The Force reawakens on DVD, Blu-ray
Available on Tuesday, the latest Star Wars epic’s three-disc set includes plenty of extras
I am still bitter over the snubs meted out to Star Wars: The Force Awakens at the Academy Awards: Five nominations, none for best picture, and no wins at the ceremony. Arrrrgh!
So I am now elated at how forcefully J.J. Abrams’ team has moved on from the small-minded idiocy of the Oscars to triumph again in the home entertainment market. In addition to releasing this $2 billion worldwide mega-hit to digital streaming this weekend, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment is debuting the film on disc on Tuesday.
The three-disc combo pack — with DVD, Blu-ray and a Digital HD copy that does not expire until 2021 — arrives as a guaranteed best-seller, thanks to pre-orders. It can also boast being a stunner, thanks to the terrific menu of bonus materials on one disc.
The centrepiece is a 69-minute documentary teasingly entitled, Secrets of The Force Awakens: A Cinematic Journey. It is hyped as “the complete story” despite missing elements, such as the true feelings of Star Wars creator George Lucas (who reportedly was less than warm and fuzzy about the energetic reboot of his faltering franchise). No matter, what is on screen is enthralling for any Star Wars devotee.
The beauty of what we get in Secrets of The Force Awakens is a full appreciation of what Abrams, producer Kathleen Kennedy and all of the old and new cast did in melding elements from Lucas’ original trilogy with a fresh new story that features new heroes in Rey (Daisy Ridley), Finn (John Boyega) and Poe (Oscar Issac). And, of course, a dazzling new, much-conflicted villain in Kylo Ren (Adam Driver).
Everyone gets involved in the doc, including the iconic “oldies” from the original movies. Among them is grumpy Harrison Ford (Han Solo), eccentric Carrie Fisher (Princess and now General Leia), enigmatic Mark Hamill (the missing-in-action Luke Skywalker) and support players such as Peter Mayhew (despite bad knees, he still did as much of Chewbacca as he could) and Anthony Daniels (the elegant and amusing Briton who performs C-3PO).
The doc was directed by Laurent Bouzereau, absolutely one of the best in the business of making films in Hollywood. His film takes us through the history of the production, from Abrams’ initial reluctance to Ford’s dismissals to Lucas’ handoff of his Lucasfilm empire to Disney to the final shoot and its aftermath.
Other highlights include Abrams introducing Ridley’s audition, in which she does Rey’s tearful reaction to Kylo Ren getting inside her head. Plus long footage of the Abu Dhabi desert shoot, which includes the first day of filming. Plus a brief interview with Simon Pegg, who was desperate to be in the new Star Wars after playing Scotty in the rebooted Star Trek series (in disguise, Pegg plays crusty junk dealer Unkar Plutt). Plus numerous interviews with men and women — and their sons and daughters — who bridge the worlds of the original trilogy and the new movie.
The rest of the bonus menu on The Force Awakens disc is crammed with interesting stuff. Among the featurettes is a six-minute look at how the now beloved BB-8 robot was created.
Another bonus offers six deleted scenes. Four were expendable but I would have liked X-Wings Prepare for Light Speed to be edited in as a homage to the past; and Kylo Searches the Falcon to be restored as a critical plot twist before the big confrontation with his father, Han Solo.
But that is what bonus menus are all about with great films.