UHD Review A Few Words About A few words about...™ Star Trek - 4-Movie Collection -- in 4k UHD Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[JoshZ]

Is that fair? I love ST and haven’t bought this expensive set. Particularly when it comes with a built-in double dip for TMP. Wouldn’t have single movie releases sold better, give the customer the chance to spread out the expense?

The fear is that if sold individually, the less popular titles (namely ST: TMP and STIII from this batch) will sell worse than the more popular ones (STII and STIV). A box set basically forces fans to pay for every movie, even the ones they don't care for.

This will be especially important when STV and the last couple of TNG movies are released, as those would sell extremely poorly on their own.

 

[cineMANIAC]

Not yet.

I ended up cancelling my Deep Discount order and going with in-store pickup at BB. I don't have the patience to wait around for an e-tailer to ship if a brick & mortar has stock.

 

[ScottRE]

When STAR TREK: The Motion Picture Director's Edition was saved for last, (& the first of the 2 Disc Editions that was soon followed by Wrath Of Khan); it was universally heralded to be much improved over a still very flawed film and considered to be THE Definitive Version.

So why would anyone want to sink their funds into The Theatrical Version; especially now that it's been revealed that the Robert Wise Cut is undergoing a major redo to upgrade the 2001 CGI into a 4K match, that will take 6-8 months?

Because I don't care for "The Robert Wise" cut or whatever Paramount wants to call it. I'm happy that I can enjoy my preferred version of the film in 4K. I don't want to stop the alternate version from being released because there are thousands of people who enjoy it. Star Trek fans should rejoice that original edits of films are not lost to home media release like so many other major franchise films.

I actually like the theatrical version of TMP. And if the directors cut in 4k has the same revisions, a number of things will be lost that I am fond of.

I always like to have original theatrical versions of films. They are usually the version I saw first and fell in love with.

The directors cut is just an alternate version to me.

 

[Johnny Angell]

I actually like the theatrical version of TMP. And if the directors cut in 4k has the same revisions, a number of things will be lost that I am fond of.

Are scenes lost in the 4K theatrical that are in the blu ray theatrical?

 

[ScottRE]

Are scenes lost in the 4K theatrical that are in the blu ray theatrical?

The Blu-ray and the 4K are identical in content. There are no missing scenes or sound clips or anything like that.

For the directors cut, I didn't agree with some of the edits and omissions. But, they made some improvements that I was very much on board with. I think my preferred edit would be a combination of the two.

 

[Tommy R]

Funny enough, I saw the theatrical cut of the film AFTER the Director’s Cut, because the version my parents owned on LaserDisc when I was growing up was the “Longer Cut” or what I think has also been referred to as the “ABC Cut”. I didn’t see the ACTUAL theatrical cut until the 2009 blu ray.

Interestingly, the only real thing I can think of as far as differences between the cuts, is that the “I weep for V’Ger as I would a brother” scene is actual absent in the theatrical cut. It was definitively in the longer cut, and I believe it was still in the Director’s Cut too. Now that I’ve watched nothing but the theatrical cut for the last 10+ years, (and I’ll probably watch it one or more times before the DC release next year) maybe the changes will be a bit more noticeable.

 

[ScottRE]

Losing the scene of Spock weeping is the most baffling omission in the theatrical cut. It's actually the resolution to his story. I have no idea why they decided to cut that out.

 

[Worth]

The Blu-ray and the 4K are identical in content. There are no missing scenes or sound clips or anything like that.

For the directors cut, I didn't agree with some of the edits and omissions. But, they made some improvements that I was very much on board with. I think my preferred edit would be a combination of the two.

Which does exist. I saw a screening of it a couple of years ago introduced by Douglas Trumbull and it was a hybrid cut, with most, but not all of the additions of the director's cut, and obviously without the new effects.

 

[trevanian]

Why would the soundstages be full of smoke?

The stage where the final metamorphosis takes place was used on HEAVEN CAN WAIT for the limbo set, and was just filled with dust. So no matter how hard studiofolk tried to vacuum the air and clean things up, when you turned on a backlight the dust was everywhere.

I suppose all stages have their idiosyncrasies. The bridge set was apparently always covered with catshit when they'd come back for the sequels.

I guess the thing that bothers me most about this is that a lot of TMP's fx, while 2nd generation or worse, originated in 65mm, which allows for duping or even sometimes doubleduping that would still cut well with the live-action 35mm. The elements for those shots should look miraculous (they sure looked awesome in the one theater I saw the film in that had a union projectionist, and damned good even in the lousy ones.) If any film would have stuff that looks 4Kesque, it should have been this one, not a smokefest like TVH. There was a single 70mm print, although I don't think it circulated beyond a showing or two in San Diego in the early 80s, and I wonder if that used the 65mm elements before they were reduced to 35mm. Going by the b-t-l folks who saw dailies of the cloud passage, I'm guessing it must be some of the most spectacular traditional vfx work ever created.

(then again, I bet the most obnoxious of the diopter shots must look even worse here in UHD, magnifying all the distracting aspects.)

 

[Osato]

The digital bits today mentioned a possible February announcement for the next Star Trek film set.

 

[madfloyd]

The stage where the final metamorphosis takes place was used on HEAVEN CAN WAIT for the limbo set, and was just filled with dust. So no matter how hard studiofolk tried to vacuum the air and clean things up, when you turned on a backlight the dust was everywhere.

I suppose all stages have their idiosyncrasies. The bridge set was apparently always covered with catshit when they'd come back for the sequels.

I guess the thing that bothers me most about this is that a lot of TMP's fx, while 2nd generation or worse, originated in 65mm, which allows for duping or even sometimes doubleduping that would still cut well with the live-action 35mm. The elements for those shots should look miraculous (they sure looked awesome in the one theater I saw the film in that had a union projectionist, and damned good even in the lousy ones.) If any film would have stuff that looks 4Kesque, it should have been this one, not a smokefest like TVH. There was a single 70mm print, although I don't think it circulated beyond a showing or two in San Diego in the early 80s, and I wonder if that used the 65mm elements before they were reduced to 35mm. Going by the b-t-l folks who saw dailies of the cloud passage, I'm guessing it must be some of the most spectacular traditional vfx work ever created.

(then again, I bet the most obnoxious of the diopter shots must look even worse here in UHD, magnifying all the distracting aspects.)

THANK YOU for taking the time to enlighten me, very much appreciated!

 

[Tom St Jones]

Correct, as TWOK has already been through that process prior to this set being released. The other three films? Yes.

I own this set now (thanks to a DigitalBits post about a Amazon flash sale) but replaced the Blu-ray of "Wrath of Khan" with the 2016 Blu I already owned. Besides the nice motion-menu w/ the Enterprise 'cruising' around the nebula, I like not having to sit through 5 screens (warnings/disclaimer/language setup etc) before I can get to the film. Too bad this set didn't come out in 2016..

 

[B-ROLL]

I own this set now (thanks to a DigitalBits post about a Amazon flash sale) but replaced the Blu-ray of "Wrath of Khan" with the 2016 Blu I already owned. Besides the nice motion-menu w/ the Enterprise 'cruising' around the nebula, I like not having to sit through 5 screens (warnings/disclaimer/language setup etc) before I can get to the film. Too bad this set didn't come out in 2016..

I'm sure they would have if the suits didn't think it would compete with the JJVerse films which people were just flocking to buy !