STAR TREK III: THE SEARCH
FOR SPOCK (Special Edition)
Although
STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN was one of the finest entries in
the STAR TREK movie series, its immediate follow-up turned out to
be a less than stunning offering. I guess you can say that STAR TREK
III: THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK fell victim to the curse that afflicted all
of the odd numbered movies in the series. I don’t want to give them
impression that STAR TREK III: THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK is a bad movie,
it isn't. Personally, I really like the movie and found much of it to be
quite enjoyable, especially when Kirk and company defy Starfleet orders
and hijack the Enterprise right out of a space dock. This sequence is an
absolute hoot, and for me, it is the highlight of the film. Of course,
this sequence doesn't negate the fact that STAR TREK III: THE SEARCH
FOR SPOCK does have some problems.
The
biggest problem with the third installment in the STAR TREK movie
series was something that was beyond anyone’s control. Let’s face it; STAR
TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN, which offered the self-sacrificing death
scene of one of the most beloved characters, was the pinnacle of STAR
TREK storytelling. Unfortunately, there was no scenario that could
have been devised at that point that would have been dramatic enough, or
epic enough, to meet fans expectations- especially on a STAR TREK
movie budget. Another problem is the fact that a STAR TREK is only
as good as its villain. In respect to STAR TREK III: THE SEARCH FOR
SPOCK the villain was miscast by bad timing. At the time of the film’s
production, Christopher Lloyd's character from TAXI was too
ingrained in everyone's mind for him taken seriously in such a villainous
role. Only with the passing of decades, can Lloyd's performance in this
film be appreciated. Finally. I'd like to mention the film's soundstage
bound exteriors, which look too artificial and lend an air of
"cheapness" to the production- something that is a bit too
reminiscent of the plywood sets original TV series.
The
events depicted in STAR TREK III: THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK come
immediately on the heels of the preceding film. Captain Spock (Leonard
Nimoy) is dead and as the battle scarred U.S.S. Enterprise makes its
return to space dock around Earth. Although, Admiral Kirk (William
Shatner) wants to take the Enterprise back to the Genesis planet, where
Spock remains were interred, the planet itself has become a galactic
controversy and the "twenty-year-old" Enterprise is to be
decommissioned. Making matters worse is the strange mental affliction
affecting Dr. McCoy (Deforest Kelly) since Spock’s death, as well as the
arrival of Ambassador Sarek (Mark Lenard), who comes to Kirk seeking son’s
"Katra" or living spirit. Kirk quickly realizes that he and his
crew must return to the Genesis Planet if he is to save Spock's soul and
Dr. McCoy's mind. Of course, this is all easier said than done, since
returning to the Genesis planet requires that they defy orders and steal
the now mothballed Starship Enterprise. Added to the mix is a group of
hostile Klingons bent upon learning the secrets of the device that created
the Genesis planet itself. The cast of STAR TREK III: THE SEARCH FOR
SPOCK also features James Doohan, George Takei, Walter Koenig,
Nichelle Nichols, Merritt Butrick, Judith Anderson, Robin Curtis, Phil
Morris, John Larroquette, James B. Sikking and Miguel Ferrer.
Paramount
Home Entertainment has reissued STAR TREK III: THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK
in a two-disc set, which presents the film in a 2.35:1 wide screen
presentation that features the anamorphic enhancement for 16:9 displays.
Adding no new footage to the film, this edition of STAR TREK III: THE
SEARCH FOR SPOCK utilizes the same transfer that was previously issued
on DVD as a movie only edition. The presentation appears a bit stronger
because of improvements authoring techniques, since that initial release.
There are some limitations in the film elements, which can be somewhat
grainy and display occasional blemishes. However, for the most part, the
image is crisp and rather nicely defined. Colors show some improvement,
with the strong reds being rendered with greater stability. Blacks appear
accurate, contrast is generally smooth and shadow detail is good for a
film closing in on the twenty-year mark. The dual layered DVD is pretty
much free from noticeable digital compression artifacts.
STAR
TREK III: THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK
comes with the same Dolby Digital 5.1 channel soundtrack that was offered
on the previous issue. The 5.1 channel encoding opens up the sound- giving
a cleaner, better-defined special quality to this track, which originated
in the matrixed Dolby Surround format. The forward soundstage is where
most of the sound effect activity is localized, while the rears provide a
good deal of ambient sound, including the engine rumble of the movie’s
spaceships. Dialogue is rendered with terrific intelligibility, although
voices can sound a tiny bit canned at times. The bass channel is very
solid, enhancing the afore mentioned spaceship rumble, although it is not
as ground shaking as newer soundtracks. James Horner’s score is well
reproduced with a nice level of musical fidelity. English and French Dolby
Surround soundtracks are also encoded onto the DVD, as are English
subtitles.
Computer
animation and sound serve to enhance the DVD's nicely designed interactive
menus. Through the menus, one has access to standard scene selection and
set up features, as well as a solid supplemental section. Starting things
off on disc one is an audio commentary with director Leonard Nimoy,
writer/producer Harve Bennett, cinematographer Charles Correll and actress
Robin Curtis. While the commentary track edits the participants together,
it does offer a lot of interesting background information and stories
about the production. Disc one also features a text commentary on a
subtitle track by Michael Okuda, co-author of The Star Trek
Encyclopedia. Again the text commentary proves to be cool source
of reference for this movie and everything STAR TREK.
Moving
on to disc two, we find various programs and other supplements. The
Captain's Log clocks in at twenty-six minutes and features
interviews with Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner, Harve Bennet, Charles
Correll, Robin Curtis and Christopher Lloyd. While the program does
duplicate some of the material contained in the audio commentary, it does
offer additional information and stories about the production, along with
remembrances via William Shatner's bizarre sense of humor. Terraforming
And The Prime Directive runs twenty-four minutes and examines the
future of space exploration as depicted in science fiction like STAR
TREK and how it relates to mankind's current efforts, with a focus on
terraforming the planet Mars as a first step into a greater future.
In
the section entitled The Star Trek Universe one will find Space
Docks And Birds of Prey, Speaking Klingon and Klingon
And Vulcan Costumes. Space Docks And Birds of Prey
is a twenty-seven minute program that looks at the spaceships created for
the film by ILM. Speaking Klingon runs twenty-one minutes
and introduces Mark Okrand, who developed the official Klingon language
for the STAR TREK universe. Klingon And Vulcan Costumes
is a twelve-minute look at the film's costume design. In the section
marked the Archives one will find storyboards and production
photos. A theatrical trailer and teaser trailer for the upcoming STAR
TREK: NEMESIS close out the supplemental disc.
Paramount
has done a really great job with their Special Edition release of STAR
TREK III: THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK. While not the best of the STAR TREK
movies, it does have its moments. Trekkers that own the original release
will find this DVD a worthy upgrade, although casual viewers probably
won't. Of course, any Trek fan who hasn’t already purchased STAR TREK
III: THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK, will count this edition as a must have.
Although
STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN was one of the finest entries in
the STAR TREK movie series, its immediate follow-up turned out to
be a less than stunning offering. I guess you can say that STAR TREK
III: THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK fell victim to the curse that afflicted all
of the odd numbered movies in the series. I don’t want to give them
impression that STAR TREK III: THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK is a bad movie,
it isn't. Personally, I really like the movie and found much of it to be
quite enjoyable, especially when Kirk and company defy Starfleet orders
and hijack the Enterprise right out of a space dock. This sequence is an
absolute hoot, and for me, it is the highlight of the film. Of course,
this sequence doesn't negate the fact that STAR TREK III: THE SEARCH
FOR SPOCK does have some problems.
The
biggest problem with the third installment in the STAR TREK movie
series was something that was beyond anyone’s control. Let’s face it; STAR
TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN, which offered the self-sacrificing death
scene of one of the most beloved characters, was the pinnacle of STAR
TREK storytelling. Unfortunately, there was no scenario that could
have been devised at that point that would have been dramatic enough, or
epic enough, to meet fans expectations- especially on a STAR TREK
movie budget. Another problem is the fact that a STAR TREK is only
as good as its villain. In respect to STAR TREK III: THE SEARCH FOR
SPOCK the villain was miscast by bad timing. At the time of the film’s
production, Christopher Lloyd's character from TAXI was too
ingrained in everyone's mind for him taken seriously in such a villainous
role. Only with the passing of decades, can Lloyd's performance in this
film be appreciated. Finally. I'd like to mention the film's soundstage
bound exteriors, which look too artificial and lend an air of
"cheapness" to the production- something that is a bit too
reminiscent of the plywood sets original TV series.
The
events depicted in STAR TREK III: THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK come
immediately on the heels of the preceding film. Captain Spock (Leonard
Nimoy) is dead and as the battle scarred U.S.S. Enterprise makes its
return to space dock around Earth. Although, Admiral Kirk (William
Shatner) wants to take the Enterprise back to the Genesis planet, where
Spock remains were interred, the planet itself has become a galactic
controversy and the "twenty-year-old" Enterprise is to be
decommissioned. Making matters worse is the strange mental affliction
affecting Dr. McCoy (Deforest Kelly) since Spock’s death, as well as the
arrival of Ambassador Sarek (Mark Lenard), who comes to Kirk seeking son’s
"Katra" or living spirit. Kirk quickly realizes that he and his
crew must return to the Genesis Planet if he is to save Spock's soul and
Dr. McCoy's mind. Of course, this is all easier said than done, since
returning to the Genesis planet requires that they defy orders and steal
the now mothballed Starship Enterprise. Added to the mix is a group of
hostile Klingons bent upon learning the secrets of the device that created
the Genesis planet itself. The cast of STAR TREK III: THE SEARCH FOR
SPOCK also features James Doohan, George Takei, Walter Koenig,
Nichelle Nichols, Merritt Butrick, Judith Anderson, Robin Curtis, Phil
Morris, John Larroquette, James B. Sikking and Miguel Ferrer.
Paramount
Home Entertainment has reissued STAR TREK III: THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK
in a two-disc set, which presents the film in a 2.35:1 wide screen
presentation that features the anamorphic enhancement for 16:9 displays.
Adding no new footage to the film, this edition of STAR TREK III: THE
SEARCH FOR SPOCK utilizes the same transfer that was previously issued
on DVD as a movie only edition. The presentation appears a bit stronger
because of improvements authoring techniques, since that initial release.
There are some limitations in the film elements, which can be somewhat
grainy and display occasional blemishes. However, for the most part, the
image is crisp and rather nicely defined. Colors show some improvement,
with the strong reds being rendered with greater stability. Blacks appear
accurate, contrast is generally smooth and shadow detail is good for a
film closing in on the twenty-year mark. The dual layered DVD is pretty
much free from noticeable digital compression artifacts.
STAR
TREK III: THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK
comes with the same Dolby Digital 5.1 channel soundtrack that was offered
on the previous issue. The 5.1 channel encoding opens up the sound- giving
a cleaner, better-defined special quality to this track, which originated
in the matrixed Dolby Surround format. The forward soundstage is where
most of the sound effect activity is localized, while the rears provide a
good deal of ambient sound, including the engine rumble of the movie’s
spaceships. Dialogue is rendered with terrific intelligibility, although
voices can sound a tiny bit canned at times. The bass channel is very
solid, enhancing the afore mentioned spaceship rumble, although it is not
as ground shaking as newer soundtracks. James Horner’s score is well
reproduced with a nice level of musical fidelity. English and French Dolby
Surround soundtracks are also encoded onto the DVD, as are English
subtitles.
Computer
animation and sound serve to enhance the DVD's nicely designed interactive
menus. Through the menus, one has access to standard scene selection and
set up features, as well as a solid supplemental section. Starting things
off on disc one is an audio commentary with director Leonard Nimoy,
writer/producer Harve Bennett, cinematographer Charles Correll and actress
Robin Curtis. While the commentary track edits the participants together,
it does offer a lot of interesting background information and stories
about the production. Disc one also features a text commentary on a
subtitle track by Michael Okuda, co-author of The Star Trek
Encyclopedia. Again the text commentary proves to be cool source
of reference for this movie and everything STAR TREK.
Moving
on to disc two, we find various programs and other supplements. The
Captain's Log clocks in at twenty-six minutes and features
interviews with Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner, Harve Bennet, Charles
Correll, Robin Curtis and Christopher Lloyd. While the program does
duplicate some of the material contained in the audio commentary, it does
offer additional information and stories about the production, along with
remembrances via William Shatner's bizarre sense of humor. Terraforming
And The Prime Directive runs twenty-four minutes and examines the
future of space exploration as depicted in science fiction like STAR
TREK and how it relates to mankind's current efforts, with a focus on
terraforming the planet Mars as a first step into a greater future.
In
the section entitled The Star Trek Universe one will find Space
Docks And Birds of Prey, Speaking Klingon and Klingon
And Vulcan Costumes. Space Docks And Birds of Prey
is a twenty-seven minute program that looks at the spaceships created for
the film by ILM. Speaking Klingon runs twenty-one minutes
and introduces Mark Okrand, who developed the official Klingon language
for the STAR TREK universe. Klingon And Vulcan Costumes
is a twelve-minute look at the film's costume design. In the section
marked the Archives one will find storyboards and production
photos. A theatrical trailer and teaser trailer for the upcoming STAR
TREK: NEMESIS close out the supplemental disc.
Paramount
has done a really great job with their Special Edition release of STAR
TREK III: THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK. While not the best of the STAR TREK
movies, it does have its moments. Trekkers that own the original release
will find this DVD a worthy upgrade, although casual viewers probably
won't. Of course, any Trek fan who hasn’t already purchased STAR TREK
III: THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK, will count this edition as a must have.
