SteelBook Alert: Let’s Try This Again

Since first being announced for preorder, some upcoming Blu-ray SteelBook releases have revised their artwork designs. Whether the new versions are better, and whether this will influence your purchasing decisions, is up for you to decide.

‘Star Trek Beyond’

Available at: Zavvi
Release date: TBD
Price: £23.99
Region code: Paramount Blu-rays are usually region-free

The initial art for this SteelBook, which featured a big image of Spock’s face, was a little disappointingly generic. If nothing else, the new version is at least more distinctive.

Star Trek Beyond Revised SteelBook Art

The design is an obvious callback to the original poster art for ‘Star Trek: The Motion Picture’. Considering how extremely little the action-focused ‘Star Trek Beyond’ has in common with anything at all in the slow and contemplative ‘TMP’, I suppose that amounts to little more than some pointless fan-service. That said, pointless fan-service seems to be the main raison d’etre of the ‘Trek’ reboot series.

Star Trek The Motion Picture Poster Art

Rejected artwork:
Star Trek Beyond Rejected SteelBook Art

‘Star Trek: Three-Movie Collection’

Available at: Zavvi
Release date: TBD
Price: £43.99
Region code: Paramount Blu-rays are usually region-free

Here we go from lame to lamer. I wasn’t a big fan of the previously announced art for this collection, which focused too much on the weak ‘Star Trek into Darkness’ and depicted one of the starships in that film as grossly oversized. The revision, unfortunately, simply recycles the case art from the 2014 ‘Star Trek: The Compendium‘ box set.

Star Trek 3-Movie Collection Revised SteelBook Art

Rejected artwork:
Star Trek 3-Movie Collection Rejected SteelBook Art

‘Jason Bourne’

Available at: Amazon UK or Zavvi
Release date: Amazon says Nov. 28, 2016 but Zavvi says Dec. 5th, 2016
Price: £22.99
Region code: TBD

In the United States, Best Buy will carry a SteelBook with both Blu-ray and Ultra HD editions of Matt Damon’s return to the ‘Bourne’ franchise. At the time of this writing, the retailer listing still showcases what appears to be temp art.

Jason Bourne UHD Steelbook

A recently announced UK SteelBook has somewhat different art. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the American case winds up looking exactly like this. While I don’t think it’s a huge improvement, and the “Matt Damon Is Jason Bourne” tagline is dumb, I’m glad to see that this one doesn’t have the text written on top of Damon’s face.

Sadly, the UK release will not include a UHD copy of the film.

Jason Bourne UK SteelBook

23 comments

  1. Chris B

    That UK Bourne steelbook is ridiculously redundant. It treats the consumer as if we were all morons: “Jason Bourne….Matt Damon is Jason Bourne….in this movie….just like the last three….he’s an actor…playing a character named JASON BOURNE…IN A MOVIE…..the one inside this case…..please buy the case and the movie within….which features MATT DAMON PLAYING JASON BOURNE!…Must we continue?!” Etc.

    Not the biggest fan of that Beyond SB, seeing how the last two weren’t retro at all so it seems to be the odd one out. I’ll still buy it though…..I’m weak!

    • Josh Zyber
      Author

      I don’t disagree. I suppose, from a marketing standpoint, the studio is trying overly hard to emphasize that Matt Damon has returned to the franchise. The movie isn’t ‘The Bourne Whatever’. It’s ‘Jason Bourne’, because “Matt Damon is Jason Bourne… Not Jeremy Renner playing some other rando you don’t care about. He’s gone now and we’re sorry about that. This time, Matt Damon is back playing the character you liked from the earlier movies…. Matt… Damon… Jason… Bourne… Matt… Damon… Matt… Damon… Matt… Damon… IS… Jason… Bourne…”

  2. EM

    The Bourne redesign must have been undertaken to placate Matt Damon. I haven’t actually heard he was disappointed with the first design, but c’mon—it was written all over his face.

    • Bolo

      No his character was another assassin in a different program that involved using drugs to give him superhuman performance. Aside from them saying Renner’s character’s name several times, they even show a photo of Matt Damon while talking about Bourne’s impact on the intelligence community to make it clear that Renner is a different guy.

      • Bolo

        They could have them reconnect and Aaron tries to get Bourne back into all the stuff he was into before he lost his memory. It would be like the bromance version of ‘The Vow’.

        “Seriously dude, I liked Bon Jovi?”

  3. NJScorpio

    So, it is an established trend now that, after several sequels, the “return” sequel should be titled after the main character? Do I have Stallone to thank for this?

    Should the next ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ movie just be called ‘Jack Sparrow’, or the next ‘Die Hard’ just ‘John McClane’?

    • Josh Zyber
      Author

      It’s part of a marketing trend to “brand” everything. Too many young marketing executives are eager to apply the lessons about Search Engine Optimization they learned in grad school. I expect more movie titles to include hashtags soon enough.

  4. ScoobySnack

    “Sadly, the UK release will not include a UHD copy of the film.”…For the 20 people who have bought in to UHD. (The new HD DVD to 8K’s Blu ray).

    • Al

      Is this the same guy who chimes in with his delusions of 8K, every time there’s a 4K UHD discussion?

      You will NEVER see 8K physical media. Never! NEVER, EVER! The concept is utterly preposterous. Sure, there will eventually be 8K streaming, but 8K will never be a physical media format.

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