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Mr. Robert George: Please rank the new _Trek_ disc against the others. (1 Viewer)

Jack Briggs

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Jun 3, 1999
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I've just read your review of the Star Trek: The Motion Picture disc, and noted your video assessment. From what you said, I gather it is a tad soft, but otherwise quite good for such an older film.
How, then, would you rank the transfer against, say, The Wrath of Khan? As you will recall, there was some disappointment expressed here about that transfer. Is TMP a better-looking disc?
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Robert George

Screenwriter
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Jul 3, 1997
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1,174
Jack:
I've always considered The Motion Picture somewhat separate from the later films in the series. That applies not just to the style and tone of the story, but to the look of the film as well. TMP has a rather more subdued color scheme with more light, silvery shades than any of the other films which are drawn from a warmer, more colorful palette.
Trying to make a direct comparison between the DVD editions is something of a slippery slope. With such differeing photographic styles, not to mention what is likely very different film elements with which to work, direct comparisons become very subjective. In absolute terms, I can safely say TMP is certainly no worse than, say, the next two in the series, and may be better in some respects. Compression artifacts are a non-issue (as in, there isn't any that I could see in real-time viewing). Over-enhancement is not a problem.
There are sections of TMP that do still look a bit rough. Mostly the shots that use older type optical effects and multiple exposures. There is some film grain visible in a numberr of shots, but it is usually fine enough that only the most revealing monitor/player combos will make it an issue. I believe Wrath of Khan has somewhat heavier film grain overall.
As for the reported "softness" in the image, I don't consider it a problem knowing how poor the condition of the original elements were. There is still good fine detail in most shots. The slightly softer look works to give the disc a more filmic look.
I can't imagine a fan of this film that has been subjected to the past VHS and LD editions could ever object to the DVD edition of The Motion Picture.
And please don't call me "Mr.". It's bad enough being 44 without being made to feel like it :).
 

Chris Maynard

Supporting Actor
Joined
Nov 7, 1998
Messages
667
quote: It's bad enough being 44 without being made to feel like it[/quote]
Geezer! :)
[Edited last by Chris Maynard on November 03, 2001 at 09:29 PM]
 

RobertR

Senior HTF Member
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Dec 19, 1998
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Nah, the correct term is "whippersnapper", Robert. :)
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