Star Wars: The Force Awakens hits Blu-ray/DVD on April 5th, and millions of fans are going to have to ask themselves if it’s an immediate buy or if they should wait for the inevitable follow-up release. Those of you wanting to own the movie in 3-D will already need to wait until later this year, but should the rest of us jump right in next week when we know Walt Disney will be milking fans for months to come with further special editions?
The short answer is yes — the movie is great fun and offers a solid balance between nostalgia and new adventure, and the nearly two hours of behind the scenes extras (and a few minutes of deleted scenes) offer a revealing and detailed look at the making of the film. Keep reading for the slightly longer answer.
The combo pack hitting shelves next week is a three disc affair featuring the movie on Blu-ray and on DVD and then a second Blu packed with the special features. The discs come housed in a black case which itself comes in a slick and simple slipcover, and of course, a digital HD code is also included. Now let’s take a look at what’s on the discs themselves.
The Movie:
Decades have passed since the Rebel Alliance defeated the Galactic Empire, but the mystical power known as the Force seems destined to eternally come in two flavors — the light and the dark. The Sith gave way to the Empire, and now it’s the First Order who threaten the peace and stability throughout the galaxy. They’re busy blowing up planets with a new weapon that makes the Death Star look like a gallstone, but Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) is tasked with the mission of finding Skywalker. A map to his whereabouts has been hidden in a rolling droid named BB-8, but as the dark Jedi scours space the little guy finds a friend in Rey (Daisy Ridley), a young woman on something of a stationary quest of her own.
For the three of you who have yet to see the film, further plot specifics await on a television set near you.
For better or worse, J.J. Abrams‘ opening salvo into a new Star Wars trilogy is everything you’re hoping for. It’s the closest thing to the original 1977 classic since the original 1977 classic, and it’s not just because it matches that film beat for beat at times. The Force Awakens is a high-energy space opera stuffed with dramatic character swings, epic laser battles in the sky and lightsaber duels on the ground, and a tangible line between good and evil designed to leave viewers cheering and worrying in equal measure.
As wonderful as the film’s grasp on nostalgia is, the film’s greatest strength is its ability to create new moments that feel immediately iconic. Our old friends are back, but it’s the new blood carrying the story forward. Their dramatic and emotional beats are gripping, and while more character exploration is needed for some it’s enough that the film leaves us immediately hungry for their further adventures. Rey is a delightfully charismatic spitfire and another strong, capable female character in a year that’s already given us Imperator Furiosa and Ilsa Faust. Finn (John Boyega) gives us our first look behind the stormtrooper’s mask and opens the door to a rich world of untapped backstory. Kylo Ren is a newly minted and tragic villain filled with dark promise. By the time the credits roll we’re invested in these and other characters as if they had been along for the Star Wars ride from the beginning, and it’s an unexpected accomplishment in the presence of the ones we’ve actually cherished for decades.
Like any blockbuster The Force Awakens can be nitpicked in a hundred ways, but none of its issues, big or small, prevent it from being the tremendously entertaining return to a galaxy far, far away that we’ve been waiting so damn long for. [Read my full The Force Awakens review here.]
Keep reading for a look at the extras…
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