![STAR TREK: THE ORIGINAL 4-MOVIE COLLECTION [Blu-ray]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81u63KPsljL._AC_UL160_SR160,160_.jpg)
I love Star Trek. Especially the William Shatner series, both TOS, the Animated series, and the 6 films featuring the original cast. While also being a fan of its sequel series "The Next Generation", and its four films, through TV's "Voyager" ( "Enterprise" through all these modern streaming series have been a disappointment), nothing compares to the original. Growing up in the 80's guaranteed in theatres horror film franchises and Trek movies. For years the rule was that even-numbered Trek films (2, 4, and 6) were great, Parts 1, 3, 5, and 7 were not so much. While each was successful, most could agree that the first film, 1979's "The Motion Picture" was the worse of the bunch (with Part 5 "The Final Frontier" a close second). And while I agree, it is this film that has been revisited the most, with now four different versions of it through the years, a lot like what Lucas did with the original Star Wars trilogy starting in the late 90's. But with each change, ending in 2022's "The Director's Cut", is it worth owning yet again, if not even at all?
First, you gotta take into account this: it was made in the late 70's. Science Fiction only recently got blown away by Star Wars and the advancement of special effects and miniatures. The audiences at that time were just trying to catch its breath with all the visuals being warped by their eyes at the time, so Hollywood took it slow, giving you long-winded scenes of VX shots so you really, really saw it. ST1 was no different, but at times it did even then take too long. And when it came time to see our old(er) heroes like Kirk, Spock, and McCoy, more time was needed to reintroduce them to audiences who may have forgotten from the original series. So instead of fist-punching action in 44 minutes like the show, in '79 you got over 2 hours of stars gawking at view screens like the audience, multiple passes of the Enterprise from every single angle, and actors reminding us who their characters were. It seemed very slow paced, and as new generations discovered it, it seemed even slower, especially next to sequels like "Wrath Of Khan", that didn't have to do those mandatory things Part 1 had too, and just jump into the action. But Part 1 has something no other sequel has, and that is a sense of "epic" film making. Maybe that is why it has been done & re-done, even after director Robert "Day The Earth Stood Still" Wise passed away.
So what do you get this time? Back in 1979, the making of the film was rushed for a Xmas release and many scenes, both special effects & dialogue, didn't make it in the film due to time restraints, then in 1983 ABC Television showed it with extra footage put back in, finished or not, to give it an extra 10 minutes longer. But in 2001, at the start of the DVD revolution, Paramount allowed Wise to revisit the film, and add new special effects and approve new scenes that were in the TV broadcast. However, when completed since HD was just a dream at the time, all the new shots were done in standard definition at 720p. When HD became the norm, as well as Blu-Ray/4K, those shots couldn't be upgraded and again, the theatrical cut was placed on Blu. But after a successful 40th anniversary of "Wrath Of Khan" was released (extra scenes, but original effects), Paramount wanted to do "Motion" again, this time with a 4k complete cleaning and the 2001 upgrade effects upgraded yet again for 4k HD. So most of the original 2001 team that worked on the "original" DC and Robert Wise gathered again, and took his memory and preferences to recreate what he started 20 years later. And for all intent, they did.
Now both picture and sound are beautifully brought up to 2020's standards. In fact, at times this looks like say a show from the 2020's trying to visually recreate a show from the 70's, the picture looks that good. As for the effects, of course the main reason to upgrade them is because the 2001 upgrades weren't useable in today's 4k world, but the 2022 versions look even better with more depth, detail, and more modern believability than what was done 20 years ago. But not everything is perfect: while some of those deleted scenes are now back in, it seems to "pick-up-the-pace", original scenes are now trimmed down to remove dialogue that might not be so needed to have a faster story. But lines like "Oh My God" & "I Said, Viewer Off!" which spoken by Kirk showed the stress of the older Captain's situation, are now gone in this version, sort of making him seem more in control when really a subplot of the film is the fact that Kirk is now a bit out of his element than when younger, and those lines were just two now gone that confirmed that. But do all these changes make the film great? No, no matter what it still is the same film, just with some fine-tuning, if you hated it still, the best this version can do is make you dislike it a tad less, that's it. But it does seem more appropriate overall for an audience that wasn't born when it first came out now. And maybe that's just a good enough reason.
So in conclusion, if you are a TOS fan, even if you bought all the films on say Blu-Ray already, you should check this out as well. The upgrades won't take you out of the picture, just the opposite, and the faster-pace might make you see the film in a whole new light. And remember, with Star Trek, you will not get more thought-provoking dialogue like this in say ANY Star Wars film guaranteed, and with "The Motion Picture" those words are in abundance here. To quote the original 1979 tag-line: "There Is No Comparision". Watch & find out why not.
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Reviews with images
Great content, impractical packaging
This would have gotten 5 stars, but for two things:1. While the regular blu-ray that comes with the set has a bunch of cool stuff (new and legacy content) it doesn't have the movie itself. Not a huge deal, but if (like me) you like having a back-up in case the 4K disc doesn't work (see 2. below) then you're SoL.2. The disc contents are great, the movie looks and sounds amazing and the packaging looks cool too... but the packaging is terrible for one main reason: all the goodies (ie, the stickers etc) all easily fall out, while the discs are impossible to remove without grabbing them with your fingers and then trying to wiggle and pull them out of the card inserts.The way the packaging has been designed means the discs are hard to remove - it's fiddly (one is right by the fold), and you risk tearing the card and/or damaging the discs. Every time I've removed a disc, I've had to grab it between my fingers and pull it out of the sleeve. It doesn't move smoothly either. So, at best you'll have to wipe the discs down every time you use them to remove fingerprints, and at worst, you risk tearing the card sleeve.Nice artistic design, poor practical function.
Top reviews from other countries
Luis H. Sandoval
La mejor versión de la primera película de la saga.
Reviewed in Mexico on February 19, 2024