"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" was undeniably the biggest film of 2015, the last decade, this millennium, and to many fans, of all time.

While many got the opportunity to see the film in theaters a plethora of times during its initial release, the film's life will be of utmost importance on home video where fans can watch as many times as they want to their hearts' content. The DVD and Blu-Ray were just released this week, prompting many to wonder whether it was time to indulge in the galaxy far, far away once again.

In other words, is it time to fork over $20 for the Blu-Ray or Digital release of the film?

The question is particularly loaded when it comes to Star Wars.

Original Issues and Reissues

Since 2004, the original trilogy films have been re-issued at least half a dozen times in Blu-Ray and DVD. In fact, since that time, there have been three crucially different releases of the films across the two media with varying extras to go along with them. The original 2004 DVD's had a massive assortment of documentaries and featurettes. Two years later each film from that trilogy was reissued with a bonus disc featuring the original version of each film. In 2011, the first Blu-ray releases of the films were unveiled. Those not only included all new extras and deleted scenes, but also newer version of the films.

And while reissuing releases of major motion pictures is nothing new, it is of tantamount importance to the Star Wars franchise.

Simply put, there will be a new home version of "The Force Awakens" at some point in the future. And when it is released, it will undoubtedly feature new content.

Is this initial release worth it?

There is no point in reviewing the actual film here (If you want to read our review, click here). This will simply point toward the extra features on display.

For starters, there is no audio commentary to go along with the film which is a huge disappointment. All previous releases of the "Star Wars" movies have had audio commentaries which always added to the fun of viewing the films. That will undoubtedly find its way onto another release.

The most noteworthy piece of content on this release is the featured documentary "Secrets of The Force Awakens: A Cinematic Journey." The hour-long feature takes viewers through the entire start to finish of the biggest film of 2015, starting with George Lucas' bombshell sale of his company to Disney.

The documentary gives viewers a nice peek into the overall process with some interesting nuggets of revelation. Most noteworthy is a segment that showcases the creation of the new iconic droid BB8 as well as another section that shows Lupita Nyong'o adjusting to the use of motion capture with the help of guru Andy Serkis. Seeing Daisy Ridley's audition, which has now gone viral online, is also a nice feature. Han Solo's arrival (SPOILERS) on the scene is also given grandiose treatment in the documentary and Harrison's goodbye to the cast and crew after wrapping is a rather emotional moment as well.

Of course when compared to past Star Wars extras, it would have been more engaging to actually see meetings and conversations take place rather than having to hear a voice-over explain it all throughout. Those hoping for some insight on how actors view their characters get very little here, with the exception of an involving section on Kylo Ren.

And that is where the positives end as far as extras go.

A Whole Lot of Filler

The deleted scenes will undeniably be something many are looking forward to. In other Star Wars releases, there were explanations for why certain scenes were excised, sometimes revealing interesting perspectives. Still many scenes actually felt like they added details and interest to the story at large and some feel like they should have been put back in. In this case, the scenes do all the talking as none are remotely interesting in any way. Kylo Ren's arrival on the Millennium Falcon is actually quite disappointing. There is no doubt in anyone's mind that more than four minutes were cut from this epic film, so expect more deleted scenes in a future release.

The remaining featurettes are interesting, but offer little revelatory. The most disappointing ones of the bunch revolve around the lightsaber fight and John Williams' involvement with the film. Regarding the former, there is a nice bit on the creation of the set but it actually plays a more prominent role in the featurette than the fight itself. There is little here about fighting styles or choreography that might illuminate fans on the characters or story.

While John Williams speaks briefly about some of his ideas for the music, the majority of this featurette comes down to major players paying their respects to the legend. It is nice to see, but does not really add a great deal to the immersion in the musical world of "The Force Awakens."

Some of the featurettes add to what was introduced in "A Cinematic Journey," but do not feel like required viewing. One example is "The Table Read" which gives us snippets that we have already seen in the larger documentary and adds little emotionally for the fan or viewer about this great gathering.

Conclusion

One gets the sense that a lot was left out of this release, particularly in the deleted scenes and audio commentary department. After all, there has to be a compelling reason to justify purchasing the same movie all over again. If you do not care for extras then this is a no-brainer - buy the film to enjoy it over and over again.

If you are looking for more immersion and insight into the filmmaking of "Episode VII" then you might be better off waiting on another release that will probably give you a lot more information.

Related