Label: Disney/Lucasfilm
Release Date: December 19th, 2017 (Theatrical) / March 27th, 2018 (Blu-ray)
Run Time: 152 minutes (2 Hours 32 Minutes)
Region Coding: REGION A
Picture: 1080p (2.39:1 Aspect Ratio)
Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1
Starring: Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver, Andy Serkis, Laura Dern, Lupita Nyong'o, Domhnall Gleeson, Kelly Marie Tran
Written by: Rian Johnson
Directed by Rian Johnson
Rated PG-13 (sequences of sci-fi action and violence)
THE FEATURES ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Disc 1: The Movie (Blu-ray)
Audio Commentary with writer/director Rian Johnson
Disc 2: The Special Features (Blu-ray)
The Director and the Jedi (1h 35m, 2.35:1 AR, HD)
An incredibly intimate look at the making of the The Last Jedi, that takes us from the reaction of the fans to the announcement of Johnson’s involvement all the way to the end of filming, and everything in between. Some of the interviews can get a little bit too honest, but it helps us know what the reaction was to Johnson’s script. I do wish that this was a bit more personal like the prequel trilogy documentaries, but this is Disney, they do not take too kindly to that level of honesty. Still, this is a fantastic doc that fans will eat up.
Balance of the Force (10m 17s, 2.35:1 AR, HD)
Scene Breakdowns (33m 1s, 2.35:1 AR, HD)
- Lighting the Spark
- Snoke and Mirrors
- Showdown on Crait
Andy Serkis Live (One Night Only) (5m 49s, HD)
This is most of the throne room scene at towards the end of the film, but with Serkis in his motion capture suit.
Deleted Scenes (23m 2s, HD)
- Introduction from Rian Johnson (49s, HD)
- Alternate Opening / Paige’s Gun Jams / Luke Has a Moment / Poe: Not Much of a Sewer / It’s Kind of Weird That You Recorded That / The Caretaker Sizes Rey Up / Caretaker Village Sequence / Mega Destroyer Incursion- Extended Version / Rose Bites the Hand That Taunts Her / Phasma Squealed Like a Whoop Hog / Rose and Finn Go to Where They Belong / Rey and Chewie in the Falcon / The Costumes and Creatures of Canto Bight
Disc 3: The Movie (DVD)
Disc 4: Target Exclusive Bonus Disc (DVD)
Meet the Porgs (6m 2s, SD)
Also included is a code to be redeemed at Movies Anywhere for a digital copy of the film.
This is a nice special features package and I applaud Disney for putting the extras on the discs instead of on their Movies Anywhere platform. The audio commentary by Johnson is excellent as is the feature-length doc about the making of. After that, however, is where the special features begin to dip in quality. While nothing is all out bad, I will say that information between the other special features and the commentary and documentary begin to overlap. The deleted scenes are nice, but there is nothing there that wasn’t cut for good reason. The Target exclusive disc is not really worth the time. The lone feature on the disc is a six-minute featurette about the porgs.
All in all, I like this package and think that anyone who hasn’t dived into them yet needs to. The only thing really missing from this set is the film’s trailers, which were really good and sorely missing from here.
THE PACKAGING ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This is the Target exclusive version of the blu-ray and includes a bonus disc (talked about above), a 40-page Gallery Book, and digipak packaging.
The front cover features an alternate poster for the film with the characters moved around a bit from their normal place on the poster. There are no lightsabers on this cover (which is kind of weird) and Rey is wearing a red cloak.
The back cover features BB-8 with a red tint to that starts in the middle of the photo and goes all the way down to the bottom.
As you unfold the digipak, you will find photos of Rey, Luke, Leia, and Kylo Ren wearing their normal costumes, but now they are red.
The discs are held by plastic hubs with the discs overlapping each other. There are two plastic trays that hold the four discs. Three of the discs (the two blu-rays and the dvd that contains the film) feature art from the film, while the Target exclusive dvd features plain white art.
The 40-page Gallery Book is pretty nice. While the front and back covers are not hard bound, they are made of a thicker cardboard that makes the book feel very sturdy. Inside, every page is made of photo paper and full colored to boot. There is an introduction from Rian Johnson with character breakdowns, planet breakdowns, sketches, concept art, and behind the scenes photos taking up the rest of the book. Everything contained inside this Gallery Book comes from the “The Art of Star Wars: The Last Jedi” book.
THE PICTURE AND SOUND ⭐⭐⭐⭐
There is really no need to go into a lot of detail about the picture and sound. They are amazing. There is nothing wrong with either so going into a lot of detail would be pointless. Just know that everything looks and sounds perfect and that is that.
THE FILM ⭐⭐⭐⭐
When The Last Jedi hit theaters there was a backlash from, what seemed to be, a big chunk of the film’s fanbase. I was skeptic about seeing the film after all of this perceived backlash and avoided the film in the theater. This backlash scared me off from seeing the film and I regret that. While The Last Jedi is not perfect it is a great film. Director Rian Johnson, who also wrote the film, tries a lot of new things here, and while they are not all successful, it was brave for Disney to allow Johnson the freedom to try these things.
The film follows a fairly familiar storyline, but it is the pace and the tone that I believe that fans had their problems with. The pacing in the film should have been improved on a bit as there is a lack of urgency despite the fact that there are a few different countdowns going on. Many characters have a set amount of time to complete their mission before things go pear-shaped, but the lack of urgency allows us to know that most things will be alright. Had Johnson picked things up a bit that sense of urgency would have improved and fans would have been sitting on the edge of their seats more than normal.
The tone of the film seems to be at odds with itself. During moments that seem like they are supposed to carry a more somber tone have comedic elements added to them. Some of them work and are really funny, but the ones that don’t work fall flat on their face instead of being quickly forgotten. There is even a deleted scene that would have contained more unwanted comedy. I think that Johnson may have been afraid of making the film incredibly serious due to the fact that other films, outside of the series, like those found in the DCEU, have been criticised for taking the material a bit too seriously. I think that he added the humor to lighten the mood of the film, but the tone of the film is all over the place. I get where he was coming from, but he needed to scale back the humor and let things play out.
OVERALL ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Last Jedi is a really good film that has its problems but is able to overcome most of them. Sure, the film is all over the place, but it does keep the film interesting if nothing else. I don’t really have any idea where the ninth and final film is going to go as it seems like Johnson has written the series into a corner, but it will be exciting to see where Star Wars goes from here. The film is still a lot of fun and that is really what Star Wars is all about.
The blu-ray, from Disney, is excellent. The picture and sound quality are just about perfect and the special features package is impressive and entertaining. I would recommend finding this version of the blu-ray as it has the best packaging and comes with some nice exclusives.
More Screenshots (May Contain Spoilers!!):
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