And The Star Wars Re-issue Saga Continues.
Well that didn't take long.
Disney, it seems, is taking a page out of the ole Lucasfilm book, and not a good one. The Force Awakens is being re-released on 3D Blu-Ray on November 15th, meaning Disney couldn't even make themselves wait even a full 8 months after the initial home video release before trudging out a new edition of a movie that everyone already owns. This time in addition to eye watering, head-splitting 3D, it has all new bonus scenes, behind the scenes footage and additional commentary from J.J. Abrams!
I guess Disney figured fans wouldn't feel at home if they weren't getting the shaft from the owners of their favorite franchise. Why not get an early start on making fans repurchase the same films over and over for increasingly diminishing returns on special features.
How drunk was George Lucas when he made the VFX team do this? source
Look, I'm a Star Wars fan, not the most "intense" member of the fandom maybe, but this kind of thing got old a long, LONG time ago(but in this very galaxy). I can tell you for certain that even the most devoted enthusiast in the world doesn't enjoy having to pay more than triple the cost of a movie ticket for a product containing mostly the same content they already own, just so they can get the few new bits of "NEVER BEFORE SEEN!!" footage that you somehow neglected to include before. It doesn't feel like fan service, it FEELS like a slap to the face.
But they keep doing it, and we keep buying it. Because when it comes to snagging repeat customers keen on buying stuff they didn't know they wanted, there's no more gullible beast on the planet than a Star Wars fan.
I paid real money for this and I'm an ADULT (c)Nicholas McCown
That you HAVE to buy the 3D edition to get the new special features also really irks me. I've seen other* companies do this with movies and I know I'm not the only one annoyed, as I believe the only people that admit to enjoying watching 3D movies at home are a: children and b: those paid to say so. I've never even MET anyone who owns a 3d TV, and I've worked in retail for FIVE YEARS.
Which is why I can afford such a nice setup Photo: Powel Kadysz
I'd say that hopefully this will be an exception to the way the franchise will be handled in the future, but since we're talking about a corporation that has been known to hide away classic films in a freakin vault until strategic re-release periods arrive, I think we all know the likelihood of that. I also understand they are mainly doing this to build excitement for the release of Rogue One, and I did expect them to release something like this at SOME point, I'm just surprised its so soon. I would have figured they'd wait until closer to Episode VIII, but what do I know. I just hope "Star Wars Fatigue" doesn't set in if they get too greedy and jump the gun on these re-issues. There's a new movie out every year as it is.
In related news, I'm betting 3D TVs are about to get a little spike in sales this holiday season...
Available November 15th
