Star Trek: The Original 4-Movie Collection 4K Ultra HD Review

The Star Trek: The Original 4-Movie Collection is a solid enough of a set and does have respectable 4K video along with the audio which is likely the same from past Blu-ray releases, even so still high quality.

Star Trek: The Original 4-Movie Collection
(1979-1986)

Genre(s): Science Fiction, Adventure
Paramount | NR – 469 min. – $90.99 | September 7, 2021

Date Published: 09/04/2021 | Author: The Movieman

Star Trek: The Original 4-Movie Collection

MOVIE INFO:
Directed by: Robert Wise (Star Trek: TMP); Nicholas Meyer (Star Trek II); Leonard Nimoy (Star Trek III, IV)

Writer(s): Gene Roddenberry (created by); Alan Dean Foster (story), Harold Livingston (screenplay) (Star Trek: TMP); Harve Bennett and Jack B. Sowards (story), Jack B. Sowards (screenplay) (Star Trek II); Harve Bennett (written by) (Star Trek III); Leonard Nimoy & Harve Bennett (story), Steve Meerson & Peter Krikes and Harve Bennett & Nicholas Meyer (screenplay) (Star Trek IV)

Cast: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, George Takei, Walter Koenig, Nichelle Nichols, Ricardo Montalban, Bibi Besch, Merritt Butrick, Kirstie Alley, Jane Wyatt, Catherine Hicks, Mark Lenard, Robin Curtis

DISC INFO:
Features: Commentaries, Featurettes, Interviews, Trailers, Galleries
Slip Cover: Yes (slip case)
Digital Copy: Yes
Formats Included: 4K, Blu-ray
Number of Discs: 8

Audio (4K): English (Dolby TrueHD 7.1), German (Dolby TrueHD 2.0), Spanish (Dolby Digital 1.0), French (Dolby Digital 1.0), Japanese (Dolby Digital 1.0); Japanese (Dolby Digital 5.1) (Star Trek III and IV only)
Video (4K): 2160p/Widescreen 2.35
Dynamic Range: HDR10, Dolby Vision
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Codecs: HEVC / H.265 (4K), MPEG-4 AVC (BD)
Region(s): A, B, C

Note: Portions were copied over from my 2009 review of the complete collection. The updated portions are for the 4K video as the audio appears to be the same.

THE MOVIES — 3.75/5

STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE (1979)
Plot: A massive alien presence of enormous power enters Federation space, destroying three powerful Klingon cruisers and neutralizing everything in its path. As it heads towards Earth, Admiral James T. Kirk (WILLIAM SHATNER) returns to the helm of an updated U.S.S. Enterprise and sets course to meet the aggressor head-on.

Review: Short version of my thoughts on this first Star Trek feature film: snooze-fest. The movie actually starts out well enough introducing (or re-introducing for fans of the series) to Spock and Kirk, the Starship Enterprise herself along with developing an uncomfortable feud between Kirk and the Enterprise’s current captain (whom Kirk demoted to XO to take command).

Outside of that, though, this is a movie that could probably be skipped and only even slightly enjoyable for true fans of the series. I remember groaning after several minutes watching the “exciting” revelation of an alien ship with the occasional intercutting of seeing shocked faces of the Enterprise crew. Literately there was no dialogue during this time as if the audience is supposed to be on pins and needles wondering what they are looking at (it’s also an obvious copy/homage to 2001: A Space Odyssey). Perhaps 30 years ago, it was impressive. That’s not so much the case anymore.

The cast works well together with William Shatner slinking into the Kirk character as well as Leonard Nimoy playing Spock. Along with DeForest Kelly as Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy, the trio have great chemistry obviously mined from the television series. 3.0/5

STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KAHN (1981)
Plot: Feeling that the future holds nothing close to what the past once did, Admiral James T. Kirk (SHATNER) begins to believe that galloping around the cosmos is a game for the young. Yet on a routine inspection of the U.S.S. Enterprise, Kirk’s Starfleet career enters a new chapter as a result of his most vengeful nemesis: Khan Noonien Singh (RICARDO MONTALBAN), the genetically enhanced conqueror from late 20th-century Earth. Escaping his forgotten prison, Khan sets his sights on capturing Project Genesis, a device of god-like power, and the utter destruction of Kirk.

Review: I can say with little equivocation Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is one of the best sequels ever made behind only The Godfather Part II, The Dark Knight and The Empire Strikes Back. I hadn’t seen the movie in several years so much of it felt new, but I was fully immersed, not an easy task when you watch several movies every week.

What makes Star Trek II head and shoulders above the first movie is it is filled with fantastic action, gripping suspense and a true heart at its core with an ending in which if you do not shed even a single tear, you are not human. I can’t think of a single thing where this sequel was not better than the original. Its 112-minute running time was perfect telling an interesting story with a cruel villain played by the late and great Ricardo Montalban. Add in the life-long friendship between Kirk and Spock (played to perfection by William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy), and you have a great and memorable movie.

The movie was directed by Nicholas Meyers, Star Trek II also features a solid supporting cast including DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, George Takei and Kirstie Alley. I know many are/will be disappointed that the director’s cut was not the version used in this set, and while I share the feeling, getting this theatrical version on Blu-ray is still great, but I’m 99% sure that one will come to Blu-ray and hopefully as a standalone release. 4.5/5

STAR TREK III: THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK (1984)
Plot: In the wake of Spock’s ultimate act of sacrifice, the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise returns to Earth from the newly formed Genesis planet. Upon arrival, the crew learns that life back home will not be easier. Scotty gets reassigned, Dr. “Bones” McCoy appears to be going insane, and the Enterprise is to be decommissioned. It is only when Kirk is confronted by Spock’s father that he learns his old friend may have another chance at life if the crew can survive the Klingon interference and return to the Genesis planet.

Review: The third entry in the Star Trek franchise, and one that takes place almost immediately after the events of Star Trek II, is a good movie, but nothing more. It lacked the excitement, the humor and the emotions of the previous entry. Unlike the Wrath of Kahn, an action-adventure more than anything, Search for Spock is pure science-fiction which may be a turn off for some viewers, though sci-fi fanatics may appreciate it more than others.

Directed by Leonard Nimoy, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock has some decent moments but at only 96-minutes (w/o credits), it seemed like more story could’ve been told and when the climactic scene finally unfolded, it was nice, even sweet, but ultimately ineffective. I’m not sure if this was due to Nimoy’s direction or Harve Bennett’s screenplay, but this could’ve been a better film if only more care was put into it.

The cast seemed to go through the motions. Even William Shatner’s Captain Kirk, after a devastating event, didn’t come close to his heart wrenching and heartfelt performance after the sacrifice his best friend made for him and the Enterprise crew. Hell, nothing will ever match his blood-curdling “Khaaaaannn!” scream. As for Leonard Nimoy, he’s actually not in it that much (maybe 10-minutes, max and only a few lines) but his presence was always felt and the only thing that propelled this film and made me care about what the Enterprise crew’s venture to find Spock. 3.5/5

STAR TREK IV: THE VOYAGE HOME (1986)
Plot: Branded as fugitives by the very Federation they swore to protect, the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise dutifully returns to Earth to face charges for crimes committed in the course of rescuing a resurrected Spock. But en route, it is learned that the Earth is being ravaged by a strange alien probe demanding a response from a life form that no longer exists. Commandeering a captured Klingon Bird of Prey, Kirk and his crew bend time and space to save Earth and rediscover the meaning of friendship.

Review: Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home is the conclusion to the “Spock Trilogy” in which our intrepid crew goes back in time to the late 20th century to an uncivilized population with bad manners and use course language. Their mission is to get a couple humpback whales (which are extinct in the 23rd century) take them back to their own time to stop an alien invasion whose attack is based upon trying to communicate with the whales.

I’m not a Trekkie by any stretch, though I’m pretty sure the original series did get that asinine with its plotline, the story for this was just a tad… strange even by Star Trek standards. That said, once you can roll with what the Enterprise crew is trying to accomplish, you will find at its core a fun (and funny) movie that is a modest improvement over the ho-hum previous entry. It doesn’t come close to Star Trek II, but it does right the ship.

Again directed (and co-written) by Leonard Nimoy, it would seem his skills are more honed or confident. Sure, it’s not some masterful piece of filmmaking in terms of style, but Nimoy shows great comic timing without being hokey (my favorite is Scotty trying to communicate with a mid-80s computer, which has a double sense of humor during this day and age).

Taken as a trilogy (Star Trek II – IV), it might not hold a candle to the likes of Star Wars (the original trilogy) or anything, but it’s a good compilation of movies that fans and non-fans alike can enjoy. 3.75/5

SPECIAL FEATURES – 4½/5

This 8-disc set (4 UHDs, 4 BDs) comes housed in two separate HD keep cases (one black, the other blue), each side-sliding into a slip case. The 4Ks come with commentary tracks while the bulk of features are on the Blu-ray discs. There is slip containing 4 codes for all four Trek films.

STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE:
Feature Commentary with Michael & Denis Okuda, Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens and Daren Dochterman. The five participants talk about the movie together (versus spliced in comments) as they share their experiences when they first saw the movie back in ’79. (Also on 4K disc)

PRODUCTION (1 Featurette):

The Largest Trek: Writing the Motion Picture (10:44) is a new featurette covering the numerous drafts and versions Paramount was throwing around for the franchise (a new series vs. feature film).

THE STAR TREK UNIVERSE (2 Featurettes):

Special Star Trek Reunion (9:37) some members of the secondary (and extras) cast chat about filming The Motion Picture, so it’s not exactly what you think.
Starfleet Academy Scisec Brief 001: Mystery Behind V’Ger (4:24) – A semi-cute chick explains the V’Ger in front of a green screen with visuals behind her about the history behind the Voyager.

Deleted Scenes (8:02) – There are 11 rough scenes that were, quite frankly, a little tough to watch, especially without any music or sound effects. It’s actually kind of funny to watch.

Lastly there are three storyboards, a couple of trailers and TV spots.

STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KAHN:
Audio Commentaries:

Director Nicholas Meyer (Also on 4K disc)
Director Nicholas Meyer and Manny Coto (Producer of Enterprise) (Also on 4K disc)

With rare exceptions, I always prefer 2 person (or more) tracks, but Meyer’s solo track wasn’t too bad. The second track is great as the two have a nice conversation about the movie from the perspective of a fan (Coto) with Meyer given another opportunity to talk about his love for various topics.

PRODUCTION (5 Featurettes):

Captain’s Log (27:21) goes over the origins of Khan from his debut on the “Star Trek” series in the episode ‘Space Seed’ and re-introducing the character in the Star Trek sequel. It also covers Leonard Nimoy’s refusal to be in the movie and the one thing that interest him was the death of Spock; Nicholas Meyer’s coming on board which also was a reason for Nimoy’s involvement.
Designing Khan (23:54) – The director, production designer, costume designer, art director and other members of the crew describe the look of the Star Trek universe trying to create a future look. Topics range from the costumes to the ships.
Original Interviews (10:56) with William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley and Ricardo Montalban were filmed in 1982 to promote the upcoming Star Trek II
Where No Man Has Gone Before: The Visual Effects of Star Trek II (18:14) is fairly self-explanatory featuring interviews with those involved with the visual effects with some cool archive footage of the model designs and how certain techniques were done back the early 80s. I actually found this more interesting than most of these other featurettes.
James Horner: Composing Genesis (9:33) features comments from the composer about his involvement with the sequel and explains how he even sat in on sessions with Jerry Goldsmith during his work on the original movie.

THE STAR TREK UNIVERSE (3 Featurettes):

Collecting Star Trek’s Movie Relics (11:05) takes a look at the collectable memorabilia of the props and costumes of both the series and movies.
A Novel Approach (28:55) covers the novels released featuring interviews from two Trekkies about their love for Star Trek. That’s right, you get to listen to two Trekkies about the shows and movies.
Starfleet Academy Scisec Brief 002: Mystery Behind Ceti Alpha VI (3:08) is a simple Wikipedia-like featurette with a chick standing in front of a green screen about Khan and the planet he was deserted on.

Lastly we get a nice Tribute to Ricardo Montalban (4:44) with comments by Nicholas Meyer; 12 Storyboards; and the Theatrical Trailer (2:22).

STAR TREK III: THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK:
Audio Commentaries:

Actor/Director Leonard Nimoy, Writer/Producer Harve Bennett, Director Photography CharlesCorrell and Actress Robin Curtis (Also on 4K disc)
Producer Ronald D. Moore (Battlestar Galactica) and Michael Taylor (Also on 4K disc)

On the first, the participants are spliced in together, unfortunately, but it’s still an interesting track. The second one, neither had nothing to do with the making of Star Trek III, but offer their insights into the universe as they had involvement with the series or future movies.

PRODUCTION (4 Featurettes):

Captain’s Log (26:13) is a basic overview on the making of Star Trek III and how Leonard Nimoy came to direct the third movie, coming up with the story and all the behind-the-scenes elements. Interviews include with Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner (at his most humble moments), Christopher Lloyd and others.
Terraforming and the Prime Derivative (23:53) is an introspective look at the Star Trek universe and how it translates to current society. It features interviews with various people from an author to someone at NASA about the Genesis project and the real life possibilities.
Industrial Light & Magic: The Visual Effects of Star Trek (13:50) goes over the effects used over the course of the films and how it has progressed through the years and the difficulties on some shots.
Spock: The Early Years (6:22) covers the four actors used as Spock through his transformation on the Genesis project. It features an interview with the actor who played Spock, Age 17.

THE STAR TREK UNIVERSE (5 Featurettes):

Space Docks and Birds of Prey (27:49) – With an increase in the budget, filmmakers were able to make better models for Star Trek III, this includes the space dock and the Birds of Prey ship.
Speaking Klingon (21:04) features a guy who actually created the Klingon and Vulcan language used in Star Trek II and subsequent movies.
Klingon and Vulcan Costumes (12:16) goes over how the costumes (obviously) are made and features interviews with the costume designer.
Star Trek and the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame (16:52) is an interesting look at the museum in Seattle with a bunch of memorabilia, cool exhibits and the like for all science-fiction fans to behold. Well, sort of. It’s just an interview with a Star Trek writer intercut with footage from the movies.
Starfleet Academy SCISEC Brief 003: Mystery Behind the Vulcan Katra Transfer (2:42) is another pointless featurette with info you can easily get from a Trek fansite.

We also get a photo gallery on the production and movie, 9 storyboards and the theatrical trailer.

STAR TREK IV: THE VOYAGE HOME:
Audio Commentaries:

Actor/Director Leonard Nimoy and Actor William Shatner (Also on 4K disc)
Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, writers of the 2009 Star Trek (Also on 4K disc)

Both tracks are actually good in different ways. The Nimoy/Shatner track is part technical/part analytical about the characters while the second is from a fan perspective as well as the perspective as writers. However, there was too much dead air time with them so that was annoying.

PRODUCTION:

Future’s Past: A Look Back (27:32) – This is a retrospective ‘making-of’ featurette about how the project came to be with comments by Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner and Harve Bennett amongst others.
On-Location (7:26) goes over filming during the current time period in San Francisco. The featurette includes some fun behind-the-scenes footage of them filming at the four corners in San Fran.
Dailies Deconstruction (4:13) – Here we just check out alternate angles for various scenes.
Below-the-Line: Sound Design (11:45) – A much more extensive featurette than I expected, we get to hear from the sound effects editor on how some of the sounds were created such as the alien vessel making whale calls.
Pavel Chekov’s Screen Moments (6:09) features Walter Koenig talking about his character in Star Trek IV and how he had a more substantial role.

THE STAR TREK UNIVERSE:

Time Travel: The Art of the Possible (11:15) – In August of 2002, three prominent Quantum Physicists were asked, “Is time travel possible?” Actually time travel has always been fascinating to me so this was interesting to watch.
The Language of Whales (5:46) – This is a simple featurette explaining whale noises/language and the different types of whales filmed at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
A Vulcan Primer (7:50) – An author analyses Spock and other Vulcans who have appeared on the series and movies.
Kirk’s Women (8:19) chronicles some of Captain Kirk’s lady friends in the eyes of the women who played the roles and why Kirk was so charming.
Star Trek: Three Picture Saga (10:12) – This explains how Star Trek II morphed into a trilogy, though it wasn’t planned. As a couple writers out it, it was an “accidental trilogy”. There are a lot of interviews with the crew involved with all three movies.
Star Trek for a Cause (5:40) covers the humanity touched upon in Star Trek IV with a pitch by Greenpeace.
Starfleet Academy SCISEC Brief 004: The Whale Probe (3:42) – You know the drill: green screen, semi-cute chick, wash, rinse and repeat.

VISUAL EFFECTS:

From Outer Space to the Ocean (14:43) — Shows the process of the effects with photos and interviews, some filmed on set in the mid 1980s.
The Bird of Prey (2:48) — Gives a glimpse how the ship was visualized.

Next up, there are original interviews (43:15) with William Shatner (14:33), Leonard Nimoy (15:40) and DeForest Kelley (13:02). Only plus to watching this is seeing how young each of them looked.

Last up we get a hodgepodge of features which I’ll touch on quickly:

There are two “TRIBUTES”: Roddenberry Scrapbook (8:17) with comments by his son, and Featured Artist: Mark Lenard (12:44) about the man who played Spock’s father, Sarek from the perspective of his family.

And finally there is a production gallery (3:55) where we get to see a nice cast/crew picture with some random pictures on the set; 8 storyboards and the theatrical trailer.

VIDEO – 4½/5

All four Star Trek films receive a 2160p high-definition transfer and each are presented in their original aspect ratios, 2.35. Examining all four films, I was pretty impressed for the most part. I thought Star Trek: The Original Motion Picture and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn were fairly immaculate, clean and free of any significant flaws like specs, dirt, scratches, etc (in fact 3 and 4 appeared clean as well). The detail on these two films was excellent, the original film grain and noise still present.

The other two films still looked quite good, perhaps not as finely detailed in comparison. Colors on all four movies though are great, vibrant throughout without seemingly artificially boosted for the 4K transfer. Black levels meanwhile is well balanced yet not outwardly crushed, still able to discern everything happening on the screen.

How I would rate these:

Star Trek: The Original Motion Picture – 75/5
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn – 75/5
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock – 5/5
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home – 5/5

AUDIO – 4½/5

Given the audio tracks appear to the same or least similar from the 2009 release, and judging from my ears with this set, my ratings and thoughts remain the same.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture — On the audio side of things, Paramount continues their support of Dolby TrueHD 7.1. The TrueHD track on this 30-year-old movie sounds excellent. Dialogue is crisp and clear and Jerry Goldsmith’s resounding score sounds awesome. Gladly it is not an overpowering track; instead it has that perfect mix to spread across all channels giving that theater experience. French Dolby Surround 2.0 and Spanish Mono tracks are also available. 4.75/5

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn — I was less impressed with the audio, compared to The Motion Picture, but the Dolby TrueHD 7.1 is still good, just not fantastic. I found some dialogue to be a little muffled and even James Horner’s score didn’t have that “boom” in comparison with Goldsmith’s work on the original. Sound effects are solid but like the dialogue it didn’t have the big impact I came to expect, but again, it isn’t too bad for a 27 year old movie. 4.0/5

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock — The Dolby TrueHD 7.1 track sounded pretty good with an immersive experience between James Horner’s wonderful – if not slightly forgettable – score, and the sound effects as the Enterprise takes on some Klingon blasts. For some reason, I actually found this audio track to be slightly better than the one for Star Trek II, which is surprising since it didn’t receive the same treatment. 4.5/5

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home — The Dolby TrueHD 7.1 track may not be a ‘blow-your-mind’ kind of audio experience but the score, by Leonard Roseman (replacing James Horner who replaced Jerry Goldsmith), sounds fantastic from the opening credits while sound effects are good and dialogue is clean. 4.25/5

OVERALL – 4/5

Overall, the Star Trek: The Original 4-Movie Collection is a solid enough of a set and does have respectable 4K video along with the audio which is likely the same from past Blu-ray releases, even so still high quality. This is a set worth picking up so long as it’s a decent price though I am on the fence if this is worth a double (or triple) dip.

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