Star Trek - Blu-ray Review

Tech-at-a-Glance:

• 1080p with a 2.40:1 ratio.
• Dolby TrueHD.
• Three disc set with digital copy.  Region B Steelbook reviewed.

The Movie:

Although it probably wasn't anything other than friendly banter, Leonard Nimoy's now famous first words to Zachary Quinto - 'You have no idea what you're in for' - was equally meaningful to audiences in general when it came to the reboot of the Star Trek franchise.  After the disappointing Nemesis, whose $67m worldwide gross barely covered the budget, jaded Trek fans really didn't have any idea what to expect from this new take on their beloved series.

They needn't have worried, as J.J Abrams' Star Trek is superb.   The film charts Kirk and Spock's early years in Starfleet, from James Kirk's fiery birth and subsequent challenge to join up by Captain Pike to Spock's ridicule on Vulcan as a half-human and his rebellious decision to do the same.  The pair clash just as time-travelling Romulan, Nero re-appears, out for revenge against Spock for apparently destroying his home world.  Following Nero's destruction of Vulcan, he heads for Earth with only the Enterprise in pursuit.

These time-travelling antics neatly sidestep established mythology to create an alternate future for the crew of the Enterprise, yet by incorporating all our favourite crew members it feels familiar, yet new, all at once.  Resisting any urge to change traits, everyone is as they should be:  Chris Pine swaggers his way into the captain's chair as James T. Kirk, while Zachary Quinto's pitch-perfect Spock rivals Karl Urban's Dr. McCoy when it comes to uncannily accurate portrayals of much-loved characters.  Chekov, Sulu, Uhura and Scotty get their moments and are again, all well acted, but their screentime is minimal in comparison.

Much of Star Trek's success comes from Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman's winning script, which sparkles with wit, and very confident direction from J.J. Abrams who provides excitement during the action sequences but never forgets to take his time with the characterisation, except perhaps when it comes to Nero, thereby presenting one of Star Trek's only faults.  Eric Bana sneers angrily as the Romulan, but as we see him do this mainly via the Enterprise's screen, he never rises above anything other than a stock Star Trek baddie.  Even in the closing fight, his similarity to the rest of his ship's crew sees him fail to project much identity.

Perhaps even better on the second viewing, Star Trek is exciting, amusing and so enjoyable, that the third viewing is likely to follow surprisingly quickly, and what other 2009 big budget action movie can you say that about?

5/5

Follow the link to read our comments on the audio, video and extra features found on the Star Trek Blu-ray.

Video and Audio.

As one would expect from a brand-new movie, Star Trek looks absolutely fantastic on Blu-ray, but it may take a while for you to really notice.  This is thanks to the opening sequences being quite dark, as both Nero's ship and the USS Kelvin could do with someone flicking the light switch on, thus detail can be a little obscured.  Once onboard the Enterprise however, you can really appreciate the colour control, the beautifully sharp whites and the impeccable detail found in the close-ups of the character's faces. 

The picture is presented in 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen and while it naturally loses some of the spectacle seen at the cinema, the clever way of showing the Enterprise and the Narada on-screen ensures some of the scale survives. 

Star Trek also boasts excellent audio.  The disc main lossless track is in Dolby Digital TrueHD, which sits alongside various regular 5.1 tracks in several languages.  It's immediately noticeable just how well balanced the TrueHD track is, with plenty of surround action - and not just ambient filler - and a very strong centre channel, with no need to reach for the remote to tweak the volume during the quieter, narrative parts. 

Our standout moments include the newly created warp sound effect ending with a considerable bass thump, which simply never gets old, plus the climactic phaser battle with bolts flying round the room and explosions ringing out from all speakers.

5/5

The Disc.

The movie and a commentary with Abrams, Kurtzman, Orci and producers Damon Lindelof and Bryan Burk sit on disc one, along with BD-Live access.  BD-Live currently consists of a NASA newsfeed and if nothing else is added in the future, it's one more nail in BD-Live's coffin.

Disc two has an incredible 155 minutes of featurettes, covering everything from casting to the score.  While the gushing To Boldly Go and Casting episodes do wear after a while, the more technical Starships and the fascinating Ben Burtt and the Sounds of Star Trek features more than make up for this.  Nine deleted scenes are including with commentary and are worth watching especially for the re-imagined Klingons, plus there is an average gag reel.

The Starfleet Vessel Simulator has 3D models of both the Enterprise and the Narada, and provides a guided tour of their finer points.  Aside from the brilliant animation, this reveals plenty of geeky facts fans are sure to love.  Its also smooth and fast, with no annoying loading time, making it a very enjoyable extra.

Finally, the third disc contains a digital copy.  Overall, we have an interesting collection of featurettes, many with short branching episodes, which are as high-quality as the movie itself.  A big film with a proper set of interesting features?  Whatever next!

4/5

Conclusion.

The best Star Trek film for many years and the best blockbuster of 2009, combined with a set of well-researched and crucially, interesting behind-the-scenes features, gives us plenty to be excited about for the future of J.J. Abrams Star Trek, but for now, this one can be enjoyed over and over again.

Overall:  5/5

Comments

[bob]

great great film

cant wait to so it on my new 52 inch in high def