Review of Black Adder (Remastered Ultimate Edition) (2009)

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Finally, it's all here in one place. There are even a few seconds of cut dialogue added in. If you've memorized the VHS version, you'll find a phrase added here and there that wasn't there before. For example, when Baldrick saves Blackadder the 3rd by untying him on the "grassy knoll." Blackadder sputters "BBaldrick... Baldrick! Thank you for introducing me to a genuinely new experience." Only the last "Baldrick!" made it into the VHS version.

There are interviews with almost everyone you might care to listen to. But I've noticed that people have a tendency to mumble both in commentaries and in interviews. This is especially annoying in the commentaries where, if you turn it up to hear the murmuring of comments, then the feature audio is too loud when it fades in at times. Hey, audio guys, there is a knobby thing labled "levels" somewhere on your hardware or software mixer. Please use it next time.

I'd only seen the Baldrick Diaries once before and it was great to have it along side of the Cavalier Years, Blackadder Christmas Carol, and Back and Forth. And since my VHSs have succumbed to age, repeated play and the occasional film-eating player, this came just in time.

I was also touched that the Blackadder staff all felt as deeply about the Fourth series as I did. I've never been able to watch the last episode of Blackadder the Fourth unless I was ready for an emotional time of it. If you haven't seen it, I'll give you a hint. This is historical comedy and the Fourth series is set in WWI, and at the end, a battlefield turns into a sea of poppies. Watch it and try not to choke up. Rarely does a comedy offer genuine deep feeling as well as tomfoolery.

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Rowan Atkinson was funny as Mr. Bean, but he was downright hilarious as the Black Adder. He had such a talent for playing the sharp-tongued rogue I'll never figure out why he decided to start doing comedy in which he hardly spoke. The premise of this British comedy series is that the central character, "The Black Adder", shows up at different points in history in various incarnations distorting historical events and poking fun at various British historical figures and situations along the way.

Lots of people don't like Black Adder I, in which the title character, Edmund, is the younger son of a brutish man consumed with thoughts of war who actually becomes king of England through Edmund's own bungling he arrives late for the Battle of Bosworth Field and winds up chopping off the head of Richard III, thus saving the life of Henry Tudor. Throughout this first season he plays the buffoon, often having the expression of a deer caught in the headlights. This is the only season in which the Black Adder takes on the persona of a weak effeminate person. Especially funny is Edmund's mother who is a proper noble woman sitting around doing embroidery and indifferently waiting for the next marauding army to pass through.

The second season takes place early during the reign of Elizabeth I, with the Black Adder confident, handsome, and even a favorite at court. A young Amanda Richardson plays the role of Elizabeth I, who comes across as Betty Boop, just not as intelligent. Although more cunning in this season, Black Adder still comes up the loser in just about every episode. My favorite is "Bells", in which Blackadder finds his new servant, Bob, curiously pleasant company. Afraid for his reputation at court, Blackadder searches for a "cure" which of course involves leeches, until Bob conveniently reveals that she is in fact a girl called Kate. Their wedding is disrupted by the profane Lord Flashheart, who, although he is the best man, winds up stealing the bride.

The third season takes place in the eighteenth century during the reign of George III, and will be a favorite of all fans of "House, M.D." due to the presence of a young Hugh Laurie. Here, Black Adder plays the manservant of the Prince Regent, George, played by Hugh Laurie. George is the dim-witted target of Black Adder's many schemes to enrich himself by taking advantage of his cushy position in George's household, and this often means having to save the Prince Regent's pension and position in the kingdom, which is largely controlled by Parliament.

The fourth season takes place during World War I, with Edmund Blackadder as a captain in the British army whose company is trapped in one of the trenches that gave everyone in Europe such a distaste for warfare between the two world wars. Blackadder's aim in this season is to stay alive by staying in that trench until the war ends. His stunts include shooting a carrier pigeon when it arrives with orders to advance, and joining the Royal Flying Corp "the twenty minuters". Unfortunately, the name comes from how long they are expected to live once in the air, not how much time they work each day, as Blackadder had originally thought.

This show has several interesting plot devices. First, most of the main characters show up in different periods of time with the same name but different roles. Hugh Laurie is always "George", Tony Robinson is always "Baldrick", Stephen Fry is always "Melchett", and Tim McInnerny is always "Percy". Since each season was shot in alternate years (1983, 1985, 1987, 1989) the cast must have been having a terrific time in order for them to be regathered after such long intervals in order to make filming this series possible. Secondly, everyone in the cast, including the Black Adder, always dies in the final episode of each season. It is somewhat like the South Park stunt of Kenny being killed at the end of every show only to reappear in the next episode as though nothing had happened.

Do note that there are only six episodes per season. If you liked "Red Dwarf" or "Fawlty Towers", you'll probably like this series too.

As for extra features, disc five contains the specials. The Cavalier Years has Stephen Fry as King Charles and Warren Clarke as Oliver Cromwell. There is also Blackadder's Christmas Carol and Back and Forth. Christmas Carol is pretty funny, but I've never cared for Back and Forth.

Disc six contains the documentary Blackadder Rides Again, a 90-minute special with the behind-the-scenes rehearsal footage from the fourth season included. There's also a look back at the costumes used in Costumes Revisited, along with extended interviews and audio commentaries with the key actors. As for the audio commentaries, Rowan Atkinson, Stephen Fry, Ben Elton, Richard Curtis, Tony Robinson, Tim McInnerny and producer John Lloyd have all contributed to these.

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This collection has all of the episodes of the Black Adder series, with Rowan Atkinson at his best. The price of this collection is lower than that of other Black Adder collections, but the video is superior and this has EVERYTHING the Black Adder fan will appreciate.

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Here is a run down on each series:

THE BLACKADDER

It's a long time since I saw the first series of Blackadder, which I remembered as being somewhat dull compared to subsequent ones. On re-watching, however, it proved to be funnier than I expected. The best episode is probably 'The Queen of Spain's Beard', which deals with Blackadder's attempts to get out of marrying an extremely ugly Spanish princess. Worth mentioning is Brain Blessed, who is hilarious as the fictional King Richard IV.

'The Blackadder' has surprisingly high production values and special effects compared to later series. Another key difference is Blackadder himself, who is far less intelligent than his descendants. Baldrick, on the other hand, is more intelligent...indeed he is almost normal! One of the best things about watching the series' sequentially is seeing the lead character's cunning and sarcasm develop, just as his social status goes down from Prince to Captain.

While still the least effective of Blackadder's various incarnations, this opening series is definitely worth watching, and if you are new to Blackadder you should probably watch it first, as it sets the scene for much of what follows.

BLACKADDER II

In this second series Edmund Blackadder really came into his own as a character. Instead of the rather snivelling Edmund of the first series, we are presented with the amoral, selfish and cynical (but brilliantly witty) Blackadder we all know and love. Baldrick, who was almost intelligent in the first series, now reveals himself as a turnip-obsessed dimwit who would become even stupider as time went on.

The most memorable thing about 'Blackadder 2', however, is Miranda Richardson, who is unforgettable as the psychotic Queen ("Oh Edmund, I love it when you get angry...sometimes I think about having you executed, just to see the look on your face..."). Patsy Byrne is great as the Queen's old nurse ("A sad old woman with an udder fixation," as Edmund calls her), and Stephen Fry is on top form as Lord Melchitt, a man as Machiavellian and calculating as Blackadder, but with less self esteem.

There are some great cameos, too, notably from Tom 'Dr. Who' Baker as a demented sea captain, and Rik Mayall as the womanising Lord Flashheart (he would reprise this role to even greater effect in the fourth series).

Probably the funniest episode is 'Beer', when Blackadder's fanatical puritan relatives the Whiteadders come round for tea, but Blackadder forgets he had also arranged a debauched drinking session for the same night. He then has to keep the two events running concurrently without the Whiteadders suspecting what is going on, which leads to hilarity as he tries to come up with explanations for the drunken roars emerging from the next room.

Another great episode is 'Head', where Blackadder is made Lord High Executioner, but then changes the execution schedule to give himself half a week off. This leads to the premature execution of a nobleman, whose wife then gains permission from the Queen to visit him. Blackadder and his companions must try and impersonate the dead man, somehow keeping up the pretence that he is alive.

Other good episodes include 'Chains', where Blackadder and Melchitt are taken hostage by a crazed German, and 'Money' where Blackadder is pursued by the baby-eating Bishop of Bath and Wells to collect a debt he owes to the Black Monks.

BLACKADDER III

In this series Blackadder has declined in status since the Elizabethan days of series two and is now a mere butler to the Prince Regent (during the French Revolution/Napoleonic era). 'Blackadder 3' is worth watching just for Hugh Laurie's hilarious performance as the air-headed Prince George (he would also appear as the equally air-headed Lieutenant George in series four).

Perhaps the funniest episode is 'Duel and Duality', in which the Prince and Blackadder swap roles, and the highly aggressive Duke of Wellington (Stephen Fry) proceeds to beat the Prince senseless for talking back to his betters. Those who like sadistic slapstick comedy in the British tradition will find this is up there with Basil Fawlty's treatment of Manuel in 'Fawlty Towers'.

Another standout episode is 'Ink and Incapability' where Robbie Coltrane guest stars as Samuel Johnson (who anachronistically is also friends with Byron, Shelley and Coleridge). When Baldrick admits he threw the only copy of Johnson's 'Dictionary' on the fire, Blackadder must rewrite the whole thing from scratch.

'Dish and Dishonesty' is another really funny one, concerning Blackadder's attempts to influence the outcome of a British election, in order to defeat Pitt the Younger (and his brother Pitt the Even Younger). Unfortunately Baldrick spends all the bribe money on a gigantic turnip.

'Blackadder 3' is one of the best Blackadder seasons, and is almost on a par with the superlative fourth series. Hours of laughter guaranteed.

BLACKADDER GOES FORTH

This is the last and greatest series of a brilliant British comedy. Set in the trenches of World War One, it features everything that made the first three seasons so great, but refines things to a new level of hilarity.

Nearly all the regular actors from earlier seasons crop up. Besides the obvious Blackadder (now a Captain), and Baldrick (a private) Melchett reappears as a General, and Tim McInnery who played Percy in the second series crops up as the obnoxious Captain Darling. Hugh Laurie reprises his role as the dimwitted George (now a Lieutenant) and is even funnier than in series three. Miranda Richardson plays a nurse, and even Rik Mayall makes a hilarious comeback as conceited fighter ace Lord Flashheart (with Adrian Edmundson playing his rival the Red Baron).

All the episodes are good, with standouts being 'Corporal Punishment', where Blackadder is court-martialled for shooting General Melchett's favourite pidgeon; 'Major Star', where George is convinced to go drag as the 'leading lady' in a variety show, which presents problems when the General develops a crush on him/her; and Private Plane, where the aforementioned Rik Mayall appears as the outrageous Lord Flashheart.

The final episode 'Goodbyeee' goes beyond comedy in its ending, giving a poignant reminder of the utter waste of World War One, a fratricidal conflict that should never have happened. Blackadder's character has developed to the point that, even though he is a selfish prick, we feel genuinely sorry for him when he is ordered 'over the top' by the bureaucrats in charge of the war.

'Blackadder Goes Forth' is the perfect ending to a classic comedy, which far from making fun of British and European history, actually pays tribute to it, and in a most entertaining way.

BLACKADDER'S CHRISTMAS CAROL

'Blackadder's Christmas Carol' is a one off special, and not really up there with the four series proper. It does have an interesting premise, though. Ebenezer Blackadder undergoes a reverse transformation to that of Ebenezer Scrooge in the Dickens story 'A Christmas Carol'. Blackadder, the nicest man in England, is so nice that everyone takes advantage of him. Then he is visited by the Spirit of Christmas (Robbie Coltrane), who shows him what lies in store for his descendents if they continue to be nice. As a result, Blackadder becomes a sarcastic rogue like his ancestors. Unfortunately for him, this leads to the loss of a peerage and a large sum of money. So maybe the 'moral' is: don't be too nice, but don't be too bad either!

THE CAVALIER YEARS

This is a 15 minute sketch filmed for charity, and is comparable in quality to series two and three. Amusingly, Stephen Fry plays King Charles I as a send-up of the modern day Prince Charles.

BLACKADDER: BACK AND FORTH

As the title implies, this special (sometimes referred to as 'Blackadder 5') involves a great deal of time travel, as a contemporary Edmund tries to impress his friends by building a time machine and bringing back historical artifacts, but also causes a few unfortunate changes to history in the process. It features most of the Blackadder regulars like Tim McInnery, Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry and Miranda Richardson. Rik Mayall also reprises his Lord Flashheart role, this time as Robin Hood. Amusing in parts, but not as good as classic Blackadder.

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This review is in reference to Black Adder Remastered: The Ultimate Edition

Most people here are probably already aficionados of the show. I love it for its intelligence, clever lines, and history (as well as the puns and bad jokes), and the fact that it shares aspects in common with a really good play.

I agonized for months over whether to "duplicate" my purchase of the previous boxed set with this one. When it went on sale again, I finally took a chance and bought it and in my case am quite glad I did! I already knew I loved the material, and I read the general opinion that the remastering was good but not necessarily good enough to buy the set. It turns out to be a pretty high quality box set, both in "build quality" (if you will) and content.

The set comes in a comparatively solid outer box (pictured on the product page), into which the disc set slides like a book. The discs themselves are in a "booklet" of thin but sturdy plastic disc holders (which securely hold the discs but the discs are not too difficult to get out) and "bound" in a nice cardboard cover with an etching-like picture covering Edmund through series I to IV. The outer cover folds out into "Baldrick's Family Tree" which contains "Primeval Soup," "Worms," "Viagra," and the like, and a lot of "Baldricks." The discs also look nice and are clearly labeled with their contents. After having purchased some quality shows with really flimsy disc packaging, this was a nice surprise.

But the real treat is the new content. These are the extras labeled on the respective discs; and most of the discs have extras.

Disc One: The Black Adder [ no extras listed ]

Disc Two: Blackadder II, Audio Commentaries on Bells, Money, and Chains

...(Bells: Ben Elton, Richard Curtis, and John Lloyd)

...(Money: Tony Robinson and Tim McInerny)

...(Chains: Stephen Fry)

Disc Three: Blackadder the Third, Audio Commentaries on Ink & Incapability, Amy & Amiability, Duel & Duality

...(Ink & Incapability: Rowan Atkinson and John Lloyd)

...(Amy & Amiability: Ben Elton, Richard Curtis, and John Lloyd)

...(Duel & Duality: Stephen Fry)

Disc Four: Blackadder Goes Forth, Audio Commentaries on Major Star and Goodbyeee

...(Major Star: Tony Robinson and Tim McInerny)

...(Goodbyeee: Rowan Atkinson and John Lloyd)

Disc Five:

...Blackadder's Christmas Carol

...Blackadder The Cavalier Years

...Blackadder Back and Forth

...Baldrick's Video Diary

Disc Six

...Blackadder Rides Again

...Exclusive Extended Interviews & Costumes Revisited

EDIT:

I am working my way through the set; and I have to say I am very glad to have it. It might be just because I have old equipment, but the remasters look a lot better than the previous edition on my setup. I love having the book format instead of the fold-out; it's easier to find the disc I am interested in and get it out. I love the commentaries so far (have just listened to series 2 and commentaries). For some reason they didn't do any commentaries on series 1, which I found a big disappointment. As it wasn't one of my favourite series, I was really interested in what they thought about it, and what it was like making it. I enjoyed the commentaries for series 2, although for some reason when they mixed "Money" with Tony Robinson and Tim McInerny, they mixed the episode full-volume and you couldn't hear them half of the time, so that was disappointing. I still love the set and am quite glad I got it.

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With many fans disappointed following the release of the third "Star Trek" film in 1984, "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock", Paramount Pictures produced one of the best "Star Trek" films of all time in 1986: "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home". Returning to the director's chair for what was only his second directorship of a big-screen motion picture was Leonard Nimoy, but this time, Nimoy had much better material to work with from the films many writers. Nimoy (who actually took on-screen credit for writing) worked with returning writer Harve Bennett to write a brilliant story, and Bennett worked on the screenplay along with three additional writers: Steve Meerson, Peter Krikes and Nicholas Meyer (who directed the highly successful "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn" in 1982). Under the watchful eye of Gene Roddenberry, these men were able to recapture the spirit of the original "Star Trek" television series more than any other preceding or proceeding "Star Trek" film.

Having restored Spock's (Leonard Nimoy) life via the Genesis planet and a return to the planet Vulcan during the third film, the crew of the lost U.S.S. Enterprise now waits on Vulcan for repairs on their captured Klingon scout-class ship, as well as for Spock to retrain his mind, before returning to Earth to face various charges for having disobeyed orders. The crew includes Admiral James T. Kirk (William Shatner), Dr. Leonard 'Bones' McCoy (DeForest Kelley), Commander Montgomery 'Scotty' Scott (James Doohan), Commader Hikaru Sulu (George Takei), Commander Pavel Chekov (Walter Koenig) and Commander Uhura (Nichelle Nichols). The Klingons are also very angry with Kirk as expressed by the Klingon Ambassador (John Schuck) to the Federation President (Robert Ellenstein) in front of the full Federation Council, but the cool logic of Vulcan Ambassador Sarek (Mark Lenard) prevails. While on Vulcan, Spock gets to spend time with his human mother, Amanda (Jane Wyatt, who once played his mother in the 1967 "Star Trek" television series episode "Journey to Babel"). Also, a brief appearance is made by Lt. Saavic (Robin Curtis), who unfortunately never returns in any other "Star Trek" film. With their Klingon ship ready for departure, Spock and his Enterprise shipmates begin their voyage to Earth; but unknown to them, a bizarre space probe also en route for Earth has been wreaking havoc on any ship that approaches it. Arriving at Earth first, the probe turns Earth's atmosphere into chaos as it waits for a signal that the Federation cannot discern. Receiving a planetary distress call from Earth, Spock identifies what the probe wants: communication with long extinct whales. To save Earth, Kirk makes the decision for them to travel back in time to bring back whales to the present.

"Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home" has more memorable scenes than could be mentioned here, but some of the best include: McCoy's conversations with Spock, the crew on the streets of twentieth-century San Francisco, Uhura and Chekov looking for nuclear vessels, McCoy and Scotty visiting the production facility, Kirk & Spock on a city bus, Kirk & Spock's conversations with Dr. Gillian Taylor (Catherine Hicks), Kirk's dinner with Gillian, and McCoy with Kirk & Gillian at the city hospital. Everyone's acting (including Shatner) was very good for this film, but what makes this film stand out from the rest is the emphasis on all of the original crew members. Each of the crew members have time on screen, contribute to the story and have a reasonable amount of dialog. Other familiar "Star Trek" characters have cameos in the film: Dr. Christine Chapel (Majel Barrett) and Janice Rand (Grace Lee Whitney). Another cast member in this film who later plays a pivotal role in the sixth "Star Trek" film is Admiral Cartwright (Brock Peters).

Overall, my rating of for "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home" is a resounding 5 out of 5 stars. This film, along with the 1982 film "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn" and the later 1996 film "Star Trek VIII: First Contact", are the three best films ever made of the franchise; but this film will always stand out as being the most humorous, having the best & most memorable dialog and having the greatest spirit of the three. I highly recommend it to everyone who, in any form, has liked "Star Trek".

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Star Trek IV The Voyage Home, in my opinion, is clearly one of the best out of the TOS six. Although not as high in the suspense aspect, like Leonard Nimoy says, it was good to lighten up a bit and have a good time with Star Trek. While other reviewers might feel the humurous aspects of this film wearout after repeated viewings. I understand that statement, but don't feel the same. I can still get a laugh out of these scenes even though I've seen them more times than I can remember. I especially love the scene with Scotty being handed a mouse and him trying to talk to it. Again, one of the best Star Trek films out of the original six. If you're one of the few people who've not seen this or are new to the genre, I definitely suggest you add this DVD to your collection.

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Who cares if it's the best Trek movie or not? If you've been watching the special features on the past three special edition DVDs, you know that the best part of them is Shatner's comments on the movies. He's a nutbar and immensely entertaining because of it. I can't wait to hear him on a commentary track for the whole movie. That's why I'm going to buy this thing. And that's why I can't wait for the special edition of the next one (IT'S THE ONE HE DIRECTED HIMSELF!!!). This is a must own for anyone with a morbid sense of humor and curiosity.

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I was completely astounded by the quality of this DVD. This is the first time Paramount has used a dual-layered disc for the "Star Trek" films. The quality is 2 times better than the other Trek DVDs because they use 2 times the data. It's unfortunate that Paramount didn't have the foresight to use dual layered discs for their other Trek DVDs. Popping this DVD in the player was like watching the movie for the first time. The sound quality and picture quality is absolutely flawless. The quality of the transfer is remarkable. I've been use to watching the film on fuzzy VHS and poor quality broadcasts, so this was an exciting discovery for me. I can't wait for the ST III to come out on DVD, I'm sure the film quality will also be a big improvement. Go buy this DVD, you haven't seen this film until you buy it.

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Star Trek IV Review

With the success of Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, writer-producer Harve Bennett and director Leonard Nimoy were given the green light by Paramount to wrap up the storyline that began with Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. There were several plot strands left to tie up, after all, what with Spock having to be re-educated and Kirk and his crew facing a court-martial for the actions they took in the rescue of their half-Vulcan comrade.

Set barely three months after the events of the third film, Star Trek IV opens with a mysterious alien probe cruising toward the Terran system. Its passage immobilizes any starship it passes as it inexorably makes its way to Earth.

Meanwhile, on Vulcan, Spock (Leonard Nimoy) hurriedly undergoes retraining of his mind. In a wonderfully written scene, the former Enterprise science officer breezes through the quizzes a computer tosses at him until he is stumped by the question "How do you feel?"

Spock's human mother, Amanda (Jane Wyatt, reprising her role from The Original Series' "Journey to Babel") hears the computer repeating the question over and over and sidles over to her son. "What's wrong?"

"I do not understand the question, Mother," says a puzzled Spock.

Amanda explains that the retraining of Spock's mind has been in the Vulcan way, but that the computer knows that Spock is half-human, and that his feelings will surface. Spock is skeptical about the concept of having human emotions (since in the series he strived to be more Vulcan-than-thou), but his mother explains that he is alive at that moment because his friends acted out of their emotional nature, disregarding the "logic" of simply obeying Starfleet orders and refraining from fetching Spock from the Genesis planet.

On Earth, the Klingon ambassador (John Schuck) warns the Federation that there will be no peace while Kirk remains alive and unpunished for stealing the Klingon Bird-of-Prey and defeating its crew (preventing Cmdr. Kruge from obtaining the secrets of Genesis). The Federation president promises there will be a court martial, but the Klingons scoff at this.

Even as the Enterprise crew aboard their stolen Klingon vessel races home to face the consequences of their actions, the alien probe arrives. Sending a signal to Earth's ocean, it disrupts the planet's climate, causing chaos and world-wide disasters.

The Voyage Home had a tortuous development. At first, the original screenplay by Peter Krikes and Steve Meerson focused on a time travel story tailor-made for guest star Eddie Murphy. Fans heard about this and as with the death of Spock and the destruction of the Enterprise protested. Paramount also resisted the idea of mixing two of the studio's franchises, so Murphy and Star Trek never did mix. There was also some nasty behind-the-scenes wrangling about the screenplay, because the Krikes-Meerson version was heavily rewritten by Nicholas Meyer and Harve Bennett an incident overlooked in the documentaries and commentaries. Eventually the original writers won shared credit for the screenplay, and The Voyage Home was released in the summer of 1986. Notably, this more light-hearted film had major crossover appeal, charming not only Star Trek fans, but also wider audiences.

With its clever script and wonderful mix of sci-fi adventure, social commentary, comedy, romance, and drama, Star Trek IV became the most popular entry of the 10 movies made between 1979 and 2002.

This Collector's Edition offers one disc with the theatrical cut of the movie, enhanced with a new menu, Dolby surround sound, a commentary track by director Leonard Nimoy and actor William Shatner, plus a text commentary by Star Trek Encyclopedia authors Mike and Denise Okuda. The second disc comes with the usual documentaries, interviews, and the theatrical trailer.

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This two Disk DVD Set is extraordinary. The Picture and Sound quality are so very good that you feel as though you are watching it in a theater. Because it's a widescreen picture the closed captioning doesn't interfere with the picture. It's jam packed with all sorts of extra bonus special features. Everything you ever wanted to know about First Contact and weren't afraid to be told. Let's not forget what a wonderful job Jonathan Frakes did directing. He truly proved himself a more than qualified director for feature films. We all know what a great job he did behind the cameras on the T.V. show. My boyfriend and I watched it together and he was really impressed. He asked me how much it cost. When I told him how inexpensive it was he bought two copies. One for a gift to another Treky fan. I highly recommend this two disk set and suggest you buy it right away before they run out. If you're not satisfied with it, I'll pay you for it. That's how much confidence I have that you'll absolutely LOVE it. Believe me when I tell you this is one purchase that you will never regret. ORDER NOW!!! In response to your comment first of all thank you for reading my review and please feel free to check them all out. You are correct I didn't leave enough information on my personal feelings. I thought the film was terrific. It lived up to the quality that we are used to getting when we see anything that starts out with the heading Star Trek. The storyline was very entertaining, it was as usual well acted, written, directed, great effects. I agree I could have done a better job on the body of the review itself. I'm busy writing another review as we speak. Thank you for taking the time to read my comments and I will strive to do better in the future!

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I'm not going to review the movie itself as it's clearly been out long enough I'm just going to give a quick review for those curious as to the bluray transfer. I picked up the disc yesterday and watched it last night. The quality of this bluray disc is stunning! The clarity is top quality and the color vibrance is amazing, without looking fake or hyped. I didn't notice any unusual artifacts like edge enhancement nor any noise reduction I watched it on my 52" Samsung LCD but didn't get right up at the screen to examine for these things. But from where I was sitting it looked flawless. The sound is also fanstic and what I noticed the most is that the movie doesn't suffer from the irritating dramatic volume changes. Yes, during action scenes things get louder as they normally should but it wasn't so much that I had to ride the volume control, which is hugely irritating and becoming more common in today's new releases. If you still don't get what I mean I'm referring to the dialog being much lower in volume to the tremendously loud action scenes. Anyhow, this disc doesn't suffer from that, yet there is still a good amount of bass to put you into the feel of the action scenes.

I highly recommend this disc!

*EDIT forgot to mention there are several extras listed on the back of the box and all of them are listed as being in HD as well. Being that I don't have the case in front of me though I can't list the extra's titles.

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Even though Star Trek: Generations was a good first entry in The Next Generation era of feature films, it wasn't until Rick Berman, Ronald D. Moore and Brannon Braga wrote Star Trek: First Contact's story and screenplay that Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) and his crew proved that they could carry a Trek film without help from The Original Series' cast.

It also helped that the film was more action-oriented than Star Trek VII. Sure, the last battle of the NCC-1701 D was impressive and the brief meeting of Captains James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and Picard did provide Trek fans with some exciting and moving moments, but what fans really wanted was a muscular...action movie with a mission (and antagonists) worthy of the Next Generation crew and the new, top-of-the line Enterprise E.

Star Trek: First Contact brings back the Borg, a race of half-organic, half cybernetic beings whose goal is to destroy other races by assimilating their technology and transforming the survivors by injecting microscopic nanoprobes that turn humans, Vulcans, El-Aurians -anyone, really -into unfeeling, relentless drones. As fans of the 1987-1994 syndicated series know, Capt. Picard was once captured by the Borg and transformed into Locutus, a Borg strategist/spokesdrone whose intimate knowledge of Starfleet technology,its tactics and its officers nearly spelled certain defeat for the Federation at the Battle of Wolf 359.

Now, several years later, the Borg are back and meaner than ever. Having been thwarted more than once in the 24th Century by Picard and his crew, the Borg Queen (Alice Krige) leads a single-cubeship invasion force into Federation space, hoping to defeat the Federation by either conquering Earth in a battle against Starfleet...or tinkering with the timeline and going back to the 21st Century to prevent humanity's first contact with another spacefaring race.

Actor Jonathan Frakes (Cmdr. Will Riker) makes his feature film directing debut in this eighth installment of the Star Trek movie series, and although he would only direct the weaker Star Trek: Insurrection, he does a great job at helming a very high-octane action flick that involves time travel, space battles, a strong Picard/Data storyline and elements from The Original Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and the then-still new Voyager.

Guest stars James Cromwell (The Sum of All Fears, Babe) and Alfre Woodward join the cast of TNG as warp-drive inventor Zefram Cochrane and his friend and assistant Lily, who add a certain mixture of edginess and wit to the film. Cromwell fares particularly well as Cochrane, a character first seen in The Original Series episode Metamorphosis. While Cromwell doesn't remotely look like the then-30 or 40-something Glen Corbett, he portrays the legendary "father of warp drive" as a very human and flawed genius -he is cranky, cynical and drinks way too much -who is bemused by the hero-worship he receives from the Enterprise crew. He also gets some of the best lines. (My favorite: "You're astronauts...on some kind of star trek?")

Also contributing to the excitement is Jerry Goldsmith's score, a mixture of a lovely new main theme and such familiar touchstones as Alexander Courage's fanfare for the Original Series theme and Goldsmith's own "Main Theme" for Star Trek's first feature film (and later adapted as The Next Generation's main title).

Although First Contact does require some familiarity with the Star Trek universe and its history, it's clearly among the best of the 10 in the series.

Honest reviews on Star Trek VIII: First Contact (Remastered) (2010)

While "Star Trek: First Contact" rewrites too much of the original TV series' history--a debilitating addiction the current production people can't seem to shake--it delivers a rollicking adventure that is more in keeping with Captain Kirk's episodes than any other "TNG" film. That's really good because on TV, talky Captain Picard and crew often seemed better suited for Monday morning board meetings than the intergalactic perils of space opera. In this one, a race of cybernauts called the Borg decide to revise Earth history by stopping the first human excursion with warp drive. Picard and crew follow the aliens back in time, meeting with a cynical, drunken inventor (a laconic James Cromwell) who revises their assessment of his place in history. Unlike the other TNG films, this one's plotted more like a film than a TV show, meaning that the pace is less likely to put you to sleep, even if Star Trek still can't quite escape cornball humor or pure cheese. (How many times does Data have to discover his humanity or Worf be told he's a warrior worthy of respect? Why do characters rely so often on a pregnant pause and one last line before exiting? Just how much technobabble can we really take?) The regular cast is as good as it's always been--which is to say, adequate--but Alice Krige stands out as the creepily sexy Borg queen and though she's frequently bug-eyed with excitement, Alfre Woodard deserves more screen time as Picard's potential love interest. The real stars here, though, are Jonathan Frakes as director, who seems to actually understand and respect the material he's working with, and Jerry Goldsmith, whose score is among the better in the series. When the humans meet up with a surprise alien race at the end, the moment might actually give you goosebumps.

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But this--this movie turned me from being a casual Trek fan into a huge Trek fan. I saw this movie in the local theater at a formative age, and I remeber being amazed not only by the remarkable visual effects and perfect dramatic pace, but also by the intelligent story and rich character study. It has been noted that Star Trek movies can often turn into long episodes you have to pay to watch, but this movie certainly can't be accused of that--it's bold, daring, and exciting, not to mention nearly perfect. Nearly--there are a few minor logical flaws in the plot, but this movie truly is space opera, and as with most opera, you have to suspend your disbelief a little.

The movie revolves around Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) battling the Borg physically and psychologically. After foiling a Borg plot to assimilate Earth, the Borg go back in time to stop a pivotal moment in Earth's history from occurring, thus making Humanity an easy target. So, it's up to the Enterprise crew to a) get history back on track and b) defeat the Borg. It could easily have been standard-issue thriller material, but it is intelligently handled, emphasizing the characters rather than the action. We see Picard go from the stoic renaissance man to revenge-obsessed Ahab, and Data from loyal officer to Sampson (with the terrific Alice Krige supplying the Delilah as the sensual Borg Queen). The planet-side sequences have their moments, too, but like all the Next Generation movies, this is the Picard and Data show, and for good reason--the actors' obvious talent at making characters they had played for near a decade come up with new facets to explore. It's certainly a trip.

Of all the Next Generation movies (heck, all the Trek movies, excepting Wrath of Khan), this movie is the most evenly paced and best plotted. Considering that this movie underwent half a dozen different shifts in what it was meant to be about--at one point it was going to take place in the middle ages and be called Star Trek: Renaissance--it's a testament to the actors and writers that the material never gets away from them--a temptation that proved all too powerful in the next installment (Insurrection). On the technical side, the direction from Jonathan Frakes (a.k.a. Commander Riker) is superlative--he manages to draw out Patrick Stewart's most complex performance as Picard, and the lighting, camerawork, and sound are all impeccable. The special effects, of course, are still impressive a decade later, thanks to George Lucas' Industrial Light and Magic studios (this was the last Star Trek film they did). The Enterprise-E looks fabulous, and thankfully, there are no trips to Bronson Canyon in this movie (why do all the deserts in the Star Trek series look similar? Well...). Although it doesn't quite beat out the slightly more literate and philosophically dense Wrath of Khan for the title of Best Star Trek Movie, it finishes a solid second in my book. If you only buy one Star Trek movie, buy Wrath of Khan. But if you buy two, buy this one in addition to Wrath of Khan. You'll be really glad you did.