Star Trek: The Motion Picture [Review Excerpt]
"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 II: The Wrath of Khan [Review Excerpt]
"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 [Review Excerpt]
"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
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home [Review Excerpt]
"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
Vital Disc Stats: The Ultra HD Blu-ray
Paramount Home Entertainment brings the Star Trek: The Original 4-Movie Collection to 4K Ultra HD as an eight-disc combo pack including a flyer with Digital Copy codes for each movie. Said code unlocks 4K UHD digital copies on services like iTunes and Vudu with Dolby Vision HDR video and Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 audio. They are not Movies Anywhere compatible. The first four dual-layered UHD66 discs are housed inside a slightly thicker black, eco-elite case with two center spindles. Meanwhile, the remaining four Region Free Blu-ray copies are packaged inside a separate thicker-than-normal blue, eco-elite case with two center spindles. The two packages come with a glossy, side-sliding slipcover. Each 4K disc loads to a static image main menu with music from the film's soundtrack playing. Nearly all bonus features for each film is found on the accompanying 1080p Blu-ray disc.
Star Trek: The Motion Picture
"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."
(Dolby Vision HDR Video Rating: 78/100)
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."
(Dolby Vision HDR Video Rating: 82/100)
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."
(Dolby Vision HDR Video Rating: 84/100)
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."
(Dolby Vision HDR Video Rating: 74/100)
Star Trek: The Motion Picture
"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 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: The Motion Picture
Ultra HD Disc
Remastered Blu-ray Disc
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
Ultra HD Disc
Remastered Blu-ray Disc
Star Trek III: The Search For Spock
Ultra HD Disc
Remastered Blu-ray Disc
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Ultra HD Disc
Remastered Blu-ray Disc
Star Trek: The Original 4-Movie Collection marks Paramount's welcome return to the franchise on home video. This year marks the 60th Anniversary of the premiere of the original series on television. This collection marks the beginning of their cinematic adventures through the fan-favorite "Genesis Trilogy." While it would have been nice to see all six of the original cast and crew films on 4K at the same time, Paramount isn't done with Trek. In 2022, after a nearly year-long restoration effort, the Director's Cut of Star Trek The Motion Picture will be released in theaters, on disc, and on Paramount+. It's understood the remaining Original Crew films along with The Next Generation cast films will be following on the format shortly. But for now, fans eager to upgrade over the previous waxy DNR tragedies of the previous releases will be happy to hear that these films look terrific on 4K with HDR10 and Dolby Vision. True, some fair better than others but the overall package is impressive offering the same excellent legacy lossless audio mixes with a terrific collection of bonus features. If you can't wait for single releases, buy with confidence, the overall package is Recommended.
