Blu-ray/DVD set review: 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens: SteelBook' Best Buy exclusive

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(C) 2016 Lucasfilm Ltd. and Buena Vista Home Entertainment
In April of 2016, less than four months after the theatrical premiere of J.J. Abrams' Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Buena Vista Home Entertainment (BVHE) released the blockbuster movie on Blu-ray and DVD. This home media release was a huge success in its initial run; The Force Awakens was the No. 1 best-selling Blu-ray/DVD combo set at Amazon and other retailers, including Best Buy.

 As I wrote in my review of that release:

 Buena Vista Home Entertainment did a remarkable job with its first BD/DVD of a Star Wars feature film. J.J. Abrams’ foray to that galaxy far, far away looks and sounds great on HD TVs, especially large sets connected to 5.1 stereo home theater systems.

 What I didn't know at the time was that Disney-owned BVHE had released, in addition to its regular plastic-packaged Blu-ray/DVD combo three-disc set, a SteelBook edition exclusively for Best Buy. 

 Now, if you are a regular reader of A Certain Point of View, you know that I purchased the 20th Century Fox Limited Edition Steelbook 1-disc sets of Lucasfilm's first six Star Wars movies in 2015. I didn't have to. I already had two different versions of the Star Wars: The Complete Saga 9-BD box set; I simply wanted to get the steelbook versions for their "limited edition" packaging.

 So, yes, I have to admit that when I saw that a third-party seller on the Amazon website was selling mint-condition sets of Star Wars: The Force Awakens in the Best Buy-exclusive, I just couldn't resist.
I already had the Prequel and Classic Trilogies in steelbooks, so why not get this one, too?

 I'm relatively sure that the seller (youlikethat, if you really must know) probably raised the price a little (on the Best Buy site, this set is available for $24.99 before taxes and shipping; youlikethat offered The Force Awakens for $30.14, but charged $0.00 for sales tax or shipping). I still think I got a good bargain for a BD/DVD that I might only watch (after testing it for defects, natch) if my original discs are damaged. (Hey, it happens!)


The Packaging:

In some ways, BHVE's SteelBook edition of Star Wars: The Force Awakens resembles its 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment counterparts. The packaging is similar in size, and it's made out of metal. The cover art is also similar; the front cover features a close-up rendering of the villainous Kylo Ren and his wicked-looking lightsaber, with the movie's iconic logo on the lower left-hand corner.
Fox's Steelbook covers feature (mostly) villains from the first Star Wars films, as well as the Episodes' subtitles (The Empire Strikes Back, Revenge of the Sith, etc.) under the saga's famous logo. (C) 2015 Lucasfilm Ltd. and 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
However, the similarities between the 2015 Fox Steelbooks and BHVE's The Force Awakens set end there, with the logo. Where the Fox packaging have the famous Star Wars logo on one corner with the movie's subtitle under it (see illustration above), The Force Awakens' iconic yellow, black, and white logo is used on the cover.

 Also, instead of a partial rendering of Drew Struzan's poster, The Force Awakens' SteelBook features a painting of the First Order's menacing stormtrooper commander, Captain Phasma.

Contents


The three-disc set consists of:

BD 1: Star Wars: The Force Awakens - This disc contains the 136-minute long feature film in 1080p high definition. The disc art features a still image of the Millennium Falcon being pursued by First Order TIE fighters over the desert planet Jakku. The film is presented in widescreen format with a slightly higher aspect ratio (2.40:1) than the theatrical release’s original 2.39:1 aspect ratio. Audio options include an English language DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track, as well as French (Canadian) and Spanish audio tracks in Dolby 5.1 stereo.

 The BD also features subtitles in English (for hearing impaired viewers), French, and Spanish.

BD 2: Bonus Features - This disc contains several extra features devoted to the making of The Force Awakens. These include:

Secrets of The Force Awakens: A Cinematic Journey -- For the first time, discover the complete story behind the making of The Force Awakens, revealed through in-depth footage and exclusive interviews with the actors and filmmakers in this full-length documentary.

The Story Awakens: The Table Read -- Cast members, familiar and new, reflect on the memorable day they all first came together to read the movie's script.

Building BB-8 -- See how J.J. Abrams and team brought the newest droid to the screen, creating an instant fan favorite in the Star Wars universe.

Crafting Creatures -- Watch movie magic as the filmmakers bring a cast of new creatures to life.

Blueprint of a Battle: The Snow Fight -- Go deeper into the epic, climactic lightsaber battle between Rey and Kylo Ren.

John Williams: The Seventh Symphony -- The legendary composer shares personal insights of his work on Star Wars and The Force Awakens.

ILM: The Visual Magic of The Force -- An insider's look into the remarkable digital artistry of the movie's visual effects.

Plus -- Deleted Scenes

The BD label art is a black-and-white photo featuring director J.J. Abrams and the cast of “The Force Awakens” at a table reading during the movie’s pre-production. All of the documentaries and featurettes have the same video, audio and subtitle specifications as the feature film.

DVD: Star Wars: The Force Awakens - This disc contains the standard definition version of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” for DVD players and computers that can’t play Blu-ray discs. The cover art depicts Rey and the Sequel Trilogy’s new droid sidekick, BB-8, as they trek across sand dunes on Jakku.

 My Take

 I have already reviewed the film and the original Blu-ray release, so apart from describing the contents of this set (which don't differ in any way from BVHE's 2016 edition) I won't go into "reviewer" mode about the film or the extra features. After all, this is really more of a collector's item, right?

 Since Disney-owned BVHE, Lucasfilm, or Bad Robot Productions didn't add any special content to the discs in their Best Buy exclusive release, I have to admit that I bought this set mainly for the SteelBook packaging.  It's similar in dimensions and design to its 20th Century Fox precursors. even though (as I said earlier) there are subtle differences in the artwork. The cover art is well-done and the durable metal case is sturdier than the black plastic "jewel box" packaging of BVHE's less-pricey Blu-ray/DVD combo.

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