watch a movie on Blu-ray rather than stream it. Aside from the significantly better picture quality, it’s hard to beat the feeling of holding a movie you love in your hands and putting it on your shelf.

That said, collecting physical media isn’t exactly new to me. I used to buy DVDs and Blu-rays all the time, but over the past few years, I’ve admittedly turned to streaming much more simply because of the convenience. However, with physical media making a comeback and the idea of actually owning the movies you enjoy, rather than being beholden to streaming services, becoming increasingly appealing, I’ve found myself getting back into buying 4K Blu-rays. This year, I’ve picked up some of my favorite films on 4K, most recently Dunkirk and Oppenheimer, two Christopher Nolan movies that blew me away in theaters and that I knew I had to own physically.

I’d recently streamed Dunkirk, so when I started playing the 4K Blu-ray, I was extremely curious to see just how much better it would look. And while the movie looked noticeably better than when I streamed it, I also discovered that the 4K Blu-ray release has a rare feature I hadn’t even realized was included when I bought it. It’s something you can’t get when streaming Dunkirk, and after seeing it for myself, I’m convinced more movies need to include it on their physical releases.

The IMAX scenes are the real game-changer

I didn’t realize I needed this until now

When I started watching Dunkirk on 4K Blu-ray, I immediately noticed one crucial difference between the disc and streaming versions: the expanded IMAX aspect ratio.

Christopher Nolan is known for shooting as much of his movies as possible in IMAX and on film, and with Dunkirk, roughly 75 percent of the movie was shot this way. But when you stream the movie, you’d never know it, because you’re only seeing it in its standard 2.20:1 aspect ratio, with black bars at the top and bottom of the screen. On the 4K Blu-ray, however, the movie features shifting aspect ratios, meaning the sequences shot in IMAX switch to the 1.78:1 aspect ratio and fill your entire TV screen.

Not only does the expanded aspect ratio look incredible, but I’ve also found it to be a much more immersive experience, since it allows you to see these scenes the way Nolan intended them to be seen. You can see a comparison between the streaming version of Dunkirk and the 4K Blu-ray on my LG TV below.

However, while Christopher Nolan has included these shifting aspect ratios on the 4K home releases of his movies, including The Dark Knight trilogy, Tenet, and Oppenheimer, the big problem is that many other movies featuring IMAX sequences don’t include the expanded aspect ratio on their 4K Blu-ray releases. Dune is a prime example.

Both Dune and Dune: Part Two feature incredible action sequences shot on IMAX, yet when you watch either movie on 4K Blu-ray, the expanded aspect ratio is nowhere to be found. Instead, the entire movie is presented in the standard 2.39:1 aspect ratio, meaning you’re stuck with black bars at the top and bottom of the screen, even during sequences shot in IMAX.

More 4K Blu-rays should include IMAX sequences

Expanded aspect ratios shouldn’t be lost after a theatrical run or be exclusive to streaming

Unfortunately, it’s not just Dune that suffers from this either. There have been tons of great movies with breathtaking sequences shot in IMAX, yet their home releases don’t include the shifting aspect ratio. A ton of Marvel movies are like this, most notably Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. While both movies have IMAX Enhanced versions with the expanded aspect ratio, they’re only available on Disney+, not on the 4K Blu-ray releases, which is frustrating for anyone who wants to actually own the best version of these movies.

There are some movies that do include expanded IMAX aspect ratios on disc, though. Top Gun: Maverick, for example, features shifting aspect ratios on its 4K Blu-ray release, and so will the upcoming 4K release of Project Hail Mary. However, in Project Hail Mary’s case, only the more expensive limited-edition steelbook will include a 4K disc with the expanded aspect ratios, while the standard 4K Blu-ray release will stick with the standard 2.39:1 aspect ratio. That’s a bummer, but at least the expanded version is actually being released on disc.

Ultimately, when I buy a 4K Blu-ray, I expect the definitive version of a film, with the best picture quality and the intended aspect ratios. That’s why it’s so frustrating when a 4K release of a movie that has scenes shot in IMAX doesn’t include the expanded IMAX aspect ratio on disc, and even more so when a streaming service like Disney+ offers IMAX Enhanced versions of movies, yet those versions are nowhere to be found on the 4K Blu-ray. Simply put, if the expanded version already exists, I don’t understand why collectors who actually buy the 4K Blu-ray can’t have access to it.

Having experienced the shifting aspect ratios on the 4K releases of Dunkirk and Oppenheimer, I’ve developed an even greater appreciation for Christopher Nolan’s approach, and I hope more movie studios start releasing 4K Blu-rays with the option to view IMAX sequences as they were meant to be seen. If physical media is supposed to give us the definitive versions of the movies we love and want to own, this is one feature I really hope more studios take seriously if their films include IMAX sequences.