Great surround sound movies

Edge of Tomorrow and Black Hawk Down are quite often discussed on AVTrackWorld type forums as being good tests for a surround sound system..

One scene I remember from the cinema was the approach of the tiger tank in Saving Private Ryan, so probably give that a go as well.

Tron is pretty good. Gave my p12 a nice warm up

Crap film but the pod race scene from Phantom Menace is a good test.

Pretty much all streaming series available

Streaming still doesn't cut it for sound quality. Dune 4k UHD Blu-ray.

Came on here to say Dune for the immersive soundscape - even if i did stream it 😉

The gun battle outside the bank in heat, and the opening scene to gladiator.

I don't know if it was just because surround sound was new then, and even though I only had a pretty cheapo surround sound setup. But I still haven't been as impacted by surround sound as much as those two movies. Maybe it is just because I am now used to it, or if they just try and be more subtle, but I barely really notice surround sound any more.

interesting, I think what I’m really enjoying at the moment in west world, and last nights alien is the rich sound scapes raising the mood more than the sensation of stuff being shot past your head.
The score really seems to come out and I’m finding it quite captivating

If I notice a mood setting score, then it hasn't done the job IMO, I should feel the emotion rather than notice the music, so some have mentioned dune, I thought that was pretty poor and overbearing score that takes you out of the story and reminds you that you are watching a film.

When surround sound is at its best, it paints a 3d image in my brain that just watching a flat screen doesn't, and for that it needs sounds affecting the plot to be placed around me, rather than emotion setting music. Now obviously most surround sound systems will be better quality than the tv speakers so the score will be enhanced, but that is sound quality rather than surround sound.

Some games do sound design really well if you play at all. Bioshock and Halo Infinite spring to mind. Really seem to utilise all the speakers in a great way. When you first hear a Big Daddy approaching in Bioshock it is ace.

The shootout in Heat is excellent, also Das Boot, when the depth charges are dropped is a real test of your sub!

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

The scenes in the Shrieking Shack will make you think your house is about to collapse.

Master and Commander

Came on to say Master & Commander

The gun battle outside the bank in heat

watched that on DVD when my old man first set up his system. You could hear the shells dropping on the floor behind you . Had it on proper loud , my mother came in and asked if we were all deaf 🙂

Master and commander really is a masterclass in surround sound.
dark knight also very impressive

in the time honoured tradition of not quite answering the question tho - if you’ve got a tasty AV setup then consider films where the music is a big part of it - for me, that’s where you can really taste the difference

pulp fiction

trainspotting

straight outa compton

made of stone (Shane meadows stone roses documentary)

the Johnny cash one whatever it’s called

Dunkirk  - I remember the sound of the Stukas scared me to death in the cinema!

You Were Never Really Here  - again seen in the cinema, great sound

Back when I had a proper bachelor's setup my reference disc for showing off was the canal chase in Terminator 2.

The opening scene with the bomb in Swordfish had me go "holy shit!" and immediately restart the film to watch it again. The rest of the film is largely forgettable though, sadly.

The DTS version of Saving Private Ryan was impressive back in the day.

With my current set up of Atmos Soundbar and wireless surround, Apple TV seems to have the best sound quality of the streaming services.

xXx – that was my first ever film watched with surround sound. At the beginning of the film there is a shoot-out and I genuinely thought someone had taken a pot-shot at me.

The opening scene with the bomb in Swordfish.... The rest of the film is largely forgettable though, sadly.

Ohh, I don't know. There *is* one scene I'd happily rewatch again and again and again...

Ready Player One, if you have Atmos the soundtrack is amazing

Ohh, I don’t know. There *is* one scene I’d happily rewatch again and again and again…

The TVR car chase through the streets of LA?

The TVR car chase through the streets of LA?

Close. But no.

Mad Max Fury Road is great in surround, as is Tron: Legacy.

The Spider-Verse films are good & Le Mans 66/Ford Vs Ferrari race scenes.

Apple's streaming does seem to be a cut above the others quality wise. I purchased the Deadpool Vs Wolverine on YouTube & the sound quality was crap.

Apple’s streaming does seem to be a cut above the others quality wise. I purchased the Deadpool Vs Wolverine on YouTube & the sound quality was crap.

I've never really done any back to back testing but I'm surprised the sound quality suffers that much - are they just turning up the compression a lot mp3 style?  because its all still properly 5.1 coded and the audio track is tiny compared to an HD Video stream.   I'm probably less sesitive to audio but I definitely think Blu Ray picture is noticeably better than streamed.

Apple seem to mix all their own programmes with very distinct surround channel tracks - you're often 'aware' of the surround location rather than it adding atmosphere.

BBC is the most infuriating - still no 5.1 sound on iPlayer.  have to record Sat broadcasts to get proper surround tracks and I've just got out of the habit.

No one has yet said the helicopter / surfing / The Doors scene in Apocalypse Now?!

Some of the main ones already mentioned. Others that come to mind (the 4k UHD versions at least):

• Overlord
• Top Gun Maverick
• Blade Runner 2049
• A Quiet Place (counter intuitive...)

Apple TV & Disney support Atmos / DTSX as standard and on most if not all new content, you have to be on the premium tier for Netflix. I think Prime Video also provides it as standard but much of the content doesn't come with it, even newer movies where the studios are trying to push purchases / physical over streaming.

Oh, despite not paying for Netflix premium, the sound in Arcane is phenomenal. As is the animation. Not a film though.

Not a movie, but Band Of Brothers in surround sound, really puts you in the thick of the action

The mines of Moria scene in the second Lord of the Rings film was pretty epic in DTS back when I had surround sound..

I watched Jurassic Park on Lazer disc with surround sound as a lad. That was pretty ace. The dinosaurs running over the hill in particular.

The Matrix, for the foyer scene with the gun fight.

Civil War is now out on prime, that gets pretty loud in the final 3rd. Gives a good benchmark for what to expect all-out war around the Whitehouse to sound like.

Got a reasonably new (if entry level) surround setup. Idly put The Matrix on last night. Even on streaming the sound is pretty good, so came here to say that but beaten to it...

On a previous, much better and louder setup, I remember Black Hawk Down being one of the benchmarks. Shook stuff off my shelves at times.

Last of the Mohicans.

The ambush scene.

Gladiator-the arrows and war machines firing in the opening scenes are pretty good.

One scene I remember from the cinema was the approach of the tiger tank in Saving Private Ryan, so probably give that a go as well.

I was once supervising a landfill construction. Twenty metre hole in the ground from an old quarry. Clay lining material was being trucked in with big Moxys that drove around the rim of the hole before coming over the edge and down the 1in4 slope.

Standing in the bottom of the hole you couldn't see the dumpers driving around the edge but my god you could hear them, the noise bouncing around the bowl. The  you would hear the gear and rev shift and this mssive overhanging nose would appear before ot starts dropping towards you.

Genuinely unsettling and thats without the guns and death shit .