Blu-ray + DVD + Digital HD

Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens Blu-ray Review

The Blu-Rey is strong with this one.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman, March 25, 2016

...a long time ago, in a galaxy that feels far, far away in some respects but, with the brilliance ofas the next chapter in the storied Star Wars saga, right here and right now in others.has neverbeen relevant since the original film's blockbusting debut back in 1977, but its revitalization in 2015 with the long-awaited seventh franchise film, and the first to release since George Lucas transferred control to Disney, has been nothing less than a re-awakening of the core fan base and the franchise's worldwide appeal alike. Not since 1999, in the months and days and hours leading up to's release to theaters, has there been so much palpable excitement in the air around a movie, a feeling of youthful revitalization and unadulterated hope for a film franchise that has, unlike any before it or any since, so perfectly married whimsical fantasy, keen dramatic storytelling, and movie magic as well as. Those prequel films, and the first two in particular, didn't quite live up to fan expectations, but part of the problem was that they looked the wrong way, choosing to gaze backwards in time rather than push the series forward. They re-introduced a previously established universe and lore rather than evolve them in a meaningful way. There's something magical about the way forward, fully exploring the unknown rather than being led through a past with an inevitable destination clearly in sight. Andis filled with bold new strokes and striking happenings, all the while remaining ever faithful to the source and all of its biggest concepts and tiniest intricacies alike. More than any film sinceexudesand all that those two words imply.The Empire has been destroyed, but in its place a new menace to the galaxy has emerged: The New Order. Led by the mysterious Snoke (Andy Serkis), General Hux (Domhnall Gleeson), and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), the organization has constructed a new weapon many times larger and more powerful than the Death Stars before it. The Rebellion remains, though it's been rebranded as The Resistance. The warring factions have one goal: to track down the long-missing Luke Skywalker, the Jedi who stands in the way of The First Order and represents the only hope for The Resistance. General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) has sent The Resistance's best pilot, Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), to the planet Jakku to retrieve vital data that could lead The Resistance to Skywalker. Dameron is captured, but his droid, BB-8, escapes with the information and stumbles upon Rey (Daisy Ridley), a scavenger who has lived a life shrouded in the haze of a destiny greater than selling off scraps for bites of food. She's soon aided by a morality driven Stormtrooper who has fled The First Order and taken to the name "Finn" (John Boyega). The two escape The First Order with the droid and its information, but they'll need more help than an old, practically mothballed, Corellian freighter if they're to survive the pursuit and get the information to those in desperate need of it.The movie begins and...something isn't right. The 20th Century Fox logo and fanfare are missing. They had become synonymous with, in some ways more identifiable as the start of amovie than the iconic "A long time ago..." prologue, the crawl, and the music, and even, arguably, the studio that logo and fanfare actually represent. That disconcerting absence, however, is quickly forgotten when those words appear, the yellow text scrolls, the music soars, and the movie begins. And what an experience it is. For longtime, dedicated fans who know the movies forward and backward, are familiar with every line, each detail, all the sounds, and can practically smell theuniverse, however, a first viewing offeels less likeit and more likeit, soaking in the greater spectacle and sorting out all of the emotions it engenders. No more true words are spoken in the film than when Han says, "we're home." That first viewing isn't so much about grasping all of the story intricacies, analyzing its place in thecanon, and theorizing about what's to come. It's instead about taking in all those details that Abrams and his fellow filmmakers -- every last person who contributed as much love as labor to making it work -- have put into the movie. It's about rediscovering the sensations, reuniting with old friends, making new acquaintances, and absorbing all those sights and sounds that make the movie more than a simple narrative journey but rather a tangible experience that stirs the soul quite unlike anything else in movie history. That Fox logo? Now a fond but distant memory that still holds a special place inlore that serves as a reminder that the whole is greater than the parts, that the spirit is greater than the details, that the universe is larger than a single image and sound. Kudos to Abrams for leaving the Disney logo off the beginning as well, and for the studio allowing him to do so. The film, and its universe, speak for themselves.With the story now moving forward rather than backward, there's plenty of opportunity for healthy advancements in technology and refinements from the first three films while still, certainly, retaining the same basic shapes and textures and, in all of the key areas, keeping up appearances, right down the finest little details fans have come to know, love, and expect from amovie. Storm troopers and TIE Fighters are a bit sleeker. Characters are a little bit older. Yet the Falcon is perfect. Finn digs up Luke's training remote and triggers the holographic tabletop game in the lounge. Han still has his same blaster. The filmmakers have paid attention to every detail, and their love, more so than their work, is evident in every shot. The film's climactic infiltration sequence borrows heavily from all three of the original films in obvious ways, in broad-stroke details and tiny little nuances alike, but the moment, and the entire movie, really, captures that established essence, that solidified soul, while molding it into something that stands on its own. Abrams has found just the right texture, structure, pace, and styling in every shot, but the movie is much more than mere fan service. The picture deals in very real and very easily identifiable themes of light and dark with some, but not much, gray area in between. The story centers on a literal inner and outer conflict between them that culminates in what is likely to be remembered as the most shocking moment inhistory that, again, shows deep parallels to a key moment from. It advances this story while underscoring both established and emerging themes that define theuniverse.For all of the "old" it gets right,proves just as spectacular in its "new." The movie is filled with fresh faces that are smartly cast and the beneficiaries of good, clean, efficient writing that, for some, continues in the exploration of old parallels while others open up new realms of possibility for where the franchise has been and where it's going. The new characters aren't simply a collective rehash of the old ones, however. Similarities abound, but there are role reversals, amalgamations, and new origins introduced that all, generally, fall into classic comfort zones while building up a uniqueness all their own. That's really the driving theme here, much like it was with Abrams' Star Trek films : things can and do change, sometimes even radically, but the foundation rarely does. The new heroes allow for some shifts in focus and new roles for certain types of characters, but none of them feel tacked on, forced in, or in any way otherwise inorganic within the world. As with the previous films, the feelings of fate and destiny permeate through each one of them, particularly in Rey who is sort of like a composite of Anakin, Luke, and Leia. The film's most interesting new character is Kylo Ren. Adam Driver is fantastic in the part, arguably the best of the new collective. His ability to so precisely capture Kylo Ren's conflicting nature and develop the character through the totality of youthful vigor, uneven temperament, and even the way he carries himself as both a leader and a fighter is above reproach. Conflicted villains are always the most dangerous, and the way the movie manipulates the character, evolves him, and establishes him near the end all but guarantees in future installments an antagonist capable of anything, as cold and strong as any before him, but with that hint of internal strife still ever-present even as the movie culminates the character's path in a very forceful, deliberate, and thematically paralleled manner.As a whole, singular experience, the movie never disappoints. Its technical construction is above reproach, not only in capturing thatspirit but in crafting a movie that's seamlessly assembled and hearkens back to the originals with plenty of practical effects and digital that's so well done it's hardly noticeable in most instances. Battles are fast moving and exciting, lightsaber duels are well choreographed, shootouts are intense, and character moments are touching. If one could mount any serious criticism criticism against the movie, it's that the humor threatens to become too deeply entwined with the story. Some of the jokes better establish characters -- Poe's one-liner near film's start being a good example -- while others threaten to destroy the dramatic importance of a scene, such as when Storm Troopers nearly approach an infuriated Kylo Ren and quickly turn tail in the other direction. The movie's best gag comes when the affable C-3PO pops up in the middle of a key moment, but it's a gag that's in staying with the character's tone and proves very effective. Overall, however, there's little-to-no room to complain.is a terrific movie and the onefans have been waiting for since the galaxy partied like it was 1983.