STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE
Directed by Robert Wise and released in 1979, STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE was the first new TREK seen by fans in a decade and it came after a series of stumbling steps to extend the franchise with a proposed new series and TV-movie. The result was a sprawling, ambitious story which reunited the classic crew of the USS Enterprise and launched them on a mission to face an unknown threat invading the galaxy. Leaning more heavily upon cerebral sci-fi concepts more geared to 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY than popular STAR TREK adventure, THE MOTION PICTURE was enthusiastically greeted by many fans upon arrival though it earned mixed reviews by audiences and critics due to its ponderous tone and dry drama.
In the end, TMP is very much a science fiction film of the 1970s mentality, more about filmmaking than a franchise, intent on making its own statement with the Enterprise crew than being a story about these very special and beloved characters. Still, Jerry Goldsmith created a stirring original score for TMP which remains a fan favorite and signature theme second only to Alexander Courage's indelible theme from the TV show. The film's visual effects remain impressive even thirty years later in high-definition, even if the spacedock/V'ger scenes are ploddingly paced.
The best of the TMP Bonus Features are the Commentary track by Michael & Denise Okuda, Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens and Daren Dochterman. The group deftly avoid commentary chaos while making timely and interesting points about the film and sharing their personal fan insights as it plays — no easy trick for five TREK experts who know "it all". The Longest Trek examines the labyrinthine, stuttering journey to advance the TREK franchise beyond the TV series, and the creative skirmishes which occurred leading up to and through film production. The Star Trek Reunion finds uberfans like Bjo Trimble, Chris Doohan and Fred Bronson gathered on the same Paramount stage where they filmed a scene as Enterprise crew extras 30 years ago, in a fun walk down TREK memory lane. This TMP disc includes a total of 9 Bonus Features, 5 exclusively HD, including the V'ger Starfleet Academy short, Deleted Scenes, Storyboards, Trailers & TV spots, the interactive Library Computer overlay which defines on-screen ships, lore and science, and the BD-Live Star Trek IQ trivia quiz for internet-connected players.
Given STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE's age, it probably holds up as one of the best in Blu-ray transfer and treatment. One suspects Paramount may release the sleeker, better-paced Director's Cut separately on BD sometime, but this Theatrical edition makes a great reminder of how and when STAR TREK made the bold leap to the big screen.
STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN
Regarded by many devout fans as the best of the original cast feature films, STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN returned to the roots of the franchise's success with audiences, the chemistry of its unique characters. Executive Producer Harve Bennett gets story credit for scanning the TV series for inspiration to launch a sequel film, and found a gem in Space Seed, the open-ended confrontation between genetic-superman Khan Noonien Singh (the inimitable Ricardo Montalban) and James Kirk. From that unfinished business spun a Melville-influenced tale of treacherous revenge, beginning a fascinating character cycle in which Kirk's daring boldness finally exacts a price in his life and career.
The story, scaled down in budget and scope, harkens directly back to TREK's episodic origins in a lean coming-of-middle-age story for Kirk, and coming to grips with his devil may care attitude to cheating death in the quest for victory. Don't be surprised if the film's touching conclusion brings another tear to your eye as Spock and Kirk bid farewell in the once-controversial but sublime finale. ILM's spectacular visual effects and the Enterprise/Reliant battle in the nebula lose none of their impact and grandeur under the pixel-level scrutiny of HD, and the 7.1 Dolby True HD audio shows off the magnificence of James Horner's spirited score. Then-newcomer Kirstie Alley raised eyebrows as the Vulcan lieutenant Saavik in a supporting role which complimented Nimoy's Spock very well, a relationship that would pay off smartly in the next film.
Highlights from WRATH OF KHAN's Blu-ray bonus materials are not one but two Commentary tracks by director Nicholas Meyer (one from the DVD release and a new recording with ENTERPRISE writer Manny Coto), an HD session with James Horner: Composing Genesis, and a wistful Tribute to Ricardo Montalban celebrating the actor's career and TREK legacy. The disc boasts 16 unique Bonus Features, 6 new in HD, including Original Interviews with DeForest Kelley, Shatner, Nimoy and Montalban (dated but nice to see), plus entries on Visual Effects, TREK novel authors, Storyboards, Trailer, Library Computer, a Starfleet Academy segment on Ceti Alpha VI, and Star Trek IQ via BD-Live.
By this second disc, many viewers might arrive at the conclusion that these Blu-exclusive Starfleet Academy segments largely disappoint in their content and small-scope production values: they offer little more than in-universe factoid recapping of story elements tied into the film, rerunning clips as if they're computer databank files (a TREK conceit I didn't enjoy in the films themselves), and adding dubious fanwanky connections like V'ger possibly being created by the Borg. Why deflate the mystery behind V'ger in an Academy 'brief' about the mystery of V'ger? By putting a neat cap on such story elements, these segments tend to explain away the fun and imaginative breathing room left in the stories which have engaged fans for decades — much more could and should have been done with such a Blu-ray opportunity.
If there's one potential extra missing, it's a making-of documentary on the restoration of STAR TREK II, in which the damaged footage of several scenes had to be digitally 'painted' over (in the same process used to restore THE GODFATHER) to create the current print used in this Blu-ray transfer. That would have been interesting and informative for fan viewers of this excellent collection, and would only have made us appreciate how good THE WRATH OF KHAN looks in high-definition today. Still, I find it the best film of the original six series in both TREK terms and stand-alone drama deepening these iconic characters we've enjoyed for decades. KHAN marks the beginning of the STAR TREK MOTION PICTURE TRILOGY if you go the three-film route in your purchase, but I prefer to watch the entire six-film saga unfold uninterrupted.
STAR TREK III: THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK
Picking up where THE WRATH OF KHAN left off, Kirk and his crew must bend a few Federation rules to restore Spock's katra after the Vulcan mind-melded with McCoy before his death to save the Enterprise. Leonard Nimoy directs this tale in search of his TREK alter-ego which leads Kirk back to the forbidden Genesis planet, a galactic controversy since its creation. This controversy also draws in the Klingon commander Kruge (a delightful effort by Christopher Lloyd), who considers the Genesis device the ultimate weapon which could lead his Empire to glory over the Federation. When Spock's father, Sarek (TREK veteran Mark Leonard), informs Kirk that Spock may not be lost after all, the crew hijack the Enterprise on a rescue mission for their fallen Vulcan comrade.
STAR TREK III is, in effect, the other shoe dropping from WRATH OF KHAN in terms of the realities Captain Kirk must face about winning and losing. Carrying over the plot device of the Kobayashi Maru test from the prior film, both Jim and his son David (Merrick Buttrick) realize that the Genesis planet is the embodiment of trying to cheat the no-win scenario, an empty victory for the overambitious scientist whose dream of creation exhibits only self-destruction. While the curious effects of Genesis indeed resurrect the body of Spock in sort of a speed-cloning, it's Kirk's duty to reunite Spock with his mind, transferred to McCoy's consciousness — and both are suffering until each is whole again. Before this reunion can take place, it is David who suffers the cost of building Genesis using unstable proto-matter, and he dies as a Klingon hostage on the planet before Kirk can save him. Aside from being a highly dramatic moment in the film, David's death effectively deepens Kirk's character in his later years, affecting his outlook, career and establishing a prejudice against Klingons which plays out through the sixth film in the original cast series, THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY. Spock's spirit and body are united in the ancient ceremony on Vulcan, turning the theme of "the needs of the many outweighing the needs of the one" completely around, as Kirk and his crew sacrifice much (including the Enterprise herself) in order to save Spock. Kirk does indeed prevail, but he learns that eventually the no-win scenario does win out as all victories come at a price.
THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK hosts a nice collection of bonus materials on Blu-ray, and once again the pair of Commentary Tracks take precedent in both scope and content: in the first, director Leonard Nimoy is joined by writer/producer Harve Bennett, director of photography Charles Correll and actor Robin Curtis, who offer their insights from different and valuable perspectives on the story and franchise; likewise do TREK series writer/producers Ronald D. Moore and Michael Taylor, who speak of the film from the fan perspective as well as TNG-era show creators who used the film as an important touchstone in NEXT GENERATION, DEEP SPACE NINE and VOYAGER. We're treated to another ILM feature on Visual Effects though these tend to showcase rather than document the nuts and bolts of these stunning images. Spock: The Early Years catches up in a lighthearted segment with actor Stephen Manley who portrayed the regenerated Vulcan at age 17, revisiting the Pon Farr mystique of the character. Uberfans will enjoy Speaking Klingon with the language's inventor in a rather lengthy primer, while they may be disappointed in the rather shallow visit to Star Trek and the Science Fiction Museum Hall of Fame. Other extras of the 15 bonus features on this disc include: more movie-specific Library Computer overlay data, a Captain's Log entry, an interesting take on Terraforming the Prime Directive, Space Docks and Birds of Prey, interviews on creating Klingon and Vulcan Costumes, a Starfleet Academy brief on the Vulcan Katra, plus Photo Galleries, more Storyboards and the Theatrical Trailer in HD.
As the middle entry of what became the STAR TREK MOTION PICTURE TRILOGY, THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK is a personalized continuation of the themes and character growth in STAR TREK II, weaving a somewhat complex tale of loss and salvation, death and renewal. It delivers the strong message, consistent with the best of the franchise's moral that an apparent end is just another hurdle in our ongoing life adventures. The second best film in this six-title collection is also the second most important story in advancing the decade-spanning classic cast saga.
STAR TREK IV: THE VOYAGE HOME
Completing the STAR TREK MOTION PICTURE TRILOGY, a sadder but wiser crew of the former starship Enterprise struggles back to Earth in THE VOYAGE HOME, only to find the planet threatened by — you guessed it — an alien probe of unknown origin leaving destruction in its wake. The similarity to the plot device of STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE is unmistakable, but Nimoy's direction creates an anomaly in the franchise: it's the only TREK feature mission that has no starship battles and no villain, with the possible exception of a few whalers who get their comeuppance. The spine of events and details from the previous two films, mainly the disciplinary fallout of Kirk's renegade mission to Genesis to save Spock, makes ST IV a trilogy capper but the story relates to II and III only superficially and stands nearly on its own. The resulting story harkens back much more to Original Series episodes like Assignment: Earth, in which the crew travel back in time and undo a specific plot point to save the world.
THE VOYAGE HOME quickly became a general audience favorite when it landed in theaters in 1986, attracting viewers well outside the TREK fanbase with its humorous and humanist "save the whales" story. The alien probe seeks communication with humpback whales, which had been hunted to extinction 100 years before the 23rd century, so it's up to Kirk and his small crew to warp back in time to the late 20th century and bring two humpbacks... back to the future. The story revisits the TREK theme of satirizing and reflecting upon our current times as viewed through the prism of 23rd century characters, which naturally interjects ST IV with the highest comedic content of the film series. Depending on fan preferences, THE VOYAGE HOME is enjoyably lighthearted or overly jokey in its tone, and the long time spent on 1980s Earth does take the crew out of their TREK element for most of the film. Still, the spirit of the film and the teamwork exhibited, from Uhura and Chekov seeking "nuclear wessels" to Bones and Scotty 'discovering' transparent aluminum, represents the characters side and the nobler aspirations of the franchise well.
This fourth film boasts a whopping 25 bonus features with five produced in HD for the release, along with two Commentary Tracks: a previous release has Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner discussing the film with colorful metaphors, while a new recording has Abrams-TREK co-writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman offering both fan insights plus a bit of crossover from the latest franchise film. Other new segments look back on The Three-Picture Saga, celebrates the franchise's altruism with Star Trek for a Cause, and give a crewmate his due in Pavel Chekov's Screen Moments (which may be fun for fans but might come off as rather self-serving for actor Walter Koenig). Future's Past: A Look Back reassembles interviews from the cast and creators to recap the making of this unusual chapter, Dailies Deconstruction offers a glimpse into the editing choices of shot takes used in a location scene, and Time Travel: The Art of the Possible gets three quantum physicists to offer their theories on the actual science behind the plot device. These highlights only scratch the surface of bonus extras also including: another Starfleet Academy brief on the Whale Probe, On Location featurette, Below-the-Line: Sound Design, The Language of Whales, A Vulcan Primer, how Catherine Hicks fits into the legacy of Kirk's Women, Original Cast Interviews and a spotlight on Featured Artist: Mark Leonard, tribute paid in the Roddenberry Scrapbook, plus the standard Production Gallery, Storyboards, Theatrical Trailer, Library Computer on-screen data, and the BD-Live Star Trek IQ quiz.
The interconnected trilogy concludes with THE VOYAGE HOME in a kind, gentle, fun victory which find the newly demoted Captain Kirk and his crew reunited aboard the new Enterprise 1701-A, placing our franchise friends back onto the path of their first, best destinies. As with many such time travel stories, the point of the plot is basically to undo the wrong and restore the natural balance, which always leaves me a little unsatisfied in forging true progress in a film series. But the overall effect of ST IV is no harm, no foul, and audiences embraced the film widely, making it one of the highest grossing entries in all TREK. The trilogy ends on a high note, which may only serve to contrast the disappointing confusion which was to follow it three years later.
STAR TREK V: THE FINAL FRONTIER
Franchise history and fan opinion generally continue to look at THE FINAL FRONTIER with a harsh eye, or at least a sense of unsatisfied disappointment. William Shatner commanded the troubled film from the director's chair along with reprising his role as Captain Kirk, but the thematically ambitious storyline of discovering "God" at the center of the galaxy hit at the cusp of Paramount de-investing in the franchise. One can easily argue that the grandiose story concept has little to do with STAR TREK beyond a general science fiction context, which didn't help this fifth film distinguish itself after three straight fan favorites. Continued budget cuts severely hampered Shatner's ability not only to put his vision on the screen — a carte blanche given to Nimoy for ST IV — but actually impeded the director from exploiting the story's potential.
With the sudden, surprising appearance of Spock's long lost half-brother, Sybok (Laurence Luckinbill trying his hardest), the non-sequitors quickly take over the plot about hijacking the Enterprise on a quest to find Shaka-Ri, a mysterious planet rumored to host a supreme being and the source of life in the galaxy. While the film is peppered with many derivative influences from THE ROAD WARRIOR and back to classic TREK episodes done better, THE FINAL FRONTIER suffers most from putting Kirk, Spock, McCoy and the crew into reactionary positions in the plot: instead of boldly acting, they passively react to the dynamic force of Sybok who attempts to run the ship and the show. The devil is in the details: witness Sulu and Chekov's success in exploring the galaxy for decades but getting uncharacteristically lost in the forests of Yosemite as the crew unites, and Uhura's unlikely fan dance atop a desert dune to distract armed guards. It's one thing to say ST V doesn't "feel" like STAR TREK, but it's another to actually go against the grain of these characters we've come to know so well. Sadly, Paramount's budget slashing affected Shatner's desired mind-bending denouement the worst, so THE FINAL FRONTIER falters at the finish line, and simply peters out with the Row Your Boat rondo between Kirk, Bones and Spock capper.
In a way, the two Commentary Tracks offer the most interesting dichotomy about their subject compared to the other five films in the box set: the previously released recording with William Shatner and daughter Liz (who wrote a book about ST V's production, as plugged) comes off as a stream of consciousness description and recollection of shots, while the expert/fan-side track by Michael & Denise Okuda, Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens and Daren Dochterman sheds much more light on the trouble film's legacy in the franchise. Give a listen to both and let the debate ensue with fellow fans in your viewing room! One can't argue with the nobler aims of Star Trek Honors NASA and the Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony for James Doohan, who sadly is seen in his decline but heartwarming to see him get recognition for his indelible character creation. At the opposite end of the emotional spectrum is Harve Bennett's Pitch to the Sales Team, which tends to undo all the good vibes and karma Bennett built up in the prior three films as he's shown in this painfully desperate plea (disguised as a pep talk) to get Paramount's marketers on board with ST V, which clearly was garnering bad word of mouth at the time. Cosmic Thoughts attempt to delve into the film's philosophical underpinnings, while The Journey: A Behind-the-Scenes Documentary puts such lofty ambitions into sharp relief of production realities. Herman Zimmerman: A Tribute serves the Trek designer's resume well, and A Green Future? puts a positive spin on THE FINAL FRONTIER's optimistic outlook for Earth's ecology in the 23rd century — neither are new features, but helpful in illustrating positive aspects, unlike Rockman in the Raw which painfully underscores how scuttling the budget sank ST V's ambitions. The 23 bonus features are rounded out by: a Starfleet Academy brief on Nimbus III, Makeup Tests, a ST V Press Conference, an Original Interview with William Shatner, That Klingon Couple, plus Deleted Scenes, Production Gallery, Storyboards, Theatrical Trailers in HD, TV spots, the on-screen Library Computer overlay mode and Star Trek IQ via BD-Live.
Fan underdog guilty pleasure of franchise cautionary tale? The path to deciding that question may turn out a bit like dissecting a frog to see what makes it jump, but this Blu-ray high-def edition of THE FINAL FRONTIER and its numerous bonus features offer all the evidence for viewers to make their own informed decisions. For several reasons, this fifth Original Cast film will always stand out from the pack and revisiting it twenty years later puts ST V's ambitions and shortcomings into new perspective.
STAR TREK VI: THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY
Another great asset of watching this six-film STAR TREK: ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE COLLECTION is that it maintains the decade-spanning continuity of the classic cast era of the franchise. Opening with the very 1970s sense of awe and wonder about the frontiers of space and science fiction embodied by THE MOTION PICTURE, this series concludes in the post-Reagan era with THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY, an elegy about the dangers of change and distrust mirroring the end of the Cold War which dominated half the 20th century. As much as STAR TREK VI represents an ending, it also speaks to the truth that such cultural and dramatic themes never end but continually replay themselves from generation to generation (and indeed, into STAR TREK: GENERATIONS and the TNG era). Perhaps best of all, THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY — the title, originally intended for STAR TREK II, is a complex reference to Shakespeare's Hamlet which signifies death in the play but in TREK the future or either animosity or peace — offers a welcome sense of closure with fans while looking forward in the franchise to, quite literally, new frontiers in storytelling.
With a catastrophe threatening the very existence of the Klingon Empire, the Federation Leadership attempts to hammer out a truce of mutual survival between the long-warring factions, and the Enterprise crew are caught in the middle, of course! Director and co-writer Nicholas Meyer returns to the helm to pilot in this final installment with the classic crew, and the Reaganesque political/military motifs return to the spotlight as they did with THE WRATH OF KHAN. Unlike ST V, Meyer and co-scripter Denny Martin Flynn give Kirk's crewmates plenty to do without resorting to comic relief, but Kirk and Spock take center stage as the mystery surrounding the assassination of Klingon Chancellor Gorkon (David Warner), a peacemaker killed before detente can be reached. While General Chang's belligerence (ably enacted by Christopher Plummer) is blatantly apparent dealing with Starfleet "conspirators", Kirk's own mistrust of Klingons after his son's murder makes the prospect of peace seemingly insurmountable from both sides. Borrow the dangerous desperation of the Cuban Missile Crisis and layer it atop the Chernobyl disaster and the fall of the Berlin Wall, and you have THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY in a nutshell. While the Vulcan investigation of the crime by Spock and Lieutenant Valeris (Kim Cattrall) may come off a bit too much like a Sherlock Holmes drawing room mystery for some fans, the plot revelations and character conflicts keep the dramatic pace cracking along. Add Kirk and McCoy's Klingon trial for Gorkon's murder (with shades of several Original Series episodes), and that TREK "feeling" abounds in this final film. The eventual resolution to this galactic crisis is wisely made both culturally relevant to 1990s history and personally profound to Kirk's character growth, which is no small feat after then-20 plus years hopping around the galaxy with the same starship captain. No matter how you slice it, THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY makes a much more fitting, satisfying and honorable sunset into which our beloved Enterprise crew may sail for posterity.
20 bonus features complete the STAR TREK VI experience, including two Commentary Tracks: the original by Meyer and Flynn, plus a new commentary by Larry Nemecek and Ira Steven Behr discussing the series conclusion from inside and out. While this disc has the least new HD material created specifically for this release, fans will still enjoy high-def segments like To Be Or Not To Be: Klingons and Shakespeare, a featurette on Tom Morga: Alien Stuntman, and the Starfleet Academy brief on the shattered Klingon moon, Praxis. The Cold War climax mentality behind the film is explored further in The Perils of Peacemaking as well as a six-part Stories from Star Trek VI. Conversations with Nicholas Meyer extends the discussion with filmmaker who had great impact on the feature franchise, while DeForest Kelley: A Tribute pays homage to the veteran TREK actor who made McCoy the doctor everyone loves to see. Additional features include: Klingons: Conjuring the Legend, Federation Operatives, Penny's Toy Box, Together Again, Original Cast Interviews, plus the standard Production Gallery, Storyboards, a 1991 Convention Presentation by Nicholas Meyer, Trailers, the Library Computer in-film data overlay and BD-Live exclusive Star Trek IQ.
It's perhaps no coincidence that the disaster plot complication and collision of TREK universe factions in THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY, capping off this six-film collection, leads us directly into this summer's newest evolution of the franchise in director J.J. Abrams' blockbuster hit, STAR TREK. This only proves the enduring connection TREK continues to make with current events and culture, and it's a thematic crossover you can only view with the complete STAR TREK: ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE COLLECTION exclusively on Blu-ray. And yet, there's still more...
STAR TREK: THE CAPTAIN'S SUMMIT
A seventh bonus disc fills this Blu-ray box set with THE CAPTAIN'S SUMMIT, an exclusive group meeting between two generations of TREK commanders: William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy from the classic era sit down with Patrick Stewart and Jonathan Frakes of the Next Generation to salute both eras of the franchise. Candid and often quite funny, while not shying away from expressing personal opinions on their own and each others' work on and off the bridge of the Enterprise. Hosted by another TREK actor, Whoopie Goldberg, who tries to keep the quartet on track with specific group and individual questions (with variable success), the enjoyment of this 70-minute session is when the four captains share and contrast common experiences, then take the conversation off on related tangents as the flow leads them into unexpected topics. If THE CAPTAIN'S SUMMIT has a flaw, it's either in the somewhat narrowed scope of the questions and topics or in the editing down of their responses for time, as 70 minutes is quite a short time span to spend with this historic summit of TREK icons. The content is good enough to want more, which is the good news, but leaving fans wanting more and not delivering it has a downside as well.
SUMMARY EVALUATION: THE BLU-TREK MOTION PICTURE COLLECTION
Paramount's Excelsior-sized seven disc box set finally transports the STAR TREK feature franchise to the 21st century making good use of exclusive Blu-ray high-definition technology with new HD assets while packing each disc with a solid salvo of pre-existing bonus materials related to each film title. Upgraded digital remastering of all six films to HD with 7.1 Dolby True HD audio simply overpowers all previous releases of these TREK films on DVD (as expected), and the results are quite impressive across the board — especially given the age, up to 30 years, of these films. Visual Effects deliver high impact in HD (as in TMP's eye-boggling effects excesses) and only occasionally disappoint (as in ST V's watered down visuals), and the amped-up audio will surround you with earfuls of photon destruction and stirring scores that will give your sound system a good workout.
More importantly, only this Blu box set allows you to watch the entire evolution of the Original Motion Picture arc spanning twelve years of TREK adventures, and all serious Trekkers and Trekkies alike who want to upgrade their libraries to HD will invest in the complete six-film collection to have it all at once. While the STAR TREK MOTION PICTURE TRILOGY is priced to-go with the most popular films of the series, inescapably it's only half of this classic crew series and TMP, ST V and VI are not available separately on Blu-ray! If you're going to join STAR TREK's newest mission to explore the high-definition era, then go boldly by adding the complete STAR TREK: ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE COLLECTION on Blu-ray and continue the human adventure in your home in this century and beyond.
7 Discs •
Runtime: 24 Hours, 20 Minutes •
MSRP: $139.99 US
Order STAR TREK: MOTION PICTURE COLLECTION on Blu-ray for only $74.99 at Amazon |
