Star Wars: Rebels Season Three Blu-Ray Review

Star Wars: Rebels season three comes out on Blu-ray today! I have had a chance to check it out in advance, so let’s catch up with the Ghost Crew and give you our SWNN review of the entire package.

 

 

The Ghost Crew has been through a truly incredible journey the past three seasons. We’ve seen Ezra Bridger, a street rat orphan from Lothal turn into a Jedi. His master Kanan Jarrus who once turned away from his old teachings, fully embrace the Force and the path of a Jedi Knight. Sabine Wren is in the process of uniting Mandalore against the Empire and their leader Hera Syndulla is well on her way to being a general in the Rebel Alliance.

 

 

As a fan of the show since it was first released I was very excited when the opportunity presented itself to get an advance copy of the third season on Blu-ray. I knew I was going to love the season itself, but the big question mark in my mind was the extras. What would they entail? Was it going to be similar to the incredible The Phantom Menace bonus content with a full documentary on the making of the movie, or was it going to be something like a blooper reel where we see Ahmed Best improv for 30 minutes. I went in with no expectations and I finished feeling satisfied yet wanting more.

 

So let me start with the good. The episodes themselves are awesome. The picture is incredibly clear and if you have a 4K TV it really seems to stand out in a way that I didn’t notice before. Because of the short time I had to review the Blu-ray I decided to binge the whole season in one day and surprisingly I liked it a lot more than I did before. Binging really seemed to help the flow of the show, as during the initial run of the season on Disney XD I found myself forgetting things from week to week. It really benefits the season as a whole when you watch it in one sitting.

 

 

The extras really impressed me as well. There are six new bonus features that range from five-to-ten minuites a piece and dive into the most important stories from the season. The two that really stand out to me are Thrawn: A Legend Reborn and Apprentices to Outcasts: Kenobi and Maul.

 

 

The Thrawn feature shows just how important the character of Thrawn was to people who wrote Rebels and how excited they were to bring him into canon. Seeing Timothy Zahn react to bringing him back is nothing short of endearing.

 

Hearing Dave Filoni give a deep and in-depth discussion on where Obi-Wan and Maul are respectively is fun to see and watching Stephen Stanton voice Obi-Wan gave me chills. He perfectly encapsulates what Alec Guinness brought to the role, and it was a delight to see him work.

 

 

I also have to shine praise on the incomparable Sam Witwer! The man is a super-fan but at the same time a limitless voice-talent that simply gets Star Wars and has kept Darth Maul thriving well beyond Ray Park’s portrayal in The Phantom Menace. His love for Star Wars and Maul is genuine and evident when you watch the extra feature and I would love to see him in a live action Star Wars movie at some point (Please Lucasfilm!).

 

 

My only real gripe with the Blu-Ray as a whole is that while yes there are some great extras that really provide some insight into the season, they’re relatively short. There are countless hours that go into a season and you can only give us six, five-to-ten minute shorts? I just feel like there should be a bit more, but like all of us Star Wars fans, we are admittedly spoiled with content. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE what they showed us, but as a die-hard Star Wars fan I selfishly want more.

In a lot of ways Rebels is the quintessential Star Wars show. There’s the light side, dark side, lightsabers, fun ships, memorable characters, and it can be enjoyed by all ages. If you are a fan of the show or of canon in general this is a no-brainer purchase! It’s Star Wars at it’s best and I can’t wait for more.

 

4.25/5 Stars

 

Stats:

 

Bonus Features:

 

Blu-ray:

 

  • Return To Mandalore

Explore where Mandalore fits within the Empire’s regime – and whether Sabine can unite her people against the Imperial forces.

 

  • Thrawn: A Legend Reborn

Learn Thrawn’s significance in Star Wars lore, and what the future may hold for this memorable villain.

 

  • Apprentices to Outcasts: Kenobi And Maul

Track two adversaries who’ve clashed throughout Star Wars history, and find out why the time was right to conclude their story.

 

  • The Original Rebel: Saw Gerrera Returns – Extended

Meet the Original Rebel. This exclusive extended version features Forest Whitaker discussing the character he brings to life in both Rebels andRogue One.

 

  • Five Audio Commentaries 

Featuring Dave Filoni (Executive Producer), Justin Ridge (Supervising Director), Kilian Plunkett (Art Director), Keith Kellogg (Animation Supervisor) and Joel Aron (CG Supervisor: Lighting & FX).

 

 

DVD:

 

  • A Rebel Alliance

Discover how the formation of the Rebel Alliance in Rebels ties into the Rogue One timeline – and the exciting story possibilities that lie ahead for season 4.

 

  • Rebels Recon

Go behind the scenes with the cast and crew in 19 entertaining and information-packed episode recaps!

 

 

Disc Specifications:

 

Release Date:            August 29, 2017

Format:                                   Blu-ray (3-Disc) & DVD (4-Disc)

Rating:                                    TVY7 FV; CE: PG; CF: G (Bonus Material Not Rated)

Run Time:                    Approximately 485 minutes (not including bonus)

Closed Captioned:   Yes

Aspect Ratio:             1:78 (Widescreen)

Audio:                                     5.1 Dolby Digital

Languages/ Subtitles:            English, French, German & Spanish

 

 

 

May the Force be with you!

 

You can find me on Twitter @StarWarsBill and you know I’ll be talking about my review on the next episode of The Resistance Broadcast podcast, you can find us @RBatSWNN.

 

 

+ posts

12 thoughts on “Star Wars: Rebels Season Three Blu-Ray Review

  • August 29, 2017 at 3:05 pm
    Permalink

    I will never understand the love for Witwers maul. He hammed up a silent assassin character into the chessy levels of saturday morning cartoon villain complete with monologues and revealing your diabolical plan to the heroes.

    • August 29, 2017 at 3:46 pm
      Permalink

      Yep.

    • August 29, 2017 at 8:00 pm
      Permalink

      Monologues and the “reveal your diabolical plan to the heroes” routine have nothin to do with acting and all to do with writing. Other than that, I agree that Witwers is highly overrated: he’s a decent voice actor but that’s pretty much it. His Palpatine impression is subpar and, before wishing him in a live action movie, I’d suggest watching his work in Battestar Galactica (spoiler: it was terrible).

      • August 29, 2017 at 8:26 pm
        Permalink

        He was godawful in Smallville as well.

      • August 31, 2017 at 6:03 am
        Permalink

        Witwer is a bigger star wars fan than anyone on this page…He knows star wars inside and out ,If you have ever seen him in the Star Wars trivia Shcmoedowns you would know what i am talking about.nevermind the fact that he IS Starkiller from the Force Unleashed.. ( which i thought he did great in) .he would be a great addition…did you actually suggest ANYONE watch friggin Battlestar Galactica? LMAO…that show was a joke and every actor in that show did a horrible job ( hence why the show got shitcanned)….Did you ever see Mark Hamill in ” Corvette Summer” or pretty much anything after? ..yeah…..but he did a good job in Star Wars though didnt he?

    • August 30, 2017 at 4:43 am
      Permalink

      “He hammed up a silent assassin character”

      Maul wasn’t an anything “character”. He was a walking lightsaber with no story, arc, or interesting attribute. Witwer brought emotion, motivation, and (most important of all) personality to an empty vessel of a character, and he did it well.

      • August 30, 2017 at 3:23 pm
        Permalink

        Sure if you like his performance a whole lot you should visit amateur Shakespeare night in the park. You will have a blast.

  • August 29, 2017 at 4:52 pm
    Permalink

    Since the last season has already been announced I am probably going to hold out for the complete collection boxed set which seems inevitable.

    • August 29, 2017 at 5:24 pm
      Permalink

      Same.

    • August 29, 2017 at 8:17 pm
      Permalink

      ditto

  • August 29, 2017 at 8:10 pm
    Permalink

    I enjoyed this 3d season but – just as a side note – while it is true that binge watching can improve the flow, it is ALSO true is that it “hides” the flaws of what you are watching (because, after a few episodes, the viewers ability to detect and analyze such flaws is greatly diminished).

    • August 30, 2017 at 4:29 am
      Permalink

      *citation needed*

Comments are closed.

LATEST POSTS ON MOVIE NEWS NET