Review: 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' Blu-ray/DVD set

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(C) 2017 Lucasfilm Ltd. and Buena Vista Home Entertainment
On Tuesday, April 4, Buena Vista Home Entertainment (BVHE) - Walt Disney Motion Pictures Studio's home media division - released the Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy three-disc set of director Gareth Edwards' blockbuster hit Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. This home media debut of the first in a series of Star Wars Anthology stand-alone films comes less than four months after its theatrical premiere and almost one year after the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens on Blu-ray and DVD. 

 Although BVHE offers various "exclusive" editions for specific sellers (such as the "SteelBook" edition for Target), most Star Wars fans will probably buy the set that I bought from the Disney Store - the three-disc edition with two Blu-ray discs (BDs), one DVD, and the code for a digital download (which expires after April 4, 2022). 

 In many respects, BVHE'sBD/DVD/HD Digital Copy Rogue One combo package resembles last year's three-disc set for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. It consists of:

 Disc One: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story - The Feature Film (BD)
Disc Two: Bonus Disc with Extra Features (BD)
Disc Three: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (Standard Definition DVD)

 From Lucasfilm comes an epic adventure - Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. In a period of great conflict, a group of unlikely heroes led by Jyn Erso, a daring fugitive, and Cassian Andor, a rebel spy, band together on a desperate mission to steal the plans to the Death Star, the Empire's ultimate weapon of destruction. - From the package blurb, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

 The three-disc set (two BDs, one DVD) come in a standard multi-disc "Blu-ray" jewel case. Like BVHE's 2016 Star Wars: The Force Awakens three-disc combo, Rogue One's two BDs are stacked together in the "main" storage compartment (Bonus Disc on bottom, Feature Film on top), while the standard definition DVD is stored in the inside compartment of the front cover. (The card with the code for the digital download comes in a foil wrapper that can be stored in the jewel case till it is needed.)

 Disc One, of course, contains the 1080p high-definition copy of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. The film has a running time of approximately 133 minutes and is rated PG-13 for extended sequences of sci-fi violence and action. It has three digital audio tracks (see specifications below) but, as was the case with BVHE's basic BD release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, lacks an audio commentary by director Gareth Edwards, John Knoll, or any other cast and crew members. There are also three subtitle options (English for the deaf or hearing-impaired, French, and Spanish).
This is what my Feature Film BD of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story looks like. (C) 2017 Lucasfilm Ltd. and Buena Vista Home Entertainment

Disc Two contains the behind-the scene extra features. These are:





  • A Rogue Idea (1080p, 9:00)






  • Jyn: The Rebel (1080p, 1080p, 6:16)






  • Cassian: The Spy (1080p, 4:14)






  • K-2SO: The Droid (1080p, 7:43)






  • Baze & Chirrut: Guardians of the Whills (1080p, 6:20)






  • Bodhi & Saw: The Pilot & The Revolutionary (1080p, 8:35)






  • The Empire (1080p, 8:18)






  • Visions of Hope: The Look of Rogue One (1080p, 8:24)






  • The Princess & The Governor (1080p, 5:49)






  • Epilogue: The Story Continues (1080p, 4:15)






  • Rogue Connections (1080p, 4:31)

    • And this is the Bonus Features BD disc. (C) Lucasfilm Ltd. and Buena Vista Home Entertainment


    Disc Three, of course, is the non-HD edition of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. The standard definition DVD has the same content as BD One, except, of course, it's not in 1080p high definition. It can be played on most PCs that have DVD-ROM drives and SD DVD players, as well as Blu-ray players. Like its HD BD counterpart, it lacks an audio commentary track but has language selection options for both audio and subtitles (English SDH, French, and Spanish)

    The DVD's cover art features Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) and Cassian Andor (Diego Luna). (C) 2017 Lucasfilm Ltd. and Buena Vista Home Entertainment

    My Take

    Considering that Lucasfilm and Disney's BVHE division rolled out the first home media edition of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story exactly the same way as they did last year with Star Wars: The Force Awakens, I have mixed feelings about this.

     On the positive side, the quality of the video and audio on this release are excellent. I'm not an expert on the arcane details of image sharpness or the fidelity of home video sound, but on a decent digital TV and home theater sound system, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story both looks and sounds great.

     I really like the way that the digitally shot movie manages to look as though it was shot on film stock - an important visual element in a film that is supposed to take place shortly before the original 1977 Star Wars directed by George Lucas. This look is something that director Gareth Edwards strove to achieve, and apparently the techs behind the transfer to DVD and Blu-ray were able to replicate it perfectly.

     As for the sound, I am hard of hearing, but with the right TV-sound system combination (a 5.1 digital home theater system with several speakers set up), I actually heard more of the movie than I did when I saw it on opening weekend last December. That's good, because I was finally able to hear the witty dialogue written by Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy, as well as Michael Giaccino's magnificent score (which uses a few of John Williams' original Star Wars themes in appropriate places).

     On the negative side, however, is Disney/Lucasfilm/BVHE's tactic of rolling out Blu-ray/DVDs of Star Wars movies in two distinct editions: the mass-market initial version (this one) and the more "loaded" Collector's Editions (with cooler packaging and more extras) several months down the line. Star Wars: The Force Awakens was also initially released without director J.J. Abrams' commentary on the feature film, but its deluxe Collector's Edition added that extra feature when it was dropped last November.

     This business tactic might bring in extra income to Disney's already considerable treasure hoard, but it is something that 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, the original distributor of Star Wars feature films has never done. It forces fans to buy yet another - and more expensive - Blu-ray set just to get an "extra feature" that Fox always included as a standard option in its Blu-rays and DVDs of the Classic and Prequel Star Wars Trilogies. It's not exactly shady, but it is unnecessary.

     All in all, however, the Force is still with this home video release of Lucasfilm's first Star Wars Anthology movie. It is (as of this writing) the #1 best-selling Blu-ray on Amazon, which was blocked from allowing customers to pre-order it by the House of the Mouse as a result of bickering over price. 

     I like my set, which I ordered from the Disney Store so I could get it by the April 4 drop date. It came with a free collector's set of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story lithographs and is a bit pricier ($33.07, including shipping and handling) than what Amazon is asking for it ($19.99). However, considering I received my Rogue One set on Monday while Amazon shoppers will have to wait to get it (as of this writing, the Blu-ray set is not in stock, though that should change by week's end). 

    Bottom Line

     Despite the lack of an audio commentary track, this is still a set worth adding to anyone's video library. If you're a die-hard Star Wars fan, this is the Blu-ray set you're looking for.

     Blu-ray/DVD Specifications:
     Video
    • Codec: MPEG-4 AVC (33.98 Mbps)
    • Resolution: 1080p
    • Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
    • Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1

    Audio
    • English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
    • French (Canada): Dolby Digital 5.1
    • Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)

    Subtitles
    • English SDH, French, Spanish

    Discs
    • Blu-ray Disc
    • Three-disc set (1 BD-25, 1 BD-50, 1 DVD)
    • iTunes digital copy
    • Digital copy
    • DVD copy

    Packaging
    • Slipcover in original pressing

    Playback

    • Region A

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