Collectibles & Merchandise on TVcrazy.net

Rating: - Trekkin' on Blu-ray
One would be hard pressed to find films that have gotten more treatment on video than the Star Trek franchise. This review only covers the quality of the Blu-Ray release. I've written separate reviews of the individual films under their titles.

The image quality of the The Motion Picture is spectacular, easily eclipsing the Director's Edition DVD, which in turn was a vast improvement over the LaserDisk, which was better than any of the VHS versions. Indeed, this Blu-ray version even looks better than the original theatrical print - which was so rushed into theaters that it wasn't properly color timed. (Strangely, the Klingon and Vulcan subtitles are not burned into the film as in all previous transfers, but are part of the Blu-Ray subtitles.) The visual effects are the greatest beneficiary of this improvement, particularly during the V'ger sequences. But two caveats: the image is now so clear that flaws in the visuals (especially those dealing with compositing) are very obvious. Also, this is the Theatrical cut, a rush job which suffered from poor pacing, lack of sound effects, and incomplete visual sequences. The scene near the end where the crew emerges from the Enterprise is painful to watch. Hopefully, Paramount will pony up the money to have the Director's Cut visuals re-rendered in high definition and make a Blu-ray available of that. Until then, I'm holding on to my Director's Edition DVD.

The Wrath of Khan is the only film in this set to have been fully restored - and it needed it. Due to the film's popularity, so many prints were struck that the printing master was damaged. This, again, is the theatrical cut (except the "II" didn't appear in the title when it ran in theaters). The restoration reveals a lot of detail, such as the fabric in the redesigned uniforms, and set backgrounds. The color balance has also been improved - it was previously too red tinted.

The Search for Spock looks slightly better than the DVD, but the difference is hardly striking. Perhaps the fact that the film was less popular than II has resulted in less damage to the master print.

The Voyage Home, the most popular Trek film in real dollars, has looked terrible on home video. The initial VHS tapes were nearly unwatchable, and even the 1990s Laserdisc used a print that had looked like it was dragged across the floor. The DVD improved matters and this Blu-Ray is even better.

I don't much care for The Final Frontier, but I watched a few sections of it. Again, more detail is revealed for good (the early scenes at Yosemite National Park) and ill (some of the optical effects).

This marks the first time The Undiscovered Country has been released on video in the original theatrical cut. Thus, the film loses the Operation Retrieve subplot and renegade Colonel West character (a sly reference to Lt. Colonel Oliver North of Iran-Contra notoriety). I'll be holding onto my regular DVD of this film for those few minutes, cut under pressure from Paramount, which thought the political commentary was too on the nose. This disc is a case where Blu-ray can reveal too much. The visual effects look fine, but the improved definition reveals the extent to which the studio was trying to conceal the actors' aging. This is especially the case with Leonard Nimoy, whose makeup appears to have been applied with a trowel.

There have been complaints about excessive Digital Noise Reduction. There were some sections where it seems a bit overdone: an establishing shot of the Enterprise inside V-ger, which now looks like a still photo, for example. But for the most part these films look great.

The sound mix on all films is first rate, with dialogue strongly placed front & center, and proper use of surround. Unlike previous DVD issues, the films are now available with French and Spanish soundtracks (the latter not too good, according to my partner, a native Spanish speaker).

The features partly duplicate those from the 2 discs DVD versions, with a few removed and some new features added. The Starfleet Academy feature is useless and quite annoying. The Captain's Summit is an enjoyable get together with Shatner, Nimoy, Patrick Stewart and Jonathan Frakes, loosely moderated by Whoopi Goldberg. Ardent Trek fans will learn nothing new, and even hear Shatner say (for the umpteenth time) that the Enterprise Bridge set was destroyed after each film was complete, and had to be rebuilt for each sequel (not true). There are also additional commentaries, which run the gamut from amusing (the Okudas, Reeves-Stevens, Dochterman commentary for The Motion Picture and The Final Frontier) to irritating (Manny Coto's contribution to The Wrath of Khan commentary borders on snotty).

Television Show Collectibles

Movie Searches