Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens - Collector`s Edition - Blu-ray

Film: In December 2015, the time had finally come again: fans of the Star Wars saga could finally travel far, far away galaxy back. Few films have been as eagerly anticipated in recent years as Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens. Since the announcement that the actors from the original (and for many the only true) trilogy would be back, and at the latest after the really great main trailer, the anticipation knew no bounds. Although the marketing machinery for this film has taken on some absurd features and the Star Wars logo seems to be slapped on everything, regardless of whether it has anything to do with the film or not, the enthusiasm of the fans was not affected. The box office takings of over 2 billion dollars worldwide speak for themselves. Now the film continues its triumphant run in home cinemas and, following the standard edition, has now been released in a Collectors Edition with a 3D version and new extras.

Director J.J. Abrams (Star Trek, Lost) had made a big secret out of the story until the very end. And even though there is probably hardly anyone who has not already seen the film or already knows the big secrets, not too much should be said about the plot at this point. Because that would detract a little from the very special movie experience that this chapter of the Star Wars saga offers. This, however, can be said: Thirty years have passed since the Rebels' victory against the Empire. Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), the last of the Jedi Knights, has been missing for many years. In his absence, the First Order has been able to rise from the ashes of the Empire, intent on destroying the Resistance once and for all. To prevent this, General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher), the leader of the Resistance, desperately searches for her brother. She sends her best pilot, Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), to the planet Jakku to secure vital information on the Jedi Knight's whereabouts. But before Poe can get this vital data back to Leia, he's captured by Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) and his stormtroopers - though not before entrusting the information to the little droid BB-8, who shortly thereafter falls into the hands of loner Rey (Daisy Ridley). Together with the fugitive Finn (John Boyega), whom she believes to be a member of the Resistance, Rey plans to take BB-8 to the Rebel base. And thus begins the next chapter in the battle against the Dark Side of the Force.

J.J. Abrams is a huge fan of the old Star Wars movies. That was part of the reason he didn't want to do Episode VII at first. He didn't want to ruin for himself the special place those films hold in his life. But thankfully he did get persuaded, because Abrams managed to do what George Lucas unfortunately failed to do with his prequel trilogy. In his quest to direct the technically perfect Star Wars film, Lucas had completely lost sight of the characters and everything that made the original trilogy so charming. Episode I - II are great entertainment cinema with great visuals. But they are also very sterile, woodenly acted movies that unfortunately take themselves way too seriously. This worked very well especially in some action sequences, but in other moments it annoyed or even bored hardcore fans.

Abrams has now gone back to basics. He shot on real locations and on real sets as often as he could, and also worked a lot with animatronic puppets and masks. This makes the world tangible and doesn't give it that studio feeling that is inherent in many green screen scenes from Episode I - III. Which is not to say that Episode VII doesn't use CGI effects galore. But it's the mix of traditional methods and modern technology that makes this return to the Star Wars universe so successful. The same goes for the characters and their actors. Again, Abrams uses a good mix of old and new. While most of the familiar characters make very small appearances, Han Solo aka Harrison Ford is one of the very big stars of the film. Ford brings this incredibly popular character to life with an ease as if the three decade hiatus hadn't even happened. But he also adds a few new facets to Han Solo. After all, the years have not passed him by without leaving a mark. And one event in particular has left a lasting mark on him - which one, of course, will not be revealed here.

But also the new cast, led by Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac and Adam Driver, can convince in every respect. However, this is also due to the script, which makes them much more than stenciled clichés. Another positive aspect of the production especially comes into play here: the humor! Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan, who previously penned the scripts for The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, imbue their characters with a humanity through sometimes extremely funny (but never flat) dialogue that Anakin, Padme, or Qui-Gon Jinn simply lacked. These new characters are equal successors to Leia, Han, and Luke, and even during this film you look forward to spending more time with these characters in the future.

Cynics and constant complainers might, of course, take a lot out of The Force Awakens. Granted, there are a lot of parallels, especially to Episode IV, so much so that the film could almost be called a remake. And yes, the makers play it safe dramaturgically, giving old and new fans alike exactly what they want to see. But it's how they do this that counts. Here, the film exudes from every pore a passion that may be paired with calculation, but that allows fans of the old films in particular to once again feel that very special sense of wonder and amazement that you experienced as a child - or even as an adult in the late 70s and early 80s at the movies. J.J. Abrams brings back the magic that many blockbusters of today simply lack. And for that, you can really only be grateful to him.

While Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens isn't perfect, and it may not be the best installment in the series, it's become exactly the movie fans have been hoping for. It's a spectacle to behold, extremely engaging entertainment cinema with great effects, good actors, a new droid to fall in love with, a very interesting villain (who I've deliberately said as little about as possible), some very funny moments, but also some emotional goosebump scenes and a great new score by John Williams (even if it lacks a really catchy theme like the earlier films). If you want to discover the child in you once again and if you allow yourself to dive into strange worlds and can turn off the unfortunately very present cynicism for two hours, you'll get some really, really great cinema here. For this there is clearly one: Absolutely and definitely worth seeing!!!

Picture + Sound: Shockingly flat coloration, noticeable blurring, artifacts or washed-out contrasts - you won't find any of that here. That's because the blockbuster's Blu-ray presentation has turned out excellent, to say the least. A razor-sharp image, a pleasant image depth and rich colors make the film a real pleasure in the home theater - both in the 2D, as well as in the good 3D version. This is also ensured by the very well mixed sound, which scores points not only in the action-heavy scenes with a lot of surround feeling and powerful effects. Very good!

Extras: The bonus material of Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens is not on the level of, say, the Lord of the Rings Extended Editions, but still offers fans a pleasantly comprehensive insight into the production. Starting with the material already familiar from the 2D version, there's the excellent documentary The Secrets Behind 'The Force Awakens' (approx. 69 mins). Four chapters go into detail about the making of the film, from the sale of Lucasfilm to Disney, to the hiring of director J.J. Abrams and the casting, to the locations, the shooting or the building of the huge sets. In addition to this documentary, a few shorter featurettes go into more detail about individual aspects that are only touched on here. So there is a nice, but with four minutes much too short look at the first script reading with the old and new main actors, a nice short documentary about the practical effects and creatures (approx. 9:34 min.), as well as another one about the development of BB-8 (approx. 6:03 min.). The making of the lightsaber fight in the snow (approx. 7:02 min.) also gets its own featurette, as does the making of the visual effects at ILM's animation studio (approx. 7:55 min.). And of course the master John Williams, who composed a Star Wars score for the seventh time, can't be missed (ca. 6:51 min.). Six short cut scenes (approx. 4:15 min.) and info on the Force for Change project (approx. 3:22 min.) close out the Blu-ray's already familiar supplemental offerings.

New on board are more short cut scenes (approx. 2:24 min.), as well as very watchable featurettes about the sound makers (approx. 4:02 min.), the sound of the film (approx. 7:15 min.), the look for the galaxy (approx. 6:27 min.) and about the weapons in the film (approx. 8:17 min.). A conversation between Daisy Ridley and John Boyega (approx. 11:45 min.) and a very good audio commentary by director J.J. Abrams round out the new bonus material.

Conclusion: Sure, there are some viewers and even fans who have grumbled about Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens. But overall, J.J. Abrams and his team have delivered exactly the film that Star Wars fans had been waiting and hoping for for many years. A successful start to a new trilogy, which presents itself on the 3D Collector`s Edition Blu-ray in excellent picture and sound quality. On a bonus disc there are also some very worth seeing new extras and the already known bonus material of the 2D Blu-ray, which fans should not miss. An absolute must buy!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp