...I give the two-disc set a hearty recommendation.
As with all of the other Special Edition re-releases of the "Star Trek" films, Disc One features the movie itself while Disc Two offers bonus materials.
Video:
The 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen image looks a bit tired. Colors have faded, most noticeably the pink that dominates Catherine Hicks´s wardrobe. Also, the print looks a little dirty, what with the dust and scratches on the print. "E.T." was made in 1982, four years before "Star Trek IV". If "E.T." on DVD looks like it was a movie made within the last five years, then the more recent "The Voyage Home" should look better than it does. Still, it´s nice to see that the opening Paramount logos look much better than they do with other older movies on DVD.
Audio:
The audio fares better than the video. The Dolby Digital 5.1 English track features aggressive rear channels, throbbing bass, and a very wide soundstage. Ambience effects, environmental noises, and numerous little sounds pop into the room courtesy of the very lively sound design (re-mixed from the original Pro-Logic stems). Though some of the dialogue gets slightly muffled, most verbal exchanges between the actors are clearly presented.
There are also DD 2.0 surround English and DD 2.0 surround French tracks on Disc One. Optional English subtitles as well as English closed captions support the audio.
Extras:
--Disc One--
Disc One features two commentaries that accompany the main feature. There´s an audio commentary by William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy that is a delightful listen. The two old friends share a couple of good cracks at each other´s expense, and they provide viewers with great stories about the production. There´s also a text commentary by Michael and Denise Okuda, co-authors of "The Star Trek Encyclopedia". Encoded as a subtitle stream, the text commentary provides trivia notes of all sorts related to "Star Trek", real science, historical events, and literary allusions.
--Disc Two--
Paramount crammed Disc Two full of featurettes that have been divided into subsections. I´m happy to report that they´re all substantive and have very little fluff, though how much entertainment you get out of them depends on how much of a fanatic you are. Most of these have self-explanatory titles, so I´m just going to list them unless they need a little illumination.
The Star Trek Universe Featurettes
"Time Travel: The Art of the Possible"; "The Language of Whales"; "A Vulcan Primer"; "Kirk´s Women"
Production Featurettes
"Future´s Past: A Look Back" (a retrospective "making-of"); "On Location"; "Dailies Deconstruction"; "Below-the-Line: Sound Design"
Visual Effects Featurettes
"From Outer Space to the Ocean"; "The Bird of Prey"
Tributes
"Roddenberry Scrapbook" (Eugene Roddenbery talks about his father Gene); "Featured Artist: Mark Lenard" (Lenard´s two daughters and wife reminisce about him)
Archives
Storyboards; Production Gallery
Original Interviews
Leonard Nimoy; William Shatner; DeForest Kelley
Finally, there´s the film´s theatrical trailer.
--Miscellaneous--
A glossy booklet provides chapter listings as well as a re-print of the list of special features that appears on the back cover of the keepcase.
Film Value:
"Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home" has a case of the giggles, so it is easily the most accessible "Star Trek" film in the series. That strength--the humor--is also its weakness. "The Voyage Home" has a serious message about respecting the environment that would´ve been better served had the script not been so light-hearted. "Star Trek IV" didn´t have to be (and shouldn´t have been) militant about its environmentalism, of course, but the touchy-feeliness of the final product makes it seem as if saving the world were as easy as saying, "One, Two, Three, GO!" Yes, I know, it´s "only" "Star Trek", but before "Star Trek: Voyager", the franchise was about something. When you have something to say, I hope that you say it with a seriousness of purpose rather than with a nudge and a wink. As for whether or not it´s worth buying the Special Collector´s Edition of the movie, I give the two-disc set a hearty recommendation.
Trivia note: Catherine Hicks, who plays Dr. Gillian Taylor, was the second performer to have appeared in a "Star Trek" movie who ended up playing a lead in TV´s "7th Heaven". Stephen Collins, who played Decker in "The Motion Picture", wound up playing the reverend in "7th Heaven", and Hicks plays his wife on the show.
Video:
The 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen image looks a bit tired. Colors have faded, most noticeably the pink that dominates Catherine Hicks´s wardrobe. Also, the print looks a little dirty, what with the dust and scratches on the print. "E.T." was made in 1982, four years before "Star Trek IV". If "E.T." on DVD looks like it was a movie made within the last five years, then the more recent "The Voyage Home" should look better than it does. Still, it´s nice to see that the opening Paramount logos look much better than they do with other older movies on DVD.
Audio:
The audio fares better than the video. The Dolby Digital 5.1 English track features aggressive rear channels, throbbing bass, and a very wide soundstage. Ambience effects, environmental noises, and numerous little sounds pop into the room courtesy of the very lively sound design (re-mixed from the original Pro-Logic stems). Though some of the dialogue gets slightly muffled, most verbal exchanges between the actors are clearly presented.
There are also DD 2.0 surround English and DD 2.0 surround French tracks on Disc One. Optional English subtitles as well as English closed captions support the audio.
Extras:
--Disc One--
Disc One features two commentaries that accompany the main feature. There´s an audio commentary by William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy that is a delightful listen. The two old friends share a couple of good cracks at each other´s expense, and they provide viewers with great stories about the production. There´s also a text commentary by Michael and Denise Okuda, co-authors of "The Star Trek Encyclopedia". Encoded as a subtitle stream, the text commentary provides trivia notes of all sorts related to "Star Trek", real science, historical events, and literary allusions.
--Disc Two--
Paramount crammed Disc Two full of featurettes that have been divided into subsections. I´m happy to report that they´re all substantive and have very little fluff, though how much entertainment you get out of them depends on how much of a fanatic you are. Most of these have self-explanatory titles, so I´m just going to list them unless they need a little illumination.
The Star Trek Universe Featurettes
"Time Travel: The Art of the Possible"; "The Language of Whales"; "A Vulcan Primer"; "Kirk´s Women"
Production Featurettes
"Future´s Past: A Look Back" (a retrospective "making-of"); "On Location"; "Dailies Deconstruction"; "Below-the-Line: Sound Design"
Visual Effects Featurettes
"From Outer Space to the Ocean"; "The Bird of Prey"
Tributes
"Roddenberry Scrapbook" (Eugene Roddenbery talks about his father Gene); "Featured Artist: Mark Lenard" (Lenard´s two daughters and wife reminisce about him)
Archives
Storyboards; Production Gallery
Original Interviews
Leonard Nimoy; William Shatner; DeForest Kelley
Finally, there´s the film´s theatrical trailer.
--Miscellaneous--
A glossy booklet provides chapter listings as well as a re-print of the list of special features that appears on the back cover of the keepcase.
Film Value:
"Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home" has a case of the giggles, so it is easily the most accessible "Star Trek" film in the series. That strength--the humor--is also its weakness. "The Voyage Home" has a serious message about respecting the environment that would´ve been better served had the script not been so light-hearted. "Star Trek IV" didn´t have to be (and shouldn´t have been) militant about its environmentalism, of course, but the touchy-feeliness of the final product makes it seem as if saving the world were as easy as saying, "One, Two, Three, GO!" Yes, I know, it´s "only" "Star Trek", but before "Star Trek: Voyager", the franchise was about something. When you have something to say, I hope that you say it with a seriousness of purpose rather than with a nudge and a wink. As for whether or not it´s worth buying the Special Collector´s Edition of the movie, I give the two-disc set a hearty recommendation.
Trivia note: Catherine Hicks, who plays Dr. Gillian Taylor, was the second performer to have appeared in a "Star Trek" movie who ended up playing a lead in TV´s "7th Heaven". Stephen Collins, who played Decker in "The Motion Picture", wound up playing the reverend in "7th Heaven", and Hicks plays his wife on the show.
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[release]15716[/release]