Blu-Ray Review:

Star Trek Original Motion Picture Collection

By Jason Gillard

*Screenshots are not from the Blu-Ray source.

Movie

Star Trek The Motion Picture:
Current Score on RottenTomatoes.com - 50% Fresh: 15 Rotten:15

In STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE, the original crew of the Starship Enterprise from the 1960s TV show is reunited in this dramatic, full-length science fiction epic. Admiral James T. Kirk (William Shatner), formerly a captain, is called upon to collect his old crew mates in order to save humanity from a giant, hostile alien vessel steadily approaching Earth and destroying everything in its path.  The complex alien life-forms apparently possess such an advanced intelligence that even the brilliant Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) fails to comprehend the massive structure that contains them.   The Alien informs Kirk that unless the entity is united with its creator, it will destroy the Earth.

I really liked Star Trek: The Motion Picture.  A lot of people criticize it for being too slow.  I didn't find that at all.  My favorite scene in the whole movie is where Scotty takes captain kirk back to the Enterprise for the first time.  It's breathtaking and beautiful!  I thought the effects were well done, and I think if you're a fan of Star Trek you will like this film.

8 out of 10

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan:
Current Score on RottenTomatoes.com - 90%  Fresh: 36 Rotten:4

Khan, a genetically engineered "superman" prone to megalomaniacal delusions, was exiled years ago to the barren planet Ceti Alpha 5. He blames Admiral Kirk for his hard fate, as well as for his son's death, and vows revenge. When Commander Chekov mistakenly beams down to Khan's lair, the villain finally has a means of escape. Using a parasitic creature that allows him to control the minds of his victims, Khan seizes command of the Starship Reliant. From there he hopes to lure Kirk to his death, using equipment stolen from an experimental research project. These devices allow him to trigger something known as the "Genesis Effect" -- a means of generating new life from existing matter.

Another fantastic Star Trek movie. Of the 6 movies this is generally regarded as the best.  I can see why: it's got a great villain played by Ricardo Montalban, increased tension and a good plot.  It's also got the famous scene where Kirk yells "KAAAAAHHHHHHHHNNNNNNN".  If you're a Star Trek fan this one has to be at the top of your list.

9 out of 10

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock:
Current Score on Rottentomatoes.com - 76%  Fresh: 29 Rotten:9

In the third STAR TREK feature film, directed by Leonard Nimoy, Admiral Kirk (William Shatner) has defeated the genetically created genius Khan, but Spock (Nimoy) is dead and McCoy (DeForest Kelley) is suffering from a strange mental aberration. Defying Starfleet orders, Kirk takes the Enterprise to Genesis to recover the body of Spock. Wonders--and dangers--await the Enterprise crew on the strange new planet.

I have always liked the character Spock so I enjoyed this film as it centers around him.  Kahn was based on action, where this movie definitely falls into the drama category.  But it's a good story and if you are a fan of Star Trek or a fan of the second film you're going to want to know what happened to the enterprises resident Vulcan.

8 out of 10

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home:
Current Score on Rottentomatoes.com - 84% Fresh: 31 Rotten:6

While back on Earth, standing trial for their hijacking of the starship Enterprise (see STAR TREK III), Kirk and his crew are thrust into a new adventure. A space probe threatens to destroy the planet if it is not allowed to continue its longstanding communications with a certain species of Earth mammal -- humpback whales. Unfortunately, there is an obstacle to their simple demand; the whales are extinct in the 23rd Century. So Kirk, Spock and the gang travel back in time to San Fransisco, circa 1986, where they battle culture shock, as well as the clock, while trying to corral a few friendly whales to bring back to the future.

This is one of my favorite Star Trek films when I was a kid.  After watching it again it doesn't hold up quite as well.  This is really a fish out of water comedy.  It is well done and there are many scenes to laugh at.  One of my favorites are when they are all on a bus and there is this guy playing his music really loud.  He won't turn it down so Spock uses his Vulcan nerve pinch to subdue the guy and he falls on his boom box turning off the music.  This makes Spock the hero on the bus.  There are many fun scenes such as this.  If you have a significant other who doesn't like Star Trek this might be the movie to convert them.

8 out of 10

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier:
Current Score on Rottentomatoes.com - 21%  Fresh: 8 Rotten: 31

In the windswept desert of Nimbus III, the Planet of Galactic Peace, a lone settler witnesses a man materializing out of the dusty horizon, offering to share and bear the settler's pain. With a laugh, the two join forces and plan to steal a starship. Cutting to the rock and scrub of another desert, the jeans-clad Captain Kirk is climbing bare-handed in Yosemite. After a near-accident followed by a night of beans and whiskey and campfire songs, Kirk (William Shatner), Spock (Leonard Nimoy), and McCoy (DeForest Kelley) are called back from shore leave to the new Enterprise for an emergency mission. Counting on Scotty (James Doohan) to bring the new ship up to specs, they travel to Paradise City on Nimbus III, where delegates from the Romulan, Klingon, and Human races have been kidnapped. The crew soon find themselves joining kidnapper Sybok (Laurence Luckenbill), a renegade Vulcan desperate to discover the secret that lies beyond the Great Barrier at the center of the galaxy. The journey becomes a metaphysical quest for the meaning of life, as the crew of the Starship Enterprise comes face to face with "God."

This was my least favorite Trek movie.  There isn't much for me to say.  I found most of the film kind of boring.  I also thought the special effects in this one were not very good.  I didn't find there was much suspense.  Also everything just seemed a little hokey for my liking.  Consider the scene were they are sitting around the campfire trying to sing "Row, Row, Row, your boat".  Overall my least favorite Trek movie.

6 out of 10

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country:
Current Score on Rottentomatoes.com - 82% Fresh: 36 Rotten: 8

The cold war between the Federation and the Klingons thaws out when the leader of the crumbling alien empire makes a peace offering. Admiral Kirk (Willliam Shatner) and the crew are quickly sent to escort the Klingon ruler to treaty talks, but they unknowingly stumble into the middle of a political assassination--and soon Kirk and Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley) are framed for the dignitary's murder. Sent off to a frozen gulag planet, the two plot their escape while Spock (Leonard Nimoy) and the rest of the old gang try to find out who the real killer is. The future of the intergalactic peace movement depends on their success.

This is one of my favorite and I think better movies in the series.  It has the great actor Christopher Plummer as one of the Klingons.  It has action, suspense, good special effects and a fun and interesting story.  This was a good send off for Kirk and the gang and I was glad that the original series went out with a bang.

9 out of 10

Video

Star Trek The Motion Picture:
Before this set came out there was a lot of people criticizing that they did not do a full restore on all the films.  For me the transfer on this film is excellent.  Everything looks sharper with more detail.  When the enterprise blasts into warp the colours pop off the screen.  Black levels are also good as well.  There is DNR but I never felt that it was overdone.  For a movie that came out in 1979, I think they have done a great job with the transfer and it's certainly an upgrade to the DVD's that are available.

8 out of 10

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn:
The Wrath of Kahn was the only film out of the 6 movies to receive a complete restore.  The image looks great with good detail. There are some scenes that look a little soft but that isn't a problem with the transfer. Flesh tones are natural.  Black levels are good as well.  From what I understand the print for this film was falling apart and they have done a fantastic job with the restoration.

8.5 out of 10

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock:
The Search for Spock is presented in a 2:35.1 ratio.  The transfer is for the most part quite sharp.  There are some soft scenes but overall they have done a good job here. Black levels are good as well.  Flesh tones of the actors are well done looking very natural.  Once again I think they had done an admirable job with the transfer here, and it certainly out classes any of the DVD's that were released.

8 out of 10


Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home:
For the Voyage Home it is presented in a 2:35.1 aspect ratio.  I found that in this transfer they must have used some pretty heavy DNR.  Background look smoothed out and everything sort of has this waxy like appearance.  Black levels are good though.  Colour are also a strong point.  With this heavy use of DNR it takes away from it's film-like quality.  I really wish studios would stop doing this, but it looks like we are stuck with it for now.

7.5 out of 10

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier:
Waxy faces seem to be present again which means heavy use of DNR.  Colours look ok though, with black levels staying good.  Detail is lost in most scenes due to heavy DNR.  But some scenes do show some good detail.  They have definitely done some tweaks to the image and contrast seems darker than I remember the DVD being. With all that said the quality still surpasses the DVD.

7.5 out of 10

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country:
The quality of this transfer is good.  It is certainly a step up from the DVD presentation.  DNR is used but not as much as in some of the other films.  Flesh tones come across natural. Colour is spot on. Black levels are good throughout.  Detail is also good.  The Klingon blood on screen at the beginning of the film has never looked so good.  Also scenes on the prison planet come across sharp and vibrant.  Overall a good transfer for my favorite film.

8.5 out of 10

Audio

Star Trek The Motion Picture:
For the audio Paramount has treated us to a 7.1 Dolby TrueHD track.  The quality of this track is very good!  Music plays a large role in this film and the 7.1 lossless track does a great job of preserving it. The sound stage is wide and very dynamic.  When the enterprise meets up with the alien, weird sounds are coming out of every speaker.  I never had a problem with the dialogue as it seems to be mixed very well.  I also love the sound you get when the Enterprise heads to warp!  They have done a great job with 7.1 track and I can't see people wanting more. 

9 out of 10


Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn:
Once again we are presented with a 7.1 Dolby TrueHD track for this film.  I felt that this track did not live up to the quality of the first movie.  There are some directional effects that are good.  When they are on the Kahn's planet there is a sand storm.  I really expected this to envelope me and make me feel like I was in the storm with the characters.  Sadly this was not the case.  It felt hollow and fake sounding.  I am sure this has to do with the budget that they had.  Dialogue comes across nice and clear and the score sounds great in lossless audio, but I just felt it wasn't as good.

8 out of 10

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock:
Again we are presented with a Dolby TrueHD 7.1 track and this track does not disappoint.  The sound stage is quite wide and the LFE channel is used to great effect in many scenes.  For me this is one of the better tracks in the set.  I love the score and the little details presented in the track.  Dialogue comes across crisp and clear as well.  Again we get a top notch audio track for this disc.

9 out of 10

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home:
Audio for the Voyage Home is decent but not as spectacular as the rest of the movies.  Surround channels are active though with pans going from the front to back.  When the probe is on screen it gives something for your sub to do.  I like the score and it comes across well.  Dialogue is also good blending nicely with the rest of the audio.  But for me this track might have been much more.  But it could also be the source material with which they had to work with.

7.5 out of 10

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier:
I found the track for The Final Frontier to be much better than the video transfer.  The separation of the surround channels was much wider than I expected it was going to be.  The surrounds come alive quite a bit more than I expected as well.  The dialogue comes across nice and clear and never is a problem.  I also thought Goldsmith's score sounds fantastic on this disc. 

7.5 out of 10

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country:
This film has a lot of action and luckily the audio supports this.  When the Klingon ship gets attacked and Klingon blood is everywhere the squishy noise that two drops of blood make when they combine is quite cool.  Dialogue is great, the surround channels are quite active.  The scenes on the prison planet are full with surround activity.  The LFE channel is used as well.  Paramount has done a great job here.

8.5 out of 10

Extras

There are a lot of features that span across these 6 films.  They have managed to carry over all the special features from the 2-disc DVD's except for a few that were on the directors cut of ST: The Motion Picture.  Before I list my favorites from each film I think we should go over what is new and exclusive to this Blu-ray release.  First off is Library Computer.  When you select this it gives you a graphic interface that runs down the side of the screen and along the bottom.  So at certain points in the film it will pop up and give you more information on a certain topic.  BD-live: Star Trek I.Q. is exactly what it sounds like.  It enables you to take quizzes and create quizzes.  To me this sort of thing is boring and really not worth it.  For me the best extra of this entire set is the Captains Summit.  This is a chat hosted by Whoopie Goldberg.  People that sit in on the chat are Johnathan Frakes, Patrick Stewart, William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy.  This is a fun chat that covers topics such as crazy fans, on-set nicknames, the costumes, dealing with being a celebrity, going to conventions, what it is like to be a director as well as an actor, and more.  It's 70 minutes long and in HD.  All of the extras that were ported over were in SD.  But each movie has its own new HD extras.  I will highlight some of my favorites here.  I really liked Star Trek and the Science Fiction Museum Hall of Fame (found on Star Trek III disc).  This is a great tour presented by the curators of the museum.  If you can't make it to the museum this is a fun little taste.  Also on the Star Trek III disc is the Industrial Light & Magic: The Visual Effects of Star Trek.  If you were interested in the effects that were done for various films before the invention of CG this is a good place to start.  Lots of fun stories are told. One other feature which is just ridiculous is "To Be Or Not To Be: Klingons and Shakespeare".  This is a feature of a theater group who did Hamlet in Klingon, weird! I also enjoyed some of the new commentaries. If you're a Star Trek geek you should listen to the track on The Motion Picture that includes: Mike & Denise Okuda, Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens, and Daren Dochterman.  This track is full of little tidbits that I am sure you will find "Fascinating".  Below is a list of all the extras.   Overall they have done a fantastic job with the extras and I am sure there is more than enough to please any fan of Star Trek.

10 out of 10

Star Trek The Motion Picture:
Here is what is included for extras on this disc:

• New Audio Commentary by Michael & Denise Okuda, Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens and Daren Dochterman
• "The Longest Trek: Writing The Motion Picture"
• Special Star Trek Reunion
• "Starfleet Academy: Mystery Behind V'ger"
• Deleted Scenes
• Storyboards
• Library Computer
• BD Live: Star Trek I.Q.

• Audio Commentary by director Nicholas Meyer
• New Audio Commentary by director Nicholas Meyer and Manny Coto
• "James Horner: Composing Genesis"
• "A Tribute to Ricardo Montalban"
• "Collecting Star Trek's Movie Relics"
• "Starfleet Academy: Mystery Behind Ceti Alpha VI"
• "Captain's Log"
• "Designing Khan"
• Original interviews with DeForest Kelley, William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy and Ricardo Montalban
• "Where No Man Has Gone Before: The Visual Effects of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan"
• "The Star Trek Universe: A Novel Approach"
• Storyboards
• Library Computer
• BD Live: Star Trek I.Q.

• Audio Commentary by Leonard Nimoy, Harve Bennett, Charles Correll and Robin Curtis
• Audio Commentary by Ronald D. Moore and Michael Taylor
• Library Computer
• "Captain's Log"
• "Terraforming and the Prime Directive"
• "Industrial Light & Magic: The Visual Effects of Star Trek"
• "Spock: The Early Years"
• "Space Docks and Birds of Prey"
• "Speaking Klingon"
• "Klingon and Vulcan Costumes"
• "Star Trek and the Science Fiction Museum Hall of Fame"
• "Starfleet Academy SCISEC Brief 003: Mystery Behind the Vulcan Katra Transfer"
• Photo Galleries
• Storyboards

• Audio Commentary by William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy
• New Audio Commentary by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman
• "Pavel Chekov's Screen Moments"
• "The Three-Picture Saga"
• "Star Trek for a Cause"
• "Starfleet Academy: The Whale Probe"
• "Future's Past: A Look Back"
• "On Location"
• "Dailies Deconstruction"
• "Below-the-Line: Sound Design"
• "Time Travel: The Art of the Possible"
• "The Language of Whales"
• "A Vulcan Primer"
• "Kirk's Women"
• F"rom Outer Space to the Ocean"
• "The Bird of Prey"
• Original interviews with Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner and DeForest Kelley
• "Roddenberry Scrapbook"
• "Featured Artist: Mark Lenard"
• Production Gallery
• Storyboards
• Library Computer (BD Exclusive)
• BD Live: Star Trek I.Q.

• Audio Commentary by William Shatner and Liz Shatner
• New Audio Commentary by Michael & Denise Okuda and Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens and Daren Dochterman
• "Star Trek Honors NASA"
• "Hollywood Walk of Fame: James Doohan"
• "Starfleet Academy: Nimbus III"
• Harve Bennett's Pitch to the Sales Team
• "The Journey: A Behind-the-Scenes Documentary"
• Makeup Tests
• Pre-Visualization Models
• "Rockman in the Raw"
• Star Trek V press conference
• "Herman Zimmerman: A Tribute"
• Original Interview: William Shatner
• "Cosmic Thoughts"
• "That Klingon Couple"
• "A Green Future?"
• Deleted Scenes
• Production Gallery
• Storyboards
• Library Computer (BD Exclusive)
• BD Live: Star Trek I.Q.

• Audio Commentary by director Nicholas Meyer and screenwriter Denny Martin Flinn
• New Audio Commentary by Larry Nemecek and Ira Steven Behr
• "Tom Morga: Alien Stuntman"
• "To Be Or Not To Be: Klingons and Shakespeare"
• "Starfleet Academy: Praxis"
• The Perils of Peacemaking"
• Stories from Star Trek VI: "It Started with a Story," "Prejudice," "Director Nicholas Meyer," "Shakespeare & General Chang," "Bring it to Life," "Farewell & Goodbye"
• "Conversations with Nicholas Meyer"
• "Klingons: Conjuring the Legend"
• "Federation Operatives"
• "Penny's Toy Box"
• "Together Again"
• "DeForest Kelley: A Tribute"
• Original cast interviews
• Production Gallery
• Storyboards
• 1991 Convention Presentation by Nicholas Meyer
• Library Computer (BD Exclusive)
• BD Live: Star Trek I.Q.

• Bonus Disc: "Star Trek: The Captains' Summit"

Overall

Overall I think they have done a fantastic job with this set.  Could they have done a little bit better job on the transfers....sure!  But I think they have made a definite upgrade from the DVD's.  The audio is spectacular in most cases and there is a ton of extras.  Good Job Paramount! 

9 out of 10

Highly Recommended