Since these discs have been published before or we've covered them in other reviews, we'll be excerpting the relevant content rather than doing one big long smash of reviews.
Star Trek: The Motion Picture - Theatrical Cut
"Rather than follow in the footsteps of action-fantasy Star Wars, Wise and his team conceived of a more traditional or "true" science fiction tale. Once we arrive at the surprise twist about V'Ger, it becomes clear that the plot is grappling with challenging philosophical themes about the concept of God, the purpose of existence and the difficulty of defining those observations outside of our cognitive experiences. One of my favorite aspects of Wise's film is the entity V'Ger while in a robotic replica of Ilia wrestling with understanding "carbon lifeforms" as living creatures, as opposed to being an infestation and measuring life according to the entity's own likeness. Granted, the ride getting there is arguably drawn out, and the production is not without its flaws. But for me, the journey is well earned and rewarding, and the feature-length debut of the crew of the USS Enterprise ultimately feels like a smart, elevated episode of the original television series." 4/5
Star Trek The Motion Picture - Director's Edition
"Some new scenes were added, and some were trimmed down, but essentially this is the same film with a little different pace, different dialog cues, alternate takes, and new visual effects. I consider myself a fan of this edit, but then I also enjoy the Theatrical Cut too. I didn’t always love this movie, the first time I saw it as a kid was our VHS copy of the Longer Version. I thought it was slower than a slug and boring. It wasn’t Star Trek II. But with every new disc release, I’ve gone back to this film and it has steadily risen in my favor. It had a lot of grand ideas and themes and it wasn’t simply a “pew-pew” laser blast popcorn movie. It tried to have the sense of adventure of the original show but the scale and grandeur of something like 2001: A Space Oddysey complete with Douglas Trumbull visual effects. Of all the films in the original crew series, it’s the one most worth revisiting again and again. As much as I love Wrath of Khan, Search for Spock, Voyage Home, Undiscovered Country, and yes even Final Frontier - they’re all pretty surface-facing films. Their themes and ideas are right there to grab. In comparison, The Motion Picture is a much deeper well to draw from and I always feel like I come away with something new." 4.5/5
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
"At the center of Khan's revenge against William Shatner's Starfleet Admiral James T. Kirk is the terraforming initiative called Project Genesis and a powerful device that could be weaponized. The plot doesn't carry the same weighty, pressing subject matter of its predecessor, but the sequel's ideas about mortality, rebirth and the cycle of life and death are no less heady and substantial. From Khan grieving the death of his wife to the literal birth of a new planet, the theme is prevalent throughout, impacting characters in various ways, even in Kirk grappling with the end of his tenure as Captain of the Enterprise and reconciling with his estranged son. With Meyer all the while aptly focusing on the camaraderie of Kirk, McCoy and Spock, the story skillfully builds to that emotionally memorable climax that has become a piece of cinematic history. And revisiting the film after countless viewings, the impact of that ending has not waned in the least." 4.5/5
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
"For me, this has always felt like a blatant cheat on the part of the filmmakers, a complete dodge from genuinely grappling with the aftermath of Khan in a follow-up that's reputed to be about dealing with a major blow to the spirit of the crew. Naturally, we can't really have a Star Trek movie without Spock, and I completely understand the need for this. But this is essentially the equivalent of Kirk avoiding the "no-win scenario" of the Kobayashi Maru, and it seems like a missed opportunity for something truly great. Yet, in spite of my grumblings with Harve Bennett's plot, I admit enjoying Leonard Nimoy's film directorial debut. It's a fun third entry where Nimoy proves himself a skilled and talented helmer, navigating the action and drama with a great sense of adventure. At the same time, he gives fans a memorable and ruthless adversary in Christopher Lloyd's Kruge. The second entry in the so-called "Genesis Arc" storyline is somewhat of a letdown after two excellent installments, but all things considered, it's a competent Trek movie." 3.5/5
"My love for this fourth installment, however, is due to deeply personal reasons, from a major part of my life that makes me forgive the film's shortcomings. When it was made available on home video the following year after its theatrical run, I had only been in the U.S. for maybe three or four years. And although I was already familiar with and a fan of the Star Trek series, Nimoy and Harve Bennett's fish-out-of-water story about time-traveling to present-day America oddly made a more lasting impression than the other movies or the show. I instantly related to Spock trying to make sense of the cultural norms and language, and I laughed at Chekov's pronunciation of vessel. Every time I sit down to watch the movie, I still find myself giggling at the silly humor while reminiscing on my childhood. For a young teen picked on for being an immigrant, movies and shows like Star Trek were my escapist solace, and the fourth entry, in particular, was one I could relate with the most at the time. The Voyage Home remains a fun and personally loved installment." 3.5/5
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
"And then there’s Star Trek V: The Final Frontier…
Well, you can’t blame Shatner for trying. After the trilogy success of Wrath of Khan, The Search for Spock, and The Voyage Home, Shatner pulled his contract weight ensuring he got to helm the film and oversee its development. He wanted to create a movie that returned Trek to its headier and loftier science fiction ambitions, but Paramount wanted more of that family-friendly humor that made The Voyage Home the highest-grossing entry of the entire franchise until 2009’s Star Trek. This is a hallmark case of a movie that had a lot of ideas but wasn’t ready to film and so we have a bizarre mishmash of stories. The idea of the Enterprise discovering God at the center of the universe while being under the control of a Jim Jones-style zealot is certainly grandiose, but the film never lives up to its potential" 2.5/5
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
"To properly close out a generation of adventures, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country brings back our original crew (with Sulu getting his own ship) for one last mission. After the abject failure that was the fifth film, this final voyage brought in franchise heavy hitter Nicholas Meyer from Wrath of Khan to right the ship and deliver a politically-charged and highly entertaining film. For all intents and purposes, this film is a rousing success helping bring a fitting close for the original crew with a bittersweet send-off that gives every member a true fan moment to shine. With Christopher Plummer as the Shakespear-spewing Klingon General Chang, we get a genuinely lethal bad guy for a story wrapped within a classic whodunnit structure letting Spock play detective while Kirk and McCoy get to wax philosophical about aging out of their universe." 4.5/5
Spanning six films over the course of ten years, the classic Original Crew cast of the starship Enterprise beams down to 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray for an exciting 15-disc (7-4K UHD + 8-Blu-ray) with Digital Copy set. This set includes the same 4K 4K UHD and Blu-ray discs from Paramount's previously released Star Trek: The Original 4-Movie Collection but now also includes relevant 4K UHD and Blu-ray discs assigned for the final two sequels as well as the fully restored Director's Edition of Star Trek: The Motion Picture. The seven 4K UHD Discs are housed in a black Elite case with individual trays and are not stacked. You'll also find the two Digital Code slips in here one slip just for the Director's Edition with another slip featuring five codes for the other films. These codes are not Movie Anywhere compatible. The eight Blu-ray discs are housed in another blue elite case, again each disc gets its own tray without being stacked. The two cases are held together with a thin cardboard slipcase.
Here's what you're getting in discs:
Star Trek: The Motion Picture - Theatrical Cut: BD-66 4K Ultra HD + BD-50 Blu-ray
Star Trek The Motion Picture - Director's Edition: BD-100 4K Ultra HD + BD-50 Blu-ray + Bonus BD-50
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan: BD-66 4K Ultra HD + BD-50 Blu-ray
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock: BD-66 4K Ultra HD + BD-50 Blu-ray
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home: BD-66 4K Ultra HD + BD-50 Blu-ray
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier: BD-66 4K Ultra HD + BD-50 Blu-ray
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country: BD-100 4K Ultra HD + BD-50 Blu-ray
It's important to note that this set does not include the Special Longer Version of The Motion Picture that was offered in the limited edition Star Trek: The Motion Picture Director's Edition: The Complete Adventure. If you need to have that cut of the film in your collection, it's only going to be available in that set. Once that sells out Paramount has said it won't be offered again. I kinda doubt that myself, but we'll see. Collect and review enough discs, you know that anything is possible for future anniversary releases. If that cut will ever hit disc again it'd likely be in 2024 for the film's 45th Anniversary.
Star Trek: The Motion Picture - Theatrical Cut
"The forty-plus-year-old movie also looks fresher and in better shape thanks to Dolby Vision HDR, which brings a welcomed improvement in contrast and brightness balance. The scenes in space display snappy, sparkling stars in the distance, engulfed in inky black emptiness, and specular highlights provide for tightly crisp whites in the lights and a realistic sheen along metallic surfaces. Shadow details could be a tad stronger, especially in the many poorly-lit interiors, but visibility in the darkest corners remains comparatively better than the HD version. Richard H. Kline's cinematography has a distinctively muted, restrained palette, favoring more browns and tans with a mix of various shades of blue, which counters the movie's campy origins. Nevertheless, those secondary hues appear fuller with good saturation levels and more variation while primaries, especially those aforementioned blues, are bolder and more animated, making for an otherwise attractive watch on 4K UHD." 4/5
Star Trek: The Motion Picture - Director's Edition
"Of all the films of this franchise to hit 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, the Director’s Edition received the most love and attention. In order for Robert Wise’s cut to come to the format, it required a complete ground-up restoration and reconstruction from the original 35mm negative elements as well as the original large format visual effects elements and the results are simply extraordinary. From small details in facial features and makeup to the incredible models used for the huge effects shots, this is some genuine restoration magic at work. Film grain appears to have undergone a little bit of management per Paramount’s usual workings, but nothing too intrusive or severe. It’s not the waxy mess of the original 2009 Theatrical Cut Blu-ray, there’s an actual grain structure to appreciate. Some of the original optical effects still appear a little dodgy, but others look tighter and clearer than ever before." 5/5
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
"Awash in a very fine layer of natural gain, the Dolby Vision HDR presentation also furnishes the forty-year-old film with a cleaner, livelier contrast balance and brighter whites throughout. It may not look it, at first, considering the filmmaker's deliberately dark, toned-down creative intentions, but the contrast is an improvement. And mixed with the richer, truer black levels and the strong shadow details, the 2.35:1 image comes with an attractive cinematic appeal and appreciable dimensionality, particularly in those scenes with Khan aboard the starship Reliant. Likewise, the cinematography of Gayne Rescher favors a more earthy, natural palette, bathing the visuals in richly-saturated browns, animated ginger-amber tones and deep rust-orange marigolds. Primaries are nonetheless accurately rendered and bolder than its HD SDR counterparts, such as the ruby-burgundy reds of the uniforms and vibrant, electrifying cobalt blues in the starship's computer consoles." 4/5
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
"Unlike the previous two entries, cinematographer Charles Correll took a more colorful, vibrant approach to the second sequel, and his efforts really shine on UHD. The Dolby Vision HDR presentation displays a richly saturated palette, from the bold crimson red lighting and the deeper shade of burgundy in the uniforms to the electrifying blues and lively greens of the foliage and the Klingon ship. Moreover, the other earthy hues, oranges, and yellows are more animated and spirited, making the movie somewhat reminiscent of the original television series. Contrast and brightness balance also enjoy a welcomed boost, showering the action with brilliant, radiant whites and inky, velvety blacks with excellent shadow detail. The improved specular highlights add a crisp, tight sparkle to the stars, the lighting along the exterior of ships, and a realistic sheen to the various metallic objects." 4/5
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
"The Genesis storyline comes to a close on Ultra HD with what appears to be the result of another true remaster of the original camera negatives although a few notable issues remain worth mentioning. For the most part, the HEVC H.265 encode shows a welcomed uptick in overall definition and clarity, from the discrete sharp details of the Klingon ship and the streets of San Francisco to the fine stitching in the costumes and the individual leaves of trees. In Dolby Vision HDR, the most striking gain comes from the improved contrast and brightness balance, bathing the 2.35:1 image with bright, vivid whites and true, inky blacks that allow for better visibility within the shadows and the darkest, poorly lit corners of the Klingon vessel. Specular highlights supply the visuals with a crisp, dynamic sparkle along metallic surfaces and a more brilliant but narrower glow in the hottest areas to reveal more of the finer details...All things considered, despite its less-than-satisfying distractions, the overall transfer is strong and marked upgrade over its HD SDR counterparts. Awash in a very fine layer of grain, the encode has a nice film-like quality fans will appreciate." 4/5
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
"While it may not be the fan favorite of the franchise, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier scores a damn good 2160p Dolby Vision (and HDR10) transfer. Pretty much every film that hit Blu-ray in 2009 was beaten with the DNR ugly stick so it’s actually a grand thing that this film actually looks like a film again. Film grain does look like it’s undergone a little of Paramount’s standard management touches, but it’s largely intact and present giving a genuinely cinematic appearance. Details throughout are fantastic allowing you to fully appreciate facial features, makeup effects, and costumes - even that silly three-brested cat woman creature thing that gets all of ten seconds of screen time looks fantastic. But at the same time, the cheap visual effects stand out even more than before. The fake El Capitan (where you can see the real El Capitan in the distance) looks even more obvious and any rear projection or optical shot is shoddy at best and noticeably stands out. But those are things that can’t be fixed. Dolby Vision HDR has been well applied to give a fresh appearance to the film with bold colors, bright whites, and deep inky blacks. Considering all things, this is a great effort for this film that’s largely cast aside when looking at the franchise as a whole." 4/5
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
"Rounding out the original cast franchise, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country comes home with a wonderful 2160p Dolby Vision transfer in Director Nicholas Meyer’s preferred 2.39:1 aspect ratio for both cuts. Because this film is the only one of the franchise shot largely on Super35, fine film grain is much more apparent than in the other films. But considering the horrible waxy DNR and dodgy edge enhancement of the 2009 Blu-ray, I’ll take a slightly noisy grain structure any day of the week. That 2009 disc is quite ugly by comparison. This new transfer gives you a full appreciation of facial features, clothing textures, and the impressive models for our various starships. It’s extra nice to finally fully appreciate all of the creature makeup work that’s on display in that Klingon prison camp." 4.5/5
Star Trek: The Motion Picture - Theatrical Cut
"As far as I can tell, this Dolby TrueHD 7.1 soundtrack appears to be identical to the one enjoyed on the Blu-ray. Remaining faithful to the original sound design, the lossless mix is mostly a front-heavy presentation, displaying excellent acoustical details and clean separation in the mid-range, even during the loudest segments. Dialogue is intelligible and precise at all times, and an impressively robust low-end adds some appreciable weight and presence to the visuals. Although the surrounds are mostly reserved for Jerry Goldsmith's score, a few atmospherics move into the sides with satisfying effectiveness. When applying the receiver's Dolby Surround or DTS: Neural:X up-mixing functionality, the music and ambient effects effortlessly bleed and flow into the top heights to nicely enhance the soundfield." 4/5
Star Trek: The Motion Picture - Director's Edition
"The Director’s Edition also comes packed in with a genuinely fantastic demo-worthy Atmos audio mix. From the opening overture and credits into the Klingon attack, this is a big soundscape at work. Front, side, rear, and overhead channels all get their time in the sun. Even the quietest conversational scenes have something happening to keep those channels engaged. A little moment like the first time Kirk arrives on the bridge and everyone is too busy to notice him, the chitter-chatter among the crew circles the channels beautifully. Throughout, the dialog is clean and clear and never overpowered by other elements. If anything, it’s actually easier to hear a lot of dialog exchanges since this cut used a number of different ADR takes for some dialog and the extra channel space keeps the mix from sounding too stiff or closed up. Then you have the iconic Jerry Goldsmith score. I play this movie loud largely because his compositions are so magnificent, but they sound incredible here. There’s cleaner and clearer instrumentation giving you the full appreciation of the orchestra. The Klingon theme with those pulsing low notes and harp twangs set the stage for the LFE response for the rest of the film. Levels are spot on without any need to monitor or keep your thumb on the remote, but play it loud! When you have the rumble of ships’ engines rattling your subs, you’ll be glad you punched the volume as loud as your ears can tolerate." 5/5
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
"Faithful to the original stereo design, the front-heavy presentation displays good channel balance with plenty of good background activity, especially during the action sequences to generate a relatively wide, broad soundstage. However, the mid-range isn't particularly dynamic or extensive, feeling more uniform and somewhat limited in the upper ranges, yet it maintains clarity and definition decently well in James Horner's score and during the loudest segments. The same can be said of the dialogue, but the conversations remain intelligible nonetheless. The low-end adds a bit of weight to the visuals but doesn't make much of an impression overall. There's little activity in the surrounds, mostly reserved for some mild bleeding and a few random ambient effects. The receiver's Dolby Surround or DTS: Neural:X up-mixing functionality does well in expanding some of these atmospherics into the top heights with satisfying effectiveness. All in all, it's an enjoyable lossless mix that does great to complement the on-screen visuals." 4/5
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
"Once again, the second sequel lands on UHD with an identical Dolby TrueHD 7.1 soundtrack that's relatively faithful to the original stereo design. However, the front-heavy presentation is arguably stronger than its predecessors, displaying excellent balance and good fidelity with background activity that moves convincingly between the channels and into the off-screen space. The mid-range may not be particularly dynamic or extensive, but it maintains clean definition and appreciable distinction in James Horner's score and during the loudest segments, generating a broad, spacious soundstage during action sequences. While vocals are clear and precise, a hefty low-end provides some weight and presence to the on-screen visuals. There's little activity in the surrounds, mostly reserved for some mild bleeding and a few random ambient effects. The receiver's Dolby Surround or DTS: Neural:X up-mixing functionality does well in expanding some of these atmospherics into the top heights with satisfying effectiveness. All in all, it's an enjoyable lossless mix that fairs better than the previous two entries." 4/5
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
"The time-traveling adventure arrives to home theaters with an identical Dolby TrueHD 7.1 soundtrack and is arguably the strongest of the lot. Almost immediately, the soundstage feels broad and welcoming as Leonard Rosenman's score fills the room with clean distinction and an extensive, room-penetrating mid-range. Background activity convincingly moves between the three front channels, generating a broad sense of space, and several atmospherics display excellent directionality, nicely extending the soundfield. When applying the receiver's Dolby Surround or DTS: Neural:X up-mixing functionality, those same effects appreciably bleed into the top heights with satisfying effectiveness. Dialogue is precise and very well-prioritized over the loudest segments, and a surprisingly robust, weighty low-end provides a palpable presence to the on-screen visuals, making for an outstanding listen and a really great lossless mix." 4/5
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
"Like the other films in this series to hit 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, there isn’t an audio upgrade. We’re getting the same Dolby TrueHD 7.1 track as before and once again - that’s not a bad thing at all. This is still an active and engaging mix that keeps your attention with clean dialog, active sound effects, and the magnificent return of Jerry Goldsmith for the score! Using your DTS Neural:X or Dolby Surround function on your receiver certainly helps give this track a kick." 4/5
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
"And once again, like the rest of the 4K releases for this franchise - Paramount opted to recycle the same excellent Dolby TrueHD 7.1 audio tracks for both cuts of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. Doing some disc flipping with the 2009 release, I didn't notice anything different. Sure, a new Atmos track like what the Director’s Edition enjoys would have been great but I’m not going to complain. This track is active and engaging with clean dialog, and great sound effects and Cliff Eidelman’s excellent score comes through without issue. Using my receiver's Dolby Surround function gave this track a little extra kick, especially for the battle sequences." 4/5
Well... if you don't have any plans for the weekend, you could spend the entire time digging through all of the bonus content for each of these films and still not get through all of it! Each film has multiple audio commentaries on top of hours upon hours of featurettes, interviews, and making-of materials to pick through. Light a fire, unpack the Romulan Ale, and synthesize a few hundred marshmellons - you've got some work ahead of you!
Star Trek: The Motion Picture - Theatrical Cut
4K Ultra HD Disc
Blu-ray Disc
Star Trek: The Motion Picture - Director's Edition
4K Ultra HD Disc
Blu-ray Disc
Bonus Blu-ray Disc
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
4K Ultra HD Disc
Blu-ray Disc
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
4K Ultra HD Disc
Blu-ray Disc
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
4K Ultra HD Disc
Blu-ray Disc
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
4K Ultra HD Disc
Blu-ray Disc
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
4K Ultra HD Disc
Blu-ray Disc
Star Trek: The Original Motion Picture 6-Movie Collection gathers together the original classic films featuring the complete series cast. Some went on to appear in later Next Generation films, but this is where you can see everyone manning their stations aboard the Enterprise. While each successive film may vary in terms of ambition and execution, it's difficult to dispute the consensus that these films are incredibly entertaining voyages. Even when the franchise is at its lowest point, there's still a nugget of an interesting idea at the center compelling you to look past the goofiness. The final film proves to be a bittersweet but emotionally satisfying final send off for the crew of great actors who began their interstellar journey to seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no other television series had gone before.
For those who waited out Paramount Home Video's release schedule, Star Trek: The Original Motion Picture 6-Movie Collection collects all of the discs from the previous 4-Movie Collection and includes the newly released discs for Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, and most importantly the fully restored Star Trek: The Motion Picture Director's Edition. Each film offers a generally excellent 4K Dolby Vision (and HDR10) transfer - some benefit more than others - but they are without doubt or dispute a vast improvement over the waxy DNR and edge enhancement riddled 2009 discs. Each of these films will also be available in single title editions - so if you have that 4-Film set already or if you don't want everything bundled together, you can pick these up separately. One thing to keep in mind, the single set release of The Motion Picture Director's Edition does not come with a 1080p Blu-ray of the film, only 4K and the bonus disc. And to get the special Longer Version of The Motion Picture you need to pick up the limited edition Star Trek: The Motion Picture Director's Edition: The Complete Adventure.
However - if you're a Star Trek fan who loves these films and needs to have them for your 4K shelf, this is a great set that conveniently packages nearly everything available.
