Family Guy--the best-selling TV on DVD franchise of all time--stands poised to break another record with the December 22 release of their second Star Wars parody, Something, Something, Something Dark Side. Can't say I'm crazy about the title, perhaps the joke is supposed to be the laziness of the writers...? That was actually my big complaint with the original Family Guy Star Wars, Blue Harvest, which fell short of expectations, but I digress.
(EDITOR'S NOTE: Big Picture Big Sound reader Adam Zey writes in with the following explanation: "Regarding the title, this was not lazyness on the part of the writers. It is a reference to a joke used earlier in the series. Emperor Palpatine discovered the formula for great Star Wars dialog. The gag shows him speaking to Darth Vader as he says 'Something, something, something, dark side. Something, something, something, complete.'" Hmm, let's hope that this new episode is funnier than that.)
This new installment is scheduled to be the premiere (double-length) episode of Season Eight on Fox on September 27, to be followed by a Blu-ray and DVD release from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment on December 22. The Blu-ray will carry a suggested retail price of $29.99.
Dark Side re-tells the familiar second (well, fifth) chapter of the Star Wars saga, substituting the popular Griffin clan and their friends for Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher et. al. Rebel hero Luke Skywalker (Chris Griffin) travels to Dagobah to continue his Jedi training, while roguish Han Solo (Peter) woos the lovely Princess Leia (Lois). All the while, Darth Vader (Stewie, perhaps the best fit of the entire brood) relentlessly pursues them across the galaxy from Hoth to Bespin.
For the two-disc Blu-ray with Digital Copy, the video will be a somewhat disappointing full-frame 4:3, despite the obvious intended HDTV end use, with 5.1 channels of sound. The 5.1 format was not officially specified in the press release but I've read elsewhere that it will be DTS-HD Master Audio, with English, French and Spanish subtitles.
Since it wouldn't be a Family Guy or Star Wars disc without bonuses, Fox is serving up an audio commentary and an optional Pop-Up Video viewing mode. Also included will be deleted scenes, the Behind-the-Scenes Featurette “The Dark Side of Poster Art,” and the rough animatic version of the episode. The accompanying digital copy--we assume for both iTunes and Windows Media, based on Fox's history--will be exclusive to the Blu-ray edition.
Available now for Pre-Order:
Also available for Family Guy/Star Wars fans:
