Star Trek Movie Blu-Rays

Star Trek fans and Blu Ray aficionados would be interested in a Star Trek collection regardless of its timing to the new film release. Taking this opportunity to view the collection of original cast movies, five of them look amazing. The one that doesn’t wil be the biggest disappointment.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture looks so awesome, it makes it more palatable to watch the deliberately paced old school sci-fi. Now, when they’re lingering on slow moving space shots of the ship and space stations, you don’t want them to hurry up and move on. You see all the detail in the hand crafted models.

You also see some of the lines in optical composites but that’s all part of the charm of that technique. I’d rather see it real. And since this is the theatrical cut, it shows they didn’t need to revamp any of the effects. There are a few soft focus shots but that is what it is. There are some shots where you see frozen grain, because half the scene is a still image while something’s moving on the other half. Again, that’s how it worked and seeing it in this detail is great.

The fact that 90% of the movie is so clear that you see scuffs on the deck floor and pores in the Ilia’s bald head is awesome, and a great way to begin this series on Blu Ray. It also occurred to me how people in the ‘70s might have gotten high and looked at all the trippy visuals. Now with Blu Ray hi-def color, a whole new generation can trip out.

Of course the one you really want to know about is Wrath of Khan. Shockingly, this looks like an old film. It’s super grainy and that obscures a lot of the details in the sets and models. At least the colors pop, the reds of the uniforms and other blues and yellows throughout. On the plus side, it does look like well preserved film, only after The Motion Picture you know how clear it could look. Guess they’re waiting for a marketable single disc remaster of this one.

Then oddly The Search for Spock looks awesome again. It’s clear and sharp and those models look like their floating through real outer space. The red uniforms pop even more than in Wrath of Khan so you can tell that was a subpar transfer. That green Klingon bird of prey looks like an emerald sparkling. Even the enterprise has a purple glow this time. All the seasons on the Genesis planet come through in great detail.

Do some of the shots get grainy? Yes, more digital than film grain. But to have 90% of the movie look shiny and brand new is awesome. Just study all the hand crafted lines in the sets and the shine off the actors’ ‘80s hair.

The Voyage Home looks pretty great too. The early scenes in the future show detail and shine in all the makeup and sets. The planet backgrounds look totally like paintings, but they are and I wish they’d still use that style instead of CGI. The bridge of the bird of prey looks realistic and gritty.

The bulk of the movie takes place in present day (well, ‘80s) San Francisco so that’s a different look for Trek. It looks like a window into our past, totally clear. There are plenty of detailed settings that you can see clearly: factories, aquariums, city streets and epic vistas, but it’s all real detail, not man made sci-fi.

Everyone’s hardest on The Final Frontier, so at least that gets its due to look as great as it possibly could. All the dust and divots in the desert where Sybok sets up shop are clear. The mountain Kirk climbs to show off, as well as the entire park, looks stunningly clear.

Once they get back into space, it’s the same sharp, clear, shiny look as the previous films had at their best. New costumes like Sybok’s robe show all the detail of the woven fabric. Again, a few grainy or soft shots, but 90% awesome. Like the Original Series Blu Rays, you get right up in the sweaty, intense faces at their most intimate moments.

The Undiscovered Country used some noticeable early CGI effects, like the Klingon blood bubbles in the air. They hold up well, standing out as they did from the practical scene, but glowing vibrantly as the special effects. The digital thinning of Shatner’s ass remains convincing.

Otherwise, another fine example of Star Trek in HD with shiny, detailed models in clear space, and dense sets like the trial chamber and prison compound. Perhaps the makeup shows up a little more clearly, since it’s the most modern prosthetics and film stock, bumped up to a high grade quality at which they were never meant to be shown. You could also compare the actors’ faces in this to their faces in I-III but don’t tell anyone you’re studying that.

Even the Captain’s Summit bonus disc is in Blu Ray. Now there aren’t super details to see in their roundtable set and the lighting/makeup is kind to all the actors, but it looks real and alive. It’s nice to see those bright, happy faces shine in HD. It’s a very fun, lively discussion too. Maybe it’s because I’m still feeling the Trek nostalgia so I’ll listen to any story they tell, but I don’t usually watch extras anymore and this seemed like they got it and we got to see a little bit of their irreverent personalities, but they respected the material and the fans.