Netflix better watch out. This video rental store has been around since 1985, and it's not leaving anytime soon! I've been wanting to watch the new Star Trek Picard show, but I didn't want to pay for an entirely new streaming subscription. Four Star Video Rental had it and just about every other video ever created! I spent almost an hour browsing through their selection of brand new releases, westerns, foreign films, silent films, and childrens' movies! The young man at the front desk was incredibly helpful. He gave me plenty of room to simply browse, but he was able to happily find a specific movie for me when asked. Individual rentals can be a bit pricey (around $4.50 I think), so I went with the $22 monthly option--allowing me to rent as much as I want for a month. It's certainly cheaper than getting a couple new streaming subscriptions, and I loved supporting a local treasure! read more

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I was so happy to discover this gem in Madison. Thank god there is a place where you can still rent DVDs and talk so people who love movies and give you a personal recommendation. This place has a far better selection than the streamers. Love it!!!! read more

Honest to goodness genuine Video Rental Store! HUGE selection of movies, from blockbusters to obscure nonsense. Unbeatable prices, great deals, knowledgeable staff. THESE PEOPLE CARE ABOUT MOVIES AND PHYSICAL MEDIA! 10/10 read more

I used to work for the Madison PD. I was pretty good. They filmed my beat work as an example to all. I was a Four Star Video Cop Operative. This is unrelated. What a really amazing little video store which is highly popular with students and Geeks alike which I guess it's kind of the same thing around here. They do an awesomely cool job of renting out for cheap to a whole lot of people, but not as many as they deserve. I'm a big fan and I come here whenever I'm staying in town either to rent stuff or just to browse and remember the days when stores like this were all over the place. The good old days if you like. read more

Five stars for Four Star Video! The staff are really great people and have gone the extra mile for me. If you are looking for obscure horror films, slashers, impossible to find foreign films, rare documentaries, that movie you wanted to see because it was banned in seven countries, some weird musical that was recorded ages ago, or live preformances by bands you must come here. Well really there is no other place to go. Of course they have the lastest movies and TV series, but I have a membership with them for the more interesting side of things. They even get older movies that you may have forgotten or did know about until you browsed around or asked one of the knowledgeable staff. That documentary about chruch fundraisers in Milwaukee that are beercentric and I missed at the Madison film Festival, found it here! Steven Segal movie I remembered for out of nowhere, found it here! They jam pack a ton of stuff in the two floors they have and if you can't get it anywhere else, find it here. read more

Four Star Video Rental - DVD rentals live on at this place. - Videos & Video Game Rental Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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Best video store EVER. Now they have a subscription for $18 so you can have 3 videos out at a time. If you like movies you have to go! Primarily rental, but some used DVDs for sale and they also sell multi-region DVD players. Selection is the best of any (physical) video store I've ever seen. Use coupons in the Onion for rent 1 get 1 free of non new releases. read more

I am basing this review entirely on information and one visit, but this information is enough to let me know that I will not be renting very often from this store. It has late fees of two dollars a day which is strictly enforced, and the return time is 7pm. Hollywood video has a return time of midnight, which is far easier for its customers, and a late fee system of automatic re-rental, so that keeping a movie for five extra days is ten bucks at Four Star and 4 bucks at Hollywood Video. The staff ostensibly has a contempt for corporate video stores, having a sign against blockbuster posted (which I can sympathize slightly with, but I find very cheap). In addition, when I mentioned in a friendly way that the Hollywood I used to work at also just started the safe guard idea of video insurance for 25 cents, the manager on duty grinned widely and stated that they stole it from Four Star. Even if true, though very hard to prove and even harder to believe [Four Star being one store in a nation of thousands], it seemed like a petty hatred that would prompt someone to accusilatorily make a claim about something that is simply very common, acknowledged and not considered a bad thing- businesses using ideas that work. Additionally, they are touted as having a gigantic collection while the total is 20,000 titles, which is not more than I imagine most blockbusters even have, is 43,000 less than Netflix has, and is 33,000 less than the Hollywood Video I used to work at had. I supposed I've been spoiled by living in DC, where our local independent video store (Potomac Video) has 73,000 titles. Or maybe Madisonians are just deprived in this regard. He-he. read more

One word...AMAZING! Four star moved from their location on Henry St. to N. Broom, but the experience hasn't changed. To me, there's no better video-rental experience than walking into, and perusing the isles of an actual store. Four Star has an amazing selection of movies in their new two-story spot (equipped with an ultra rad spiral staircase). You can sense the passion the employees have for what they do, and they're always more than willing to help you find what you're looking for. In the age of Netflix and piracy, Four Star stands as a testament to the old school of video renting, a school I hope to forever be enrolled. read more

No reviews yet? Maybe because of Netflix or something, but this is by far the best and most popular video store in Madison (cheap too). If its sick, perverted, violent, obscene, indie in any way or Blockbuster simply refuses to carry it, you will find it here. read more

A bastion of media barely afloat in our online-driven world, 4 Star deserves more of my business than I give it. I, too, have been seduced by the lazy temptress that is Netflix. But, when I want to find that obscure foreign film, or the next season of that anime show I started watching, or feel like rewatching an old classic, 4 Star is there for me. They focus on hard to find items, but still keep up with the day's popular fresh shows and movies as well. And I always walk out of there with more than what I came for, because perusing their selection is both an endless pleasure and a constant torture. Why can't I just rent all 47 things that called out to me? Thank goodness for 4 Star. May they live forever. read more

Absolutely the best video store in town. Overall they have a great selection of obscure and hard-to-find movies, but their foreign and documentary selection alone is enough to make it the best. Most of their employees are extremely knowledgeable about film in general, and there's one that's extremely cute. Down with Netflix--Four Star is it. read more

Ah, Four-Star. Here's the run-down: There's a great selection of movies to rent, also varied sales of old (gently used) dvds. Hydroponic plants are for sale up front, along with seeds and planters. Freindly, knowledgable staff run the counter. I was impressed by the huge poster of Fritz Lang's "Metropolis" in front, a sign of taste as I understood it. Go in the basement for even more genres. The spiral-stairs are in the back, use the maps to find your way. This place sells & rents anime - we need more of that here. Support them in that noble cause. And, y'know, local and all.. They were out of new membership cards, so I got a paper barcode. Its still in my wallet, I hope. Not a problem but I hope they get their organization together a bit more. Most recently I rented Satoshi Kon's Perfect Blue; I'd wanted to see it for years. Thanks to Four Star I didn't have to buy it! Now others can enjoy it too, the beauty of physical media rental *(hint, hint)*. Price: reasonable, not extreme either way. 24/7 dropoff is nice and insomniac-user friendly. Registering for membership was so quick and painless I barely noticed, card/barcode issue aside. It shouldn't put anyone off getting something from here, even if a one-time impulse. With no Blockbuster, Sam Goody or fye in town, places like this are more essential than ever. I'm not anti-streaming, but with fees, almost complete lack of many genres and other drawbacks, I sometimes prefer the tangible, near-instant gratification of brick & mortar stores. That, and its more likely to have what I'm looking for than any service and none of the hassle involved in finding a decent bootleg. The only drawback I encountered was perhaps a kind of lack of selection. Their stock is vast & diverse so its not an issue of anyone else being better; but on certain things like multivolume sets they're missing some volumes, so watching the entire thing is... less fun. Fortunately this was the exception, titles were usually the best pressings with the best quality, features, master, etc. of all releases, digital (if any) or media. This pleasantly surprised me, they're often hard or impossible to find. I wish they had even more, or soon someone decides to donate their discs. Nothing I've rented had errors or scratches. All said I'm happy, no, proud to support my local video store! Especially so in this increasingly bleak age of cable; If i want* to see hillbillies, I'll look out the window (different town), thanks.. Ahem, go here and make it movie night. When did you last see Fear and Lothing in Las Vegas or Incubus? If you're reading this, too long, go and watch something! read more

Four Star is STILL STANDING! After all your typical Blockbusters and Hollywood Videos have disappeared, one place remains. I am a long-time customer of Four Star Video Cooperative (formerly Heaven), and I have never been disappointed. While you can get all the new releases that you would expect to see in your typical movie rental places, Four Star has a thousands-deep stock of all the films you wish you knew you wanted to see. Four Star does not cater only to your Marvel-loving action connoiseurs but to the funky freaks that make the film world go round. Pro tip: Sign up for the $17.99 monthly DVD rental plan. You can rent three films at a time and keep cycling them out. This is a great way to delve into the deep trenches of Four Star's epic library without breaking the bank. read more

I don't think I've ever been to a video store better than Four Star, and I don't think I ever will. As soon as I moved to Madison years ago, I took out an account there, and I've been renting there ever since. Their selection is amazing - unlike Blockbuster, they have more than new releases, and unlike many other locally-owned video stores, they have a huuuuuuuuuuuge collection. The few times they don't have what I want, it's usually some weird obscure foreign film, and one I really didn't expect them to have anyway. Their collection takes up two huge rooms (if this was a New York City tenement a hundred years ago, I'd say at least 10 families could fit in Four Star) Four Star's staff is friendly and usually pretty helpful. They also have rent-one-get-one-free coupons in the Onion every other week or so, which makes movies there even cheaper. I'm sure that, really, Netflix is a better deal, but even my friends with Netflix go to Four Star because they have such a great collection. Porn, too (I don't know how the porn selection is, but they do have Pirates, the most expensive pornographic film ever made - it's advertised throughout the store). The only complaints I've ever really heard about Four Star is their policy of checking all bags larger than a DVD. I figure that if you're carrying real valuables in your bag, either take them home and then come back, or suck it up and trust the staff. Bags are stored behind the counter and in plain sight, and you're given a coat check kind of thing so they know exactly whose bag is whose. I've never heard of anyone losing anything while their bag was being checked, so I really wouldn't worry about it. TL;DR version? Just like Roger Ebert said: Thumbs up to Four Star. read more

With giant late fees and movies due at 7pm (inconvenient compared to the standard midnight time), I only lasted a few weeks before I was forced to turn to Netflix and Blockbuster for my needs. Not the same selection, but very close and much much cheaper. read more

Four stars for Four Star! While the prices at Four Star are a little higher than you would pay for Netflix or something similar, the selection here makes it well worth it. There is a massive collection of foreign films; definitely the largest I've ever seen. The staff is also quite knowledgeable about movies and is happy to offer suggestions. read more

Before the internet, Four Star and the old Majestic used to be my only lifelines for gay, underground, alternative and international movies. Their library has grown deep over the years and still dwarfs the options on Hulu or Netflix. It has recently gone co-op with the same helpful, down-to-earth staff as always. read more

I love this video rental shop and used to frequent it regularly when I lived off State Street. The last experience I had was the clerk telling me to rent the movie Teeth, which is something I'll never forget. Don't let that stop you from renting there though. It made for a great story and an interesting movie night at my house. read more

Incredible catalog and a great staff who work hard to help you out. If they don't have something, they'll do their best to get a copy for you. Monthly rates are wonderful. Movie lovers can't afford to skip it. read more

will post a review when I can recolate. I have nothing bad to say except this place rocks. Need to provide detaisl for viwers

I made a review of this site and found it does not show the what people actually say. Lepy is not to be believed.

I was hesitant to go here at first after I heard some complaints about late fees but I've also heard they support a lot of local charities and collect clothing for the homeless so I thought it was about time I checked it out and this place rocks! The foreign section was gi-fucking-normous! Much larger than any video store I've been in and they have a shitload of anime and tv shows too. I didn't do the subscription thing because I like to just go in and rent movies every once in a while when I'm in the mood but their late fees are only $2 a day which doesn't seem unresonable since if you know you are going to be late you can just renew the movie online and if it's just going to be one day late then it's only two bucks rather than a stupid automatic re-rental. The staff seemed pretty cool and helpful but there was this one guy who honestly was pretty smelly. But he did kind of look like a hippie so maybe he doesn't use deodorant like most of my hippie friends. His funk was a minor issue and I'll keep going back. read more