7.7 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.4 |
Captain Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise are called back to Earth after a devastating force from within their organization leaves the planet in chaos and Starfleet in pieces. Determined to settle the score, Kirk embarks on a manhunt with the rest of his crew to find the party responsible before their whole world is laid to waste.
Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldaña, Karl Urban, Simon PeggAdventure | 100% |
Action | 98% |
Sci-Fi | 77% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 MVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1
English, English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish
50GB 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 | 5.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Your path is yours to walk, and yours alone.
They say that the more things change, the more they stay the same. That's the best way to introduce Star Trek Into Darkness, a film that
absolutely gets everything right and brilliantly re-imagines classic Star Trek lore with pinpoint, precise, and exhilarating modern style
filmmaking but also with reverence for and adherence to classic Star Trek events and themes, bending but not breaking only a couple of
key
pieces. Director J.J. Abrams and Writers Roberto Orci,
Alex Kurtzman, and Into Darkness newcomer Damon Lindelof have succeed
beyond expectations in two key areas
of need, both improving upon their own Star Trek reboot film and rediscovering the magic of the franchise's
most memorable villain and, while not exactly improving on him, recreating him on the outside while maintaining the chilling inner drive of
hate, spite, intelligence, and power that made Khan so unforgettable an adversary. Star Trek Into Darkness blends together key
ingredients
from the original series episode that introduced Khan with ideas and elements from the feature film that made him a household name. Combined with a slew of newly
re-imagined
drama, action, visuals, and character dynamics, the film plays with an air of familiarity but at the same time a fresh appearance. Yet the one
constant is the film's -- and the new reboot series' -- dedication to maintaining Star Trek as it was and should be, not content to merely
give
it a
facelift or a fresh start but positing the ultimate in "what if" alternate scenarios in a universe where anything can happen but
where, indeed, things
tend to
play out similarly no matter how much they may seem to change along the way towards destiny.
The Grandeur of the Galaxy.
J.J. Abrams' 2009 Star Trek was neither photographed nor presented in 3D, and his 2013 Star Trek Into Darkness wasn't photographed in native 3D, either. Instead, Into Darkness was converted to 3D after the fact, even if it, arguably, didn't need to be. The good news is that the conversion works well enough and is certainly better than most. The bad news is that it doesn't add much, if any, impact to the experience. Generally, the 3D adds cursory, though occasionally dynamic, depth to the image. There are the standard well-defined spaces between characters and objects, with some more spectacular shots facing bottom-up or top-down that add some extra flair to a particular shot. There are no gimmick shots, and even those that would appear to benefit most from 3D -- the nose of a torpedo in front of the camera or an arm extending towards the lens -- really don't have that "wow" factor going for them, that sense that they're extending beyond the limitations of the screen. Volcanic ash and sparks dance around, behind, and in front of the screen in one early scene to nice effect, ditto a later string of shots that show space debris floating throughout the viewing field. The warp field effects do benefit, a bit, from the added space, the 3D elements selling the blurred tunnel visual that's become something of a trademark for the rebooted series. Otherwise, there's little here of note. The review equipment did display minor crosstalk, or "ghosting," throughout parts of the film, but never to destructive or largely distracting effect. The traditional picture quality values don't suffer much under the added 3D layer. Colors remain bold and beautiful, though perhaps a hair watered down compared to the 2D-only release. Details, too, remain crisp and well presented, though again there appears to be an ever-slight downgrade in terms of precise details at the very top of the scale. Fortunately, black levels never falter, a common problem with other, lesser 3D transfers. All in all, it's not a terrible experience by any stretch of the imagination, and it certainly has its moments, but don't expect to be dazzled by what is an admittedly good, but largely unnecessary, 3D conversion.
From the opening notes of Michael Giacchino's now-familiar Star Trek reboot theme, it's clear that Star Trek Into Darkness' Dolby TrueHD 7.1 soundtrack means business, and that business is sonic perfection. The track presents every element -- from the broadest action effect and largest musical score piece to the most nuanced sound effect and ambient support detail -- with striking clarity. The track is big, rich, and perfectly defined from the top of the highs to the deepest of the lows. As with the previous Star Trek soundtrack, this one is aggressive and potent without going overboard. Balance is key; never once does bass overwhelm the track, but never does it shy away from delivering the sort of pounding, naturally punishing presentation various scenes demand. There's excellent heft to phaser fire and the digital splattering percussion of hits to flesh. Space battles are even bigger, with dynamic blast effects and deep, high-yield bass in support. Explosions pack plenty of wallop, too. Musical delivery is seamlessly balanced around the stage, naturally enveloping the audience and creating a true 360-degree sound field. The musical surround elements aren't as pronounced as those placed in the front but they do support the main speakers at the appropriate level. Paramount's lossless soundtrack additionally carries movement with precision; the flow of an effect from one speaker to the next is extraordinary, and specific sound placement around the stage is always precise, whether splashed up front or immersing in the back. Dialogue plays with firm center presence and natural clarity in every scene, whether intimate dialogue in a quiet location or under the pressures of loud background music or explosive action. This is a spectacular track in every area and the perfect compliment to an excellent film that makes use of every last bit of sound at its disposal.
Star Trek Into Darkness is unfortunately absent a thorough supplemental section. Only a handful of short featurettes are included. All
supplements may be found on the included 2D-only disc. No 3D-specific extras are included. Note
that some supplement titles contain minor spoilers for the film.
Star Trek Into Darkness tops its 2009 predecessor in nearly every way, a difficult task to be sure considering that film's excellence. Into Darkness is huge in scope, infinitely fun, dramatically sound, and very well balanced in terms of recreating critical pieces from "Space Seed" and The Warth of Khan and combining them with new ideas and new execution of favorite old moments, of which there are too many to mention and at the cost of spoiling the surprises. The performances are fantastic, the action is insanely exciting, the special effects are seamless, and the drama is top-notch. It's the perfect Summer blockbuster and a film casual audiences and Star Trek die hards alike will love, even if the film is absent the thematic subtext of A Tale of Two Cities that brought the previous "Khan" film full circle. But then again, Into Darkness tells a different story for a different time with its own themes built around other classic Star Trek, and innately human, themes. Paramount's Blu-ray 3D release of Star Trek Into Darkness features reference level audio, strong video, and good, but not memorable, 3D visuals. A small but enjoyable assortment of extras are included, though the absence of a commentary track (or tracks), deleted scenes, and a larger production documentary is disappointing. Nevertheless, this release comes highly recommended with hopes for an expanded special edition later on down the line.
IMAX
2013
2013
Bonus disc
2013
Starfleet Phaser Limited Edition Gift Set
2013
Bonus Disc
2013
Limited Edition
2013
IMAX Edition
2013
Limited Edition
2013
2013
2013
With bonus disc
2013
2013
2013
w/ Villain Ship
2013
2013
w/ Hot Wheels 1:50 Scale Star Trek Villain Ship
2013
Bonus Disc
2013
2013
2013
2009
1982
40th Anniversary Edition
1984
Bonus Disc / Exclusive Packaging / Character Cards
2016
1991
2013
2014
1998
1996
1989
Remastered
1986
Ultimate Collector's Edition
2017
2016
2006-2007
The Remastered Collection
1978-1980
2013
Live. Die. Repeat.
2014
2013
2013
2002