The moment that many people have been waiting for has FINALLY arrived – Star Wars: The Force Awakens is available TODAY on Blu-ray and DVD (it became available on Digital HD last week).
There are plenty of movies I want to see in the movie theater, but often that doesn’t always work out. There was no possible way I was going to miss seeing this film on the big screen. We waited until it was out for a few weeks (the plot of the movie was spoiled for us by then) to avoid the crowds. It was well worth the wait!
I saw the original Star Wars (New Hope) in theaters. I also saw Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi in the theater.
We’re such big fans that we named two of our cats after Star Wars characters (Anakin and Padmé).
Star Wars: The Force Awakens picks up a few decades after Return of the Jedi.
When I first started to write this review I realized I was basically writing about the entire film. I did not want to do that. I want people who have yet to see movie be totally surprised by what happens. I don’t want to spoil the plot or the film for anyone.
It was great to see some familiar faces – Han Solo, Leia, C3-PO, R2-D2 and Chewbacca. There are also plenty of new faces…
Rey – The heroine in this film who seems to posses some of the force that Luke and Leia have.
Finn – The ex-Storm Trooper who finds himself a part of the resistance.
BB-8 – A new droid that belongs to Poe, a resistance pilot, who ends up being cared for by Rey and Finn.
Poe – A pilot for the resistance.
Kylo Ren/Ben – Han and Leia’s son who has gone to the dark side and is the new “Vader-like” villian.
Supreme Leader Snok – He is the head of the First Order and posses the dark powers that Kylo Ren does.
General Hux – The commander of the First Order. He reminds me of Hitler.
Maz – The owner of a cantina who has the ability to see things about people.
Luke Skywalker does show up in this film, but only very briefly. I have a feeling we’ll see a lot more of him in the next film.
This film did not fail to impress me and my husband (die hard Star Wars fans). Sometime sequels are never as good as the originals. The Star Wars franchise is the exception. All of their films are awesome – a is The Force Awakens. It definitely earned its spot with the other films in the franchise.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens has it all – action, adventure, epic battles, awesome weapons, cool looking monster/aliens, intrigue, humor… it has it all.
I have the Blu-ray/DVD combo pack which came with an entire DVD of bonus features (hours worth!).
Secrets of The Force Awakens: A Cinematic Journey. This is a four part feature broken up into chapters.
Chapter One: This features interviews with J.J. Abrams (Director), the original cast, and the new cast on bringing this new chapter to the franchise to life. My favorite was the interviews with the original cast and their thoughts on revisiting their beloved characters for another film.
Chapter Two: This chapter focuses on shooting the film on a desert location (Abu Dhabi), their expansive sets, and Peter Mayhew’s work as the beloved Chewbacca.
Chapter Three: This chapter takes a look at some of the new characters and locations in the film. There are also interviews with Carrie Fisher reprising her role as Leia and a closer look at the newest villain, Kylo Ren.
Chapter Four: This chapter explores the movie’s final scenes and the cast and crew’s thoughts about the movie and the Star Wars franchise.
The Story Awakens: The Table Read. This feature consists of an entire table read sessions.
Crafting Creatures. This is an in-depth look into how they created the creatures for this film and how human beings help to bring these creatures to life.
Building BB-8. This is a fascinating feature on how they came up with BB-8’s look and what it took to bring this character to life. I am in awe of how film makers are able to “erase” people and mechanical things in order to make BB-8 look entirely real.
Blueprint of a Battle: The Snow Fight. This feature give you an in-depth look into out they crafted the epic fight scene between Kylo Ren and Rey.
ILM: The Visual Magic of the Force. A behind the scenes look at the incredible digitial effects in this film, including how the spaceships appear to be flying in outer space in the film.
John Williams: The Seventh Symphony. This is an interview with music composer John Williams and how he created the music for the new film.
Delted Scenes – There are several delted scenes in this feature. I think Finn and the Villager and Kylo Searches the Falcon should have been kept in the film. I think they could have added to the movie.
Force for Change: A look at the charity work that came from the film.
Below is a brief trailer for the film, which is available for home viewing.
Look for Star Wars: The Force Awakens where ever movies are sold, as well as on Digital HD.
Below I have included some fun activities and more based on the film. Simply click on the button to download.
Did you see the film? What did you think about it? Who is your favorite character from the new film?
Kimberly
*I received a free screener copy to review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own and not influenced in any way.