How to Get Into the Criterion Collection and Know Where to Begin

The Criterion Collection can feel like walking into a video store where everyone else already knows which shelf matters. You see hundreds of films from different countries, decades, and directors, and suddenly choosing one movie feels harder than picking something from your normal watchlist. The fastest way in is to stop treating Criterion like homework and start with what you already enjoy.

Start With Familiar Ground

1. Pick a movie that connects to something you already like

Don't begin by searching for the film you're supposedly meant to appreciate. Start with a genre, director, actor, or mood you already know works for you, then look for Criterion titles that fit it. If you like crime movies, try Thief or Le samouraï; if horror is your thing, Night of the Living Dead and The Others give you much easier entry points than randomly choosing an austere three-hour drama. Your first goal is simple: finish a Criterion movie and genuinely want to watch another one.

2. Use Criterion's genres and themes instead of scrolling endlessly

Open the Criterion website or Criterion Channel and narrow the selection before you start reading individual descriptions. Look for categories that give you an immediate reason to click, whether that's horror, comedy, noir, samurai films, animation, or a collection built around a specific filmmaker. Choose three titles that sound appealing and watch the trailers or read their short descriptions, then pick one. Giving yourself three options beats staring at hundreds until you give up and watch something familiar elsewhere.

3. Start with an accessible film, not the most prestigious one

Your first Criterion film doesn't need to be Seven Samurai, 8½, or some other title you've seen on a greatest-films list for years. Pick something with a premise you can explain in one sentence and a running time you can comfortably handle that night. 12 Angry Men, The Princess Bride, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Parasite, or The Breakfast Club can work because you're entering through recognizable storytelling rather than testing your tolerance for unfamiliar filmmaking. Once Criterion feels like a source of movies you enjoy instead of a cultural exam, stranger choices become much easier.

Pro Tip: Choose your first three Criterion films from three different lanes: one familiar favorite, one movie related to a genre you already love, and one complete wildcard under two hours. You'll quickly learn whether you respond more to directors, genres, eras, countries, or simply individual films.

Give Each Movie a Fair Shot

4. Watch the film before touching the supplements

Criterion editions often come with interviews, documentaries, essays, commentaries, archival footage, and other extras, but don't turn those into prerequisites. Watch the actual movie first with as little explanation as you need, and let yourself form an opinion before hearing why somebody else considers it important. If you loved the film, use the supplements to dig into the parts that caught your attention; if you hated it, one interview or essay may help you understand what the filmmaker was attempting without requiring you to change your mind. You don't get extra points for agreeing with the critical consensus.

5. Follow one connection from every movie you enjoy

When a Criterion film works for you, don't immediately return to the full catalog. Follow one obvious connection instead: another film by the same director, another performance by the same actor, another movie from the same movement, or something Criterion itself pairs with it. If Seven Samurai grabs you, for example, your next move could be another Akira Kurosawa film rather than an unrelated classic from another continent and decade. One good movie can become a trail, and trails are far easier to follow than catalogs.

Build Your Own Version of Criterion

6. Keep a tiny watchlist, not a giant one

Create a Criterion watchlist with five films maximum and replace a title whenever you watch one. Give each slot a purpose, such as comedy, thriller, international film, older Hollywood movie, and wildcard, so you always have options without recreating the same scrolling problem. If a title sits there for months and you keep avoiding it, remove it. Your watchlist should make tonight's choice easier, not become a record of movies you feel guilty about ignoring.

7. Decide whether you actually want to collect physical editions

Don't start buying discs just because Criterion packaging looks good on a shelf. Stream or rent a film first when that's practical, then consider buying the edition if you know you'll rewatch the movie or spend time with its supplements. If you do want physical copies, make a short purchase list based on films you've already seen rather than ordering whatever has the strongest reputation. A five-film collection you love is more useful than 30 acclaimed movies still sitting in plastic.

8. Try one deliberate wildcard after you've found your footing

Once you've watched a few films you enjoyed, choose something that sits outside your normal habits. Change one variable rather than all of them at once: try an older movie in your favorite genre, a foreign-language film with a familiar premise, or an unfamiliar director working with an actor you recognize. Give the movie 30 minutes of focused attention before deciding whether it's for you, and put your phone somewhere you can't reach it automatically. If the film doesn't connect, move on without treating that reaction as a failure.

Common Mistake to Avoid

The biggest beginner mistake is treating the Criterion Collection like a syllabus you have to complete in the correct order. Don't force yourself through famous films you aren't interested in because you think appreciating them will prove that you understand cinema. Build outward from movies you actually enjoy, and let your taste get stranger at its own speed. Criterion becomes much more useful when you're choosing films out of curiosity instead of obligation.

Now you're ready to pick one Criterion film tonight, watch it without worrying whether you've chosen the “right” starting point, and follow whatever catches your attention next. Keep doing that, and the intimidating wall of classics will turn into a map of directors, genres, countries, and movies you actually want to explore.