Posted in: Collectibles, Fox, Movies | Tagged: 20th century fox, 20th century fox home video, Best Buy, blu-ray, Dafne Keen, exclusive, hugh jackman, logan, patrick stewart, steelbook, steve mcniven, wolverine, x-23, x-men

A Look At The Logan Best Buy Exclusive Steelbook And Blu-Ray Release

Not even three months after coming out on theaters, Logan arrived on Blu-Ray this week. The film was great, I loved every second of it when I first saw it in theaters, and could not wait to get my hands on it for home consumption. As a collector (of oh so many things), number one on my priority list for the release of this film was the steelbook.

For those that do not know, steelbooks have been around for over a decade. They contain the discs, but often feature exclusive key art or artwork on the case itself, which is a metal tin. In this streaming world, home media needs to do everything it can to keep getting your entertainment dollar, and while steelbooks have been a collecting force for years, they have only become more prevalent in recent years.

For Logan, the steelbook exclusively (at least in the US) was sold at Best Buy. An identical version was also available in Canada at Future Shop [Edit: Future Shop is now Best Buy in Canada, as pointed out by allthingsawesome]. The steelbook has a glossy finish, and features exclusive artwork created for this release by original Old Man Logan artist Steve McNiven.

I'll be honest; when I first saw this, I was not impressed. McNiven is a fantastic artist, but something about the art seemed a little off. It took getting this one on my hands to really appreciate it. The gloss finish really makes this one pop off the tin, and Laura especially looks awesome on here. When opened fully, I love the wrap-around artwork, as well. On the inside, Laura's hand holding Logan's dog tags is a very striking image on its own. It also could have worked for the outside artwork. Also: kudos to them for not making this one a stacked disc release — I am not a fan of that.

As far as the discs themselves, this matches the regular blu-ray release: A blu-ray that contains the film and special features, a dvd copy, and a third disc that includes Logan Noir, the black and white version of the film. You can only get Logan Noir if you buy the blu-ray version. It also, of course, comes with a code for a digital copy.

As far as content goes, The film is presented in a 1080p transfer from a digital 4K source, so you know that that picture is amazing. A DTS-HD 7.1 audio mix will greet your speakers with every slash and growl. The mix, however, does not drown out the dialogue of the film; lines are spoken more clearly than in the theater while I was watching.

Special features-wise, things could be better. You get a commentary from director James Mangold, an hour and change behind-the-scenes documentary, trailers, and some deleted scenes. Of those deleted scenes, there are two standouts: one is right after Xavier's second freakout in the hotel where a police officer pulls Logan over for speeding and gives him a ticket. The second takes place in the cabin near the end of the film when Logan is recovering from his injuries. A conversation takes place between Logan and young mutant Bobby, who questions Logan about the existence of Sabertooth. I enjoyed both scenes, but I can see why they were left on the cutting room floor.

The real prize is the Logan Noir cut of the film. After viewing it, I am really kicking myself for not making more of an effort to get to one of the special screenings they held earlier this month. The film looks absolutely stunning presented this way. Everything feels more visceral and real, and the effects really pop. It made me engage with the film even more, and I am now convinced that this is actually the way it should have been released in the first place. I understand fully why they didn't go that route, but I can safely say when I pull this off the shelf, this will be the version I put on.

All in all, this is one of the, if not the best superhero films ever made, and it should be on your shelf. I, for one, am going to miss Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, but man, what a way to go out.

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