Star Wars The Force Awakens

This Blu-Ray is an excellent example of how a collector's edition should be. The design is excellent, a very nice material (no idea what kind), and looks great on a shelf. The dimensions mean it is taller than your average Blu-Ray (18.5cm rather than 17.4cm), but with this film being the landmark which it is I think that's acceptable. I would compare the design to the Indiana Jones The Complete Adventures box set crossed with any of the Hobbit Extended Editions; with the 3D Lenticular printing of Rey with the Lightsaber hilt on the cover somewhat embedded within the black frame-like sleeve cover. Once you take the sleeve off you have a variety of pictures printed on the card (as seen in the pictures listed on this products page), and the Blu-Rays are nicely arranged (however the overlay of 2 of the discs can be slightly annoying, but this is just a nit-pick). The bonus features are great, with a very insightful audio commentary by JJ Abrams as well as mini-documentaries about various parts of the production of the film, as well as new deleted scenes and the same features as the original 2D release of the film. The 3D is excellent, the only quibble I can think of is that Disney could have kept the IMAX sequences in the 3D version of the film rather than just using the 2.39:1 aspect ratio sequences instead, in the same way that they do with the Marvel films (notably Guardians of the Galaxy), and that Warner Brothers did with the Dark Knight films (although jarring in places, the visual experience of seeing those IMAX frames is stunning). The audio is great, and with a sound bar or surround sound system you can come very close to replicating the cinematic experience of seeing the film from home. Overall, this product is brilliant and a must have for collectors of Star Wars media as well as Blu-Rays. I was very fortunate to hold off on initially buying the film and waiting for this inevitable 3D release. However, if you already own a copy of the film as a casual fan of Star Wars, I would probably avoid this (besides most of the special features are either on the internet or have been dissected by fans and blogs online). I can only hope that Disney maintain the standard for Star Wars releases set here, and that both future stand alone "anthology" films and the Saga films get collectors edition releases with as much care and effort put in as in this product.

One of the best films of all time, a sci-fi masterpiece. Even for anyone who doesn't consider themselves a Star Wars fan this is an excellent film. It's a continuation of the Star Wars story that is both fitting and progressive. You'll see some stuff that will be reminiscent of the earlier films, but if there wasn't it wouldn't be a fitting continuation. The bad guys get no prizes for innovation – that's probably the only really bad thing I can say along those lines. Meanwhile the new characters are fresh and brilliantly acted, the script writing is awesome, the old characters are still cool, and the Force is handled better here and is more involved than in the previous 3 episodes.There's been a lot said about Kylo Ren being not evil enough but casting someone human was a necessity – This is a story about people, not stereotypes. Adam Driver has more to task him than being a one dimensional menace-in-a-mask and so far he's pulled it off admirably. Fundamentally though this is Rey's party and Daisy Ridley is outstanding.Is this worth getting instead of just the 2D version? YES. It's the film with the best 3D I've ever seen. It's crisp, clear, never distracting from the action, rather helping it along, giving us better depth perception that brings outstanding clarity to the scenes. It helps that some of the scenery is awesome, and the 3D shows it in all its glory. It strikes a perfect balance between keeping the focus on the speaker when its crucial to the scene and giving us a clear view of the entire scene the rest of the time.Star Wars hasn't been better, and that includes Knights of the Old Republic so that's as high praise as I could give.I do have an objection that is not to do with the film itself: Disney double dipped – releasing the 2D version before the 3D version had a release date, ripping people off by getting them to buy a version that's inferior to the one they want. Thankfully that period is now over, but DEAR DISNEY, DON'T DOUBLE DIP.