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493 of 546 persons found the following review helpful.
**Blu Ray Specific** Review – Problematic as Trek, but WOW what a BD!
By Matthew T. Weflen
The Blu-Ray:
“Star Trek (2009)” is staged in a 1080p 2.40:1 aspect proportionality Blu-Ray. Video quality is terrific. A very light film grain is present which is rather precise equated to the theatrical presentation. Black levels are inky and deep, colors are bright but still accurate. Close-ups demonstrate a lot of detail, exceptionally facial close-ups. Space scenes are likewise swimming with detail, since most each space ship in this film is in respective numbers of pieces or states of damage. Noticeable edge-enhancement and digital noise reduction are non-existent.
Simply put, this is five star material all the way. Anyone who enjoys action/sci-fi eye candy for their HD setup would do well to buy this disc. It is demo-worthy material. This may be the single best Blu-Ray I have seen – it at least ties in visual quality with the magnificent Braveheart and Frost/Nixon discs.
Sound is staged in a well-balanced Dolby TrueHD mix, which is remarkable for not only it is punch and vibrancy, but likewise the fact that it never drowns out dialogue. This is something that some action movies fail to accomplish, and it is most appreciated, at least by this viewer. I HATE it when I have to perpetually adjust the volume on the fly in order to listen whispers of dialogue, only to have my speakers threaten to blow out when galore sudden burst of noisy action occurs. “Star Trek (2009)” is marvelously well-done in this respect. Surround channels get a lot of work, bass is booming at suitable moments, so just like the video, audio is stellar. Also included are commentaries with Director and writers (no, they do not apologize for respective inconsistencies and mistakes) and a heap of alien language tracks. The subtitles are a little odd – at times they fail to transcribe dialogue. 95% of the stuff is there, but there are without doubt or question things missing – Kirk says “wow” upon seeing the Enterprise, and it is nowhere to be found in the subtitle track. Not a deal-breaker, just weird.
Extras are copious and staged in HD, which is great. However, this disc suffers from a recent trend in home video extras – they are split into 30 distinguished chunks, presumably to look better on box copy. So you are forced to navigate a menu with 30 choices, with no markers for what you’ve already seen, in order to see all of the features. This is too bad, because the features are really, actually good. If they had been spliced into one 2-hour making of feature, one set of deleted scenes, and one gag reel, this would be just when it comes to the perfective set of extras. Instead, you are made to do “work” rather of just enjoying the “fun.” The deleted scenes, by the way, are likewise in HD, and most would have made the movie better. They must have just finished the effects and integrated them into the film proper.
The Movie:
In the particular features, the manufacturers and conductor make it very clear that their guiding question when making the film was “Can we make it cool?” Well, they’ve succeeded at making it “cool.” Unfortunately in making this their emphasis, they have likewise made galore severe missteps that make it difficult to swallow as a severe Trek fan.
So I’ll review this movie wearing two hats. First, for “the rest of you:”
“Star Trek (2009)” offers a bold re-imagining of a venerable television science fiction franchise. To a sure extent, it sheds much of the baggage assembled over 40 years of television and films, giving non-Trekkies an easy entree into the universe.
We are given the tale of Kirk, Spock and McCoy taking the reins of the Starship Enterprise, in a galaxy populated by both persons and other races. James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) is a brash young man who is set adrift by the attack of a Romulan villain upon the ship carrying his parents. Without the influence of his father, a Starfleet officer, Kirk has an aimless childhood, squandering his intellect and his drive on bar brawls and car thefts. Luckily, he is intercepted by the wise, gruff Captain Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood) and challenged to make a better life for himself and to live up to his capacity by joining Starfleet.
There, he meets fellow cadets Uhura (Zoe Saldana), McCoy (Karl Urban), Chekov (Anton Yelchin), Sulu (John Cho), and an irritating instructor, the cool, logical Mr. Spock (Zachary Quinto). Their contrasting styles without delay put them at odds with each other. Spock has grown up the child of two worlds, with a humane mother, and a father from Vulcan, a planet whose culture has embraced logic and the shedding of emotion, except perchance the emotion of racism versus humans.
Before their education is complete, they are staged with the threat of the same villain who had killed Kirk’s dad 25 years prior – Nero (Eric Bana). Turns out Nero is from the future, and is bent on revenge for the destruction of his home world, Romulus. In a plot development more or less like “Space Camp,” for a great deal of unstated reason, each other ship is someplace else, and there are no trained crew members available for the newly-built Enterprise. So the cadets are drafted into service right then and there.
Various plot twists and turns see Kirk marooned on an ice planet, where he meets not only Scotty (a very funny Simon Pegg) but also a much older Spock (Leonard Nimoy). This old Spock explains that the visitor from the future has changed history, and that Kirk will have to team up with the younger Spock, melding their disparate styles and endowments into a team that may defeat the threat.
Overall, the plot moves very quickly, and might be a bit mixing up to those not versed in Trek lore. But the speed, noise, and bombast are such that pausing to consider holes in story logic (and there are rather a few) is not in truth feasible until after the movie has finished. The effects, music, and performances are all flashy and dazzling, and it is hard not to feel acutely pleasantly occupied by the whole spectacle. Especially charming are Pine as Kirk and Quinto as Spock. Their alchemy works well. There were actually no casting difficulties for the heroes. The villain, Nero, is somewhat less successful, as his motivatings are rather obscure, in particular to an audience not intimate with Romulans, time travel, and the like.
It is all done with plenteous brio and verve – sufficient panache to surmount it is from time to time lazy storytelling and slipshod logic. On a scale of ten, I’d give it a solid 7, perchance even an 8. It is much more agreeably diverting than the intermediate Hollywood popcorn movie, mainly on the strength of the characters and the performances.
Now, for the Trekkies:
“Star Trek (2009)” is the product of Hollywood corporate committees, shedding “baggage” in such a way that it dilutes numerous of the core conceptions and appeal of the show which gave rise to the Trekkie faithful in the initial place.
The characters from the initial series are brought together in a way which feels rather far from organic, presumably because Hollywood executives were worried that a slower tale that realistically devised their relationships would fail to satisfy audiences unused to thinking and realism. Instead of being members of a logically consistent military organization, each with careers and internal lives of their own, all of our necessary characters are roughly the same age and have the same amount of experience, in spite of the fact that by the end of the film, they all have dissimilar ranks and specialties. Especially galling at the end is the instantaneous advertising of Kirk from 25-year-old Starfleet cadet (not even a graduate, as he is in his third year of studies) directly to Captain of the fleet’s most recent and most innovative flagship. It would be akin to a fresh West Point graduate being given command of the invasion of Afghanistan, or an Annapolis cadet being given command of an aircraft carrier. Why would any person who had invested a lifetime in this establishment respect any order that escapes his lips? Equally puzzling are the promotions of all the other crew members at the end as well – why is Kirk a Captain, but McCoy a Commander, Uhura a Lieutenant, Chekov an Ensign? They all have the same amount of experience and “seasoning” (i.e. none).
This is the sort of world-breaking contrivance that litters the film (want a heap of more examples? “Transwarp Beaming” without delay springs to mind…). Which is too bad, because “Star Trek (2009)” ably captures the feel of the former shows, mixing humor, fisticuffs, and dazzling gadgetry in almost the perfective proportions. It fails, however, to add the integral piece – a logically consistent world, one that gives rise to and follows it is own rules, one that is similar sufficient to our own to be comprehensible, but dissimilar and better sufficient that it inspires wonderment and wonder, and makes you yearn to live in it. It is a bit of a tragedy, since just a few tweaks and edits could have turned a story full of world-breaking holes and missteps into finelooking much the best Trek movie ever.
The quality of particular effects is above that of the other films and series, and will unquestionably impress Trek veterans who are employed to less. Many in-jokes and subtler references abound, and will no doubt elicit smiles and chuckles from those who are “in the know.”
But that sure something is missing. That special thing which makes something “Trek,” and not just “Generic Space Opera #12.” There isn’t much “Real” science fiction, for one thing – black holes and space ships could have been substituted with quicksand and stage coaches – they are not conceptions that drive the plot or the characters or the world, rather they are generic perils, and widgets to surmount those dangers. But heck, that could be said of a great deal of of the other films, those films that, in spite of their failings, we would still call “real” Trek. What is missing is the logical consistency of the world. Continuity. “Baggage.” In stripping “Star Trek (2009)” down to something that will appeal to a “mass” audience, the manufacturers of this film have denatured it into something reminiscent, but not recognizable.
In summary:
This is an agreeably diverting film, no doubt in regards to it. If you are not a Trekkie, you will in all likelihood love it. You ought to buy it. It’s a terrific disc to give your home theater a workout.
If you are a Trekkie, you may have mixed feelings. I do. But you must still in all probability buy it. Consider it a riff on Star Trek. The greatest, biggest budget fan film ever made. It doesn’t all work, the writing isn’t all good, and a sure something is missing. But it’s an agreeably diverting ride that will in all probability make you yearn for the “real thing” all the more.
184 of 205 people found the following review helpful.
The Blu ought to keep every one happy…great product
By Steve Kuehl
The minor disappointments I had with a good deal of little items are buried by the amount of great things that is the Star Trek Blu. The packaging is the single hinged chassis with cardboard slip cover, but the selective information sheet (typical rear cover art) is a hot-glued paper that can not fit anyplace once it comes off. The resulting Blu art front is a head shot of Pine and the back is Quinto.
The picture is as good as would be expected, with a great deal of outstanding space effects, the heavy lens glare that Abrams likes does not bleed too bad but ILM does not disappoint. They went with TrueHD which gives an adequate immersion, a good deal of of the best tests were with Spocks ship and that distinguishable sound (but 7.1 DTS would have been nice). Plenty of reference points throughout, but even with that clarity I still couldn’t get a read on some of the little things (tried freezing the fence signs in the Corvette scene, freezing numerous of the panel displays to read what the actors were looking at, etc.). But what takes the time and is worth each moment for the supplement geeks like me is the entire disc 2.
Disc 1: Menus are regrettably only minimal still animation (no live action or HD pics).
Commentary by the makers.
Disc 2: Blue screen animated left sided selections. Most items pop up with an “extended” option that has an icon appear when watching each documentary to facilitate observing little snippings of further and added material, or each one may be watched on an individual basis – no play all on anything with this disc.
* 16:41 To Boldly Go. Several extensions including the Kirk dilemma (1:58), more Green Girl stuff (3:25). The main piece covers distinct elements of creation, whys and what fors. All of these supplements are HD consultations of the filmmakers spliced with low def footage (past and present Treks).
* 28:53 Casting. Once again all HD present footage mixed with grainy low def shots of behind the scenes – gives a great deal of good material on why we saw who we did.
* 24:33 Starships. Concepts, art design and a great deal of of my favored stuff on the making of with regards to construction. Seven extensions are selectable here including Warp Drive and Paint stuff.
* 16:30 Aliens. Shows the meetings and thought routine behind galore of the critters and humanoids. Five extensions here.
* 16:10 Planets. Some nice history for Trek with regards to the Vasquez Rocks, which showed an evident deleted sequence – made me look forward to those even more.
* 9:22 Props and Costumes. One extension here with regards to Klingons – which led to another whole deleted sequence I was now REALLY wanting to watch them.
* 9:45 Sounds. I enjoyed this one the most as the sounds intrigued me when I introductory saw this in theaters. Nice homage/respect salaried to the old series connections.
* 8:47 Gene Roddenberry vision. A nice history with at least half of it being Nimoy narrating/being interviewed (there was a blatant absence of an individual here but you will observe that through this entire set).
* 13:30 Deleted Scenes – FINALLY. Play all option with commentary on/off of Abrams, Kurtzman.
- Spock’s birth. Throughout all of these you observe Winona’s entire screen time was removed. Nice little plug on how he gets his name.
- Klingon battle with the Narada, effects not finished – which leads into an entire storyline remotion – did not agree with the reasons for the remotion but oh well.
- Dysfunctional home life of the early Kirk sequence. Explains who that kid was on the road and who the voice was on the car phone.
- Spock’s parents arguing regarding which side Spock must embrace.
- Klingon Prison Planet sequence – wow. I want this in the director’s cut. Would have explained a outstanding deal of how Nero and the Narada disappeared.
- Vulcan sequence prior to destruction (Vasquez Rocks).
- Kirk and Green Girl – may never have too much of that. Once you see this you may find out what Uhura and Kirk were in truth talking in regards to in the theatrical cut (Klingon Prison – not battle).
- Scene involving more Green Girl and Kirk defeating the Maru test – good scene.
- Kirk apologizing to Green Girl – had to go once the others were cut.
* Simulator: Mix of animated and slight HD footage of interactional material on the Enterprise and the Narada. The vast majority of material centers on the Narada (weapons, propulsion etc.).
* 6:22 Gag Reel. A brief retro title sequence followed by a hilarious slew of swearing by even the best (priceless looking at Nimoy cuss his lines). Fast paced and fun.
* 3 trailers.
Everything subtitled in French, Spanish, & Port.
Disc 3. Digital copy and game demo. Did not use either.
Overall, I had a outstanding time going through all of this and I frankly think even the discerning Trekkie will be happy with this product. Yes, I feel the deleted scenes ought to have been left in as they explained a great deal of apparent gaps in the film, but at least we got to see them. The HD screenings have been very standard and I don’t tire of looking at this through and through. Enjoy.
236 of 277 persons found the following review helpful.
A Big Hand from an Original Trekker
By Bronwyn P. Noble
9/8/66. It’s a badge that Original Trekkers wear proudly — the date that the very basi Star Trek episode (“The Man Eater”) appeared on television. I bear it, and Star Trek hooked me that very Thursday evening, and for the next three years, I sat through all 69 episodes, both the best (“Oh Boy! The Trouble with Tribbles”) and the worse (“Oh, no! Not that one!”). When they started out to appear in syndication, I watched them over and over until I could repeat the lines with the characters. And, no, I’m not going to tell you who my favored reputation was.
It’s been 43 years since that introductory episode. I’m still hooked.
A lot of my compatriots have said that J.J. Adams’ “reboot” of the Star Trek franchise went too far — they weren’t ready for a good deal of of the things that happened (and, for the sake of those readers who have not seen the movie, I’m not going to disclose what those things are). They didn’t like the changes in the mythos that occurred. OK, fine. Different strokes …
I, however, love this film, and would have gone to see it over and over again if it hadn’t been that my darling didn’t genuinely want to (and our budget didn’t concede it). So what if things changed? It’s an substitute universe — and any Trekker worth her salt will recognize those take place — Remember “Mirror, Mirror?” A planet blows up, and I admit, given the planet, I’m gorgeous sad (no, it’s not Earth). I’m likewise sad that Scottie used Admiral Archer’s bestloved beagle for an experiment, and it hasn’t been seen since (Okay, so one slipped out).
However, the most powerful ideas and characters stay unfeigned to their alternate others: Kirk is strong, handsome, originative in a crisis (and may be a womanizer, altho he doesn’t get the woman he wants here), even if he’s not William Shatner. Spock struggles to keep his emotions in check and his logic foremost (tremendously well-played by Zachary Quinto). “Bones” McCoy (Karl Urban, unexpectedly different from galore of his fantasy and SF rolls)is humane, funny, and ardent — and a lot better looking than the well-beloved, late DeForest Kelley. Bruce Greenwood (“The Core”), Simon Pegg, Ben Cross (superb as Sarak) and Winona Ryder (Amanda! And I am getting to be too old) are all wonderful, and add strength, passion and substance to both their characters and the film. It was, however, sad to see Leonard Nimoy, as “our” Mr./Abassador Spock, late in his life, and recognise we probably never see him in another Star Trek film.
So. Buy it? Damn straight. Get it for your children and yourselves.
Star Trek would have never passed away for me, anyway, because I’ve dreamed of walking on another planet ever since I saw that introductory episode. But now, Star Trek will come alive for a fourth generation to learn those same dreams.
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