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'Star Wars Battlefront II' invites you to the dark side in November
The winners write the history books. When the second Death Star explodes over Endor in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, the Rebel Alliance rejoices. It's a thrilling moment of victory after eons of interstellar military adventuring: Forests full of weary Ewoks, droids and soldiers burst into cheers, throwing their arms in the air. But what did members of the Galactic Empire do? How did the Imperial soldiers on Endor feel as they watched their dreams of a stable galaxy burst into flames, right in front of their eyes? What did they think as they watched their friends die? This is where Star Wars: Battlefront II begins.
Spin Master's BB-8 is still cute and you can get one this year
The cute spherical BB-8 was one of the many highlights of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and Spin Master's near life-size replica of him was one of our favorite things about last year's Toy Fair. Unfortunately, 2016 came and went without seeing the adorable robotic companion on the silver screen -- or this particular toy on store shelves. That looks to change later this year with the announced release of the $230 Hero Droid BB-8, just in time for the bot's appearance in the next episode of the Star Wars saga.
'The Force Awakens' vinyl soundtrack is etched with holograms
If you haven't already emptied your savings account on Star Wars memorabilia, Disney is back to tempt you once more. Another version of The Force Awakens soundtrack is on the way as a two LP set that has 3D holograms etched onto the surface of the records. Of course, you'll need to find the proper viewing angle in order to catch a glimpse of the spinning illustrations of a TIE Fighter and the Millennium Falcon. Disney recommends that you just shine your phone's flashlight on the vinyl to reveal the animated artwork.
Engadget giveaway: Win a 'Star Wars' prize pack courtesy of ThinkGeek!
You may still be reeling from the recent sweep of date-related events (Pi day, Alien day, and 420) but the ride's not over yet. Tomorrow is May the 4th, which is observed by many as a Star Wars "holiday" and may garner a lot of attention this year on the coattails of the recent blockbuster The Force Awakens. To help celebrate, online gadget purveyor ThinkGeek has delved into its large offering of Star Wars gear to help one lucky reader get into the spirit. To kick things off, we have a life-sized BB-8 floor lamp with adjustable LED settings and a stand "so it doesn't go off adventuring." To help set the mood throughout the house, we also have a BB-8 table lamp, a Death Star mood light and Bluetooth speaker. To help fly that fan flag when you're out in public, we also have a Chewbacca messenger bag and three Star Wars beach towels. All you need to do is head to the Rafflecopter widget below for up to three chances at winning. Winner: Congratulations to Jeff M. of Atlanta, GA!
'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' digital downloads come to the UK
If you've ignored regional loopholes and a plethora of dodgy websites waiting for Star Wars: The Force Awakens to become available in the UK, your patience has finally paid off. The latest instalment in the franchise is now available for digital download from online stores like iTunes, Google Play and Amazon.
You can watch 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' with BB-8
If you enjoyed Star Wars: The Force Awakens, April will likely bring more joy in the form of Blu-ray and streaming availability. Chances are that you'll sit down with friends and family to watch Finn and Rey on your own big screen, but if you find yourself alone, you could also enjoy the action with one of the film's stars. Thanks to a new app update from Sphero, the little BB-8 bot that first went on sale back in September will now watch and react to what's happening on screen with sounds and movement.
J.J. Abrams talks to SXSW about how technology has democratized filmmaking
After President Obama's keynote, a SXSW session featuring J.J. Abrams alongside his friend Andrew Jarecki (writer and director HBO miniseries The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst) was probably the hottest panel of the conference. Around 2,000 attendees showed up to get a tease of West World, the HBO series Abrams is executive producing, and hear a conversation between Abrams and Jarecki about how technology has changed filmmaking for the better.
'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' arrives on Blu-ray and DVD April 5th
After raking in over $2 billion in box offices around the world, Star Wars: The Force Awakens is set to take over your living room. The J.J. Abrams-directed film will be available as a digital HD purchase from the likes of iTunes, Amazon, Google Play and more on April 1st. If you'd rather secure a physical copy the movie will be available via a Blu-ray combo pack and DVD April 5th. As you might expect, there's a load of behind-the-scenes content (sadly, digital extras "may vary by retailer"), including the making of the film, building BB-8, creating creatures and the music of John Williams. In fact, there's a full-length documentary with footage and interviews on how The Force Awakens was made.
Finn from 'Star Wars' wants a story mode for 'Battlefront'
Electronic Arts and DICE have gone on record saying that the "Battle of Jakku" map is the closest we're going to get to any content in Star Wars: Battlefront that wasn't in the classic trilogy. But does that edict mean the development teams will ignore the request of one of The Force Awakens' breakout stars, John Boyega (disgraced stormtrooper Finn), for a "full on offline" story mode? Time will tell. "It's more of an enjoyable way to learn controls," he tweeted. He isn't wrong, either: Trying to learn any game's intricacies while also dodging incoming fire from folks online is a pain.
Meet the Oscar-nominated sound designers behind Kylo's lightsaber
Skywalker Sound is home to Star Wars. The award-winning sound designers and mixers who inhabit the red-bricked walls of George Lucas' audio post-production facility have shaped the soundscapes for the saga so far. From the first movie in 1977 to The Force Awakens in 2015, the team of sound wizards has converted fictional ideas into believable sounds and indelible memories. Instead of pulling from a ready-made digital library, they tend to rely on organic sounds. Mundane objects and creatures are carefully manipulated into powerful spaceships and energized lightsabers. try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-554275").style.display="none";}catch(e){}
Make your own 'Star Wars' short for fun and profit
Watch The Force Awakens or maybe a fan restoration of A New Hope recently and want to leave your own mark on the galaxy far, far away? Well good, because the Star Wars Fan Film Awards are back. The contest is open through April 24th, and should you win, there's one of seven $250 Star Wars prize packs up for grabs and your short film will be posted online for the world to see.
Spin Master's life-size BB-8 is too cute and too real
We all fell in love with Sphero's tiny BB-8 droid when it launched last year. But, after you finally saw The Force Awakens, maybe you found yourself wishing for something a bit... bigger? Spin Master has answered that desire at this year's Toy Fair with the introduction of a life-size BB-8 droid. It might not be controlled with an app, but it makes up for it with voice control.
'Star Wars' VFX Oscar nominees on making 'The Force Awakens'
If there's one thing you can be certain to find in a Star Wars movie, it's glorious special effects. So after The Force Awakens opened last year, an Academy Award nomination for the film's VFX leads seemed inevitable. Roger Guyett and Patrick Tubach will be going up against visual effects teams behind other big-budget sci-fi films, including Mad Max: Fury Road and The Martian, as well as a rare indie nominee, Ex Machina. We sat down with Guyett and Tubach ahead of the Oscars on February 28th to explore how they went about bringing Star Wars back to life. (Warning: This interview is naturally full of spoilers.)
'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' is getting a LEGO video game
Frustrated that The Force Awakens won't feature in any Star Wars: Battlefront DLC? No matter. While the graphics won't be quite the same, LEGO and developer TT Games will soon have you covered with a button-mashing adventure inspired by Episode VII. The upcoming title was spotted on the Xbox Games Store and through a trailer leaked on YouTube, revealing yet another brawler-platformer that's chock-full of gags and family-friendly fun. Whether it's Poe Dameron using a windscreen wiper on his X-Wing, or Rey driving a speeder with a "BB on Board" sticker, there should be plenty to keep both children and adults chuckling.
Watch how 'Star Wars' turns people into CG characters
Heads-up: spoliers ahead. It's not shocking to hear that the frequently practical visual effects of Star Wars: The Force Awakens are still loaded with computer graphics, but you might be surprised to know just how much effort went into blending real people with virtual characters and worlds. Both IAMAG and FXGuide have posted clips showing the work involved, and it's clear that there's a whole lot more involved than green screens. The highlight by far is the rendition of barkeeper Maz Kanata. Lupita Nyong'o wore a special, patterned suit to let her perform on-set, and performed separate motion capture sessions (using a stereo head rig) to get her expressions down pat. The team also used software to tweak Maz's facial features after the fact.
See how VFX transforms 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' (updated)
Alert: Spoilers ahoy. There was a lot of talk about practical effects in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, but make no mistake, digital dominates -- there are over 2,100 CG shots in the film out of 2,500 total. However, a new VFX show reel released just ahead of the Oscar nominations shows how cannily the producers married the real and the fake. JJ Abrams and the ILM effects team grokked that viewers clearly know when they're being fed CG, so the team uses practical sets, props, stunts and explosions wherever possible. Digital effects are then added to dress up the shots and add the necessary scale.
'Star Wars,' 'Mad Max' and 'Martian' get Oscar nominations
The next Oscars ceremony looks to be an exciting one for geeks, with some of 2015's best sci-fi films nominated for major categories. Who could have imagined we'd actually see Mad Max: Fury Road and The Martian as Best Picture contenders? Genre films typically get nominated for technical categories (things like sound mixing and editing), but over the past few years the Academy Awards has also become surprisingly inclusive for geekier fare.
'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' is the UK's biggest ever film
We knew that Star Wars: The Force Awakens would be a popular film, but the sheer speed at which it's breaking box office records has still taken us by surprise. It's now the biggest movie in UK history, raking in a whopping £104 million after 22 days. The seventh instalment in the force-wielding franchise took the title by toppling Skyfall, the quieter and character-focused Bond film that struck a chord with moviegoers in 2012.
The new 'Star Wars' is the biggest North American movie to date
You knew it was just a matter of time before Star Wars: The Force Awakens broke some of the truly huge movie records, and that's starting to happen this week. As of sometime on January 6th (likely by the time you read this), TFA will become the highest-grossing movie of all time in North America, pushing past Avatar's $760.5 million. It'll take much longer for the flick to achieve the worldwide record (it's just under $1.6 billion versus Avatar's $2.8 billion), if it does at all, but the Chinese debut on January 9th could give it a healthy push toward that goal.
'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' broke several movie records
If you suspected that Star Wars: The Force Awakens would smash box office records when you saw the lengthy queues at your local theater, you made a pretty good guess. Disney expects the adventures of Finn, Poe and Rey to set an all-time domestic debut record with an estimated $238 million haul. The previous best, this summer's Jurassic World, "only" pulled in $208.8 million. On top of that, TFA also broke several other domestic records, including the biggest single-day gross ($120.5 million), biggest Thursday preview ($57 million), best December debut and multiple IMAX records. Worldwide, it's estimated to rake in $517 million over its first five days -- and that $4 billion Lucasfilm purchase suddenly seems like the bargain of the century.
