The wait is over! … Well, almost over. Tomorrow, March 27, all of us Star Wars fans will be able to own a copy of Star Wars: The Last Jedi on DVD, Blu-Ray, and 4K! Time to rev up the engines and take a trip through space as Rey, Finn, Poe, BB-8, Leia and many others return to try and rid the galaxy of a tyrannical dictator. Best part is, we can now enjoy the adventure from our own home.
In anticipation of Star Wars: The Last Jedi’s release, I received a copy of the Blu-Ray so that I could watch it and write a review.
{WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW}
I will be honest, I love this movie. Star Wars: The Last Jedi raises the stakes as it displays the now smallish resistance attempting to survive the onslaught of the First Order. Let me just point out how desperate they are by stating, this is all that is left of the resistance.
With Poe destroying the whole bomber squad and hyperspace no longer a means of escape, the little band of rebels has become nothing more than a few ships vastly outgunned and low on fuel. With each passing moment, more lives are lost and their numbers decrease to almost nil. What’s worse is that no one in the galaxy will answer Leia’s call to assist. They are all alone.
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Now, I could talk about how much I love all the characters, how the fight scenes are absolutely amazing, and how Star Wars still surprises me with graphics, battle scenes, and story line. I could go into the comedy gold that helps move the story along so that the audience doesn’t become locked in a forever state of despair. I could talk about the Porgs and their wonderful addition to the Star Wars Universe. However, much of this is already reviewed, shared, and discussed throughout the web. All these points are amazing facts about the movie, but, Instead, I want to talk about the deleted scenes.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi, like many movies, features a section dedicated to the scenes that never made it into the film. These Deleted Scenes , simply put, are what could have been. I believe that what could have been, in a few cases, should have been in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Here are three examples:
1. It’s Kind of weird that you recorded that
This deleted scene features Finn thinking about finding Rey. BB-8 comes in to cheer him up with a few cute movements. When that doesn’t work, he shows Finn a hologram of Rey kissing his forehead and stating that she will see him again. It helps get Finn out of the funk but he does realize just how weird it was for BB-8 to record that particular scene.
Personally, I find this to be comedy gold. Not only do we see the relationship between Finn and BB-8 once again, but this scene helps move the story along. It explains why Finn starts to look for Rey and how he ends up nearly taking an escape pod. Also, it allows me to see a bit more of BB-8’s cute and weird side.
2. Caretaker Village Sequence
Here we watch as Rey learns what it means to be a Jedi as she races towards the Caretaker village to save them from would-be raiders and plunderers. Of course she quickly learns Luke was only joking as he laughs at her expense. This only angers Rey.
I think this scene adds more to the Caretakers and gives them a little more depth so that they aren’t simply a filler. This gives the Caretakers a purpose because they are the unwilling subjects of a training exercise.
3. Phasma Squealed Like A Whoop Hog
The Last Deleted Scene that I think should have been in the film is an alternate death for Captain Phasma. This deleted scene shows who is the real traitor to the First Order. It gives the Phasma character a little more dialog and a but more character depth as we see a different side to her. It also continues the glorious Star Wars tradition of a hand being cut off. Why it was deleted is beyond me.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi is awesome featuring characters we love from the past, new characters to love, and epic lightsaber and space battles. It has a great balance between the light and dark allowing the audience to stay intrigued and emotional by the story. I give it 4.5 stars. It would have been 5 stars, but I think Phasma could have used that least scene for development purposes, They should have showed more of BB-8’s weird side, and I think developing the Caretaker characters would have helped explain the strained relationship with Rey.
I must say, that even though these deleted scenes are not included, Star Wars: The Last Jedi is an amazing film and is a must watch. For more information about the Last Jedi see my blog post here: Star Wars The Last Jedi in 4K
More about Star Wars: The Last Jedi Bonus Features:
The Director and the Jedi – Go deep behind the scenes with writer-director Rian Johnson on an intimate and personal journey through the production of the movie—and experience what it’s like to helm a global franchise and cultural phenomenon.
Balance of the Force – Explore the mythology of the Force and why Rian Johnson chose to interpret its role in such a unique way.
Scene Breakdowns
- Lighting the Spark: Creating the Space Battle – Get a close-up look at the epic space battle, from the sounds that help propel the action, through the practical and visual effects, to the characters who bring it all to life.
- Snoke and Mirrors – Motion capture and Star Wars collide as the filmmakers take us through the detailed process of creating the movie’s malevolent master villain.
- Showdown on Crait – Break down everything that went into creating the stunning world seen in the movie’s final confrontation, including the interplay between real-word locations and visual effects, reimagining the walkers, designing the crystal foxes, and much more.
Andy Serkis Live! (One Night Only) – Writer-director Rian Johnson presents two exclusive sequences from the movie featuring Andy Serkis’ riveting, raw on-set performance before his digital makeover into Snoke.
Deleted Scenes – With an introduction and optional commentary by writer-director Rian Johnson.
Audio Commentary – View the movie with in-depth feature audio commentary by writer-director Rian Johnson.
* Digital bonus offerings may vary by retailer.
