Review: STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI Out Now on Blu-ray and Digital!

Episode VIII of the Skywalker saga is out today on Blu-ray, DVD and digital! 

Star Wars: The Last Jedi was the biggest film of 2017, and now you can experience it from the comfort of your own home – with tons of bonus content.

Director Rian Johnson shot most of the feature on film, matching the look and feel of the original trilogy. The transfer to Blu-ray is stunning, taking full advantage of the color palette Johnson chose for the movie. Here are a few stills from the Blu-ray release:

Special Features

• “The Director and the Jedi” (1hr 35min) – Go behind-the-scenes with director Rian Johnson in this full-length documentary about the making of The Last Jedi. Follow the entire journey from the announcement that Johnson would direct Episode VIII, up until the end of filming. The documentary features never-before seen-footage that Star Wars fans will love. There are script readings with the cast, interviews with the filmmakers and producers, and much more – giving you an exciting new look at the production.
  It’s really neat to see Johnson interacting with the cast, directing the scenes that we eventually see in the final cut. The documentary also gives us a chance to see more Carrie Fisher, who tells some great stories about the making of the film. And one of my personal favorite parts is seeing where all the green screens and movie magic were used. Incredible sets were built for the film, and it is amazing what the director accomplished with practical sets.

  We also get to take a look at the natural beauty of filming locations like Ireland’s Skellig Michael – the home of Luke Skywalker’s island.Rian Johnson is one of my favorite filmmakers, and it’s great to see how he handled his largest production by far. He continues to be a visionary, and I’m excited to see where this journey leads him – as he is set to make his own trilogy, outside of the Skywalker saga. The documentary ends with the last day on set, and you can tell that Johnson was greeted into the Star Wars family with open arms.

• “Balance of the Force” (10min 17sec) – The cast and crew talk about the Force, and how the film handles it like we’ve never seen before.  Interviews with Rian Johnson, Daisey Ridley, and Adam Driver about their take on the mystical Jedi powers.

• Scene Breakdowns (3 featurettes | 33min total)
  • “Lighting the Spark: Creating the Space Battle” – An in-depth look at how Rian Johnson created all of the epic space battles in The Last Jedi. It wouldn’t be Star Wars without, well, wars going on amongst the stars. In this featurette, we see what it takes to create a convincing space battle.

• • “Snoke and Mirrors” – We finally get a good look at Snoke in Episode VIII, and here we find out how the director turned his vision for the character into a reality. See Andy Serkis perform his motion capture for the film, and learn how his movements are converted into the final product. And find out how they made the villain look so real next to the actors.

• • “Showdown on Crate” – One of my personal favorites in the film, and most breathtaking scenes visually, was the battle on Crate. Find out how the stunning imagery was converted from concept art and captured on film. The CGI is remarkably realistic in the scene, and it’s fascinating to see the renderings turned into what we saw on the big screen. The salt flats of Bolivia were used as a canvas for the scene, which the special effects were digitally crafted upon. See how the magnificent explosion effects were made, the actors were filmed, and how it all comes together in the end.

• “Andy Serkis Live! One Night Only” (5min 49sec) – Director Rian Johnson takes us through the raw motion-capture performance by Andy Serkis as Snoke, and shows us what it looks like before digital effects are added. It’s an amazing look at the throne room scene, in a way most audiences never see.

Deleted Scenes

• “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 Up Rey”
• “Caretaker Village Sequence”
• “Extended Fathier Chase”
• “Mega Destroyer Incursion – Extended Version”
• “Rose Bites the Hand That Taunts Her”
• “Phasma Squealed Like a Whoop Hog”
• “Rose & Finn Go To Where They Belong”
• “Rey & Chewie in the Falcon”
• “The Costumes and Creatures of Canto Bight”

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is available now on Blu-ray, DVD, and Movies Anywhere!