Category Archives: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
THE FORCE AWAKENS 3D COLLECTOR’S EDITION AVAILABLE NOW – UPDATED
Via Starwars.com:
ANNOUNCING AN EXCLUSIVE FOUR-DISC SET FEATURING BRAND-NEW BONUS MATERIAL!
11/15 UPDATE: Star Wars: The Force Awakens 3D Collector’s Edition has arrived in the US and Canada! Get full details on the landmark set below, including J.J. Abrams’ audio commentary, deleted scenes, and much more. It’s a big deal.
8/10 Original Post:
The Force is calling to you again. Only this time, in 3D.
The latest film in Star Wars saga is coming home — for the first time in immersive 3D — with Star Wars: The Force Awakens 3D Collector’s Edition. Announced today, the four-disc collection will release this fall, rolling out October 31 and arriving in the US and Canada on November 15. Encased in stunning collectible packaging, the set contains the film’s original theatrical release on Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray, Digital HD, and DVD, along with originally released bonus features and brand-new bonus material, including additional deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes conversations with cast and crew, and revealing, never-before released audio commentary by director J.J. Abrams. (Note that Collector’s Edition configuration may vary by territory.) Not even Maz’s castle has a treasure like this.
3D COLLECTOR’S EDITION BONUS FEATURES*:
Audio Commentary with J.J. Abrams – Enter the mind of visionary director J.J. Abrams as he reveals the creative and complex choices made while developing the first film in the new Star Wars trilogy.
Foley: A Sonic Tale – Foley artists, consisting of old pros and new talent, unite to bring the world of Star Wars: The Force Awakens alive through the matching of sound to action.
Sounds of the Resistance – Hear how the epic sound design of Star Wars: The Force Awakens moves the Star Wars legacy forward.
Deleted Scenes – View never-before-shared scenes that didn’t make the film’s final cut.
Dressing the Galaxy – Costume designer Michael Kaplan reveals how the costumes of the original Star Wars movies were re-envisioned for a new generation.
The Scavenger and the Stormtrooper: A Conversation with Daisy Ridley and John Boyega – The two new stars share the thrill of working together on the adventure of a lifetime and becoming part of the Star Wars legacy.
Inside the Armory – Take a fascinating tour through the design and creation of the weaponry in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Classic Bonus Features – These offerings from the April release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens include the complete story behind the making of the film, an unforgettable cast table read, insights from legendary composer John Williams, and deleted scenes, as well as features that dig deeper into the creation of new characters such as BB-8, the design of the climactic lightsaber battle between Rey and Kylo Ren, the film’s remarkable digital artistry, and the Star Wars: Force for Change global aid initiative.
* Digital bonus offerings may vary by retailer. New bonus content is available in the 3D Collector’s Edition package only.
Click below to order now!
27 ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Fun Facts
Via Yahoo.com:
J.J. Abrams wants you know he hates doing commentary tracks. And with that, he kicks off his commentary track for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The director’s moment-by-moment, detailed analysis is, despite his protestations, perhaps the biggest selling point of the four-disc Force Awakens 3D collector’s edition that’s hitting stores on Nov. 15. The set is a marked improvement over the version released last spring, including all the previously released features with several new bells and whistles. Yahoo Movies took an early copy of the set for a spin and spent hours poring over the bonus material, paying close attention to what the filmmaker had to say. Here are 27 things we just had to share, in chronological order.
Abrams considers the entire film a love letter to George Lucas and the original Star Wars, a.k.a. A New Hope.
Throughout the film, he points out callbacks and homages to Lucas’s oeuvre, beginning with the Lucasfilm logo, opening crawl, and initial shot of Kylo Ren’s Star Destroyer obscuring Jakku. “We went backwards to go forwards,” says Abrams. “We embraced wholeheartedly the brilliant iconography of Ralph McQuarrie, the concept artist who worked with George… The idea was to give people that feeling of instantly being back in Star Wars.”
Later on, Abrams seems to address critics who felt The Force Awakens was a retread by saying he intentionally called back settings like the Mos Eisley Cantina (Maz’s castle) and the Death Star (Starkiller Base) because they are “fundamental, prerequisite elements” of the Star Wars universe, as essential as saloons and dusty streets are to Westerns or castles are to fairy tales.
Click below to read the full article.
The Force Awakens Scenes Steven Spielberg Changed
Via Cinemablend.com:
While J.J. Abrams was the director of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, he was far from the only filmmaker that was directly involved in the movie’s production. It turns out Steven Spielberg had some direct influence on the film as well. The director, who had a lot to do with getting J.J. Abrams the job directing The Force Awakens, also suggested a couple of minor tweaks to a pair of scenes in order to give them a little more punch. The first was an early scene where a TIE Fighter gets swallowed by the desert sands. On the new audio commentary for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Abrams explains:
“While this is a CG effect of the swallowing, this explosion was Steven Spielberg’s idea. He loved the idea that the thing get sucked into the sand and then… that!”
By “that” J.J. Abrams is referring to the explosion of sand that takes place once the craft is completely enveloped by the desert. Abrams talked about how the famous director influenced Star Wars: The Force Awakens as part of the new commentary on the Special Edition Box Set for the film. Apparently, this idea came during filming, because while the ship being swallowed is a CGI effect, the explosion is practical. The sand had been packed with explosives.
However, that wasn’t the only scene that Steven Spielberg got changed. Click here to read the full article.
J.J. ABRAMS SAYS REY AND KYLO REN NEVER MET BEFORE THE FORCE AWAKENS
Via Ign.com:
Star Wars: The Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams has shed light on two key character relationships in last year’s hit film, including one particularly interesting piece of insight regarding Daisy Ridley’s Rey and Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren.
According Tumblr account mummiesandlightsabers (via Screen Rant), the new bonus commentary featured in the upcoming 3D Collector’s Edition Blu-ray includes a section during which Abrams reveals that Rey and Kylo Ren had never met before the events of Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
“One of the new relationships that we were focusing on was between Kylo Ren and Rey,” the director said. “They’ve never met but he’s heard of this girl.”
Abrams also spoke to the tender embrace shared between Leia and Rey during the latter half of the film, noting that while they had never met before that moment, the two share a bond through their connections to Han and the Force. “This moment, I think, is actually lovely and the idea that these two women who’d never met knew of each other, and they’re both Force-strong and they’re both bound by their loss and their strength,” he said.
You’ll be able to see all of the new commentary from Abrams when the 3D Blu-ray Collector’s Edition of Star Wars: The Force Awakens comes out November 15. For another sneak peek at what’s featured, find out what Abrams had to say about Kylo Ren’s thought process during one of the film’s most shocking scenes.
New Star Wars: The Force Awakens Secrets From JJ Abrams’s Commentary
Via Digitalspy.com:
It’s almost been a year, and we thought by now we knew everything there was to know about The Force Awakens.
Wrong!
The new Star Wars: The Force Awakens 3D Collector’s Edition is out this week, and it includes a comprehensive audio commentary from director JJ Abrams.
It turns out there was a lot more to discover…
1. We were supposed to learn the full story of Luke’s lightsaber
The opening scene was intended to show the journey of the weapon from Luke’s duel with Darth Vader on Cloud City till it finally came into Maz Kanata’s hands.
Of course in the final cut, when asked about where she got the blue lightsaber, she replies, “A good question for another time.” How frustrating…
2. BB-8 was mainly performed by puppeteers
The majority of BB-8’s appearance weren’t created with CGI but were actually practical effects performed by puppeteers armed with a lot of wires and poles.
Abrams repeatedly apologizes to puppeteer Brian Herring for painting him out of the movie.
Click below to read the full article.
Advice JJ Abrams Got After Showing Star Wars: The Force Awakens To Ava DuVernay
Via Cinemablend.com:
Making a movie is a team effort, and sometimes help even comes from outside of the official team. J.J. Abrams took this to heart when he was shooting Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Even though principal photography on the movie concluded in November 2014, the director and his crew allotted for re-shoots later on. Before those commenced, Abrams showed a rough cut of The Force Awakens to his friend, Selma director Ava DuVernay, and it looks like we have her to thank for a cool moment in the lightsaber battle between Rey and Kylo Ren. As he put it:
“I showed an early cut to my friend Ava DuVernay, and she had a bunch of great suggestions. One of them was she really wanted to see Daisy, in her attack on Ren, have one really cool moment.”
In the new audio commentary on the Star Wars: The Force Awakens 3D Collector’s Edition (via Yahoo), J.J Abrams revealed that it was Ava DuVernay who suggested that Daisy Ridley’s Rey get a chance to shine in a close-up during the duel. As a refresher, there comes a point when Kylo Ren and Rey lock lightsabers, and Kylo attempts to seduce her to the dark side. In the original version shot during principal photography, Rey simply called him a monster and pushed back. However, in the reshoots, she takes Maz Kanata’s earlier advice to heart by closing her eyes and letting the Force flow through her.
Click below to see the full article.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens Deleted Scene
Via Ew.com:
A never-before-seen deleted sequence from Star Wars: The Force Awakens has revealed the fate of Unkar Plutt, the blobfish-like junk dealer who made Rey’s life miserable on the desert world of Jakku.
As fans of the movie already know, Rey escaped Plutt’s clutches when she, Finn, and BB-8 stole the Millennium Falcon while fleeing from the First Order. Plutt (played by Simon Pegg) was last seen shaking his fists at the vanishing starship and crying out, “That’s mine!”
The theft of a prized vehicle proved to be enough comeuppance for the character, but this newly released deleted scene, available on the upcoming 3-D Collector’s Edition Blu-ray release, shows that director and co-writer J.J. Abrams originally had an even more brutal ending in mind for the side villain. (Those who read the movie’s novelization already have a hint of what’s to come.)
After the Falcon is located by Han Solo and Chewbacca, who say its reactivation allowed them to track it, Han tells Finn and Rey that others might be able to follow its trail as well. That sets up the logic for Plutt’s arrival at Maz Kanata’s castle on the planet Takodana, where Plutt corners Rey and begins issuing threats.
The newly emboldened scavenger draws her weapon, but Plutt quickly snatches it away, only to find himself picked on by someone who definitely isn’t Plutt’s own size — Chewbacca.
The wounded Wookiee looms large, but Plutt is undaunted, literally poking the space bear. The clip above ends at that point, but on the new 3-D Blu-ray disc (out Nov. 15) it continues a little longer.
Spoiler alert… here’s what happens next: Let’s just say, Chewbacca disarms him.
We’re talking literally. Rip! Plorp! A limb goes flying and lands on the gambling table, earning a high-pitched scolding from Warwick Davis’ character Wollivan.
We’ve heard a lot of talk over the years about the volatility of Wookiees, but in truth, we’ve only ever seen the softer, cuddlier side of Chewbacca. In the original Star Wars, C-3PO is warned not to beat Chewie at a game of chess, lest he invoke the creature’s wrath.
“But sir, nobody ever worries about upsetting a droid,” Threepio says.
“That’s ‘cause droids don’t pull people’s arms out of their sockets when they lose,” Han Solo replies casually.
Turns out, there’s always a bit of truth in legends.
J.J. Abrams Explains That Fateful ‘Force Awakens’ Meeting
Via USAtoday.com:
Who isn’t still stinging a little bit from Harrison Ford’s Han Solo getting a lightsaber in the gut from his son Ben, aka Adam Driver’s masked villain Kylo Ren, in Star Wars: The Force Awakens?
The 3D collector’s edition of The Force Awakens rolls out internationally Oct. 31 and arrives in the USA Nov. 15, and in this exclusive commentary from director J.J. Abrams, he explains the underlying emotion of that fateful meeting:
People always ask Abrams if the youngster was playing with his father’s emotions and planned to murder him the whole time, but reveals that “Kylo Ren in this moment is actually being convinced to walk away from this.”
Abrams also thinks, as Han says, Ben knows that Supreme Leader Snoke is using him but can’t accept it. “Deep down, he’s gone too far.”
The director also makes an observation that ties this scene to a similar one between Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker in The Empire Strikes Back: “Obviously any time two characters in Star Wars go out on an incredibly thin bridge 10 miles above the ground with no railings, it’s not going to end well with one of them.”
Unfortunately, we’re going to have to wait a while to find out if Ben’s feeling guilty about the whole situation — Star Wars: Episode VIII doesn’t hit theaters until Dec. 15, 2017.
Chewbacca Didn’t Hug Leia At The End Of The Force Awakens – Why?
Via Radiotimes.com:
Potential to rip off your arms if he lost a game of Dejarik aside, Chewbacca is one of the warmest characters in Star Wars. Han Solo’s partner in smuggling has carried around a quartered C-3PO, protected Luke Skywalker from the Empire’s clutches and even rescued Princess Leia from the original Death Star. So why didn’t he hug Leia in Star Wars: The Force Awakens after (spoilers ahoy!) Solo’s death?
Was it actually a mistake as director JJ Abrams has suggested? After all, we know that Chewbacca doesn’t mind a hug once in a while, even with Leia.
Or perhaps it was intentional? Bear with us… because, according to a theory from redditor cyborgcommando0, there’s a simple reason the two ignored each other:
Chewbacca is observing a Wookie mourning ritual
Okay, you’re going to need to think like a Wookie here: in their culture, if somebody dies you don’t want to touch anybody until you’ve had time to grieve privately. Remember after the battle of Kashyyyk how awkward it was crossing your fellow Wookie in a narrow corridor? This is why.
And Leia is close friends with Chewbacca. She knows about this ritual and therefore isn’t going to try and touch him. She wasn’t still angry at Chewbacca for forcing her to go to his grubby house for the Star Wars Holiday Special. By ignoring him she was showing she cared.
Ah, but didn’t Chewie carry Finn aboard the Millennium Falcon? That counts as touching.
Nice try, Padawan. You see Chewbacca was saving Finn, which would be preferable than mourning for him too. Chewbacca will break the mourning ritual if it means he can save lives.
Not convinced? Well, you might be right to be sceptical. JJ Abrams himself admitted that it was a slip up. Speaking to Slashfilm, the director said:
“That was probably one of the mistakes I made in [The Force Awakens]. My thinking at the time was that Chewbacca, despite the pain he was feeling, was focused on trying to save Finn and getting him taken care of. So I tried to have Chewbacca go off with him and focus on Rey, and then have Rey find Leia and Leia find Rey.”
So, the mistake is there if you want to call it that. Or you can label it a glorious show of Star Wars love. Your choice to make, it is.
