Update! SWNN Review: Star Wars: The Force Awakens Blu-ray + DVD + Digital HD Combo Pack!
How would you like to take a tour through the creature shop that made the 100+ aliens and creatures that graced the screen in The Force Awakens? Ever wonder how everyone’s favorite beach ball droid was brought to artificial life on screen? When you first saw that black and white cast photo for Episode VII two years ago, did you wish you could have been there to feel the electricity in the air?
Well, my friends, it seems that the folks at Disney/LFL have anticipated your every wish, as they will be bringing all this and more to the comfort of your own living room in just a matter of days with the Star Wars: The Force Awakens Blu-ray+DVD+Digital HD combo pack. Read on for the full review…
March 29, 2016
We are just a week away from the long awaited Blu-ray release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the movie that shattered box office records upon its debut to quickly become the cinematic event of a generation, earning over $926 million domestic and $2.05 billion worldwide.
The Blu-ray will be available on Tuesday, April 5th (arriving early on Digital HD this Friday, April 1st), and like other Star Wars titles before, boasts a healthy amount of bonus material including an in-depth documentary, deleted scenes, and featurettes that reveal even more secrets from the film. Having already reviewed the film on this site (here), this review will focus primarily on the contents of the Blu-ray package and the bonus content within. Let’s start with the packaging…
There will be many different packaging options when the Blu-ray hits shelves next Tuesday. Fans will get their choice of many different retailer exclusives such as Wal-mart’s BB-8 case, Target’s character montage cover, and Best Buy’s steelbook with Kylo Ren and Captain Phasma. The package we received was the basic cross-retail version (below), a standard plastic Blu-ray case with the film’s poster on the cover and a slip-on cardboard jacket with the Star Wars: The Force Awakens logo over a shimmering starfield.
Aside from the differences in packaging and a few exclusive featurettes provided by various retailers, it seems that the overall content of the package is basically the same across retailers. Upon opening the package, I found three separate discs within. The first disc is the Blu-ray version of the film, the second is a Blu-ray disc with all of the bonus content, and the third is the DVD version of the film. The fact that the bonus features are on a separate disc is nice as it allows for the best possible performance of the film itself being on its own disc.
Along with the three discs, there is also an insert with the Digital HD redemption code that can be redeemed through Disney Movies Anywhere to watch across a number of different accounts such as iTunes, Vudu, Google Play, Amazon, and Microsoft. The film will be available on Digital HD a few days before the Blu-ray comes out, but I definitely recommend waiting for the Blu-ray next week to get the most bang for your buck.
Now, what about those bonus features? I won’t spoil all of the content for you in this review, but I will list the available bonus content on the Blu-ray and my impressions of the material. The bonus content basically consists of an hour-long documentary, a handful of deleted scenes, and seven featurettes, most of which clock in below the ten-minute mark. Let’s start with the documentary – Secrets of The Force Awakens: A Cinematic Journey.
Secrets of The Force Awakens: A Cinematic Journey:
I really enjoyed this documentary. This little gem lives up to its name, taking you on a journey through the film’s production from the Disney acquisition to pre-production and casting and all the way to when the final touches were made by ILM. My favorite moment has to be Daisy Ridley’s audition video. She almost had me in tears as I witnessed what J.J. Abrams first saw in her that moment he knew that she was absolutely the girl for the role. Like Abrams, I was moved by her ability to emote in such a way that simultaneously revealed her vulnerability and unyielding tenacity.
The Story Awakens: The Table Read:
This little featurette places fans in the room with the veteran stars of the franchise and the newbies as they first came together to read through the movie’s script. Granted, the featurette is only a few minutes in length, but I got some serious chills as Mark Hamill began to read those famous words, “A long time ago in a galaxy far far away…”. This will pull on the heart strings of any long-time Star Wars fan.
Building BB-8:
BB-8 is definitely a new favorite among fans of the franchise, his unadulterated cuteness and the technical genius behind his creation making him universally lovable and highly marketable in the merchandise department. This small featurette gives fans a glimpse into BB-8’s conception and design and how they brought him to life on screen using a combination of techniques. With the introduction of the free-rolling droid at Star Wars Celebration 2015, you may be surprised at just how hands-on puppeteers actually were with the little droid during production. Real-life humans along with some slick digital editing were a huge part of BB-8’s performance on screen. I had a lot of fun watching this one.
Crafting Creatures:
Crafting Creatures takes fans on a quick tour of Neal Scanlan’s creature shop were we get a closer look at how new aliens and creatures like Unkar Plutt and the host of characters in Maz’s castle were made as well as how some of the returning characters like Chewie, Ackbar, Nien Nunb, and C-3PO were re-created for the new movie. I’ve always been a huge fan of movie monsters, so needless to say, this little bit of bonus content was probably my favorite to watch of all the featurettes on the Blu-ray.
In a cinematic world where computer generated effects have dominated blockbuster films, it is refreshing to see that practical creatures and effects are not just a thing of the past. You still get that old-school vibe while watching these creatures in action, but the advances in technology in the field prove that these methods can still bring something fresh and new to the table and are actually quite astounding to witness.
Blueprint of a Battle: The Snow Fight:
Seeing how the lightsaber battles in Star Wars were realized on screen has always been one of my favorite aspects of the behind-the-scenes content for the franchise, so I was very excited to get to this one. However, what sets this featurette apart is how the focus is less on the fight choreography and more on the set and the feel of the epic battle. What may surprise fans is seeing how the set was created for the battle – yes, it’s a set at Pinewood, not a real location. How they were able to take the stage and turn it into a convincing and seemingly endless snowy forest was nothing short of amazing. This featurette is among my favorites on the disc.
John Williams: The Seventh Symphony:
No bonus disc for a Star Wars movie would be complete without a look into John Williams’ genius and his scoring process for the film. This featurette takes fans on a brief journey to the past to witness Williams’ legacy unfold and also places us in the recording room as he scores portions of the film. Williams’ music is as much a character in the franchise as Luke Skywalker or the Millennium Falcon and it was great to see the man get his due respect here.
ILM: The Visual Magic of The Force:
This small featurette takes fans on a surprisingly emotional journey from 1977 to the present as it focuses on the legacy of ILM with Star Wars. Witnessing veterans like Dennis Muren and Doug Chiang working alongside uber talented newcomers was very special indeed, and as always, seeing the masterful artistry behind the digital effects of the company that is considered by many to be the best in the business did not disappoint. I really enjoyed watching Snoke and Maz come to life through the motion capture performances married with top-notch digital creations of the characters.
With all of the heavy handed talk about practical effects being so prominent in The Force Awakens, fans should not by any means underestimate the power of ILM and how key their artists were in the creation of the film’s special effects. My favorite part of this featurette was how the Falcon was created digitally for the movie and the amount of detail and love that went into it.
Force For Change:
This is probably the shortest segment of all the bonus content and basically just gives fans an inside look at how and why Force For Change was created and the people that received aid from the initiative.
And now about those deleted scenes…
By and large, one of the things that fans are most looking forward to are the deleted scenes that for whatever reason were cut from the film. I have to say, that although the scenes were nice to watch, they wouldn’t have really added a lot to the story had they been left in the final cut of the movie, and for that reason they are almost complete throwaways. It’s not that they are bad, but they didn’t really give me anything that I felt like I needed or really even wanted to see.
The scene with Kylo Ren entering the cockpit of the Falcon and recognizing the ship as Han Solo’s is probably the only one I could see adding anything at all to the film. Even so, it doesn’t really add much to the weight of his future confrontation with his father, and there is another scene in a hallway at Starkiller base where he senses his father’s presence that serves the same purpose as the deleted Falcon scene. It’s inclusion would have been a redundancy.
I was looking forward to the snowspeeder chase scene, but to be honest, I didn’t like it all that much, and I’m glad it was cut from the movie. It just didn’t feel right. Maybe it was because the effects seemed unfinished, but the pacing was also a little off. I was definitely disappointed with it. However, that’s not to say that it wasn’t fun to watch, and even some of the other scenes which I consider to be throwaways that might have actually been awkward if left in the film are not without merit. My favorite of the deleted scenes was the one with the X-Wing pilots entering hyperspace, where we get a better look at Poe’s buddies and even a few lines of dialogue from them.
Verdict:
It should go without saying that owning a copy of The Force Awakens is a no-brainer for any fan of the franchise. But, even more so, getting your hands on the Blu-ray+DVD+Digital HD combo pack is the way to go. You could purchase the movie digitally and watch it a few days earlier along with a special deleted scene only available to those with a Digital HD copy, but you will miss out on the other awesome bonus content that is offered on the Blu-ray version. Not to mention that for those who would rather watch the movie digitally – you still get a digital copy (as well as the additional deleted scene) with your purchase of the Blu-ray if you redeem your digital code included in the package.
My only complaints are the lack of a director’s commentary and the fact that the amount of content on the Blu-ray didn’t quite sate my thirst like I had initially hoped. But as for the amount of content, my partial dissatisfaction could just be chalked up to the fact that I am a behind-the-scenes junkie that could watch this stuff for the better part of a day.
That being said, the available bonus content included is quite good, and I have no complaints in regards to quality. Star Wars has always taken the cake on its reputation for behind-the-scenes fan service, and it doesn’t fail to live up to that reputation with the franchise’s seventh installment. So what are you waiting for? Pre-order your copy of The Force Awakens Blu-ray and take a couple of hours off of your schedule next week to dive right in – you’ll be glad you did.
UPDATE!
April 1, 2016
Although SWNN received an early copy of the Blu-ray to review for our readers, the digital copy included with the package had to be pre-ordered through Disney Movies Anywhere and only became available to view today (April 1st).
I can now confirm that the Digital HD version of the film includes all of the same bonus features that are on the Blu-ray disc, plus the extra deleted scene “Tunnel Standoff” (not available on the disc) as promised. Right at a minute in length, this new scene is the longest of all of the deleted scenes and takes place as Han, Finn, Chewie and Maz are escaping the castle during the First Order’s attack on Takodana.
So, if you could care less about owning a physical copy of the film and want to save a few bucks, then this may be the way to go for you. However, if you’re like me and want your physical copy as well as a digital copy you can watch through virtually any of your accounts, then I suggest you wait until next Tuesday (April 5th) to get the whole package with the Blu-ray+DVD+Digital HD.
I also noticed that the special features don’t seem to be available when watching it through Vudu, but Google Play, iTunes, and Amazon all seem to be complete with all of the features. Either way, unless you only purchase it on Vudu, you won’t miss out on any features; it’s really just a matter of preference.
Also, don’t forget about our competition celebrating the home release of TFA, where you can enter for a chance to win 8 really cool prizes! Until next time, may the Force be with you.
Jordan Pate is Co-Lead Editor and Senior Writer for Star Wars News Net, of which he is also a member of the book and comic review team. He loves all things Star Wars, but when he's not spending time in the galaxy far far away, he might be found in our own galaxy hanging out in Gotham City or at 1407 Graymalkin Lane, Salem Center, NY.
Although it is mildly disappointing that there is no commentary, this is still a fairly good package of content, considering the dwindling supply of bonus content on physical media these days.
Wait for the mega release. Disney is holding back here – you KNOW it to be true.
I just want a 3D Blu Ray. That is all.
Later in the year. Hopefully that’s true.
Yeah, pretty sure that’s been announced, but no street date yet. I just can’t see 3D adding much though.
I do like the covers, but just wish there was one at least with ‘Episode VII’ on the front like the previous. I know there will be fan created ones, but its just not the same.
Well currently, Lucasfilm is putting out the steelbooks for I-VI, and those don’t have the Episode subtitles.
Ah so its the current trend. I’ll have to keep searching for a fan-cover.
Yep.
Honestly, now a days, I usually prefer a good in depth documentary over a commentary.
I have never cared for commentaries.
My favorite commentary of all time is the two on Dr Horrible. Completely eviscerates the pat, meaningless chatter of DVD commentaries (“Look at that shot, we used….cameras…”). Second place is Citizen Kane – Ebert’s commentary is Film School 101 on that disc, just totally amazing and enthralling. Other than that, yeah, garbage.
Those are classics for f’sho. Mine would be:
– PTA’s commentaries for Hard Eight & Boogie Nights (especially the one he did with the cast where he kept asking everyone if they thought Luis Guzman was stoned during his scenes)
– Anything involving Kurt Russell and John Carpenter in the same room
You know…as much as I liked the film, I don’t think I ever watched the commentary on Boogie Nights. Been a while since I’ve seen it, might be time. Cheers!
Indeed, my only exception being the actors’ commentary for Tropic Thunder.
Deleted scenes are always deleted for a reason. Nice to watch as a bonus, but detracts from the narrative.
“But…why would you put that in the movie?”
I fucking love Harrison.
“George, you can type this shit, but you can’t say it!”
There are fan edits of the prequels that use deleted scenes which really improve the films
Still wouldn’t watch them. Tried to like the prequels, just couldn’t do it. But that’s just me.
I wasn’t suggesting that you watch them, I was just making the point that those deleted scenes didn’t necessarily detract from the narrative, in some cases they added to it.
I think the prequels are a special exception. Films directed by George Lucas always have weird subplots and scenes that get taken out in editing.
This is very helpful, thank you! I was initially very confused about the different packaging options, worried that they all didn’t have the same amount of content. The websites of the major retail stores don’t do a great job detailing what is inside the package. I’ve seen some websites that have 2 separate price listings, one for $20 and one for $25 with no additional info as to what’s inside. For all I know, I could’ve fooled myself and bought the $25 version to ensure I got all that was available.
It looks like the best options in the US price wise through the larger retailers are the standard version at Target or the BB-8 version at Wal-Mart. Of course Digital HD is the least expensive, but I can’t confirm if it has all the bonus features or not since it it doesn’t hit digital libraries until Friday. I seriously doubt that it has everything the Blu-ray does though.
Agreed, and personally I wouldn’t take the risk with the Digital HD version provided that you can wait an extra 4 days. I will probably go with the Walmart/BB-8 version.
I agree. The Digital HD version might have it all, but for a few extra bucks and a few days you can get that with a physical copy, so why not wait?
I’d go with the Target version for an extra 20 minutes of bonus features.
iTunes has at least:
-Secrets of The Force Awakens: A Cinematic Journey
-The Story Awakens: The Table Read
-Building BB-8
-Crafting Creatures
-Blueprint of a Battle: The Snow Fight:
-Those deleted scenes
-and More?
Unconfirmed:
-John Williams: The Seventh Symphony
-Force For Change
-ILM: The Visual Magic of The Force
http://www.starwars.com/the-force-awakens/ lists the digital version as having all the same bonus features as the Blu-ray.
Any idea what the 20 minutes of extra footage on the target release consists of? That is the edition i am currently leaning toward.
Some kind of an interview with John Boyega and Daisy Ridley, I believe.
Interviews with John and Daisy, and featurettes about the film’s weapons and costumes.
Amazing! Cannot wait for my Blu-Ray (although we have to wait a few more days for it in the UK! Also… I need that Sphero! 😀
No doubt they’ll give us a deluxe edition in about 2 years after Ep. 8 comes out with more features so we can be suckered into buying the whole thing again. Then a sequel trilogy 3-pack in 2020 with even more special unseen stuff to buy it for a third time… Classic Lucasfilm marketing.
Don’t forget the inevitable Master Collection with Episodes I-IX.
Of course!
Right before Episode X comes out that is. 🙂
Pfft….I’m betting on November 2016.
so is the target edition still the one with the most content?? help!
Yes, it has an extra 20 minutes of bonus features.
Just dawned on me that this the only SW film with no commentary. Even TCW film got one. If Abrams wasn’t going to do it then they should have got some of the cast members or maybe even some of the crew like Lucas did on the OT ones.
That’s really the only reason I mentioned it in the review. I remember the others having one. However, I’ve never really been that big on commentaries so I’m not really missing it that bad.
I like them but he SW ones are mostly forgetable. I prefer ones for really bad films though where they either tear the film to shreds or start defending it like a minister of propaganda. The Superman III and IV onnes are particularly memorable for those very reasons.
They will probably do commentary once the trilogy is complete and they can talk spoilers.
I think a Lucas one would be hilarious.
I really BB-8 in this movie. He’s the key to all this, because he’s really a funnier character than they’ve ever has before.
A droid commentary would be even better!
Straight beeps for hours on end.
With Threpio translating in sign language at the bottom.
Epic review! can’t wait 🙂
I would also like to point over to the blu-ray review, where they go over picture and sound quality. it earned a perfect 5/5 for Video 🙂
http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Star-Wars-Episode-VII-The-Force-Awakens-Blu-ray/141431/#Review
“the best any Star Wars movie has ever looked on home video.”
Wow, high bar indeed (:eyeroll)
.
“The only real disappointment here is that laser blasts often lack volume and heft. That’s not always the case, but many blasts experience a tangible sense of flatness and absence of energy that leaves various action scenes sounding a little incomplete.”
Not a flaw of the presentation – I felt, both times I saw the film in the theater, that this was a weakness in the mix.
Well, RotS is a good transfer.
going off on a tangent…. As much as i NEED a bluray of the original trilogy in its original theatrical version, i do want them to fix one thing….
In ANH, the brown squares around the TIE-fighters. I hope we get the ORIGINAL versions soon… i won’t buy the Special Edition ones. IF they were simply Special edition version, i would be fine (although… the Han head bob vs Greedo and Jabba look like crap). But adding in blinking ewoks, Hayden Christiansen… nope…
Yes, RotS is a decent transfer, I agree with that. The OT has been mangled though, and I’m not even talking SE changes here – the palette is almost unrecognizable as what was projected theatrically, whites are either completely blown, or muted to a flat, unnatural grey, blacks are completely crushed. TPM is pink (PINK!), and AotC looks…okay.
I just have a feeling Disney would give the original trilogy the attention and the time it deserves. If i had to guess (being that Disney is a company, and loves to make money) that we may see the full ORIGINAL restoration come to UHD bluray (4K). I mean… you know there will be a release. I can wait till then, assuming they make a deal with Fox, whom i think own ANH still.
Stop, my nipples can only get so erect!
Mine are exploding with delight.
Kind of a fluff review.
I just want to know how honest the documentary is in analyzing the films creation. The reason why the Phantom Menace documentary is genius because its a warts and all step by step of the movies production and its fascinating.
Do we get the full story of George Lucas’ treatments, rejected ideas, and why decisions were made on the story?
I doubt GL is mentioned at all anywhere.
He actually makes an appearance in the documentary. 🙂 But it was to discuss the selling of LFL and the passing of the torch to Kennedy – no mention of his story ideas.
Him not being interviewed is another first then. I’d love to hear him talk about his ideas at some point but it’s going to be awkward if they keep trotting him out every time a new film is released considering he doesn’t seem interested and has moved on. Not like he has much of a choice though considering he is the top shareholder in Disney.
Any mention of “white slavers”? 🙂
To answer your question – yes and no. Abrams and Kasdan discuss story decisions, but they don’t talk about George’s treatments. I thoroughly enjoyed the documentary, but it’s not as technical as the prequel docs. It’s more about the movie as a whole, detailing its significance and all that went in to bringing it to the screen from everyone involved with the project.
I have mine on its way. I’m concerned because I don’t own a Blu Ray player. Are you able to watch the bonus material (including the doc) on either the DVD or digitally?
No PlayStation or Xbox?
You can watch the special features digitally but not on dvd. The dvd is the movie only.
“Few”… “Short”… “Lack of”… “Small”…
I hope Disney will do an effort for the next edition.
No audio commentary… Are you kidding? There’s no dude with such verbal incontinence as JJ Abrams.
The featurettes are great, but I call them like I sees ’em…they were over in a flash. The documentary is fantastic though and clocks in at an hour and some change.
Still no mention of 3D blu-ray release date? This is getting ridiculous.
Not a specific date, just “later in year” according to starwars.com.
I just think they’re buttholes for not releasing at the same time. They know Star Wars fans won’t want to wait and will buy both. Shady business.
Definitely. At least they’re acknowledging that it’s happening though. I won’t feel too bad as long as the 3D release doesn’t come with extra bonus features, though I know it totally will.
I have to assume more deleted scenes will be included down the line somewhere. Maybe in the 3rd trilogy release but there’s definitely more that weren’t included
Hi , i cant wait to see the deleted scenes….A see it again and again and again….
I bought iTunes version last night. Awesome! Might cancel my target blu-ray version…
The tunnel stand off explains where Finns blaster went.
iTunes for me then.
“If you could care less about owning a physical copy…”
“If you could care less about…”
“could care less about…”
“could”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=om7O0MFkmpw
i’m sorry XD
… and so you should be. Delete your account.
Alright, maybe that was tactless — I just thought of the video when I read that and couldn’t resist. xD
Anyways, sorry, chap.
No need to say sorry, that’s gold 🙂
To be fair though, I don’t think this is an American issue… The phrase “I could care less” seems to be popping up quite frequently on discussion boards and sadly even in news articles.
Thank you. People who say it incorrectly are so fucking annoying.
That was great. It was actually an honest mistake on my part, put I appreciate your attention to detail. lol
So, is the extra “Tunnel Standoff” deleted scene also included on the digital copy that comes with the Blu Ray/DVD combo?
Disney Movies “Anywhere” …. yeah, right ….
Has anyone outside the US been successful in buying a digital copy of the movie????
I just watched the Tunnel Standoff scene on youtube. Han is hilarious!
Just took a peek at it too.
Not a bad idea for a scene, but to me it feels like they were going for “Who is this? What’s your operating number?” and just rambled the thing on a bit too long. (Though to be fair, they cut the scene before it ended, so maybe the payoff made the whole thing work.)
Does anyone know what happens after the cut?
There was a mention a while back that there was a scene that was supposed to have Maz Kanata using the Force to bring the ceiling down on the troopers. I’m guessing this was the aforementioned scene.
Ah, thanks. Even more reason to be glad this was cut.
Just got my hands on the Bonus disk! Popcorns are ready, the show is on!
I’m holding out for the physical disk version on Tuesday!
I hope they show the CGI for Darth Plaguies I I mean Snoke hehehehehe 🙂
Got the digital download earlier in the day and it’s pretty friggin’ cool.