Snap/ShutterstockIt’s no exaggeration to say that Stanley Kubrick is one of the most celebrated filmmakers in the history of the medium. Kubrick is the ultimate auteur, exhibiting complete control over his films, and was tireless in executing his vision.The best example is that in one of the greatest films ever made, the 18th-century set Barry Lyndon, Kubrick wanted the film to be as authentic as possible. That included virtually no artificial light, and night scenes inside would be filmed by candlelight. That was all but impossible given that digital photography didn’t yet exist, and therefore no lens would be capable of capturing such scenes effectively. That would be enough for most people to change their minds or do things a different way. Not Kubrick. Instead, the director came across a lens created for NASA to photograph the dark side of the literal Moon. And with some tinkering (the lens was designed for still photography, not moving images), that lens was adapted to shoot interior night scenes lit entirely by candlelight. That is a genius — perhaps a mad genius — at work.Stanley Kubrick on the set of 2001: A Space Odyssey. | The Legacy Collection/THA/ShutterstockFor the first time, Criterion has assembled every single film made by Stanley Kubrick into one spectacular box set — and also for the first time, all of his movies are presented in 4K UHD. That’s three short films — Day of the Fight, Flying Padre, and The Seafarers — and 13 features — Fear and Desire, Killer’s Kiss, The Killing, Paths of Glory, Spartacus, Lolita, Dr. Strangelove, 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, Barry Lyndon, The Shining, Full Metal Jacket, and Eyes Wide Shut. Criterion has presented every film in a beautiful red boxset, with each film housed in a separate file in a wonderfully-constructed dossier, inspired by the director’s archives.It’s a monumental collection of everything Kubrick has ever done, and it’s no exaggeration to say that this is the definitive physical media release of 2026.WHY IS The Complete Kubrick IMPORTANT TO SEE NOW?Frankly, there’s never not an important time to see a Kubrick movie. Watching Kubrick films is a must for any budding cinephile, as they’re essential film education. But they’re far more than an education: they’re also wildly entertaining. Though all very different, his films all explore the intricacies of human behaviour, the battle between order and free will, and power and corruption. They aren’t all created equal, however. Kubrick has more or less disavowed his first film, Fear and Desire, which is likely why it doesn’t have its own disc, instead sneaking in as a special feature on the Killer’s Kiss disc. And while his earliest films like Killer’s Kiss and The Killing aren’t quite as great as the rest of what’s in the collection, they’re still good movies that highlight the foundations of what Kubrick does best.Kubrick’s methods were key to his success. He’d have actors undergo an unfathomable amount of takes in an effort to strip any self-consciousness from their performances, resulting in raw, thrilling work. Many great actors have done some of their finest work with Kubrick, including Ryan O’Neal (Barry Lyndon), Jack Nicholson (The Shining), James Mason (Lolita), Vincent D’Onforio (Full Metal Jacket), Shelley Duvall (The Shinking), and Nicole Kidman (Eyes Wide Shut). He was completely uncompromising, and his penchant for practical sets and effects made his films timeless. Visually, his films are nothing short of meticulous, favoring symmetrical images, ambitious tracking shots and wide-angle lenses.The boxset also has a huge variety of genres, as Kubrick had no interest to limit himself by any convention. There’s something for everyone. A brilliant psychosexual drama (Eyes Wide Shut), hysterically funny black comedy (Dr. Strangelove), and a hugely influential horror (The Shining) are just a few examples. Even when Kubrick appears to tackle the same genre, the results are incredibly different. Take two incredibly different takes on the war film in Paths of Glory and Full Metal Jacket. Or two historical epics that couldn’t feel further apart in Spartacus and Barry Lyndon, and yet both are masterpieces. Kubrick had the ability to make all his films feel distinct, and yet unmistakably his.WHAT NEW FEATURES DOES The Complete Kubrick HAVE?Shelley Duvall in The Shining. | Warner Bros/Hawk Films/Kobal/ShutterstockThe Complete Kubrick is a treasure trove of special features. For starters, there’s a booklet full of behind-the-scenes photography, pages of scripts, international posters, stills, and concept art. There’s also an essay by Nathaniel Rich that spans the entirety of Kubrick's career and is well worth a read for fans of the filmmaker (which is surely everyone buying this set).There are also a host of brand new features, including a new commentary for The Shining by Coco and Toy Story 3 director Lee Unkrich (who edited a book on the film) and one by author Michael Benson for 2001: A Space Odyssey (who wrote a book on that film. There’s also previously unseen Lolita screen tests with actors James Mason and Sue Lyon, and Full Metal Jacket behind-the-scenes footage. There are over 25 hours of special features in the Complete Kubrick.There are so many that listing them out would take a small eternity. There are multiple documentaries, including Making “The Shining.” Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures, Kubrick by Kubrick, and Staircases to Nowhere (which originally released in 2013, but has a new update included in the boxset). Endless archival interviews are included, from legends like Peter Ustinov, Kirk Douglas, Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, and Jean Simmons. There’s also a great new conversation between novelist Jonathan Lethem and film historian Kevin Wynter about Kubrick and the idea of authorship.Across 30(!) discs are some really neat additions. For example, A Clockwork Orange has an animated short called Kama Sutra Rides Again, which Kubrick selected to play before the theatrical release of the film, so you can get as close to the original 1971 experience as possible. Over on Paths of Glory, you’ll find a French TV program about a real-life WWI execution, which partially inspired Kubrick in making the film. Another intriguing example comes in the Full Metal Jacket disc, where you’ll find The Marines, a documentary about the Parris Island Marine Corps Recruit Depot — aka the very same recruiting depot that features in Kubrick’s film. It’s that remarkable attention to detail that’s given Criterion its sterling reputation, and that detail is found in this set from top to bottom.The Complete Kubrick (The Criterion Collection) [4K UHD]Amazon -