Anyone with an interest in the original Star Trek series deserves to own this re-mastering because frankly, the show has never looked better.Unlike Mr. Lucas’ technology first, story and nostalgia second approach, the teams at Paramount have respected the source material and built the CGI elements to match the "feel" of the show. Yes, there are some new perspective shots of the Enterprise for added effect. At the same time, all the ships have been animated to move and act like the original model did. They’re also designed to look like a clean version of the models as to not look modernized at all. Even purists should be proud of the effort and end result in making this series match Roddenberry’s original vision right down to including the 1.33:1 cropped versions of the effects shots in every episode.
The most unlikely restoration is that of Alexander Courage’s timeless score, re-recorded from scratch by the exact same size orchestra employed to originally bring it to life. Hearing this score blast in Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless audio is a real treat for the ears. It sounds dead on accurate, yet is fuller and more alive than the original recording ever was. The final front to rear Enterprise shot made my head turn. Stepping up to lossless audio benefits episodes as well with remarkably crystal clear dialogue and the occasional effective strong use of directional surrounds when appropriate.
Cheers:
* Wonderful restoration that respects source material
* New (old) score sounds great
* CGI blends beautifully
* Picture-in-picture worth viewing
Jeers:
* Pricing is atrocious
* Combo Format = bad for consumer
* Flip discs for standard def extras
* Inner plastic case too flimsy
Overall:
9.0
Movie 9.0
Video 8.5
Audio 9.0
Extras 9.5
Replay 9.0
