star Wars: the force awakens
The talk is strong with this one
released OUT NOW! 2015 | 12 | Blu-ray 3d
Director JJ abrams Cast daisy ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Harrison Ford
collector’s edition No director’s cut here – this is the same film Disney released on regular Blu-ray and DVD in April.
Extras “I apologise in advance,” JJ Abrams says early on in his new-to-this-release commentary, because he doesn’t think he’s very good at them. Thankfully, he’s wrong – this is a brilliant talk track, packed with facts and memories directly tied to on-screen events.
Whether JJ’s dealing out revelations (Kylo Ren was going to have Phasma’s outfit at one point), making behind-the-scenes confessions (Adam Driver flew into rages because his costume was so restrictive), or defending the plot devices he incorporated from the original film (comparing Star Wars to Westerns and fairytales), it’s endlessly fascinating.
JJ’s contribution is so good it makes the new featurettes feel like watch-once fluff. “Foley: A Sonic Tale” (four minutes) demonstrates the low-tech approach to making the movie’s sounds. “Sound Of The Resistance” (seven minutes) contains the revelation that BB-8 had proper, recorded, in-English placeholder dialogue. The best part of “Dressing The Galaxy” (six minutes) is the stuff about the evolution of Kylo Ren’s costume. “Inside The Armory” (eight minutes) has solid behind-thescenes shots of lightsaber fights. Finally, “The Scavenger And The Stormtrooper” (12 minutes) is a relaxed chat between Daisy Ridley and John Boyega. (NB There are also three further deleted scenes, which we weren’t be able to see.)
All decent, but fairly forgettable. But despite the Dark Side of this double-dip, we still recommend this. The commentary alone is worth the cost. Sam Ashurst
Abrams’s commentary track confirms the call-sign of the Stormtrooper played by Daniel Craig: FN-007!