All your friends have Netflix. We can all access a wealth of movies any time we want. But DVD box sets can still make fantastic gifts, if they're cool-looking enough, and contain stuff your loved ones will watch over and over. Here are the most beautiful (and cheapest) DVD box sets to give to your friends and family.
Objects of Desire:
Marvel Phase 1 Box Set.
All of Marvel Phase 1 comes in this awesome briefcase with prop replicas and other memorabilia. $159.52 on Amazon.
X-Men Collection
All 6 X-Men films on Blu-Ray in Adamantium claw packaging for $129.99
MST3K 25th Anniversary Tin
A must have for any hard-core MST3K fan, this collector's edition costs $49.99 and includes a ton of never before released/long out of print material. Most notably it includes the episodes that transitioned between hosts Mike and Joel.
Pacific Rim Collector's Edition
For $41.22 you can get the Collector's Edition of Pacific Rim. The Jaeger shaped case will protect your special-features-packed blu-rays of Pacific Rim from anything—even Kaiju.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars Animated Series Collector's Edition
This special edition includes all of Star Wars: The Clone Wars and includes The Art of the Clone Wars, a booklet containing concept art from all 5 seasons. Currently priced at $114.96.
Star Trek: Stardate Collection
12 discs of Star Trek movies for $84.99, including all 10 pre-J.J. movies and 2 discs of bonus features. Notably, these are the theatrical cuts — meaning that Star Trek VI, in particular, is a lot more watchable.
Akira 25th Anniversary Edition
This 25th Anniversary Edition includes both English dubs and the original Japanese audio track so the Akira fan in your life can listen any way they please. $29.73 on Amazon.
The Man of Steel
At $44.99 this limited collector's edition of Man of Steel comes with PVC figurines of Superman and General Zod.
Fringe: The Complete Series
This box set, containing all 109 episodes plus an insane amount of extras, came out last May — but now it's marked down from $200 to $87.72 on Amazon, making it actually somewhat affordable.
Farscape Complete Series on Blu-ray:
This box set already came out in 2011, but now it's cheaper (just $75) and has a comic book included.
Supernatural Seasons 1-8 Blu-ray Box Set
This is some weird import, and there's almost no info about it, but if you have a friend who's been wanting to get up to speed on the Winchester brothers — say, someone who reveres Ben Edlund and just found out he wrote a ton of episodes of this show — then you can give them the entire run for just $125.
Game of Thrones Season 1-2 Set:
You can also get the first two seasons on Blu-ray for $10 less, but the three vinyl figures — including Drogo and a dragon! — might actually make this a way better gift for your friend who wants a refresher course in Westerosi lore. It's $90 on Amazon.
Twilight Zone Episodes Box Set:
Holy cow — this is the entire run of the show, 156 episodes on 25 discs, for just $118.99. Some Amazon reviewers are pointing people to the superior Definitive Edition, which is priced just slightly more, for now at least.
The Dark Knight Trilogy Ultimate Collector's Edition:
Seriously, even if you already have one or more of the Nolan Batman films on DVD or Blu-ray, this box set may just be irresistible. The packaging is stunning, including an art book. And the exclusive special features are just astonishing, including glimpses at very different versions of Nolan's Batman that might have been. This really is an indispensible edition. Just $74.99 on Amazon.
Doctor Who 1-7 Blu Ray Box Set:
As far as we know, this is the only way to own the first four seasons of the rebooted Doctor Who on Blu-ray — they weren't shot in high-definition, but everybody says the picture quality of the Blu-ray versions is still surprisingly great. Plus loads of special features. And a sonic screwdriver! $299.99 on Amazon.
Mad Max: The Complete Trilogy on Blu-ray
Supposedly this is the first time you can get Beyond Thunderdome on Blu-ray, although there's also a separate release that came out at the same time. In any case, the whole trilogy, plus a bunch of extras, is just $24.99 on Amazon now. Looks as though George Miller recorded a new commentary track, which might be interesting since he was in the middle of shooting a new Mad Max film.
The Avengers: The Complete Emma Peel Megaset
Supposedly contains all the episodes featuring Emma Peel (Diana Rigg, currently rocking Game of Thrones) and it's just $42.48 on Amazon.
Cheap Sets and Cult Classics
Drive In Cult Classics Collection
For $51.99, this 200 movie collection is a steal. It includes classic cult movies starring William Shatner, Richard Burton, Bruce Lee and Bela Lugosi. For a complete list, go here.
3rd Rock from the Sun: The Complete Series
All six seasons of 3rd Rock, the classic alien sitcom featuring French Stewart and Kristen Johnson, plus a couple other guys you might have heard of, are just $20 on Amazon. And you can find it even cheaper on other sites. The downside: these are the edited-for-syndication versions, meaning some stuff is missing. Drat.
Cries of Ecstasy, Blows of Death
Something Weird Video is a national treasure, preserving obscure cult films for a couple decades now. Their website [NSFW!] is a shining citadel of trash culture, and their films are generally available for $9.99 as DVD-Rs or downloads. Including this 1973 sexploitation classic, which takes place in the post-apocalyptic world of 2062.
Health and Safety Scare Films Vol. 18
The other recent release from Something Weird that would make an excellent gift — this is a compilation of weird and terrifying "health and safety" films from the 1950s to 1970s, including one where a see-thru robot warns workers about workplace safety, then says "I told you so" when they screw up.
Bewitched: The Complete Series
Hopefully unlike 3rd Rock, this one isn't edited versions of the episodes — and it's still dirt cheap. Over on CD Universe, the whole set of eight seasons, both the Dick Sargent and Dick York eras, is just $41.99!
The Sci Fi Invasion
Basically, just four low-budget science fiction action movies: Cosmos: War of the Planets (1978), Assignment: Outer Space (1960), Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet (1965), and Warning From Space (1956). Just $7.38 on Amazon.
American Horror Stories
Cheapo DVD publisher Mill Creek Entertainment tries to capitalize on the popularity of American Horror Story, with this box set of horror films — including the original Little Shop of Horrors with Jack Nicholson, and Horror Express with Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing and Telly Savalas! Just $4.24 on Amazon.
Best of the Worst 12 Horror Movie Collection
Another Mill Creek release, this one includes Manos the Hands of Fate and The Atomic Brain. Perfect for holiday marathons. Just $9.62 on Amazon.
Monster Movie Pack
Another 12-pack from Mill Creek, featuring The Creeping Terror, Gamera the Invincible, The Crater Lake Monster, Attack of the Monsters, Bride of the Gorilla, Horror High, Horror of the Zombies, The Wasp Woman, The Horrors of Spider Island, Kong Island, Land of the Minotaur and Snowbeast. Just $5.00 on Amazon.
4 Post-Apocalyptic Films:
Unlike the 12-packs from Mill Creek (and there are plenty more where the above ones came from) this is just four movies for $9.99. But they include the original Logan's Run and the excellent director's cut of Dark City.
8 Movie Action and SF Pack:
For just $7.79, you get Christian Bale doing Gun-Kata in Equilibrium, Christopher Lambert having forbidden sex in Fortress, and much much more.
TMNT 4 Movie Pack:
Catch up on the Turtles before the new Michael Bay film comes out, for just $9.33 at Walmart.
Batman 4 film set:
Both Burton films, and both Schumacher films, for only $9.96 from Walmart.
100 SF Classics:
Mill Creek does it again — and this one really does have everything. Including Galaxina! And Robo Vampire! So many films in here that everybody really ought to see at least once, and it's all just $16.49.
15-Film Man Cave Sci-Fi Horror Pack:
Why "Man Cave"? No clue. But this includes ExistenZ, Cronenberg's underrated VR epic. Plus 14 other films that range from to WTF to watchable. It's just $8.82.
50 Horror Classics:
Mill Creek, once again. And with a number of films starring Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff in the mix, this isn't a bad deal for just $8.96.
The Complete Ray Bradbury Theater:
And finally... the whole run of Ray Bradbury's TV show is now just $10.21 on Amazon. Hard to believe.