Category: DVD & Blu-ray

DVD & BLU-RAY PICKS

Tyrannosaur (Studiocanal): A stunning directorial debut from actor Paddy Considine, which features some of the best acting you’ll see all year. It explores what happens when an angry widower (Peter Mullan) stikes up a relationship with a Christian charity worker (Olivia Colman), who is married to a stern husband (Eddie Marsan). Don’t listen to anyone that tells you its ‘depressing’ – just see it. [Buy on DVD or Blu-ray] [Read our original review]

Tabloid (Dogwoof): Brilliant documentary about a bizarre tabloid scandal in the 1970s, when a former beauty queen came to Britain in search of the mormon missionary she was obsessed with. Directed by Errol Morris, it might seem to be a lighter subject after his last two films (The Fog of War, Standard Operating Procedure) but is equally brilliant and its probing of UK newspaper culture could not be more timely. [Buy on DVD] [Read our original review]

Legend (20th Century Fox Home Entertainment): One of Ridley Scott’s forgotten films of the 1980s is this fantasy starring a young Tom Cruise as a mystical forest dweller who must rescue a princess (Mia Sara) and defeat the demonic Lord of Darkness (Tim Curry). Cruise has since admitted that the production lasted even longer than Eyes Wide Shut (1999), and it was not well received critically or commercially at the time but is worth revisiting in HD as an example of Scott’s craftsmanship. [Buy on DVD or Blu-ray]

Pleasantville (Warner Home Video): The 1998 directorial debut from Gary Ross (who had written the screenplays for Big and Dave) was inspired and touching comedy about two teenagers (Tobey Maguire and Reese Witherspoon) who end up in the black-and-white TV world of a 1950s sitcom. An inspired mash up of Back to the Future and The Purple Rose of Cairo, it holds up very well indeed, the only downside is that there isn’t a Region 2 Blu-ray. [Buy it on DVD]

Midnight in Paris (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment): Woody Allen’s latest actually lives up to the hype that emanated from Cannes about being his best in years. A charming comedy about a screenwriter (Owen Wilson) who escapes his materialistic partner (Rachel McAdams) and ends up living in his own fantasy. Gorgeously shot by  Darius Khondji, it is also one of the best looking films of the year – again, the absence of a Region 2 Blu-ray is bizarre. [Buy on DVD]

ALSO OUT

Footloose (Paramount Home Entertainment) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Four Weddings and a Funeral (20th Century Fox Home Ent.) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Friends With Benefits (Sony Pictures Home Ent.) [Blu-ray / Normal]
I Don’t Know How She Does It (EV) [Blu-ray / Normal]
One Day (Universal Pictures) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Serendipity (Miramax) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Teen Wolf (20th Century Fox Home Ent.) [Blu-ray / Normal]
The Sarah Jane Adventures: The Complete Fifth Series (2 Entertain) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Thelma and Louise (20th Century Fox Home Ent.) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Twilight Zone – The Original Series: Season 5 (Fremantle Home Entertainment) [Blu-ray / Box Set]
Urban Warfare (StudioCanal) [Blu-ray / Normal]

> Recent UK cinema releases
> The Best DVD and Blu-ray releases of 2011

DVD & BLU-RAY PICKS

Project Nim (Icon Home Entertainment): Outstanding documentary from director James Marsh (Wisconsin Death Trip and Man on Wire) about a chimpanzee raised as a human being during the 1970s. Brilliantly assembled from various archive materials, it provides an extraordinary journey through various layers of human society that interact with Nim. [Read our full review] [Buy it on DVD]

In a Better World (Axiom Films): Drama which intercuts the role of a doctor (Mikael Persbrandt) in a Sudanese refugee camp with a parallel drama in Denmark involving his young son (Markus Rygaard) and a friend (William Jøhnk Juels Nielsen). Directed by Susanne Bier, it won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film earlier this year. [Buy it on DVD or Blu-ray]

Boardwalk Empire – Season 1 (Warner Home Video/HBO): The acclaimed HBO series set during the Prohibition era was written by Sopranos scribe Terence Winter and co-produced by Martin Scorsese (who directed the pilot). Focusing on Atlantic City treasurer Enoch ‘Nucky’ Thompson (Steve Buscemi), his right-hand man Jimmy (Michael Pitt) and various supporting characters it fuses history with fiction. The first season was nominated for 18 Emmys and won 8, including Outstanding Directing for Martin Scorsese. [Buy on DVD or Blu-ray]

ALSO OUT

Arena (Sony Pictures Home Ent.) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Cell 211 (StudioCanal) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Colombiana (EV) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Faces in the Crowd (Metrodome Distribution) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Inglorious Bastards (1978 Version) (StudioCanal) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Rio (20th Century Fox Home Ent.) [Blu-ray / Normal]
The Big Picture (Artificial Eye) [Blu-ray / Normal]
The Legend of Bruce Lee (Revolver Entertainment) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Troll Hunter (Momentum Pictures) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Up (Walt Disney) [Blu-ray / 3D Edition with 2D Edition]
Whisper of the Heart (Optimum Home Entertainment) [Blu-ray / with DVD]

> Recent UK cinema releases
> The Best DVD and Blu-ray releases of 2011

 

Although it is a quiet time for new DVD and Blu-ray releases, if you upgraded to a new TV or player over Christmas there are plenty of bargains to be found online.

The home entertainment scene is still fragmented for the average user, with users still caught between a combination of multi-channel television (Freeview, cable or satellite), optical discs (DVD and Blu-ray) and digital downloads (iTunes and Netflix streaming).

We also shouldn’t discount the impact of the recession, which is something of a double-edged sword: it will affect sales of equipment, but at the same time may boost disc sales as people cut back on going out and spend more time in.

One of the biggest misconceptions I come across talking to people is the assumption that existing DVD discs won’t play on Blu-ray players: this isn’t the case at all, as not only will DVDs play on Blu-ray players, but they will look much better on an HD TV.

My general rule of thumb with Blu-rays is to be selective: every film is going to look and sound better but if you already have a good DVD, then you should ask yourself do I really need this?

The good news is that films of quality (whether classic or modern) really benefit from the format, with greater image resolution and proper aspect ratio amongst the chief benefits.

It is also a golden age for DVD bargains as the price drop of Blu-rays has had a knock on effect with many great 2-disc titles available on DVD for under £5.

Here’s a list of current bargains that I’ve noticed on Amazon UK – I’ve listed single DVDs and Blu-rays that are under £10, whilst box sets are generally under £20.

N.B. Some are region free, which mean they can be played on both US and UK players.

BLU-RAY

Baraka: Remastered (Dir. Ron Fricke, 1992): Whenever people ask me ‘what is the best looking film on Blu-ray?’ this is the first title out of my mouth. It is a non-narrative film with no actors, dialogue or voice-over. But it was shot on 70mm,  mastered at 8K resolution and is still the disc to beat for image quality. [Buy on Blu-ray for £9.99]

Taxi Driver (Dir. Martin Scorsese, 1976): This region free release of Scorsese’s classic portrait of urban alienation was easily one of the Blu-ray releases of the year. One of the truly great films of the 1970s, it not only looks and sounds great but comes with hours of bonus material, including audio commentaries and making of featurettes. [Buy on Blu-ray for £7.49]

Fight Club (Dir. David Fincher, 1999): One of the most daring mainstream releases of the 1990s, this managed to appal Fox owner Rupert Murdoch and critic Alexander Walker before going on to become a major hit on DVD. Look out for the fun Fincher has with the menu screen. [Buy on Blu-ray for £6.99]

The Social Network (Dir. David Fincher, 2010):  This 2-disc collector’s edition version was easily one of the best Blu-rays of 2010. The film explored the origins of Facebook with impressive attention to detail, but the making of documentary exploring the production was one of the best of its kind. The sound and visuals are also first rate. [Buy it on Blu-ray for £9.99]

Memento (Dir. Christopher Nolan): The twisty noir that propelled Nolan on to the Hollywood map still holds up very well and the inventive structure makes repeated viewings a pleasure. But his technical skills as a director were in evidence even before the bigger budgets of the Batman films and Wally Pfister’s visuals look terrific. [Buy on on Blu-ray for £6.67]

Psycho (Dir. Alfred Hitchcock, 1960): One of the most influential films ever made was seen as a creative risk for Hitchcock at the time: why would an A-list director film a gruesome novel in black and white with the crew from his TV show? However, it paid off handsomely and this region free Blu-ray release  is a reminder of the film’s raw power. [Buy on Blu-ray for £6.17]

Children of Men (Dir. Alfonso Cuaron, 2006): This dystopian drama about a futuristic Britian feels so prophetic about our current times that its eerie. Brilliantly realised by Cuaron, it features great performances from Clive Owen and Michael Caine, whilst Emmanuel Lubezki provides some of the most astonishing camera work in modern cinema history. [Buy the region free Blu-ray for £6.07]

The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford (Dir. Andrew Dominik, 2007): Westerns are increasing rarity in Hollywood, but a slow, meditative one shot like a Terrence Malick movie is even rarer. Featuring stellar performances from Casey Affleck and Brad Pitt, this looks and sounds magnificent. [Buy it on region free Blu-ray for 6.67]

The Shawshank Redemption (Dir. Frank Darabont, 1994): One of the most beloved films of all time, which regularly jostles with The Godfather for top spot on the IMDb 250, is this prison drama that initially failed at the box office before going on to huge success on home video. Contains the 48-min documentary ‘The Redeeming Feature’. [Buy it on Blu-ray for £7.07]

North By Northwest (Warner Bros.): Another Hitchcock classic, this all action thriller with Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint saw him at his studio peak. The iconic Saul Bass title sequence, use of VistaVision and a script  by Ernest Lehman make this “the Hitchcock picture to end all Hitchcock pictures”. [Buy it on region free Blu-ray for £9.99]

Galapagos (BBC): BBC nature documentaries are often great for testing out a new TV and Blu-ray player and this 2006 series exploring the Galapagos islands is no exception. Narrated by Tilda Swinton, it features stunning scenes of wildlife and scenery shot from the sea, land and air. [Buy it on region free Blu-ray for £6.49]

DVD

Inside Job (Dir. Charles Ferguson, 2010): This Oscar-winning documentary explains the financial crisis with devastating clarity and is essential viewing or anyone interested in why the world has been plunged into turmoil. [Buy on DVD for £5.49]

All The President’s Men (Dir. Alan J. Pakula, 1976): The forensic Watergate drama that should have won Best Picture that year is now available on 2-disc DVD for under £5. There are really no excuses not to buy this. [Buy on DVD for £4.49]

To Catch A Thief (Dir. Alfred Hitchcock, 1955): It may not be Hitchcock’s finest film, but this 2-disc Special Collector’s Edition is a real treat, with a great transfer and oodles of extras. [Buy on DVD for £3.97]

A Man For All Seasons (Dir. Fred Zinneman, 1966): This Oscar-winning period drama, brilliantly adapted by Robert Bolt from his own play, stands as one of the great historical films ever made. [Buy it on DVD for £3.99]

Blow Up (Dir. Michaelangelo Antonioni, 1966): One of the great films of the 1960s is this elliptical tale of a London photographer, which brilliantly depicts the dark side of that decade and the limits of what we see. [Buy it on DVD for £4.97]

Sideways (Dir. Alexander Payne, 2004): The film that should have won Best Picture instead of Million Dollar Baby is this bitter-sweet tale of two  guys on a tour of Californian wine country. [Buy it on DVD for £3.97]

Hope and Glory (Dir. John Boorman, 1987): One of John Boorman’s more overlooked films is his marvellous coming-of-age tale set during World War II. [Buy it on DVD for £3.99]

No Direction Home (Dir. Martin Scorsese, 2005): Scorsese’s 208 minute documentary on Bob Dylan focuses on his career during the 1960s and remains spectacular value for money. [Buy it on DVD for £4.97]

The Fog of War (Dir. Errol Morris, 2003): The famed US documentarian won an Oscar for this fascinating exploration of the life and career of Robert McNamara, one of the architects of the Vietnam War. [Buy it on DVD for £3.97]

Dead Men Dont Wear Plaid (Dir. Carl Reiner, 1982): Ingenious film noir spoof starring Steve Martin as a private eye, which intercuts footage of classic film stars with the story. [Buy it on DVD for £3.97]

BLU-RAY BOX SETS

Alien Anthology (20th Century Fox): Outstanding collection of all four Alien films with hours of extra material. [Buy it on Blu-ray for £14.99]

Planet Earth – Special Edition (2entertain): BBC nature documentary which is arguably the greatest natural history series ever made, featuring all episodes from the original series and plenty of extras. [Buy it on region free Blu-ray for £16.99]

The Godfather Coppola Restoration (Paramount): The restored versions of Coppola’s classic gangster films. Just ignore the third part and savour the first two. [Buy it on Blu-ray for £21.97]

Apocalypse Now (Studiocanal): 3-disc Special Edition including the extended cut and the making of documentary Hearts of Darkness. [Buy it on Blu-ray for £17.99]

Stanley Kubrick: Visionary Filmmaker Collection (Warner Bros.):  Includes 2001, A Clockwork Orange, The Shining, Full Metal Jacket, Eyes Wide Shut and Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures   [Buy on region free Blu-ray for £24.99]

The Ultimate Bourne Collection (Universal): All three Bourne films in one package. [Buy on region free Blu-ray for £15.97]

Firefly (20th Century Fox Home Entertainment): Joss Whedon’s cult sci-fi series. [Buy on Blu-ray for £13.37]

The World At War: The Ultimate Restored Edition (Fremantle Home Entertainment): The restored HD version of the landmark series. [Buy it on Blu-ray for £33.99]

DVD BOXSETS

Alistair Cooke’s America (BBC): Classic 1970s series on the history of America. [Buy it on DVD for £16.99]

The World At War: The Ultimate Restored Edition (Fremantle Home Entertainment): World War 2 is comprehensively depicted in this restored version of one of the greatest shows in the history of television. [Buy it on DVD for £21.89]

Hitchcock Collection (Warner Home Video): This 7-disc collection includes Dial M For Murder, I Confess, Stage Fright, The Wrong Man, Strangers On A Train  and North By Northwest. [Buy it on DVD for £13.79]

Alfred Hitchcock – Essential Collection (Universal): 4-disc set includes Rear Window, Psycho, The Birds and Vertigo. [Buy it on DVD for £12.97]

Stanley Kubrick : Special Edition 10 Disc Box Set (Warner Bros.): Includes Lolita, 2001, A Clockwork Orange, Barry Lyndon, The Shining, Full Metal Jacket, Eyes Wide Shut and Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures. [Buy the DVD for £21.22]

Roman Polanski Collection (Paramount): Includes Chinatown, Rosemary’s Baby and The Tenant. [Buy the DVD for £6.37]

Humphrey Bogart Collection (Warner Bros): 6 disc set including Casablanca , Treasure of Sierra Madre, Maltese Falcon and High Sierra. [Buy it on DVD for £10.49]

Marx Brothers Box Set (Universal): Includes Animal Crackers, Duck Soup, Monkey Business and Horse Feathers. [Buy it on DVD for £18.97]

Before Sunrise / Before Sunset (Warner Home Video): 2 disc set featuring Richard Linklater’s two films with Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy. [Buy it on DVD for £4.99]

If you have any bargains you’ve noticed, the just leave a comment below.

> Best DVD & Blu-ray releases of 2011
> The Best Films of 2011

DVD & BLU-RAY PICKS

Taking Off (Park Circus): Available for the first time on Blu-ray in the UK, this was director Milos Forman’s first US feature. A comedy-drama made in 1971, it stars Lynn Carlin and Buck Henry as middle-class New Yorkers suburbanites, who try to figure out where their teenage daughter has run away to. [Buy it on DVD or Blu-ray from Amazon UK]

The Dead Zone (Scanbox Entertainment): David Cronenberg’s 1983 adaptation of Stephen Kings novel saw two masters of horror come together for a creepy and highly effective drama. When a high school teacher (Christopher Walken) wakes from a five year coma with the ability to see into the future. When he comes across a presidential candidate (Martin Sheen) he becomes disturbed at what he sees. [Buy it on DVD from Amazon UK]

The Last Temptation of Christ (Universal): Martin Scorsese’s 1988 retelling of the Crucifixion story was hugely controversial with Christians on its release, mainly down to one scene that departs from ‘accepted truth’ of the Gospels. One of the director’s most personal and interesting works, it stars Willem Dafoe as Jesus Christ, Harvey Keitel as Judas Iscariot, Barbara Hershey as Mary Magdalene, David Bowie as Pontius Pilate, and Harry Dean Stanton as Paul. [Buy it on DVD from Amazon UK]

Band of Brothers & The Pacific (Warner Bros/HBO): Both of these mini-series depicting World War II were the brainchild of producers Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg and Gary Goetzman. Band of Brothers (2001) was the story of Easy Company and depicted their parachuting into France early on D-Day right through to their capture of Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest at Berchtesgaden. The Pacific (2010) explored three U.S. Marines across the other side of the world from their first battle on Guadalcanal in 1942, through Iwo Jima and their return home after V-J Day in 1945. Impeccably realised, both series won Emmys and rank amongst the most ambitious television HBO has produced. [Buy it on Blu-ray or DVD from Amazon UK]

The Films of Michael Haneke (Artificial Eye): A deluxe 10 disc box set features ten of Haneke s masterpieces – now including the Palme d Or-winning The White Ribbon – and follows the sell-out success of 2009 s Essential Michael Haneke collection. 71 Fragments of a Chronology of Chance Benny s Video The Castle Code Unknown Funny Games Hidden The Piano Teacher The Seventh Continent Time of the Wolf The White Ribbon. [Buy it on DVD from Amazon UK]

Four Days Inside Guantanamo (Dogwoof): A documentary based on security camera footage from inside the notorious US prison on Guantánamo Bay. It explores an encounter between a team of Canadian intelligence agents and a child detainee that previously never been seen. Based on video footage recently declassified by the Canadian courts, it delves into the murky political, legal and scientific aspects of the prison. [Buy it on DVD from Amazon UK]

ALSO OUT

Beautiful Lies (Trinity) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Flying Monsters (2 Entertain) [Blu-ray / 3D Edition with 2D Edition]
It’s a Wonderful Life (Universal Pictures) [Blu-ray / 65th Anniversary Edition]
Scrooge (Paramount Home Entertainment) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Strictly Ballroom (20th Century Fox Home Ent.) [Blu-ray / Normal]
The Lion King (Walt Disney) [Blu-ray / with DVD – Double Play]
Wonders of the Solar System/Wonders of the Universe (2 Entertain) [Blu-ray / Special Edition]

> UK Cinema Releases for Friday 4th November 2011
> The Best DVD & Blu-ray releases of 2010

DVD & BLU-RAY PICKS

The Tree of Life (20th Century Fox Home Ent.): Terrence Malick’s hugely ambitious exploration of human life through the lens of a family growing up in 1950s Texas won the Palme d’Or earlier this year. Starring Brad Pitt, Jessica Chastain, Hunter McCracken and Sean Penn, it features some astounding visuals, a story rich in emotion and some innovative visual effects. Forget reports about critics being divided on the film (they weren’t) and savour one of the best of the films of the year so far. [Buy it on Blu-ray or DVD from Amazon UK] [Original theatrical review]

The Conversation (StudioCanal): One of two classic films Francis Ford Coppola managed to direct in 1974 (the other was The Godfather Part II) this psychological thriller played upon themes of paranoia and surveillance, which were timely in the year Watergate forced Nixon to resign. Starring Gene Hackman as an expert who gradually fears he may have uncovered something sinister, it is a masterclass in visuals, audio and editing. Co-starring John Cazale, Frederic Forrest and Harrison Ford it does for audio what Antonioni’s Blowup (1966) did for photography. [Buy it on Blu-ray or DVD from Amazon UK]

The Outsiders (Optimum Home Entertainment): Coppola’s 1983 adaptation of S.E. Hinton’s novel included a remarkable array of young actors: C. Thomas Howell, Tom Cruise, Emilio Estevez, Diane Lane, Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe and Ralph Macchio all feature in this teen melodrama about fueding ‘greasers’ and ‘socs’ in 1950s Oklahoma. It showed Coppola could recover after the disastrous One from the Heart (1982) and seemed to pave the way for his accomplished period films in the resulting decade, such as Peggy Sue Got Married (1986) and Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988). [Buy it on Blu-ray or DVD from Amazon UK]

ALSO OUT

Bad Teacher (Sony Pictures Home Ent.) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Beautiful Girls (Miramax) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Everything Must Go (G2 Pictures) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Helldriver (Bounty Films) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Maniac Cop (Arrow Video) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Michael Jackson: The Life of an Icon (Universal Pictures) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Mimic (StudioCanal) [Blu-ray / Special Edition]
Orphans (Park Circus) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Quentin Tarantino Collection (Miramax) [Blu-ray / Box Set]
Robin of Sherwood: Complete Series 3 (Network) [Blu-ray / Box Set]
Shrek (DreamWorks Animation) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Shrek 2 (DreamWorks Animation) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Shrek the Third (DreamWorks Animation) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Smallville: Season 10 (Warner Home Video) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Smoke (StudioCanal) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Tactical Force (Entertainment One) [Blu-ray / Normal]
The Adventures of Mark Twain (Eureka) [Blu-ray / 25th Anniversary Edition]
The Princess of Montpensier (StudioCanal) [Blu-ray / Normal]
X-Men: First Class (20th Century Fox Home Ent.) [Blu-ray / Normal]

> UK Cinema Releases for Friday 28th October 2011
> The Best DVD & Blu-ray releases of 2010

 

DVD & BLU-RAY PICKS

It is a pretty lean week for DVD and Blu-ray releases, with nothing specific to recommend, so we are just posting what’s out.

In contrast, the last two weeks have seen a bumper crop of home releases, so be sure to check out Ben Hur, My Voyage to Italy, Airplane!, Manhunter and other releases from the past month.

ALSO OUT

Back to the Future (Universal Pictures) [Blu-ray / Normal] *
Back to the Future II (Universal Pictures) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Back to the Future III (Universal Pictures) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Born to Fight (Anchor Bay Entertainment UK) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Chalet Girl (Momentum Pictures) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Footloose (Paramount Home Entertainment) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Gantz (Manga Entertainment) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Hook (Sony Pictures Home Ent.) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Iggy and the Stooges: Raw Power Live – In the Hands of the Fans (Wienerworld) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Jumanji (Sony Pictures Home Ent.) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Point Blank (Sony Pictures Home Ent.) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Prison Break: Complete Seasons 1-4 (20th Century Fox Home Ent.) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Saw: The Final Cut Edition 1-7 (Lionsgate UK) [Blu-ray / Box Set]
Scary Movie 1-3.5 (Miramax) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Stuart Little (Sony Pictures Home Ent.) [Blu-ray / Normal]
The Faculty (Miramax) [Blu-ray / Normal]
The Four Musketeers (Optimum Home Entertainment) [Blu-ray / Restored]
The Three Musketeers (Optimum Home Entertainment) [Blu-ray / Restored]

*The full Back to the Future trilogy boxset came out a few months back and we recommnd getting that.

> UK Cinema Releases for Friday 30th September 2011
> The Best DVD & Blu-ray releases of 2010

All six Star Wars films are released on Blu-ray for the first time today.

The good news is you can buy each trilogy separately (at around £33), but the bad news is that to get all the decent extras you need to buy the complete saga (at around £60).

I suspect that fans will buy it for the first trilogy, although it would have been better if the extras had been made available individually on each set.

After all this is the last chance to put these films out on optical disc before everything (probably) goes to streaming and digital downloads in the next few years.

However, this Blu-ray release does mark the best quality version of the films yet, with 1080p versions featuring DTS-HD Master Audio 6.1 surround tracks.

Star Wars now exists in its own universe, with its own fan sub-culture, but it occupies an interesting place in film history with roots in the New Hollywood era, before going on to change the business of how movies were made and released.

Its legacy can be seen every summer and Christmas when studios release big budget films laden with spectacular visuals.

When George Lucas directed the dystopian sci-fi THX 1138 (1971) it was a box office disappointment, but when his next film American Grafitti (1973) was a major hit, he set up his own production company – Lucasfilm – in Northern California.

After developing a sci-fi story heavily influenced by Akira Kurosawa‘s The Hidden Fortress, both United Artists and Universal passed on making it and Lucas instead did a deal with 20th Century Fox to release the film.

The resulting film became the biggest grossing film in history (until E.T.) and spawned a further two films, countless rip-offs and a huge merchandising operation (post-1980).

Lucas had essentially created his own universe as general audiences embraced the films, which in time embedded themselves deep into pop culture, triggering spin offs and ultimately a second trilogy of prequels which came out between 1999-2005.

But the lasting legacy of the first trilogy is the quantum technical leap they inspired in visual effects and filmmaking technology.

After creating the visual effects company ILM in 1975, Lucas essentially kickstarted the boom in visual effects movies with Star Wars.

Although the first film relied on the application of old school techniques (such as models and optical printers) in new ways, as the trilogy progressed ILM set the benchmark for many of the effects that helped pave the way for the CGI revolution in the 1980s and 1990s.

Many of the early ILM team went to pioneer the next phase of visual effects on films like The Abyss (1989), Terminator 2 (1991) and Jurassic Park (1993)

The computer graphics division of ILM was bought by Steve Jobs and became Pixar, who would go on to make several groundbreaking animated films starting with Toy Story (1995) – more information on the history of that here.

Although not the first release to shown with Dolby Stereo, it did mark a revolution in cinema sound as every print in cinemas across the country was capable of being played in stereo with surround sound.

The enormous theatrical success of the film meant that, unlike today, it played for several months rather than weeks and persuaded theater owners to upgrade their sound systems.

In 1997 Lucas went back to the trilogy and ‘upgraded’ the visuals using newer digital techniques before re-releasing them at cinemas.

With the subsequent DVD release in 2004 and now with the Blu-ray version, this has proved controversial with some fans who think Lucas has tampered with his original vision and continues to milk the fanbase.

Given that Lucas created these films I think he can do what he likes, although he should have put the original theatrical cuts on here for the fans who want it.

But that said, there is plenty on these discs including over forty hours of special features, along with some rare content from the Lucasfilm archives.

COMPLETE BOX SET DETAILS

Disc 1: Star Wars: Episode I, The Phantom Menace

• Audio Commentary with George Lucas, Rick McCallum, Ben Burtt, Rob Coleman, John Knoll, Dennis Muren and Scott Squires
• Audio Commentary from Archival Interviews with Cast and Crew

Disc 2: Star Wars: Episode II, Attack of the Clones

• Audio Commentary with George Lucas, Rick McCallum, Ben Burtt, Rob Coleman, Pablo Helman, John Knoll and Ben Snow
• Audio Commentary from Archival Interviews with Cast and Crew

Disc 3: Star Wars: Episode III, Revenge of the Sith

• Audio Commentary with George Lucas, Rick McCallum, Rob Coleman, John Knoll and Roger Guyett
• Audio Commentary from Archival Interviews with Cast and Crew

Disc 4: Star Wars: Episode IV, A New Hope

• Audio Commentary with George Lucas, Carrie Fisher, Ben Burtt and Dennis Muren
• Audio Commentary from Archival Interviews with Cast and Crew

Disc 5: Star Wars: Episode V, The Empire Strikes Back

• Audio Commentary with George Lucas, Irvin Kershner, Carrie Fisher, Ben Burtt and Dennis Muren
• Audio Commentary from Archival Interviews with Cast and Crew

Disc 6: Star Wars: Episode VI: Return of the Jedi

• Audio Commentary with George Lucas, Carrie Fisher, Ben Burtt and Dennis Muren
• Audio Commentary from Archival Interviews with Cast and Crew

Disc 7: Star Wars Archives: Episodes I-III

• Deleted, extended and alternate scenes
• Prop, maquette and costume turnarounds
• Matte paintings and concept art
• Supplementary interviews with cast and crew
• Flythrough of the Lucasfilm Archives
• Additional Content

Disc 8: Star Wars Archives: Episodes IV-VI

• Deleted, extended and alternate scenes
• Prop, maquette and costume turnarounds
• Matte paintings and concept art
• Supplementary interviews with cast and crew
• Flythrough of the Lucasfilm Archives
• Additional Content

Disc 9: The Star Wars Documentaries

• Star Warriors (2007, Apx. 84 Minutes): A tribute to the 501st Legion, an organization of Star Wars costume enthusiasts which shows how fans help promote interest in the films with charity and volunteer work at events around the globe.
• A Conversation with the Masters: The Empire Strikes Back 30 Years Later (2010, Apx. 25 Minutes): George Lucas, Irvin Kershner, Lawrence Kasdan and John Williams look back on the making of The Empire Strikes Back in this in-depth retrospective from Lucasfilm.
• Wars Spoofs (2011, Apx. 91 Minutes): A collection of Star Wars spoofs and parodies that have been created over the years, including clips from Family Guy, The Simpsons, How I Met Your Mother and more.
• The Making of Star Wars (1977, Apx. 49 Minutes): The behind-the-scenes story of how the original Star Wars movie was brought to the big screen in a documentary hosted by C-3PO and R2-D2. Includes interviews with George Lucas and appearances by Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher.
• The Empire Strikes Back: SPFX (1980, Apx. 48 Minutes): Behind-the-scenes documentary hosted by Mark Hamill, which offers glimpses into how the special effects were achieved.
• Classic Creatures: Return of the Jedi (1983, Apx. 48 Minutes): Behind the scenes production footage from Return of the Jedi is interspersed with vintage monster movie clips in this in-depth exploration of techniques used to create the creatures and characters seen in the film. Hosted and narrated by Carrie Fisher and Billie Dee Williams.
• Anatomy of a Dewback (1997, Apx. 26 Minutes): George Lucas explains and demonstrates how his team transformed the films for the Star Wars 1997 Special Edition update.
• Star Wars Tech (2007, Apx. 46 Minutes): Exploring the technical aspects of Star Wars vehicles, weapons and gadgetry, with contributions from experts to examine the plausibility of Star Wars technology based on science as we know it today.

> Buy the Complete Box set or the First Trilogy and the Second Trilogy separately
> More on Star Wars at Wikipedia