PHOOOTOOOONNN TOOOORRRRPEDDDDOESSSSS
Star Trek: The Motion Picture is a film that I didn’t appreciate much as a child, but I do appreciate as an adult. It’s a slower science fiction movie than I imagine most people now might be accustomed to; weapons are really only fired twice to my recollection, for one thing. A far cry from the violent misery porn that a certain someone craps into the franchise nowadays. After all, The Motion Picture‘s tagline is “The Human Adventure Is Just Beginning”.
Naturally the Director’s Cut was highly prized back in the VHS/DVD era, as it fixes some pacing and effects issues with the original theatrical cut. The original theatrical cut is the reason it gained, among some, the appellation “The (Slow) Motion Picture” after all. Unfortunately, the Director’s Cut was not originally made with the advent of high definition video in mind so everyone believed that it would languish in standard def forever.
But it has been announced that a 4K restoration of the film would be produced.
The restoration will be undertaken by producer David C. Fein, restoration supervisor Mike Matessino, and visual effects supervisor Daren R. Dochterman, all of whom worked previously with director Robert Wise.
The film will be prepared for presentation in 4K Ultra HD with Dolby Vision™ high dynamic range (HDR) and a new Dolby Atmos® soundtrack. The restoration is expected to take 6-8 months and will launch with an exclusive window on Paramount+.
Which is good, because I’m of a similar opinion to Mike Stoklasa when it comes to people giving the film another chance.
What’s more, the first 4 films will be released in 4K/UltraHD and Blu-Ray in a set (notably, since the Director’s Edition of Star Trek: the Motion Picture will take 6-8 months to produce, it won’t be included in the set). For the uninitiated, that means the set comes with:
- Star Trek: the Motion Picture
- Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (Both theatrical and director’s cut)
- Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
- Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
- As well as hours of previously released bonus content
Honestly, if you wanted to introduce someone to Star Trek, this set wouldn’t be a bad way to go about it… though you might want to show that person the TOS episode “Space Seed” and then jump to Wrath of Khan first. I wasn’t kidding about the theatrical cut of The Motion Picture.
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