7.3 | / 10 |
Users | 3.1 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.1 |
The first leg of the USS Enterprise's five year mission takes them into uncharted territory. There the Enterprise is nearly destroyed and strands Kirk and his crew on a remote planet with no means of communication. Kirk must then work with the elements to reunite his crew and get back to Earth.
Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldaņa, Simon PeggAdventure | 100% |
Action | 99% |
Sci-Fi | 81% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 MVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby Atmos
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French (Canada): Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1
English, English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Three-disc set (2 BDs, 1 DVD)
UV digital copy
DVD copy
Blu-ray 3D
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
It was with anticipation and curiosity that Star Trek fans viewed Star Trek Beyond, the first of the new reboot films not to be directed by J.J. Abrams. It was also met with heavy hearts; the film's premiere was darkened by the passing of both Leonard Nimoy and Anton Yelchin, the former a bonafide legend in the Star Trek community and the latter an up-and-coming superstar whose comic-bend portrayal of Chekov earned him high praise in all three reboot Trek films. For Star Trek Beyond, J.J. Abrams, busy with Star Wars and ready to inject fresh blood into the Star Trek universe, blessed the arrival of Justin Lin of Fast & Furious fame to take the reigns for Beyond. Even as this film lacks the brilliance of the Abrams films, it's very much in that same style (albeit with fewer lens flares), packed with exhilarating action, and as with the other two reboot films, it features plenty of innovation alongside a number of recognizable plot drivers and character themes that keep the movie grounded in lore but adventurous in its own right. It's a total blast, a bit empty on the dramatic side the scale but certainly a film that epitomizes the popcorn-munching good time sort of Star Trek that might not be entirely true to the Roddenberry roots but that fits nicely enough within the rebooted universe and Trek canon.
Boldly going.
Star Trek Beyond takes full advantage of the 3D landscape. The movie is filled with environments and effects shots that offer a grand sense of shape and depth. The Enterprise practically appears to be floating in space. Even in twisty camera shots, her spacial place in the frame is made very clear, helped by a tangible feel of the curvature to her saucer section, main hull, and nacelles. Her approach toward, and into, Yorktown is a true "wow" moment for the 3D format. Shapely interiors throughout the Enterprise look and feel enticingly real. The rounded turbolift doors and the smooth, curved consoles throughout the bridge are appreciably voluminous. Lengthy corridors seem to stretch well back into the screen. Natural environments on the planet surface reveal plenty of area stretch as well, giving an already expansive world and distance shots a much greater sense of space and realism. On the flip side, in comparison to the film's 2D-only presentation, details remain sharp and clear and complex, but colors take a decided turn for the darker. Aliasing is prominent throughout, not to a point of distraction but it's very noticeable when it creeps into the frame. Still, the pluses outweigh the minuses in a visually arresting 3D presentation.
Star Trek Beyond warps onto Blu-ray with a proficient and generally exciting Dolby Atmos soundtrack. The presentation begins with a quality example of how the added overhead channels can enhance a scene. Kirk is playing the role of mediator between two alien factions that don't like one another very much, and similar to the trial that sent the elder Kirk to Rura Penthe, he's standing in a very large, vertically stretched chamber that allows for some rich reverberation that essentially puts the listener in his shoes. The track further expands moments later with a barrage of nifty sound effects and accompanying bass that set the tone for the track (and set the story in motion) while offering a good sampling of what the track can accomplish. Action scenes are wonderfully complex yet smooth and detailed. Explosions, phaser blasts, falling debris, and other all-inclusive action details are perfectly meshed together with seamless 360-degree immersion and a complimentary top layer that, beyond a few moments, never dominates the proceedings but rather enhances them a great deal. One of the best moments in the film, and a strong Atmos reference moment, comes when the top layer of the stage seems to roll with the sound of heavy wreckage as the shot pans around at the 48:20 mark. Likewise, dripping water seems to plop from the ceiling in a cavernous enemy compound at one point. Immersive din is enjoyable on the bustling streets of Yorktown. Music, whether score or popular, is smooth and detailed throughout the range, and plays with an enveloping flow around the stage. Dialogue is clear and detailed, well prioritized and comfortably focused in the center channel, save for when the track naturally expands its placement for effect.
Star Trek Beyond contains deleted scenes and a number of featurettes, all of which can be viewed on the included 1080p 2D-only Blu-ray.
No unique 3D bonus content is included. Note that one of the supplemental titles, and coverage of it, contains
a spoiler
for the movie. Those who have yet to see the film should skip this section of the review. A DVD copy of the film and a voucher for a UV/iTunes digital
copy
are included with purchase.
Star Trek Beyond doesn't have a lot of meat on its bones, but that doesn't make it a bad movie. While it's not exactly hearkening back to the heyday of the Roddenberry era and the series' roots, it finds enough high energy action made of high concept imagination and regurgitated yet nicely blended and balanced ideas to carry the film through its flaws. This is modern Star Trek at its most slick and shiny. It lacks the wow and soul of the Abrams films, even as it's very similar from a stylistic perspective, but performances are solid and the visual effects are seamless. For two hours of Star Trek fun, it doesn't get much better than this. Paramount's Blu-ray 3D release of Star Trek Beyond features enticing and well-utilized 3D video, upper-tier audio, and a nice allotment of extra content. Highly recommended.
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Bonus Blu-ray Disc
2016
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