Advent Calendar 2011: Day Twenty-Three

THE BEST BLU-RAYS FOR CHRISTMAS
There's just over a day until the biggest twenty four hours of the year begin, but that still means there's time for you to hastily add a couple of great Blu-Ray releases to your list to round off your festive day. Here are my top recommendations of the stunning discs that will light up your December 25th...
AVATAR- Easily demo-worthy material, James Cameron's epic sci-fi has never looked better than it does in high definition, and it only leads us to garner more excitement for the big sequels in 2014 and '15!
STAR WARS: EPISODES IV-VI- Don't bother with the rubbish/average/decent prequels (in that order) or the hefty Complete Saga boxset unless you're a true hardcore fan of the series, but definitely ask for this great set of the original classics. The HD realisation of A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi has a distinctly 'retro' vibe, yet that actually adds to the overall overwhelming impact of how staggering an acheivement these three films were for the movie industry in the 70s and 80s.
HARRY POTTER: THE COMPLETE 8-FILM COLLECTION- This will set your giver back a good £40. However, to its credit, this huge set contains some of the best fantasy films of recent times, each looking wonderful in high-def and boasting its own set of interesting special features on their respective productions. It's been quite a ride, so do yourself a favour and enter the queue again, one last time...
RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES- One of this year's best films rendered stunningly, and handed a host of brilliant extras to take you behind-the-scenes of the Apes lore, the incredible transformation of Andy Serkis into the emotional protagonist Caesar and best of all a mind-boggling scene breakdown of the breathtaking Golden Gate Bridge battle! A true hit for the ages.
SUPER 8- That train crash. In high-definition. That is all.
MERLIN: SERIES 4 VOLUME 1- This BBC drama seems to have entered a golden age, providing us with its best run of magical episodes yet, so why not take a look back at the great opening six instalments of the fourth season? Here you'll see Merlin and Arthur face their darkest hours, the death of Uther, the birth of a baby dragon and the infamy of an old enemy in a stellar bunch of adventures that really set the standard for everything the show has to offer next! And long may the successes continue this weekend and into Series 5...