Nerds everywhere salute Family Guy's tribute to Star Wars
It was one of the biggest TV events of the last year: “Family Guy” parodies Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Seth MacFarlane and crew bring their edgy and controversial humour to one of the world's most beloved movies and nailed it.
I really don't need to get into much detail about the episode. Take Star Wars, take “Family Guy,” shake and pour. That's all there is to it. I will say that the characters that they chose from “Family Guy” to “act” as Star Wars characters were spot on.
The best part of the whole special (and the one I marked out to big time) was when Peter goes into hyper space and the beginning of “Dr. Who” begins. Not only that, but they showed the beginning of “Dr. Who” when Tom Baker (the fourth Doctor) was in the lead role. BOO-YAH!
The Limited Edition package (that retails for about $10 more than the stand alone DVD) is well worth the extra money. Not only does it come with this really cool case, but the large case holds some cool swag.
First off, you get some collectible cards that are in the same style as the old Star Wars trading cards from the late ‘70s/early ‘80s.
Secondly, you score a set of 3D glasses that you can put on to watch the Tie Fighter/Falcon battle scene in 3D. This is such a tease because I really think it would have been cool to do the whole show this way.
Thirdly, you get a bonus booklet of concept art that shows how the ideas and the character models for the show came to life.
Last, but not least, you also get a t-shirt that features the cover of the DVD on the front. I was going to wear it, but the shirt is XL. I guess they figure that all viewers of “Family Guy” must be the size of Peter Griffin.
The DVD itself has the usual features: audio commentary by Seth and his crew, an animatic version of the movie (I don't know why people would watch this), a featurette on the making of the special and a really cool sit down interview where Seth actually talks to George Lucas. If that's not enough, there is also a little clip show featuring Star Wars moments from past “Family Guy” episodes.
I am unsure whether or not the non-limited edition comes with this, but this set also includes an extra DVD that allows you to create a digital copy onto your computer so you can download it to whatever device you're currently carrying with you everywhere (such as an IPod or PSP). While many have a copy through torrent sites, it's cool to see Fox actually making it easy for users to have a nice crisp digital copy.
