How does one review a new Star Wars movie on home video?
Either you are interested in the film or not. Actually, as derided as the prequel trilogy was, most fans of Star Wars own a copy. There are fans who like the prequel trilogy well enough but have little interest in a new movie. Would a review of the Blu-ray convince them to check it out? So much has already been written and discussed online that those who grew up with the original trilogy and have kids of their own have been paying attention for years to the developments and have their own opinion, pretty much all positive.
As a film, Star Wars: The Force Awakens is just about everything a longtime fan could hope for, and new fans a benchmark from which all other future films can (and will) be measured. Is it a perfect film? No, not by any means – and I’m not just referring to the unanswered questions that some might try to complain about as plot holes.
Without getting too much into the story itself as I don’t want to spoil anything for the 12 people who apparently have yet to see the film, Star Wars: The Force Awakens has one major problem – that it has been 30 years since the events in Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi and that means a lot has happened a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. Viewers get the major points in the opening crawl, and a little bit of exposition allows for some blanks to get filled in, but there are major chunks which go unexplained, such as how the First Order came to power. It is this one section, a major plot point and character motivation that can leave a bit of a sour taste. While much of this is explained in the other Star Wars media (most notably in the new series of novels which are now canon) the more casual fan of the franchise won’t know about these as they have no interest or inclination to read them. Nor should they be penalized.
There is so much packed into just over two hours, Star Wars: The Force Awakens feels like it is not only making up for lost time but also trying to apologize for it as well as set up the whole of the future for the franchise at the same time. And it works. There is so much going on but rarely does the film feel muddled.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens recaptures that sense of wonder and amazement we (older fans) felt during the era when the original trilogy was first in theaters. This is quite an accomplishment, and is due in no small part to the talent behind the scenes – producer Kathleen Kennedy, writers Michael Arndt, Lawrence Kasdan, and co-writer and director J. J. Abrams. Actually, for me, I think it was Kasdan’s contribution that had the greatest positive effect on the film.
Unsurprisingly the film looks and sounds fantastic for this home video release. Even the DVD which is included looks good. In the package we get a digital copy, a DVD copy, a Blu-ray copy, and then a second Blu-ray disc which houses all of the special features.
This is where things start to fall apart.
It is painfully obvious there will be another home video release for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and that is not including the inevitable box set that will include future episodes. We get 4 minutes of deleted scenes, scenes which are fine being snipped but some scenes were in the trailers that didn’t make it into the film and are not present here. And the trailers are missing as well. And no audio commentary? Then there is the featurette on the table read – it just over three and a half minutes but it’s about the table read, not the actual table read itself. This serves as a fantastic introduction to what should have been included (everybody is mic’d up and multiple cameras are used, so you know this exists).
And apparently Target has an edition which has an additional special feature which interviews John Boyega and Daisy Ridley. It was not included in the copy I got for review, so I can not tell if it is worth the effort and/or possible extra expense.
Despite being disappointed in the special features, there are some really good things to be found. There is a featurette that lasts just over an hour and is broken up into four parts. This looks at the making of the film and covers pre-production, filming, casting, some iconic scenes and decisions, and more. It’s a great look at the making of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and honestly I would have loved to have seen this folded into an audio commentary with breakaway moments. Still, fans will certainly want to check this out.
Finally there are a few other shorter featurettes that look at specific aspects of the making of Star Wars: The Force Awakens (though I’m not sure why they weren’t just folded into the main behind the scenes featurette). Of course BB-8 gets a few minutes in the spotlight, as does John Williams. There are also bits on bringing the various creatures to live, a general look at special effects, the semi-climactic lightsaber duel and the charity work for Force For Change.
While I must admit to being a little disappointed in the Blu-ray of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, I certainly was not disappointed in the film. And since this is the only way, currently to get it for home viewing, I have to recommend it. Just be aware there is going to be another release down the line. How long we will have to wait remains to be seen.