“Family Guy: Blue Harvest (Regular Edition)” DVD Review
It’s no secret that most of the creative team on Family Guy are huge Star Wars fans. Episodes are literally peppered with references and jokes to the classic sci-fi saga, and it was only a matter of time until the series did a full-blown spoof of the films. At the start of the latest season, Seth McFarlane and his team did just that with the hour-long special episode called, Blue Harvest. Here we get a detailed retelling of the sci-fi story that everybody knows. So, is it any good?
The laughs come full Force when the Griffin clan puts a freakin’ sweet spin on the greatest sci-fi saga ever told! With Peter playing the swashbuckling Han Solo, Lois as the sexy Princess Leia, Chris as an adolescent Luke Skywalker, Brian as a well-spoken Chewbacca, and Stewie finally embracing his dark side as Darth Vader, who knows what will happen. Filled with outrageous gags, spaced out droids and more intergalactic satire than you can shake a light saber at, this epic spoof is a must-own for every fan of Family Guy! The episode title comes from the code name used when filming Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi. Blue Harvest finds Peter, Lois, Chris, Stewie, Brian and some of Quahog’s finest in the middle of George Lucas’ beloved science- fiction epic
Upon viewing this release, it’s obvious that the creators love their Star Wars. Yes, while the repeated gags in the series were a testament to that, here, we see their love for it in all its glory. The amount of detail and time put into this episode is staggering. Whether it’s the extensive 3D modeling on display, how closely so many sequences play out just like the movie, it all shows that a tremendous amount of love and detail was poured into this special episode. The story is exactly as you remembered it from the film, this episode follows it to a ‘t,’ however, they do add their own twists on certain scenes for comedic effect.
For example, instead of Han Solo, “played” by Peter Griffin, saying “Don’t get cocky,” he says, “Don’t get penisy!” I don’t know why, but it works. It’s not the best joke, but it just works. And there’s a lot more jokes like that throughout the episode.
Sure, there are jokes that Star Wars purist may find a bit disrespectful, like Obi-Wan Kenobi “played” by Herbert, the resident pedophile in Family Guy. While it did lead to some great, albeit sometimes tasteless jokes, I can see why some Star Wars fans would be upset by something like that. It played out better than I thought it would, especially the sequence where Princess Leia, “played” by Lios Griffin, asks Kenobi for help and explains the laundry list of reasons why. Want a hint? Well, it seems like Kenobi got himself into trouble similar to what a certain King of Pop experienced years ago.
I’ll admit I’m not the biggest Star Wars fan on the planet, but I found all the jokes to be easily accessible and usually hilarious. There are a few jokes that fall flat, such as a out-of-place Deal Or No Deal spoof, but they usually hit the marker. My absolute favorite gags were Cleveland cast as C3PO and Han Solo and Chewbacca, “played” by Brian, desperately trying to get an old couch they find in the trash compactor onto the ship. Like I said, not all jokes work, but the ones that do help pull the episode along. Toss in some rather gorgeous visuals and you have an episode that worth’s checking out, at least for a rental. Personally, I Recommend it to any Family Guy fans or Star Wars fans with a sense of humor.
The DVD
Available in both a special and regular edition release, Fox Home Entertainment has provided WF DVD Report with the regular edition.
The packaging is the standard Amaray case with a couple inserts and a hinged flap to hold to two discs within. The first disc holds all the regular DVD features while the second disc contains a downloadable version of the episode. The audio and video for Family Guy: Blue Harvest surpasses previous Family Guy releases both crystal clear audio and clear video. The video transfer is definitely above broadcast quality while the audio gets an extra punch from the increased special effects used in the episodes.
As for the extras themselves, we get a handful of worthwhile bonus features, starting off with an episode-length audio commentary. The commentary includes Seth MacFarlane, music editor Patrick Clark, editor Mike Elias, executive producer David Goodman, assistant director Joseph Lee, director Dominic Polcino, producer Danny Smith, writer Alec Sulkin and producer Kara Vallow. This is your standard Family Guy commentary with a lot of jokes and friendly chatter mixed with production information. Enjoyable and somewhat informative Up next is “A Conversation with George,” a roughly 12 minutes interview between MacFarlane and George Lucas. It’s a mix of silly and serious and something Star Wars fans will appreciate more than Family Guy fans, likely. After that is the enarly twenty minute featurette “Once in a Lifetime: The Making of Blue Harvest,” which covers the production of this episode in great detail. It’s a really well-done and informative look behind-the-scenes. It can get a little too fluffy at times, but generally it provides probably the most indepth look at how the episode was made. Finally, the last major extra is the entire Blue Harvest episode in animatic form.
The disc is them rounded off with nine minutes worth of Star Wars clips from the Family Guy series itself, most of which are hilarious, and a promo for the series. It’s a fun, light way to finish off what’s actually a pretty stacked DVD. While the amount of extras isn’t overflowing, the content found in these extras do contain a fair amount of information on the creation of this Family Guy event.
Overall, this DVD is definitely worth adding to your collection. Whether you’re a Family Guy fan or a Star Wars fan, you’re sure to enjoy this release. The audio and video is top notch, the extras are fun, and the main feature isn’t too shabby, either! It’s not perfect by any means, but there’s plenty of great humor to be found, and this is a release I would definitely Recommend for all die-hard Family Guy and Star Wars fans.
Family Guy: Blue Harvest is now available on DVD in both regular and special editions. Information on the special edition release of Family Guy: Blue Harvest can be found at the official Fox Home Entertainment website.