Finally found the time to watch it. Really nice stuff this time around, as expected. Mouri Kogoro is back to his good old antics again, Heiji and Kazuha got a respectably sized portion of this special, and there were nice Shinichi and Ran scenes that didn't feel too forced at all. The adaptation of the plane case doesn't take up too much time and is well paced, so it didn't get in the way of the enjoyment at all. The new mystery was pretty good. Not the most shocking case like the last special was and, in my opinion, not as emotionally moving either, but it was realistic. Every actor and actress held their own and the scene directing is as familiar as it's always been with live-actions. Music is phenomenal, as always. A heard a few familiar compositions that were in the last special and in the thirteen short episodes that aired last year as well as a few remixes and (I think) a few new scores to add to the atmosphere. They decided to change the ending theme song again, and it's really good. Still not too pleased the theme song from last year was never released as a full version, so I doubt this new theme will either. They're both such nice songs, too. Anyway, I give this live-action special a 9/10, because it's exactly what I expected and hoped for. Hope they decide to make a fifth one soon!
EDIT:
Oh, and for those wondering, the theme song is sung by yu-yu (thought her voice sounded familiar) and is titled "桜唄" (Sakura Uta) which quite simply translates to "Sakura Song". If you watch the live-action special, you'll see the significance immediately. After a quick search online, this is the only version of the song available:
Let's hope for a full version!