Maximum screen, maximum impact: Films that reward a big screen

Jonathan Victoria • 23 Jul 2026 Features

Some movies simply aren't just for watching - they’re for experiencing.

I am by no means a movie savant - Ash can attest to my woefully painful list of unseen blockbusters that I swear I shall come round to eventually.

That said, I can appreciate a masterpiece when I see one. And recently, the three of us writers here at Digital TV went to our local theatres this past weekend to watch Christopher Nolan’s latest epic, The Odyssey. 

If you are yet to see it, I believe I speak for the both of us when I say fix that. Immediately.

It’s the sort of film that can only be properly experienced on the big screen, and that got us thinking about other movies that are best enjoyed the same way.

Inspired by Matt Damon’s heroics, we’ve each picked three films that best reward a big screen with the best video and audio quality available to you.

Johnnie

As I say above, I’m not overly well versed in some of Hollywood’s biggest classics. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve seen a few essential must-watches. But it’s appalling the amount I am yet to make my way round to.

I loved the Odyssey though, and I even treated myself to a first IMAX experience for it. Worth. Every. Penny.

For my three picks, I’ve actually chosen films that I failed to watch the first time in the cinema. One of them I wasn’t yet born when it was released, so I think I can be let off of that one, but the other two I regret greatly that I didn’t go.

Interstellar

I remember the first time I watched Interstellar. I set up a projector in the garden, got a fire going, and watched it under the full blanket of the night sky. If you ask me, that was the perfect first viewing experience for this Nolan tale.

The journey you go on watching Matthew McConaughey embark on his journey is gripping. The twists, the feeling of dread at times, and somewhat the utter confusion of how events work and what’s going on is what makes the film so thrilling to me.

And then you have the visuals. It obviously would’ve been asking a lot of Nolan to make a practical spaceship and to figure out the key to interstellar space travel so he of course had to use CGI. But in typical fashion, it wasn’t simple or easy for anyone. 

The black hole alone was a monumental undertaking to render but it produced stunning visuals that made it all feel so real. He collaborated with Nobel Prize-winning theoretical physicist Kip Thorne after all, it is made to feel like it is all entirely plausible.

Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back

The undeniable greatest Star Wars film. If I could travel back in time for one event, I would genuinely find it hard to not pick going back to May 1980 so I could witness everybody’s jaw drop at the most famous twist in cinema history (up to that point, but also maybe ever?)

Visually, it feels even now like a fairly significant step up from Episode IV, with Dagobah feeling so real while Cloud City entertained the cities of tomorrow that were theorised for Earth’s future around that time.

But really, it’s all in the story that makes me want to watch it in cinemas like it was the first time. Every time I rewatch all of Star Wars - which is at least twice a year - I wish it were my first experience again so I could feel the shock reveal again.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Maybe a rogue-ish pick but I’ve gone with the animated Spider-Man adventure purely because of the visuals.

Every frame of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse feels like a comic book brought to life. Its bold colours, halftone textures, speech bubbles and unique animation style make the film unlike anything else in modern cinema, with every scene packed full of visual details that deserve to be appreciated on the biggest screen possible. 

Couple that with exhilarating action sequences, a heartfelt coming-of-age story and one of the best superhero soundtracks in recent years, and it's an experience that's just as emotionally powerful as it is visually breath-taking. 

Ash

The cinema is my happy place - give me an uncomfortable seat, a lukewarm hot dog and a massive screen and I’m in a state of absolute bliss. So it should come as no surprise that I’ve seen all of my three picks at the pictures.

Honestly, I think every film benefits from a big screen and good sound… but these three especially are all about that magical cinema experience, when you feel the thump of the bass in your chest and the visuals sweep you away into another world. There’s nothing else like it.

Top Gun: Maverick

It’s easy to dismiss this one as a bit of a ‘dad movie’. Like, maybe it’s something you could casually put on come Sunday afternoon, all wrapped up nicely in warm ‘80s nostalgia.

But on a big screen, Maverick will absolutely blow your socks off.

It’s all about the realism - director Joseph Kosinski and cinematographer Claudio Miranda developed a new, portable camera system that they could mount in the cockpit of actual fighter jets. As a result you’re plonked right into the middle of the action, and you can really feel every breakneck twist and turn.

It’s also just a great, old-school action adventure movie. One best experienced on the biggest screen you can possibly find.

Back to the Future

Speaking of great, old-school action adventure films - you’d be hard-pressed to find a better time at the movies than Robert Zemeckis’s 1985 classic Back to the Future.

Surely at this point everyone in the world has watched Marty McFly travel back in time to the ‘50s and try desperately not to hook up with his own mother; this is easily one of the most beloved movies of all time.

But I’d be willing to bet that most people haven’t had the chance to see it on the big screen. Well, let me tell you, it’s a total gamechanger, and this time it’s all about the sound. That soaring Alan Silvestri score, the crackle of lightning, the boom as the DeLorean punches through time itself. Johnny B Goode!

By the end, I guarantee that you’ll be perched on the edge of your seat, even if you’ve seen it a million times already.

Avengers: Endgame

The one-two punch of Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame are up there in my top cinematic experiences of all time, if only for the sheer devastation that I saw in the audience at that dusty cliff-hanger - there were tears from kids in Spider-Man shirts, and one grown man literally had his head in his hands.

But for cinematic scope, Endgame has to come out on top. A sombre start gives way to a thrilling middle third that time-hops through all of Marvel’s greatest hits to date, making Endgame feel like a celebration and culmination of everything that’s come before.

And then there’s the final battle.

From the moment Thanos blasts the living hell out of the Avengers compound, through Cap picking up Mjolnir and Sam Wilson’s voice over a crackling radio saying ‘on your left’, the movie’s climax is filled to the brim with goosebump-inducing moments. And the actual brawl between Thanos’ army and literally every hero in the MCU is one for the ages.

Avengers… assemble!

Lucy

In contrast to Johnnie’s picks, two out of three of my picks I was lucky enough to see on a cinema screen. I am a sucker for visuals, and will admit that I can sometimes excuse a bad film if it’s pretty enough (bad, I know) - but rest assured my picks strike the cross-section of being beautifully shot and being films I genuinely love.

Jurassic Park

I am very grateful to have witnessed the 30th anniversary rerelease of this classic in IMAX. This film has stood the test of time and is amazing on any size screen - but dinosaurs obviously lend themselves to as big a screen as possible.

Watching Jurassic Park on a big screen really makes you feel like you’re there with the characters. It’s magical seeing the Brachiosaurus for the first time, exhilarating being stalked by Velociraptors, and genuinely intimidating being roared at by the T-Rex at full scale.

The rumbling of dino footsteps, paired with John Williams’ iconic soundtrack and the combination of CGI and practical effects (which still look better than some modern films) - these moments come together for a truly unforgettable viewing experience.

Crimson Peak

Honestly, any Guillermo del Toro film could be on this list, from the stunning practical sets of Frankenstein to the impressive creature makeup of The Shape of Water. However, I chose to go with his criminally underrated gothic romance, Crimson Peak.

Despite being considered a financial flop, this film is the perfect mix of macabre and beautiful that Del Toro is the master of. I would have loved to see this film on the big screen to fully appreciate the storytelling communicated through the use of colour, lighting, and costuming. I will not spoil anything, but a scene towards the end makes particularly good use of the film’s environmental setting.

This may be one you haven’t seen, but if you’re into heartfelt ghost stories and enjoy rich gothic visuals, this film is best enjoyed with dim lighting and a big screen.

Saltburn

When I saw Saltburn at the cinema, I went in not knowing anything about it or even having seen a trailer. I didn’t know what to expect, but I was instantly struck by the visual style and quickly fell in love with Emerald Fennell’s directing style.

The cinematography of this film is just stunning, using symmetry, lighting, and framing to create a simultaneously inviting and unsettling mood. The visuals pull you into the eccentric old-money world of the Catton family, swirling in a touch of nostalgia with its early 2000s soundtrack and painfully authentic costuming.

Every element of this film combines to feel like a fever dream in the best way possible, and seeing it on the big screen really sucks you in and lets you appreciate just how beautiful this film is.