Star Trek: The Motion Picture 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		0.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

Star Trek: The Motion Picture 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Paramount has released Star Trek: The Motion Picture: The Director's Cut' to the UHD format in a gorgeous three-disc boxed set that includes a number of fun, if mostly frivolous, physical bonuses. The big draws here are the box itself and the inclusion of the 'Special Longer Version' of the film, which I believe is the Blu-ray debut for this cut (this film and all its iterations are just all over the place on Blu-ray; it's difficult to keep perfect track of what is where). See below for a description of the box, photos, and a breakdown of what's included.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

For full UHD video reviews, please click here for the Director's Edition and here for the Theatrical Edition.

The 'Special Longer Cut' is presented in 2160p/Dolby Vision video and compares very favorably to the theatrical edition UHD. In fact, it's difficult to spot any major differences in direct comparison. Any differences I noted, especially in the Dolby Vision color space (the SLC appears a little brighter, the TC a little warmer), appear likely introduced by player playback tolerances during the A-B comparison).

Star Trek: The Motion Picture 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

For full UHD audio coverage, please click here for the Director's Edition and here for the Theatrical Edition.

The 'Special Longer Cut' plays with a single audio option: Dolby Digital 2.0. The track obviously lacks the excellence of the 7.1 track and is certainly absent the finesse and fullness that the Atmos track provides, but the presentation is certainly adequate. Jerry Goldsmith's score is a delight even in this configuration. It is well spaced, detailed enough to distinguish individual instruments, and there's a surprising body and depth about it. The track offers some solid side-to-side directionality, such as when the Klingon cruisers are attacked by the cloud in the opening minutes. The track certainly holds its own as it is in most all musical and sound effect areas of concern. Dialogue can be a little unbalanced with surrounding din, such as when Kirk first lands at Starfleet Headquarters at the 12-minute mark, but for the most part it is clear, well prioritized, and nicely imaged to the center. The 'Special Longer Cut' includes the following subtitle options: English, English SDH, German, and French.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The outer box measures approximately 10.6" wide, 6.9" high, and a slim half-inch deep. The outer box shares primary artwork with the interior box, which measures just a shade smaller than the outer box. Both depict the Enterprise hurtling through space bottom center, racing towards a bright light source. Trailing the ship is a pleasing rainbow color. The "space" area is blue. The film's title appears in large text top center and is embossed. The text "The Complete Adventure" appears above, but is not embossed. The rear is simply a black starfield. There is some text on the spine, including the film's title and Parmount and UltraHD logos, but chances are almost nobody will display this spine-out due to the length.

The package inside folds open to reveal three panels. Fully open the length is nearly 32". The left panel is a folder that holds the assortment of extra goodies inside. Those include four bumper stickers (curiously one that says "Beam Me Up, Mr. Spock"...Scotty would have been the more appropriate name for that one), four promotional cards featuring images from the movie (with that faded 70s photography color scheme), a sticker sheet with six stickers, and the big prize, which is a sturdy softcover full color booklet that includes some gorgeous artwork, still photos, Enterprise schematics, production design drawings, and plenty more, including, interestingly, two pages for the Klingons, which were, of course, redesigned for this film. The rear of the outer panel, which is visible when only the left-most panel is open, includes a note from Robert Wise. The middle and third panels, when open, reveal a cutaway Enterprise with various sections visible, which is very cool, giving the fan an opportunity to get a "lay of the land" on this Enterprise refit. The discs slide into three different slots, one in the middle panel and two on the last. It will require fingerprinting each disc to pull them out.

The 'Special Longer Version' includes one extra. Kirk Follows Spock (2160p/Dolby Vision, 1:46) is a scene for this cut which has been restored to widescreen using a digital matte. The supplement itself offers the best descriptor of what is going on here: "this is the original unfinished shot with the soundstage fully exposed." Full soundstage exposure is only seen for a few seconds in one wide shot.

For full coverage of the additional bonus content found in this set, please click here for coverage of the Director's Edition (UHD+Blu-ray) and here for the Theatrical Edition (UHD).

Star Trek: The Motion Picture 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This is a gorgeous set. But it's not so feature-packed as to make it an instant recommendation. Star Trek fans are going to love it -- I'm very excited to prominently display it -- but more casual fans will have to really consider if the limited content and the inclusion of the 'Special Longer Cut' justify the price, which is substantial, even though it has already seen some reductions since release day. I say "buy now" as a serious Trekkie and to serious Trekkies, but there are other, far more affordable editions out there better suited for the casual viewer.