Rogue One: A Star Wars Story 3D Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story 3D Blu-ray Movie Review

As with last year's multiple releases of 'The Force Awakens,' we're reviewing the various store exclusive versions of 'Rogue One.' This year brings much the same from the various retailers -- Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Disney, and Target -- but with 'Rogue One' a 3D version of the film is available out-of-the-gate, and exclusively, to two of the four retailers: Best Buy and Target. Disney and Wal-Mart don't offer the 3D disc and release the film in versions very similar to last year's 'TFA' releases.

This review will include a look at the included 3D disc as well as packaging and new supplements exclusive to Target's release.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story 3D Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Blu-ray 3D:
Sadly, Rogue One's 3D qualities are rather bland. The image never quite finds that serious screen extension into the back, exploring depth with purpose or reality, and forward protrusion from the screen rarely impresses. There's a shot of a Star Destroyer to begin chapter 10 that would seem a prime moment for 3D, much as a similar scene was of reference quality in The Force Awakens. Not so much here. The ship's tip fails to truly protrude from the screen in any meaningful way. Jyn's mother's arm, as she points a blaster at Krennic in the film's opening minutes, exhibits more push out of the screen. The 3D effect never feels all that open. Part of the problem is that the movie is very cramped to begin with. Crowded streets in various scenes, tight ship interiors, and many bleak and dark locations don't exactly spell "ideal environments" for 3D. The image does open up a bit when allowed. Surface battles on Scarif, probably the best lit and most colorful location the movie, show a bit more general depth and openness. The space battle has some mildly nifty moments, particularly as the camera is "attached" to any given ship; a drop from light speed makes for a solid 3D effect in the lead-up to that climactic clash. Corridors through the Rebel flagship and on board the Corvette at the end prove sufficiently lengthy. There's still a fair sense of spacing in smaller, cramped quarters, like a U-Wing's interior or in the planning area of the Rebel headquarters, but the image never quite finds that superior 3D extension it deserves.

The 3D image is further beset by a few more issues. Chief amongst them is a relative lack of sharpness. It's far less crisp than its 2D companion, and a number of edges and straight lines throughout the movie, whether Rebel and Imperial rank insignia on clothes (particularly evident on Krennic with the white uniform in juxtaposition), the white light slats in the Scarif base and in the Death Star, or the circular insets on the round table seen in the famous Rebel headquarters all take on a bit of aliasing and some mildly jagged edges. The image just can't hold very stable. Facial, clothing, and environmental textures aren't as robust in 3D, either. Colors are a bit more drained, lifeless, again not helped by the film's relatively dark nature but evident even in brighter locations. Black levels could stand a hair more depth as well. Sad to say it's a fairly disappointing image overall. There are times when the score might creep up to a 4.0 -- there's a nice vertical stretch looking upward into the Imperial data vault in the final act, for example -- but the image can bottom out at about a 2.0. After the excellence of The Force Awakens, this release comes as a fairly deep disappointment.

For a full Blu-ray 2D review, please click the link above.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story 3D Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

For a full audio review, please click the link above.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story 3D Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Target's Rogue One exclusive is undoubtedly the most robust of the bunch. Featuring the largest and most involved packaging as well as the most discs and the only retailer exclusive with unique bonus content, it's the most comprehensive release of the bunch. While Best Buy's Steelbook may be the most fundamentally attractive, Target's release contains the same 3D disc as well as a dedicated DVD with two additional extras, outlined below. This is opposed to last year's The Force Awakens Target exclusive that also came with additional bonus content, but was only available digitally, and was eventually released in the 3D package; it'll be interesting to see if the content finds its way to another release down the line, and if it will be in high definition rather than on SD DVD.

The package is sturdier than last year's Target release. A proper DigiPak-style release rather than just folding cardboard, the five discs come housed across three clear plastic panels. They are staggered two apiece in the middle sections while the new content DVD comes on its own side, though, of course, users can configure it any way they wish upon arrival. Disc artwork is the same as with all the other discs (and the 3D disc, too, is identical to what's found in the Best Buy case). The new DVD is a simple white colored disc with no artwork beyond basic logos and lettering.

Externally, the package measures just under 7" high, 5.5" wide, and 1.25" deep; it's not significantly taller or wider along the front than a standard BD or SteelBook case, but it is a bit larger at the spine; two comparison photographs have been included. The package comes housed in a front-and-back transparent plastic slipcover with Death Star plans printed along the front, back, and sides. A large white banner with the film's name sits atop the front. Neither spine is transparent. Note that the plastic slipcover isn't difficult to put back on, but it has a tendency to hang up on the area where the cardboard is cut out to display the various front images (more on those in a moment). An outer cardboard print features the standard back-of-case information; the package proper's rear panel is glossy black and will show fingerprints. The various interior panels feature Death Troopers wading through water; most of the images are recycled from the Best Buy SteelBook.

What makes this case unique is the interchangeable front covers. There's a slot to the side that houses five cards that feature different characters and allows for front-image customization; they appear in a hole on the front (black when empty) and can display a different look when the package is front-facing. They all feature the same blue-gray-ish coloring with the Death Star in the background and the movie title at the top. Viewers can choose from an image featuring Jyn Erso (the default card), K-2SO and Cassian Andor, Chirrut Îmwe and Baze Malbus, Bodhi Rook and Saw Gerrera, and Orson Krennic with two Death Troopers.

The included extra DVD contains two features under the "Story Selections" tab. For such little content, it's surprising (but welcome) that these were put on disc, even if it's a DVD.

• Inside the Creature Shop (480p, 6:02): A detailed discussion of creature design, including details like how they live and move, what role they play in the film, and how they interact with and are influenced by the worlds in which they live. The piece explores design details and challenges and human performances inside costumes. It looks more closely at a couple of key aliens: the Mon Calamari and Pao.
• Digital Storytelling (480p, 4:31): An examination of the unique way in which Gareth Edwards directed all-digital scenes. It also looks at high-tech lighting, how model work helped the digital designers, making the U-Wing, and Death Star destruction from the ground-level. This is a very interesting piece, too short to be sure, but one that offers some great insight into modern large-scale moviemaking techniques.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story 3D Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Though the Best Buy Steelbook may be the most singularly attractive presentation of the store exclusives, Target's is the most interesting. The interchangeable front panel is a nice touch. The case is much thicker than any of the others, and for the addition of a single DVD it seems a little excessive on its own. It's a meaty but fairly nice looking box that includes the most content of any Rogue One release: Blu-ray, Blu-ray bonus, 3D Blu-ray, DVD copy, DVD bonus, and digital copy. Chances are the extras on the DVD will find their way to a wider release at some point, particularly if Disney goes UHD or re-releases the film widely in 3D.