Cheap Lucky Star, Vol. 1 Limited Edition (2008)

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This is by far, one of the best "limited" deals for one of the best anime series, ever. The T-Shirt is XL, and I'm going to wear it to work tomorrow. I expect odd looks, considering I'm a guy hahaha! The screen wipe (chocolate coronet) is just adorable there's no way I'd have the heart to get it dirty from my screen. The music cd's are good The opening song is full length, accompanied by another song which is just as enjoyable (also includes off-vocal versions). The second music cd is based off Konata it's an enjoyable listen. For the dvd, Japanese vocal is preserved (with English subtitles!), and the English voice track...well I don't think I could watch it because I'm used to the Japanese vocals. So yes, the entire package is a definate 5 *'s.

For the anime itself, you'll either love it or hate it. I recommend watching "The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi", as this anime makes "several" references to it. Lucky Star also references Japanese life and culture, so it may be difficult to make many connections, but fortunately, included with the DVD is a list of what things mean in Japanese culture! Good job on this one.

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Lucky Star is a unique delight in anime. Where most series follow the standard trend of every other show in existence of following a long, strung-out and sometimes convoluted plotline, Lucky Star subscribes to the K.I.S.S. method, or more appropriately, the Seinfeld approach. Essentially, it's an anime about nothing.

Following the lives of four Japanese teenage girls (Yes, they're all 17-ish despite their prepubescent look), Lucky Star keeps things high-paced with short segments strung together in each episode, usually focused around the four girls talking about aspects of their lives, their dreams, their questions and thoughts, or just overall goofing around. It never really follows any sort of singular plotline or progression, save for the movement of the year, but the dialogue and antics of the characters keep you fascinated, and the pacing and timing remains high, making sure that you don't get bored.

The majority of the series' laughs come in the form of references and jabs to anime, gaming and the resultant cultures, but there's something here for everyone regardless of their level of anime fandom. In Lucky Star, we get an honest and adorable glimpse into the lives and thoughts of young girls growing up in Japan, and all at once the viewer gains insight as well as finds similarities. Before long, you'll wonder who you are and who amongst your circle of friends fits the mold of the show's characters. Each episode wraps up with Lucky Channel, featuring the antics of fallen diva Akira and her assistant-cum-punching bag Shiraishi, which almost always provides side-splitting moments.

Huge kudos has to go to the localization team and English vocal talent, who retain the charm and cute level of the characters they voice, though many will still proclaim that the Japanese cast cannot be touched. Better still, the references to Japanese culture and lifestyles remain intact--a brave and wise move by Bandai Entertainment. They could have easily gone the 4Kids route and attempt to re-mold the series to better suit American trends and tastes, but here all things are left intact, preserving the colorful and insightful nature of the show.

Even if you're a passing fan of anime, you owe it to yourself to check out Lucky Star. It's funny, it's whimsical, it's fascinating, and it's all around plain unchecked fun. Everyone could use a dose of kawaii now and then.

Best Deals for Lucky Star, Vol. 1 Limited Edition (2008)

When I first laid eyes on Lucky Star, I really had no idea what I was watching. From the obscure yet (amazing!) opening theme, questions will rise to the head very quickly as you try to assume what this series is made of. Of course, as I watched Lucky Star, I grew more and more into it, and so first impressions affected me no longer. Set to the everyday lives of four Highschool girls, Lucky Star is a comedy anime which questions the aspects of everything. Each episode is composed of multiple short scenes (like Peanuts or Garfield) in which they talk about or refer to specific subjects (commonly refering to pop culture), and many times you find that you can relate to what they are talking about, this is why I enjoyed it so much. There are tons of referances to other anime and videogames, and this is why I assume it gained popularity so quickly as it was dubbed the most popular anime of 2007 in Japan.

However, I can foresee that the English version might not appeal to as many viewers, probably because many of the jokes and subjects that are popular in Lucky Star pertain to the Japanese culture. Of course this doesn't mean that casual anime fans will dislike the show, as I know people who do not even watch anime who loved the show. Yet, I believe very few people know what it is so far, and so its possible only the huge anime fans will know it even exists. I've heard that the English voice cast was good, and I look forward to discovering exactly how good they are. I was incredibly pleased with the Japanese cast, as Hirano Aya did a flawless job on Konata Izumi, the main character.

I also hear that the manga is coming to America; under Tokyo Pop. This I really look forward to, as the manga was done in 4-panel comic strips throughout each volume, and has the same comedy from the show, if not better. Keep a lookout for it!

All in all, I believe that people who find the series will enjoy it, Lucky Star kind of has something for everyone. However, I will admit that the first episode can be a bad first impression, and in my opinion I found that after that episode, the series escalates into a great show. The characters are designed well, the humor is fresh, the animation is well done, and despite american appeal, I believe it has surprises in store for any anime fan. 5/5

Honest reviews on Lucky Star, Vol. 1 Limited Edition (2008)

The best review is one that tells you exactly what you're getting:

I was quite surprised at just how well made physically the items i the set are. The box itself has a lip so the DVD's don't fall out (as in i can literally hold it upside down with the one disc it it and nothing will move.) as well as coming with a ribbon to pull them out if it proves troublesome, and art EVERYWHERE, even inside the box. The CD's are excellent, with lyrics in the insert and nice art. the coronet screenwipe is interesting, and a nice complementary novelty. The shirt is nice, good quality (though if i ever wore it in public i'd be called MANY things.) The DVD case is a special edition (which means it has alternate artwork) that is pretty cool, and comes with liner notes as said above so you can fully understand all of the humor. The show itself, is as said before, love it or hate it, but if you're buying the disc, you like it.

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If you've ever called yourself an otaku, this series is for you. If you've ever scheduled your life so that you could watch an anime, this series is for you. If you've ever gone without sleep at work or school because you were just too wrapped up in a new series or manga to sleep, this series is for you. If cosplay is a passion and conventions are your idea of a vacation, this series is for you. If you are one of the few, the proud, the geeky... this series is for you.

Not everyone is going to get this series; those who do are going to know exactly why. This has the makings of the next great otaku comedy. Highly recommended.

Best Amateur Porn Star Killer (2006) Deals

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What can I say about this film but it was differnt than anything I ever seen. If your looking for that realistic film with that home movie feel this is it. Its not your typical film its more like a snuff film or what one would be. Don't expect over top film making here but a creepy realistic type home video. Its the kind of movie that makes you feel kind of bad for watcing it. Its not very long and it really has one direction and thats the torure and death of this girl. If your looking for something shocking and diffrent this is it. It has some other very strange shorts on this DVD that might peek your interest also. I have to say this one needs to be seen at least once.

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Amateur Porn Star Killer is a sorry excuse for a film.

Don't be fooled by the professional artwork or the lame exploitation title, intended to attract the emotionally subnormal and cash in on a particular subgenre of Horror cinema; a title that makes no sense and certainly doesn't really say anything about the film itself. Don't be fooled by the cheesy film-look filters applied over poorly lit and staged serial killer footage supposedly deliberately shot in a headache inducing `amateur camcorder user' style although why anyone would go to the trouble of documenting their crimes in such a poor fashion and then trying to fake it as film I'll never know! `Experimental' (or inept you decide....) sound and muddy dialogue and atrocious acting / staging. If you buy this you're in for a tedious viewing experience.

The plot if you can call it that is simple. It's about a wannabe Ted Bundy armed with a camera, called Brandon (Shane Ryan), who brings an underage girl, named Stacey (Michiko Jimenez), back to his apartment, bores her with his shoddy camera antics, before having sex with her and beating her to death. Most of the action is deliberately poorly framed or happens off camera. It is technically without inspiration and is lacking in any redeeming quality.

Fans of this Guinea Pig style snuff-esque footage may get a kick out of it, but I have seen it done much better. This is completely uninspiring. The footage of sex acts could be real but who cares. It is pretty uninspiring stuff. The lack of any real dramatic narrative or characterisation makes it a completely unabsorbing experience. Dredging footage up of one girl to superimpose over another is a thinly veiled technique to try and liven up this turkey. Without any context being applied to the footage it means nothing.

The fact that the cast are mimicking realism and do not bother trying to speak properly or annunciate means that most of the dialogue is also uninteresting or unintelligible, frustratingly `improvisational' and commonplace, merely filling up gaps between events. The fact that the sound even goes in places is even worse. If that was deliberate, then it is bad judgement.

I am not familiar with this filmmakers work and after watching this and looking at his equally amateur website, nor do I ever want to. He revels in the controversy behind this film, but the only controversy I can see is that he has the arrogance to make a film that is unwatchable and call it entertainment and liken it to more famous and more accomplished works yet it doesn't deserve any of those comparisons. I am just amazed that it is even available on Amazon and others have voluntarily parted with their money for it!

The only thing that would have made this film interesting would be if it was real all along and was accompanied by a valid study of the perpetrator's psyche. Then it would be a criminally dirty little treasure for the disturbed types who seek out snuff or autopsy footage on the internet. But the fact that the sex is unclear or murky at best and the violence is off camera means that this film has no merit even for those deviants.

Half an hour of my life, lost forever! I only write this to warn others. I don't have an axe to grind per se; I just think it's not worth the money and it is films like this that convince outsiders that Horror is dead and the fans that love it have no intelligence. It is far from shocking and is merely 71 minutes of audio visual irritation. In fact the title is the only thing likely to shock when your mum sees it on your shelf when she comes around to visit.

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It took roughly three hours to shoot and has one of the lowest budgets ever of any film that's been nationally distributed. But neither stops underground filmmaker Shane Ryan's "Amateur Porn Star Killer" from being one of the most disturbing and thought provoking films you will see on violence, sex and nudity.

Shot on miniDV for $45, "Amateur Porn Star Killer" is the story of a girl being preyed upon by a vicious predator. Playing on the illusion what you are watching is a real snuff film, the audience follows along as Brandon (played by Ryan) takes Stacy (Michiko Jimenez) to a hotel and proceeds to victimize her emotionally, physically and sexually, before ending her life.

Love it or hate it, you can't deny the power of Ryan's film. When PollyStaffle.com reviewed it in June 2006, it was called "mesmerizing and terrifying" and "downright painful to watch." It was also noted that the film is "so close to being a masterpiece that even though it repulses me I have to praise it." It later went on to win a Polished Apple award in the Second Annual Pollies for best use of sex/nudity because of the film's impact.

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Amateur Porn Star Killer (Shane Ryan, 2007)

The best thing about Amateur Porn Star Killer is watching its director and "star", Shane Ryan, absolutely destroying his career. Not that you can call guest appearances on such deathless TV shows as That's So Raven (possibly the worst show on television), Arrested Development, and The O.C. a "career". But it is what it is. Or was, until Amateur Porn Star Killer, made on an estimated budget (according to IMDB) of forty-five dollars(!) and seemingly successful enough that Ryan has helmed three(!) sequels in the intervening two years. Why is this? I have no idea.

Plot: a guy (Ryan) picks up a girl (Ryan regular Michiko Jimenez) and takes her back to his hotel room. This occurs after some unrelated scenes and a couple of title cards about snuff films, so you can guess that the outcome of this tete-a-tete will not be a happy one. What you don't expect is how intensely, incredibly, awe-inspiringly boring this supposed snuff film is going to be. The opening scenes and the description give us the idea that we're dealing with a serial killer, but this isn't a slasher film; this is, in real time, everything that happens between Brandon (the killer) and Stacey (the victim). Given two actors capable of handling the material, which is actually delivered in what might have been a surprisingly effective script (co-written by Ryan and Jimenez), this would have been riveting stuff. Two-person movies, done right, are wonderful--Closetland, My Dinner with Andre, etc. This is not one of them. Jimenez does have some real potential, as she manages to infuse Stacey with a healthy dose of nervousness. We always get a sense that Stacey is real. (I liked Jimenez so much in this, or would have had I liked the movie, I made the mistake of watching Ryan's short The Cold Heat, also included on the disc, to see more of Jimenez.) We never get that sense about Brandon, and there's no real reason to think that Stacey would have been taken in by this guy, about whom we never get even a hint of likability. (Ironically, the movie's tagline is "but he looked like a really nice guy." oops.) With the original plot point of the movie so flawed, it can only really go downwards from there, which is exactly what it does.

Warning: while, as I said before, you can pretty much tell what's coming from the first five minutes, the remainder of this review could be considered to contain spoilers, so if you're the kind of person who's surprised by the end of a Jodi Picoult novel, stop reading now.

The movie is seventy-one minutes long. Aside from the first five minutes or so, which consist of the stuff I talked about earlier, and the final fifteen, which consist of Brandon raping and murdering Stacey (and, again, this sort of thing can be absolutely gripping; witness Flower of Flesh and Blood), there's a long conversation. This might well have worked were there any chemistry between these characters, or were they able to achieve dramatic tension between them. As I said before, I had no problem with Jimenez' character in the first regard. Stacey is entirely believable. Brandon is the problem here. As for the second part, the fact that Brandon is so hard to believe in this movie makes it kind of a moot point, no matter how good Stacey may be. Since, however, neither aspect of the bulk of the movie works, the bulk of the movie doesn't work.

I'd love to see a remake of this with actors who could pull it off. Unfortunately, given the depravity of the subject matter, the chances of that happening are slim and none, especially in a culture where the PG-13 horror movie seems to be making a resurgence in popularity. So you're stuck with the finished product, which could have been so much better than it is. Worth renting on the cheap to catch what I hope is a rising star in Jimenez, but otherwise, don't waste your time. (half)

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ok so those other reviews of this movie are fake most likey writen by the director since he does have a lot of time on his hands.. maybe trying to find a different actress to have sexual contact with on camara and sell it to idiot's!! seriously how the hell can someone like this but hate a movie like DOOM GENERATION>?? are you smoking crack!!! how does anyone say this is orignal??? Movies like this make me want to shot people who give it a 5? your not so post to like this... its so post to be distrubing? I DON"T BUY THAT there is plenty of movies out there that YOur sopost to hate the killers. that are plenty distrubing.... someone please for the love of god give the people that gave this movie a 5 and give them a copy of NOWHERE or DOOM GENERATION !!!!

Cheap Star Wars: The Complete Saga (Episodes I-VI) (1977)

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This is a genuine review. One that I refused to write until I watched all 6 blu-ray movies (with my girlfriend -more on that later), all deleted scenes, listened to 8 of the 12 commentaries and sampled the other 4. In other words, this review is -unlike so many 1 star reviews written prior to the release of this collection that were based on rumors and the person doing the critique's imagination -REAL.

All changes and alterations will be noted, for better or for worse, so you can decide if this collection is for you. Also, for the alterations/changes, I'm adding THE GIRLFRIEND TEST (she likes the movies, but never "loved" them) and THE FANBOY TEST (I have seen all 3 sequels at least a hundred times and the prequels at least 15 times each). Now onto the reviews ...

PHANTOM MENACE Review:

I debated going in the order the series was filmed, but I've never watched them in chronological order so figured I'd take a chance. The Phantom Menace has went from a beloved Star Wars' film in most fanboy eyes ("Not as good as A New Hope and Empire, but better than Return of the Jedi" was the common refrain) to the most hated of the prequels. The movie definitely isn't all that it could be. It isn't even close. But it has the best lightsaber battle of the trilogy, an awesome opening sequence, and WAY less Jar Jar than you remember (it's just that he's so SHRILL whenever he appears). It's also the only Star Wars' prequel that FEELS like Star Wars. It has plenty of real sets and is structured much like the original 3.

The Movie Itself: 7 out of 10

PHANTOM MENACE Picture Quality:

The picture quality of The Phantom Menace is the worst of the bunch. It's filled with TONS of annoying Digital Noise Reduction (DNR) leading to a LOT of clayface. And even with that, the digital FX are still much sharper than the filmed shots of actors (this was the last Star Wars' film to actually be shot on film), which leads to the actors oftentimes looking out-of-focus or "blurred" when compared to their annoying digital counterparts. This one still needs a lot of work, and I'm sure that was what George intended -as he wants to sell us this set all over again in 7-10 years. In 3D.

Picture Quality: 6 out of 10 (still WAY better than the DVD)

PHANTOM MENACE Sound Quality:

The sound in the film is INCREDIBLE. It is some of the best surround sound ever produced on blu-ray. It genuinely sounds better than the the theatrical version. The Pod Race is, in my opinion, the best sounding segment of film ever put on a blu-ray disc.

Sound Quality: 10 out of 10

PHANTOM MENACE 2011 changes:

The horrible cross-eyed, stoned looking Yoda puppet has been changed to CG.

THE GIRLFRIEND TEST: Yes, she noticed. Yes, she liked it better.

THE FANBOY TEST: Yes, I noticed. Yes, I liked it better.

The HORRIBLE FX when Obi and Qui run away from the droid destroyers down the hall where you could see THROUGH them (Obi and Qui) is removed.

THE GIRLFRIEND TEST: No, she didn't notice. Yes, when compared to the DVD she liked it better.

THE FANBOY TEST: No contest. It is a GREAT improvement.

ATTACK OF THE CLONES Review:

Attack of the Clones has always been -prior to this blu-ray release -my least favorite of the 6 movies in the saga. This release won me over. The movie is the best paced of the prequel trilogy and second to Empire Strikes Back in pacing, overall. The downfall is the HIDEOUS "romantic" dialogue between Anakin and Padme. What a load of garbage. It's still as laughable and as intolerable as it was at the midnight screening a decade ago. Fortunately, the rest of the movie holds up very well. This is the best directing Lucas has done since A New Hope (aside from his poor direction of actors). It moves at a brisk pace and keeps the viewer involved from start to finish.

The Movie Itself: 8 out of 10

ATTACK OF THE CLONES Picture Quality:

Sadly, the movie suffers from the same DNR as Phantom Menace. As it was shot digitally, it isn't as glaring, but there are a few moments of waxy-face that are nearly intolerable. On the other hand, the CG in the movie has never looked better. The end battle (which is essentially one big cartoon) has some breathtaking moments.

Picture Quality: 7 out of 10

ATTACK OF THE CLONES Sound Quality:

Incredible. Amazing. Ear-shatteringly awesome! Every bit as great as Phantom Menace. If TPM and AoTC lived up to their soundtracks, they'd be the best movies ever!

Sound Quality: 10 out of 10

ATTACK OF THE CLONES 2011 Changes:

Anakin hears junk (such as his mother) while he's dreaming -indicating it's a terrifying dream, instead of a wet one.

THE GIRLFRIEND TEST: No, she didn't notice. No, she didn't care.

THE FANBOY TEST: I noticed something was different, but not exactly what (which led me to look it up). It did make the scene slightly less humiliating to watch.

REVENGE OF THE SITH Review:

Revenge of the Sith is a bleak film. If you're a diehard fan, it comes close to being traumatic. Lucas didn't sell this one short. Not at all. Sure, it should have been at least 3 hours and expanded further on Anakin's change to the Dark Side. That said -the Emperor thought he could change Luke in a matter of seconds in Return of the Jedi. So at least it makes a bit more of an effort. The opening space battle is incredible. The banter from the original trilogy is back and nearly lives up to its predecessors. This is a very good movie. It still suffers from some of the inane "romantic" dialogue between Anakin and his lover, but Star Wars' fans have learned to deal with some cheesiness. Honestly -no SW film, like no pizza (at least no good pizza), is without cheese -not even Empire.

The Movie Itself: 10 out of 10

REVENGE OF THE SITH Picture Quality:

Unlike the first 2 DNR destroyed prequels, Revenge of the Sith looks GREAT! As a matter of fact, it's the best looking of all 6 films. The opening space battle is right up there with Avatar and Planet Earth as the best looking thing you'll ever see on blu-ray. This movie is, visually, reference quality. If you're proud of your set up and don't own this film, you no longer have a reason to be proud.

Picture Quality: 10 out of 10

REVENGE OF THE SITH Sound Quality:

I guess -if you're a Star Wars' fan -you can't have it all. This mix is muddled and doesn't sound nearly as good as the other 5. Still -they set a very high standard and RoTS definitely impressive.

Sound Quality: 8 out of 10

REVENGE OF THE SITH 2011 Changes:

I noticed none.

A NEW HOPE Review:

What can be said that hasn't been said already? A New Hope introduced us to this crazy universe. It was like nothing we had ever seen. It was Flash Gordon for a new generation. It was pure amazement. It literally defined the word "entertainment" and, because of that, lines of geeks and non-geeks surrounded every theater playing the film. Aside from the dated 70s looking computers (which is a change I wish George Lucas WOULD make) and a few clunky lines from the actors (mainly Mark Hammill), the movie is pure perfection.

The Movie Itself: 10 out of 10

A NEW HOPE Picture Quality:

There's quite a bit of DNR toward the beginning -especially on Princess Leia's face, but it lessens throughout. There's also some terrible dirt during the Tatooine scenes and a few blurry looking shots. That said, the film looks GOOD. Almost too good. Better than I thought I'd ever see a movie this dated appear.

Picture Quality: 9 out of 10

A NEW HOPE Sound Quality:

Picks up right where Attack of the Clones left off (Sith was a misfire). The sound is so tremendous, you'll have trouble believing this movie was released in 1977. It sounds better than 99.9999999999% of movies released today!

Sound Quality: 10 out of 10

A NEW HOPE 2011 Changes:

R2 hides behinds some CG rocks that look pretty real.

THE GIRLFRIEND TEST: No, she didn't notice. No, she didn't care.

THE FANBOY TEST: I noticed and didn't care until the rocks suddenly vanished. Sorta lazy, Lucas.

Luke's lightsaber is color corrected during his training.

THE GIRLFRIEND TEST: No, she didn't notice. No, she didn't care.

THE FANBOY TEST: I noticed (because I was LOOKING for it) and was happy Lucas corrected the error.

EMPIRE STRIKES BACK Review:

As a fan of film and a fan of "event" films, I believe Empire Strikes Back to be the BEST event film ever made (along with Raiders of the Lost Ark). It is absolutely perfect, from beginning to end and, frankly, my favorite movie of all time. 'Nuff said.

The Movie Itself: 10 out of 10

EMPIRE STRIKES BACK Picture Quality:

Best it's ever looked. Yes, there's some grain in the scenes on Hoth, but at least the scenes on Hoth are WHITE again -instead of blue! Not quite reference quality, but VERY close.

Picture Quality: 9 out of 10

EMPIRE STRIKES BACK Sound Quality:

Let me just repeat what I said for the other ones and double it: Incredible. Amazing. Ear-shatteringly awesome! Wait 'til Han flies you into the asteroid field!

Sound Quality: 10 out of 10

EMPIRE STRIKES BACK 2011 Changes:

Can't see the puppeteer's hand on the Wampa anymore.

THE GIRLFRIEND TEST: No, she didn't notice. No, she didn't care.

THE FANBOY TEST: I noticed because I read about it and I didn't really care.

The whole scene in Cloud City with Chewie retrieving 3PO has been color corrected and sparks have been added.

THE GIRLFRIEND TEST: No, she didn't notice. Yes, she cared a little bit when I compared the two.

THE FANBOY TEST: I noticed and cared. It looks a LOT better, now.

RETURN OF THE JEDI Review:

This is the suckiest of the original 3 films. In a lot of ways, this is the worst Star Wars' film ever made. Yes, there is an awesome puppet creation in Jabba the Hutt, but it also has teddy-bears destroying the Empire. It's ridiculous. Han Solo acts like he's been brain-damaged by the carbonite. Luke isn't as much of a Jedi as he is Luke who we're told is a Jedi. The "sister" angle is wedged in and embarrassing. The premise of being told you HAVE to DESTROY Vader and yet being told you'll turn to the Dark Side if you strike him down is pure insanity. Another Death Star with basically the same exact weakness is silly and shameful. C3PO being this great storyteller after claiming he's not very good at telling stories in A New Hope is lazy or ignorant. This movie was George just wanting to get his "9 part" saga over in 3 sections. I'm sorry if your child blinders are blinding you, but this is, hands down, the junkiest of the Star Wars' films. It makes all 3 prequels look like Citizen Kane. Complaining aside, it does have an AMAZING space battle and a pretty groovy speeder bike chase through Endor.

The Movie Itself: 7 out of 10

RETURN OF THE JEDI Picture Quality:

The picture quality of Return of the Jedi is second only to Revenge of the Sith. There's less DNR than in any of the other 5 and it really does look like it did on the big screen. If not for the large amount of uncleaned grain during the Tatooine scenes, I'd say it looked better than it did theatrically.

Picture Quality: 10 out of 10

RETURN OF THE JEDI Sound Quality:

Like every movie in this box, excluding Sith, the sound is as good as modern technology gets.

Sound Quality: 10 out of 10

RETURN OF THE JEDI 2011 changes:

Jabba's palace has a bigger door made of CG.

THE GIRLFRIEND TEST: No, she didn't notice. When I showed her the DVD, she liked the new version better.

THE FANBOY TEST: Yes, I noticed. I liked both about the same.

Han thawing from carbonite is slightly different (through CG).

THE GIRLFRIEND TEST: Yes, amazingly, she noticed. She liked it "way" better.

THE FANBOY TEST: I noticed. I thought it was a little cheesy, but was fine with the change.

A Dug is added to one scene, but takes away from nothing.

THE GIRLFRIEND TEST: She didn't notice or care.

THE FANBOY TEST: I noticed and thought it was awesome. Perfect tie-in to the original trilogy. Just wish they made it look SLIGHTLY less CG.

Ewoks have blinking CG eyes.

THE GIRLFRIEND TEST: She didn't notice, but when I showed her the older version she thought the new one was "10 times better!"

THE FANBOY TEST: I noticed immediately and thought the new version was, let's say, 3 times better.

R2D2's attack is now over-the-top CG.

THE GIRLFRIEND TEST: She didn't notice. When I compared, she didn't care.

THE FANBOY TEST: I HATED this change. It looked fake and I can't think of a single reason why they changed it. It sucked.

Darth Vader says "No" and then says, "Noooo." Contrary to rumor, he never screams "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO" like he did in Revenge of the Sith.

THE GIRLFRIEND TEST: She noticed. She didn't care.

THE FANBOY TEST: I noticed and, to be honest, didn't really care. It's tactfully done. It doesn't take away the silent moments where we see Vader, just through his eyes, starting to hate the Emperor and sympathize with his son. It ties together well with the original and if you're whining about this by writing a fake 1 star review before even watching the blu-ray, you need to get a life.

EXTRAS:

Awesome. But I won't give them a 5 out of 5, as they should have included ALL deleted scenes and ALL extras from the DVD releases AND the blu-ray releases (this is George's greedy way of making us all hang onto our DVDs instead of selling them used). Billionaire George is into making billions more. Still, this is the best set of extras the Star Wars' saga has ever had. By far.

Overall? This is easily the best Star Wars' release ever. This is an event. If you want to deny yourself the pleasure of owning this treasure because the original versions aren't included, I more than understand. But, if you are a huge fan of the saga AND writing a 1 star review before even seeing the blu-rays, you are both lying to your audience and denying yourself to the point of being pathetic. May the force be with you. Always.

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I'm going to make this short and sweet. There is no need to review the story lines contained in these 6 movies. That has been done in the past. Everyone now knows that Lucas has made further changes to the films if you aren't aware of it, then google it.

This is what you do NOT know: How is the audio and video quality of this Blu Ray Release?

Here is the plain and simple answer: AWESOME

Do I love all of the movies for their content? No.

Was I completely blown away by the superb audio mix? YES.

Is the video quality great? YES.

If you are a fan even a casual fan with any kind of decent home theater equipment, then you owe it to yourself to buy this box set. It is FANTASTIC.

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Having seen the films, here's my very brief updated review.

It's not as bad as some feared it would be (given that they're older transfers -a route I still maintain was a cheap way to go). But it could still stand to be improved in a lot of ways with a new trasfer.

As to the films themselves:

1. There have been changes. Some work; some have caused even more fan contention. I'm one of those that actually wishes for more changes. I think TPM, AOTC, ROTS could stand to have major editing and fx work done to them. So put me in the camp of wanting even MORE special edition changes to both the special effects and narrative.

2. There's no original versions. Even though I prefer the SEs, I think fans should be able to get the version they grew up with.

3. Special features: Everything from the past DVD set should've been ported over. It hasn't, so hold on to your DVD copies if you want those documentaries. There are still features from the old videos that haven't been released on digital.

Hopefully, one day the equivalent of the Blade Runner or Aliens blu-ray sets, which contained all the different versions of the films (including new versions), will come out. This isn't the Ultimate Edition box set that fans had been teased with for years, and will not include extended versions of all six films. Additionally, the "100 hours of new documentary footage" fans had been teased with by Rick MaCallum in 2007 isn't here, which implies an eventual later set, likely in another 7/8 years.

In the meantime, the films look great, and this is the best version available for home viewing. Some good news: the grotesque puppet Yoda in TPM was (thankfully) replaced with a digital version that looks like Yoda. It helps TPM quite a bit (though, as I said, more is needed for that film).

For those who want to look deeper, take a moment to read about Star Wars' sordid history on video -including the reasons four of the six films were downgraded in image quality -on the site, The Secret History of Star Wars (in the article: "Saving Star Wars.")

Honest reviews on Star Wars: The Complete Saga (Episodes I-VI) (1977)

George,

I appreciate your attempt to clean up matte lines, wonky lightsabers, and improve sound and picture quality in your Blu-ray release.

However, I don't understand why you want to make jarring changes to your characters that make once powerful cinematic moments now creepy or distracting.

A lot of people have made the case for Han shooting first (as in the theatrical cut) in Episode IV being a much more interesting and accurate characterization, so I'm not going to touch that.

This review is going to be principally about the changes you made to scenes with me in it.

For instance, in the original cut, when I throw Emperor Palpatine down the death star's reactor shaft, there is a moment of silent deliberation where, oscillating my expressionless masked face back and forth, I decide whether or not to sacrifice my life for the life of my son. The lack of dialogue allows the viewer to read more subtlety and indecisiveness into this act, and the silence is truer to my character's previous dialogue in films IV-VI.

In this release, you decided to have me scream "NO! NOOOOO!" at the very beginning of the scene, removing any of the subtlety or conflict, inserting a goofy, lamely comic line not befitting of my badassness, and consequently dulling the emotional significance of a father's redemptive sacrifice of his son.

What's worse, you replace Sebsastian Shaw's peaceful and redeemed ghostly image on endor with Hayden Christiansen's garish, creepy, pedefile-like smirk.

Not only does this not make any sense, because the last time I was alive (on the Light or the Dark side) I looked like Sebastian Shaw, and Obi-Wan and Yoda's ghosts look exactly as they did before they died... but again, Hayden's horrible acting and the visual unevenness of the three actors blunt what could have been a great, emotionally significant scene.

The scene starts great with Mark Hamill's excellent contemplative stare, coupled with peaceful acting from Sir Alec Guinness, but it ends with Hayden Christiansen's disgusting smirk, ruining what was one of the emotional high points and one of the key resolutions of the trilogy.

I keep trying to Skype you please pick up so I can force choke you and prevent you from making any more changes to your movies.

Sincerely,

Darth Vader

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These latest scene changes are the final proof that George Lucas has lost his mind, however they are NOT the main reason why I just cancelled my blu-ray pre-order. I had been excitedly counting down the days until this release, but this time George/Lucasfilm has given the whole Star Wars community the middle finger by not correcting many of the problems (color) which plagued the 2004 release. This blu-ray has virtually all of the same issues as the DVD. I'm talking about Vader's bubblegum pink lightsaber, the super high orange or purple explosions opposed to the more realistic white hot/yelow effects. These were especially noticable during the Battle of Yavin, Tantive IV shootout, and the carbon freezing chamber duel. They stuck out to the point to where they were almost distracting. After seeing the prequels, it's hard enough to still view Vader as that ultimate bad a** villian I feared in my childhood, but it's now near impossible to do it when he's chasing after Luke with a pink lightsaber.

Lucasfilm has been made well aware of these issues thru complaints made by ticked off fans since the DVD launched 7 years ago. Now in the last year of hyping up of this Blu Ray release, Lucasfilm has assured us Star Wars fans that our complaints had been heard and addressed in this release, the Blu-Ray would NOT have the same color and audio problems as the dvd's, they went back to the original negatives and spent 3 years fixing these particular problems, they manually went thru frame by frame in the problem scenes fixing and making other color corrections to bring them close again to the original theatrical versions.

Heck Starwars.com displays a screenshot of Luke's fixed blue lightsaber on the Millenium Falcon in ANH, boasting about how they went back and fixed these problems. I have seen the Blu-Rays myself and I can confirm this is NOT the case!! Yes it is fixed for that particular frame and a few other frames, but the next shot of the same scene his lightsaber shifts back to green, just like in the screwed up dvd release, then goes to bright white, then back to a very pale blue color. Yes they fixed ONLY a small portion of that scene, left the rest of it untouched with the wrong color, while implying that the whole thing has been corrected. The lightsaber scenes in the other movies, Empire Strikes Back & Return of the Jedi, are practically UNTOUCHED WITH THE SAME color and timing problems that the DVD's have. It's like Lucasfilm is only willing to put in a half a** effort in anything they release anymore.... and why not?? If it says Star Wars on the box it's going to sell.

Now for the changed scenes:

A New Hope

When R2-D2 hides in the shallow cave from the Sand People, there have been CGI rocks added in. The new rocks now cover up half of R2's body which makes him hidden better. However when he leaves a few seconds later, he just pulls forward and the rocks simply disappear!! Did they just forget to alter that scene too?

Obi-Wan's introduction, he scares the Sand People away with a Krayt dragon call, has been redone again and now sounds like a jr. high kid making funny noises in Windows sound recorder. When I first heard it I thought no way, it's someone pulling a joke. It's sounds so bad and is so out of place, they made absolutely no effort to mix it in at all. You'll just have to hear it for yourselves... but sadly it's real. Unbelievable

Greedo still shoots first. It is alot better than the DVD version.

Empire Strikes Back

Wampa's arm in fixed. Looks good about time.

Return of the Jedi

Jabba's Palace has a bigger door... ok?

New CGI alien walking around in Jabba's palace as everyone sleeps. Poorly done and sticks out worse than a sore thumb... looks like Sebulba from Episode I?

Ewok's now have CGI eyelids, blink, and sometimes make a clicking noise when they do. (maybe a tribute to Muppets/Fraggle Rock?)

Darth Vader now screams "Noooooooooooo" as he picks up and throws the emperor, much like the way he does at the end of Episode III.... now twice!! This ruins a great and one of my favorite scenes. It's bad. The voice doesn't even sound like Vader's and it's just lazily pasted over the rest of the audio. Lucasfilm didn't make the effort to blend in at all..... what are they thinking????? If you really feel you need to add something like that, at least attempt a decent job.

This has just gotten laughingly ridiculous. There is no excuse this time for ignoring what the fans want and taking away more of the original magic the movies had back in the 70's and 80's. Besides the deleted scenes, this is not a quality release. I've cancelled my pre-order and I'm done with anything new to do with Star Wars. This includes the new upcoming 3d versions which will no doubt have even more stupid changes and conveniently opens the door for yet another Blu-Ray release. I have my unaltered copies on my bonus DVD and that's all I need.

I urge anyone who feels the same way to NOT fill the pockets of George Lucas anymore!! I don't understand how they think it's necessary tinker with new stupid voiceovers and Ewok eyes, but not fix the more obvious and distracting problems of this and the previous release. All the while Lucasfilm insinuated, just as recently as last week, that they had indeed corrected those problems..... THAT IS FALSE ADVERTISING!! They also claimed to have exhaustively sent this set thru 3 levels of quality control which is either another lie or Lucas has the most elite team of a** kissers ever assembled. I've defended the first two prequels, the Special Editions, and George Lucas himself over the years, but I'm done. For the first time in 25 years they will not be getting another dime of my money.

***UPDATE 9/9/11***

I've viewed the bonus content which the deleted scenes are no doubt the best of all the extra features. As for the Prequels, the previously released DVD deleted scenes are NOT included, so hang onto your old discs. The older movies include scenes that have been Star Wars folklore for years. Some are good and the quality is what you expect for deleted scenes cut over 30 years ago. However some of scenes I particularly had interest in, seem to be made from degraded alternate shots... since there are productions stills and video snippets that Lucasfilm released, over the years in different supplemental products, showing the same scenes taken from higher quality sources. On another note, the deleted ESB content shows the scenes leading up to and the aftermath of the wampa fight with rebel soldiers in Echo Base. The battle itself is completely omitted in this release, which is a shame since the battle scene was filmed and possibly finalized before it was cut from the final release. Luckily there are various stills of this scene still floating around and it was covered by Star Wars Insider years back. The rest of the content is very good and it's great finally seeing some of the other scenes... however after viewing I get the impression Lucasfilm is purposely holding back some of these materials for a future release.

Buy Star Trek (Three-Disc Special Edition) (2009)

Customer Ratings:

The Blu-Ray:

"Star Trek (2009)" is presented in a 1080p 2.40:1 aspect ratio Blu-Ray. Video quality is terrific. A very light film grain is present which is quite accurate compared to the theatrical presentation. Black levels are inky and deep, colors are vivid but still accurate. Close-ups demonstrate a lot of detail, especially facial close-ups. Space scenes are also swimming with detail, since most every space ship in this film is in various numbers of pieces or states of damage. Noticeable edge-enhancement and digital noise reduction are non-existent.

Simply put, this is five star material all the way. Anyone who enjoys action/sci-fi eye candy for their HD setup would do well to purchase this disc. It is demo-worthy material. This may be the single best Blu-Ray I have seen it at least ties in visual quality with the excellent Braveheart and Frost/Nixon discs.

Sound is presented in a well-balanced Dolby TrueHD mix, which is notable for not only its punch and vibrancy, but also the fact that it never drowns out dialogue. This is something that many action movies fail to accomplish, and it is most appreciated, at least by this viewer. I HATE it when I have to constantly adjust the volume on the fly in order to hear whispers of dialogue, only to have my speakers threaten to blow out when some sudden burst of noisy action occurs. "Star Trek (2009)" is wonderfully well-done in this respect. Surround channels get a lot of work, bass is booming at appropriate moments, so just like the video, audio is stellar. Also included are commentaries with Director and writers (no, they do not apologize for various inconsistencies and mistakes) and some foreign language tracks. The subtitles are a little odd sometimes they fail to transcribe dialogue. 95% of the stuff is there, but there are clearly things missing Kirk says "wow" upon seeing the Enterprise, and it is nowhere to be found in the subtitle track. Not a deal-breaker, just weird.

Extras are copious and presented in HD, which is great. However, this disc suffers from a recent trend in home video extras they are split into 30 separate chunks, presumably to look better on box copy. So you are forced to navigate a menu with 30 choices, with no markers for what you've already seen, in order to see all of the features. This is too bad, because the features are really, really good. If they had been spliced into one 2-hour making of feature, one set of deleted scenes, and one gag reel, this would be just about the perfect set of extras. Instead, you are made to do "work" instead of just enjoying the "fun." The deleted scenes, by the way, are also in HD, and most would have made the movie better. They should have just finished the effects and incorporated them into the film proper.

The Movie:

In the special features, the producers and director make it very clear that their guiding question when making the film was "Can we make it cool?" Well, they've succeeded at making it "cool." Unfortunately in making this their emphasis, they have also made some severe missteps that make it difficult to swallow as a serious Trek fan.

So I'll review this movie wearing two hats. First, for "the rest of you:"

"Star Trek (2009)" offers a bold re-imagining of a venerable television science fiction franchise. To a certain extent, it sheds much of the baggage accumulated over 40 years of television and films, giving non-Trekkies an easy entree into the universe.

We are given the tale of Kirk, Spock and McCoy taking the reins of the Starship Enterprise, in a galaxy populated by both humans and other races. James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) is a brash young man who is set adrift by the attack of a Romulan villain upon the ship carrying his parents. Without the influence of his father, a Starfleet officer, Kirk has an aimless childhood, squandering his intellect and his drive on bar brawls and car thefts. Luckily, he is intercepted by the wise, gruff Captain Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood) and challenged to make a better life for himself and to live up to his ability by joining Starfleet.

There, he meets fellow cadets Uhura (Zoe Saldana), McCoy (Karl Urban), Chekov (Anton Yelchin), Sulu (John Cho), and an irritating instructor, the cool, logical Mr. Spock (Zachary Quinto). Their contrasting styles immediately put them at odds with each other. Spock has grown up the child of two worlds, with a human mother, and a father from Vulcan, a planet whose culture has embraced logic and the shedding of emotion, except perhaps the emotion of racism against humans.

Before their education is complete, they are presented with the threat of the same villain who had killed Kirk's dad 25 years prior Nero (Eric Bana). Turns out Nero is from the future, and is bent on revenge for the destruction of his home world, Romulus. In a plot development somewhat like "Space Camp," for some unstated reason, every other ship is somewhere else, and there are no trained crew members available for the newly-built Enterprise. So the cadets are drafted into service right then and there.

Various plot twists and turns see Kirk marooned on an ice planet, where he meets not only Scotty (a very funny Simon Pegg) but also a much older Spock (Leonard Nimoy). This old Spock explains that the visitor from the future has changed history, and that Kirk must team up with the younger Spock, melding their disparate styles and talents into a team that can defeat the threat.

Overall, the plot moves very quickly, and might be a bit confusing to those not versed in Trek lore. But the speed, noise, and bombast are such that pausing to consider holes in story logic (and there are quite a few) is not really feasible until after the movie has finished. The effects, music, and performances are all flashy and dazzling, and it is hard not to feel aggressively entertained by the whole spectacle. Especially charming are Pine as Kirk and Quinto as Spock. Their chemistry works well. There were really no casting problems for the heroes. The villain, Nero, is somewhat less successful, as his motivations are rather obscure, especially to an audience not familiar with Romulans, time travel, and the like.

It is all done with ample brio and verve enough panache to surmount its sometimes lazy storytelling and slipshod logic. On a scale of ten, I'd give it a solid 7, perhaps even an 8. It is much more entertaining than the average Hollywood popcorn movie, mainly on the strength of the characters and the performances.

Now, for the Trekkies:

"Star Trek (2009)" is the product of Hollywood corporate committees, shedding "baggage" in such a way that it dilutes some of the core concepts and appeal of the show which gave rise to the Trekkie faithful in the first place.

The characters from the original series are brought together in a way which feels quite far from organic, presumably because Hollywood executives were worried that a slower tale that realistically developed their relationships would fail to satisfy audiences unused to thinking and realism. Instead of being members of a logically coherent military organization, each with careers and internal lives of their own, all of our principal characters are roughly the same age and have the same amount of experience, despite the fact that by the end of the film, they all have different ranks and specialties. Especially galling at the end is the instantaneous promotion of Kirk from 25-year-old Starfleet cadet (not even a graduate, as he is in his third year of studies) directly to Captain of the fleet's newest and most advanced flagship. It would be akin to a fresh West Point graduate being given command of the invasion of Afghanistan, or an Annapolis cadet being given command of an aircraft carrier. Why would anyone who had invested a lifetime in this organization respect any order that escapes his lips? Equally puzzling are the promotions of all the other crew members at the end as well why is Kirk a Captain, but McCoy a Commander, Uhura a Lieutenant, Chekov an Ensign? They all have the same amount of experience and "seasoning" (i.e. none).

This is the sort of world-breaking contrivance that litters the film (want some more examples? "Transwarp Beaming" immediately springs to mind...). Which is too bad, because "Star Trek (2009)" ably captures the feel of the previous shows, mixing humor, fisticuffs, and dazzling gadgetry in nearly the perfect proportions. It fails, however, to add the integral piece a logically consistent world, one that creates and follows its own rules, one that is similar enough to our own to be comprehensible, but different and better enough that it inspires admiration and wonder, and makes you yearn to live in it. It is a bit of a tragedy, since just a few tweaks and edits could have turned a story full of world-breaking holes and missteps into pretty much the best Trek movie ever.

The quality of special effects is above that of the other films and series, and will definitely impress Trek veterans who are used to less. Many in-jokes and subtler references abound, and will no doubt elicit smiles and chuckles from those who are "in the know."

But that certain something is missing. That special thing which makes something "Trek," and not just "Generic Space Opera #12." There isn't much "Real" science fiction, for one thing black holes and space ships could have been substituted with quicksand and stage coaches they are not concepts that drive the plot or the characters or the world, instead they are generic perils, and devices to surmount those dangers. But heck, that could be said of some of the other films, those films that, despite their failings, we would still call "real" Trek. What is missing is the logical consistency of the world. Continuity. "Baggage." In stripping "Star Trek (2009)" down to something that will appeal to a "mass" audience, the producers of this film have denatured it into something reminiscent, but not recognizable.

In summary:

This is an entertaining film, no doubt about it. If you are not a Trekkie, you will probably love it. You should buy it. It's a terrific disc to give your home theater a workout.

If you are a Trekkie, you may have mixed feelings. I do. But you should still probably buy it. Consider it a riff on Star Trek. The greatest, biggest budget fan film ever made. It doesn't all work, the writing isn't all good, and a certain something is missing. But it's an entertaining ride that will probably make you yearn for the "real thing" all the more.

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The minor disappointments I had with some little items are buried by the amount of great things that is the Star Trek Blu. The packaging is the single hinged chassis with cardboard slip cover, but the info sheet (typical rear cover art) is a hot-glued paper that cannot fit anywhere once it comes off. The resulting Blu art front is a head shot of Pine and the back is Quinto.

The picture is as good as would be expected, with plenty of great space effects, the heavy lens glare that Abrams likes does not bleed too bad but ILM does not disappoint. They went with TrueHD which gives an adequate immersion, some of the best tests were with Spocks ship and that unique sound (but 7.1 DTS would have been nice). Plenty of reference points throughout, but even with that clarity I still couldn't get a read on some of the little things (tried freezing the fence signs in the Corvette scene, freezing some of the panel displays to read what the actors were looking at, etc.). But what takes the time and is worth every moment for the supplement geeks like me is the entire disc 2.

Disc 1: Menus are unfortunately only minimal still animation (no live action or HD pics).

Commentary by the makers.

Disc 2: Blue screen animated left sided selections. Most items pop up with an "extended" option that has an icon appear when watching each documentary to facilitate viewing little snippets of additional material, or each one can be watched individually no play all on anything with this disc.

* 16:41 To Boldly Go. Several extensions including the Kirk dilemma (1:58), more Green Girl stuff (3:25). The main piece covers aspects of creation, whys and what fors. All of these supplements are HD interviews of the filmmakers spliced with low def footage (past and present Treks).

* 28:53 Casting. Once again all HD present footage mixed with grainy low def shots of behind the scenes gives some good material on why we saw who we did.

* 24:33 Starships. Concepts, art design and some of my favorite stuff on the making of regarding construction. Seven extensions are selectable here including Warp Drive and Paint stuff.

* 16:30 Aliens. Shows the meetings and thought process behind some of the critters and humanoids. Five extensions here.

* 16:10 Planets. Some nice history for Trek regarding the Vasquez Rocks, which showed an obvious deleted sequence made me look forward to those even more.

* 9:22 Props and Costumes. One extension here about Klingons which led to another whole deleted sequence I was now REALLY wanting to watch them.

* 9:45 Sounds. I enjoyed this one the most as the sounds intrigued me when I first saw this in theaters. Nice homage/respect paid to the old series connections.

* 8:47 Gene Roddenberry vision. A nice history with at least half of it being Nimoy narrating/being interviewed (there was a blatant absence of someone here but you will notice that through this entire set).

* 13:30 Deleted Scenes FINALLY. Play all option with commentary on/off of Abrams, Kurtzman.

Spock's birth. Throughout all of these you notice Winona's entire screen time was removed. Nice little plug on how he gets his name.

Klingon battle with the Narada, effects unfinished which leads into an entire storyline removal did not agree with the reasons for the removal but oh well.

Dysfunctional home life of the early Kirk sequence. Explains who that kid was on the road and who the voice was on the car phone.

Spock's parents arguing about which side Spock should embrace.

Klingon Prison Planet sequence wow. I want this in the director's cut. Would have explained a great deal of how Nero and the Narada disappeared.

Vulcan sequence prior to destruction (Vasquez Rocks).

Kirk and Green Girl can never have too much of that. Once you see this you can find out what Uhura and Kirk were really talking about in the theatrical cut (Klingon Prison not battle).

Scene involving more Green Girl and Kirk defeating the Maru test good scene.

Kirk apologizing to Green Girl had to go once the others were cut.

* Simulator: Mix of animated and slight HD footage of interactive material on the Enterprise and the Narada. The vast majority of material centers on the Narada (weapons, propulsion etc.).

* 6:22 Gag Reel. A brief retro title sequence followed by a hilarious slew of swearing by even the best (priceless watching Nimoy cuss his lines). Fast paced and fun.

* 3 trailers.

Everything subtitled in French, Spanish, & Port.

Disc 3. Digital copy and game demo. Did not use either.

Overall, I had a great time going through all of this and I honestly think even the discerning Trekkie will be happy with this product. Yes, I feel the deleted scenes should have been left in as they explained some obvious gaps in the film, but at least we got to see them. The HD screenings have been very popular and I don't tire of watching this through and through. Enjoy.

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9/8/66. It's a badge that Original Trekkers wear proudly -the date that the very first Star Trek episode ("The Man Eater") appeared on television. I bear it, and Star Trek hooked me that very Thursday evening, and for the next three years, I sat through all 69 episodes, both the best ("Oh Boy! The Trouble with Tribbles") and the worse ("Oh, no! Not that one!"). When they began to appear in syndication, I watched them over and over until I could repeat the lines with the characters. And, no, I'm not going to tell you who my favorite character was.

It's been 43 years since that first episode. I'm still hooked.

A lot of my compatriots have said that J.J. Adams' "reboot" of the Star Trek franchise went too far -they weren't ready for some of the things that happened (and, for the sake of those readers who have not seen the movie, I'm not going to reveal what those things are). They didn't like the changes in the mythos that occurred. OK, fine. Different strokes ...

I, however, love this film, and would have gone to see it over and over again if it hadn't been that my darling didn't really want to (and our budget didn't allow it). So what if things changed? It's an alternate universe -and any Trekker worth her salt will recognize those occur -Remember "Mirror, Mirror?" A planet blows up, and I admit, given the planet, I'm pretty sad (no, it's not Earth). I'm also sad that Scottie used Admiral Archer's favorite beagle for an experiment, and it hasn't been seen since (Okay, so one slipped out).

However, the most powerful ideas and characters remain true to their alternate others: Kirk is strong, handsome, creative in a crisis (and may be a womanizer, although he doesn't get the woman he wants here), even if he's not William Shatner. Spock struggles to keep his emotions in check and his logic foremost (tremendously well-played by Zachary Quinto). "Bones" McCoy (Karl Urban, unexpectedly unlike many of his fantasy and SF rolls)is humane, funny, and passionate -and a lot better looking than the well-beloved, late DeForest Kelley. Bruce Greenwood ("The Core"), Simon Pegg, Ben Cross (superb as Sarak) and Winona Ryder (Amanda! And I am getting to be too old) are all wonderful, and add strength, passion and substance to both their characters and the film. It was, however, sad to see Leonard Nimoy, as "our" Mr./Abassador Spock, late in his life, and know we probably never see him in another Star Trek film.

So. Buy it? Damn straight. Get it for your children and yourselves.

Star Trek would have never died for me, anyway, because I've dreamed of walking on another planet ever since I saw that first episode. But now, Star Trek will come alive for a fourth generation to learn those same dreams.

Honest reviews on Star Trek (Three-Disc Special Edition) (2009)

In order to get big rewards in life you have to take big risks. If there is one thing that the Star Trek universe hasn't done in 20-25 years its take risks. The franchise has suffered greatly for it, continuing to follow a formulaic approach that has made the franchise stale, predictable, and for quite a while... DEAD. Not sick, not on life support, but D-E-A-D.

Those days are over.

The 11th feature presentation is quite simply the first GREAT Star Trek movie ever made. While others in the series have been enjoyable, there was no definitive movie that stood out, nothing that could be pointed to as something unique, something special, something that takes RISKS.

What you get here is the biggest risk that has ever been taken in the Star Trek universe in its 40+ years of existence.

I will not ruin this risk but if you are a fan of the movies at all you will know it when you see it. Being a long time fan of Star Trek (I am a Next Generation first and foremost) and having seen the trailer numerous times I figured out what was going to happen about 20 minutes before it did but that didn't stop the shock when I witnessed this awesome writing decision played out on the big screen. The strongest of Star Trek lovers (especially TOS people) will no doubt have a lot of outrage at this risk but it was the right move to make. The Star Trek franchise needed to be shaken up, it needed something fresh and it needed a movie to shock and awe the audience.

Man did it ever deliver.

This movie is an absolute JOY to experience. Spock was always my favorite TOS personality as he probably was for most fans, but I never felt the connection to this cast that I did to Picard, Data, Worf and the Next Gen cast so I really didn't care what changes they made (and there is another major change that involves 2 characters that you never have experienced before in TOS history) if they were for the better. In all cases these were for the better and executed with near-perfection by JJ Abrams (who might later be revered on the same level as Gene Rodenberry if this re-visioning [this is much more than a simple reboot] succeeds like I think it will).

Since I don't like getting too deep into spoilers with reviews instead of focusing on the story (try your best to stay ignorant as possible of the story so its fresher when you see the film) I will instead focus on the characters we know so well (and some we don't).

True To The Character We Know

Spock (played by Zachary Quinto) Even though Kirk (ahhem William Shatner) was advertised as the lead of TOS, the real centerpiece was Spock. The work here by Quinto is beyond exceptional and complements the amazing work done by Leonard Nimoy the past 40 years. Quinto plays the character as well as you could imagine and the real special thing in this movie is that finally (FINALLY) the half human side of Spock is heavily examined. It is a major part of the movie and no doubt will continue to be focused on in future films. Spock is no more or less important to the crew and story as he always has been. Other actors could do lesser work (they didn't) but the movie franchise will only succeed as well as Quinto acts. The character is in the best of hands.

Bones (played by Karl Urban) The gem of the entire movie without question. Karl Urban takes the difficult role of playing not only Bones but Bones played by DeForest Kelley and is he ever amazing. It's a complete joy to watch his character on the screen. Urban doesn't need to do anything different in future films. You can tell how hard he worked to keep the Bones character as he has always been and he hits a home run out of the park. Wonderful wonderful wonderful

Scotty (played by Simon Pegg) We don't meet Scotty until far into the movie but Pegg does a great job doing James Doohan. Since Scotty was always kind of the "middle" character on the show where he wasn't wasted but wasn't the tops (Spock, Kirk, Bones) all Pegg had to do was do a good Scotty and hopefully the script-writers would give him more to do. This is the case here.

Revisions And Improvements Made

Kirk (played by Chris Pine) No longer do we get the ultra womanizing, overacting of Kirk/William Shatner but we get instead a focus on the risk-taking side of Kirk and this is the Kirk that I could truly learn to love. Over and over again we see why Kirk in Star Trek canon is revered so much and his take no prisoners approach is put on the front burner all throughout this film. Pine is confident and does a fantastic job. I don't care how revered Shatner is, the writers got it right with this re-visioning of Kirk and it's thumbs up all the way.

Sulu (played by John Cho) Not much to say here. Cho was fine but nothing amazing in his performance. Sulu fights a little bit but hopefully more focus can be made on him in the future, no problems here but nothing jumps out.

Uhura (played by Zoe Saldana) As a communications officer her role is MUCH better in this re-visioning. She is given more intelligent input by the script-writers but the one major canon change of Uhura (which I can't go into detail in this review) I am still trying to determine how I feel about. Her mod is the 2nd biggest risk/mod taken in the movie.

Complete Rewrite

Chekov (played by Anton Yeltin) Except for being Russian and making fun of his thick accent this is a completely new character and man was this a serious improvement. Instead of the bumbling doofus that really doesn't do anything now Chekov is a ultra-young uber-intelligent officer that plays pivotal parts in the movie. Yes this was a serious canon change but I can't imagine how any fan wouldn't approve because now you have a real character you can be emotionally attached to.

New Characters

Nero (played by Eric Bana) Bana instantly becomes one of the main villains in Star Trek lore and in my opinion because of events in the movie he now becomes THE single villain in Star Trek history. I wish Nero could have been on the screen more but with only 2 hours and so many people to get on the screen I think the right balance was struck.

Old Friends

XXX You will know who this is when you see them. I have no complaints other than one voice-over part where the narration seems a bit droll and uninspired but I also think this is because of the circumstance how they are speaking. This old friend was a +++ to the movie and not just a ploy to get people in the seats. A welcome addition to the movie and plot.

Intangibles

Bridge The new bridge is the most gorgeous bridge you will ever see. Some say it looks 'too sexy' or 'too bright' but THIS is how the bridge should have always looked. Please please please don't change it for the future films. You have already achieved the perfect look.

Score The one downside of the movie. The 3rd trailer featured some of the most gorgeous background score ever and my hopes were very high. The score that is featured in the movie is serviceable but doesn't inspire. I was disappointed with the end result. It's alright but it could have been so much more.

IMO 'Star Trek' achieves what only 1 Star Trek movie (IV The Voyage Home) came close to doing and that is being a successful film to the general public, not just Star Trek fans in general. This is the quickest 2 hours you will spend this summer and an absolute joy. I can see several movies being made with this cast and I hope several are made. The events of this film make for a realistic approach to the original cast working anew in these new revisions. As the movie ended I wished I could move ahead 2-3 years in time to see the next chapter and the next and the next.

Everyone likes to rank the movies in order and I knew 1 hour in this was EASILY (note I don't even flinch when I say EASILY EASILY EASILY) the greatest Star Trek movie ever made. You know a movie succeeds when a character or a movie itself feels like candy for the brain (last year Heath Ledgers Joker was the ultimate 'candy') and this is some yummy candy.

If you are a Star Trek fan go see it and try to have an open mind for what you will see. Many will be fine with the changes made. For the ones that aren't would you rather have changes and new Star Trek movies or the same old same old that had ruined the franchise for so long (kudos to Rick Berman as the official murderer of ST)??? If you are just a person that loves movies you (yes YOU) can even enjoy Star Trek as this movie has been produced not just for the Trekkie but the every day Joe and Jane.

***** HIGHEST POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATION

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I would encourage anyone who has neglected to read the one star reviews to breeze by a few. They overanalyze, nit-pick, cry canon, and all the while they forget where Star Trek came from. Plot holes, fuzzy science, continuity problems and totally illogical sequences of events are all par for the course. Star Trek was pitched, forty-odd years ago, as a "wagon train to the stars." Your archetypical white hats shoot it out with your archetypical black hats and justice prevails. Star Trek swapped out six shooters for phasers and recast Tonto as a guy with pointy ears and an unfortunate hair cut. It's kitsch with just the right amount of heart. Those among you who regard this movie as a corruption of the creator's vision, let me remind you that his vision included: Nazi planets, Mafia planets, space hippies, badly choreographed fight sequences with stunt doubles that bear no resemblance to the actors, and less than a dozen filmed sequences and stills of the starship Enterprise that were reused over and over again for the duration of the series (all very grainy and since they have been digitized, you can see the wire the ship was hanging by.) Silliness, but we love it. Like a big old spacey cheeseburger. And I think that J.J. Abrams cinematic offering is a clear demonstration of that same love. There are a number of things that don't make sense ... but now, when people crack jokes about James T. Kirk making out with green women, they will actually have some basis for it. Never actually happened on the show.

Review of Amateur Porn Star Killer 3: The Final Chapter (2008)

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now all i need ins the second one to complete my collection. if you like movies like quarantine(how the camera moves around alot ) then you'll probably like these . i thought quarantine sucked.but these are good.

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In the final installment of this series (there was to be a fourth, in 3-D no less, 'wonder what happened?), Shane Ryan shows he has no more tricks left up his sleeve, as this entry has too much down time and an abundance of repetitive scenes, leaving us without the shock-value of the first two. My personal fave was the second, as it improved on the concept of the first film and pushed the boundaries farther out. You would think having an actual pornstar involved would up the sleaze quotient plenty, but you're wrong. It's simply more of the same, and it drags like hell in the middle. If you've never seen one, I'd recommend any of the three, as the concept was truely unique, creepy and disturbing sort of a 'how-to' manual for potential serial killers. Yes, it's that sick. (I ain't sayin' it's right, I'm just sayin'). Where as in the first two flicks I felt bad for the victims, this time the cat and mouse scenario got tedious, and Regan Reese got increasingly more annoying, and at some point I found myself saying, "Just kill her already, would you?". That said, I guess now would be a good time for 'The Final Chapter'.

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movie was great shipping was a little costly there s really nothing to say about this movie if you don t like these kind of movie but if you do it was great

Discount Deep Star Six (1989)

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Deep Star Six is a fun monster movie. I am really surprised that it got a DVD release. Too bad the DVD is not up to the high standard. Full screen only, no subtitling option, no Dolby 5.1 but the picture quality is OK better than the old image entertainment LD. The story is about an underwater research facility attacked by a giant sea monster. Nothing special about the story and the special effects also not very good but is has enough suspence for this genre. Worth a look.

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ok yes i know,it's a monster movie without a monster(well we see very little of it),it's really more an action movie underwater(the first of three that year,and the least),in five mins. you already can see who will live and who won't,and most f/x shots of the outside are so dark you can't see anything,it's all this and more, but ,but....i still like it!!!

if you are in the mood for it it can be fun.

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This, like "Leviathan" released the same year, is kind of a silly knock-off of "The Abyss" with a touch of "Alien" thrown in. The miniature effects are cheesy but earnest, and the cast seems to be having fun. This isn't one for the library, but if it came on TV late night you'd probably enjoy it as much as any other goofy sci-fi flick. Director Sean Cunningham has done better, and Greg Evigan hasn't appeared on the big screen since this film, I don't think, but DEEPSTAR SIX is still kinda fun in a creepy sort of way (or is it creepy in a fun sort of way?).

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Deep Star Six: VHS Movie Review

Grade: C+

O.K., so in the age of DVD's, I buried this out of my VHS collection, and remembered one scene (the infamous decompression scene). Remembering watching it about 5 years ago, decided to give it another try. I now know why I didn't remember much of it though; most of the movie is pretty much forgetable.

The plot, yet another shameless "Alien: 20th Anniversary Edition [Award Series]" rip-off, this time tries to put Alien underwater, disturbed from his sleep (hibernaton?) by a crew of explorers trying to set up a Navy Base on the bottom of the ocean floor. It gets mad, and starts (just like Friday the 13th Uncut (Deluxe Edition), another movie Sean S. Cunningham directed) picking off the crew one by one.

But the sad thing: you just about never see the monster. (Although when you do see it, I rather liked the way it looked, despite it being a rubber suit) Instead, the movie focuses more on character development, developing useless characters that just die later on in the movie, when the monster (finally) shows up.

Along with a ton of character development, there are numourous underwater shots, but its too dark to see anything clearly. Basically, nothing really goes on for the first hour of the movie, and you don't even see the monster until the movie only has about half an hour left. (And it's only actually on screen for a total of about a minute.)

Yet there was one thing that really surprised me: the casting. The actors and actresses were chosen extremly well, and they all play their parts like they really were trapped underwater with a giant angry lobster/crab thing.

So in the end the acting saves the movie from being a total disaster, and there are some cool scenes. (Once again, the decommpression scene.) The first of 1989's "underwater thriller" era (The Abyss (Special Edition) and Leviathan are the other ones) Deep Star Six still manages to pack a punch, even on VHS.

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ok it rips-off alien,the thing, and every movie it thinks it can to tell story of people living under water tring to set up missile base on floor of the ocean, and awaken some kind of "monster" that doesn't even get started til over 2/3 's of the movie is over. more action movie than sci-fi/horror here but i still like it a little. slow and very dark it is hard to tell what's happening sometimes.

Review of Star Trek Into Darkness

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The official Blu-ray has seven mini-featurettes. If this seems like it is a half-assed release, it's because Paramount has divvied up all the other features, including the commentary tracks with the cast and director J.J. Abrams, and several additional featurettes. The list of missing content on the U.S. wide-release Blu-ray (which is what is being sold on Amazon) includes 5 more featurettes (The Journey Continues... Again, Rebuilding the Enterprise, Full of Wrath, Kirk & Spock and Visual Preferences), plus the commentary with J.J. Abrams and the crew and a theatrical trailer. The featurettes and trailer are likely what's on the Bonus Discs at Target and Best Buy and the CinemaNow downloads (Best Buy U.S. appears to have its content via CinemaNow download while the same content is on a Bonus Disc in Canada), and the commentary is obviously with iTunes. All this means, if you buy the "normal version" here on Amazon, you're getting less than half the special features created for the home video release, and if you want all of them you're going to need to purchase at least three separate versions. Shame on you, Paramount. I loved the movie when I saw it, but this review is specifically about this product and its release practices.

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I know you want to. I want to. BUT DON'T DO IT!

Don't buy this blu-ray. Paramount markers thought it would be a good idea to make retailers feel special (not amazon though) and split up all the special features, created by the filmmakers, for the fans. So no commentary (even though it exists). And only a small portion of special features.

What does this mean? If you want all the special features created for this release, you have to buy 3 different versions of the blu-ray plus the itunes version (for the director's commentary).

This is not a good practice to support. Don't let these idiots take advantage of you. While it sucks to not be able to own this sci-fi gem, look at the release calendar for paramount following this. Expect similar practices for World War Z.

The best way to show these jerks they're wrong is to not buy this movie.

Live long and prosper

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From my wife Sarah: I've been a fan of Star Trek since the first series. This movie was excellent.

Here's why:

The story was engaging, exciting, and had plenty of edge of your seat moments.

The way it wove the new story together using prior movie and TV themes to build on was kind of genius. Those who know Star Trek will enjoy that.

It had humor with a few good laughs and chuckles, but it also brought tears to my eyes.

I loved the way they developed the relationships between the main characters, especially between Spock and Kirk. I very much disagree with the poster who said there wasn't enough character development. I felt it was quite the opposite.

There were surprises. Especially one big one, which I won't reveal. I enjoyed that this movie wasn't predictable.

The casting was spot on. It's so believable that these are the young versions of Spock, Kirk, etc.

The acting was superb.

What else can you want!

I saw it at an IMAX 3-D theater, and I'd highly recommend that. The 3-D was phenomenal on this huge screen. There were moments when I could imagine I was in space.

I think that Star Trek fans, as well as those who are new to Star Trek, will enjoy the movie. You really don't have to know Star Trek history to enjoy this movie, but if you are familiar, you'll get a lot more out of it.

So Star Trek fans shouldn't miss this new addition. I also recommend this movie to all scifi and action fans. I'll be purchasing this movie when it becomes available, and I'm sure I'll watch it many times.

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OK folks first of all, this is a movie. J.J. is not trying to re-invent the wheel here. What J.J. Abrams has accomplished here is to re-imagine a burned out brand and series (that I loved as much as any true fan) and had the guts to go where no director has gone before with it. He shows his total respect for the best of the previously done films, his respect for the fans of the original films, and bravely creates a marvelous environment for the future of this series. I cannot tell you the last time I have sit in a darkened movie theater (full of fans and first timers) and had so much fun listening to the audience ooh and aah at what they were seeing and hearing from the screen. I along with them laughed, oohed, aah-ed, and even shed a tear, as this movie unfolded, and cannot remember the last time I felt so satisfied in seeing a film.

To all of the families with teens and tweens out there, Yes! this is the whole family movie experience you've been waiting for (and to be fair, there are some really intense scenes, and a four letter word uttered, but you just know the character would really say it in the heat of the moment) !!! It Is Fun! The cast is pitch perfect, the look, sound, and feel of "Into Darkness" is a joy to behold, and a loving homage to all of us who loved the original characters and films, and to those of us who just love good old fashion science fiction. It is a first class roller coaster ride and a true challenge to film makers to up the ante for audiences, if you want us to continue to shell out the movie bucks. By the way, this is a repeater for me as I will go back to see it again.

To J.J. Abrams and your entire crew, Thank You! for being so fearless, so brave to tweak and tamper with a sci-fi original, and re-remind me why I like to go to the movies. I think that Gene Roddenberry would be so proud of your take on his universe.

To the entire cast, Thank You! for being true to the original actors and characters, for giving them your spin, and making the roles your own. I have not had this much fun in a movie theater in a long, long, time, and in a galaxy far, far, away. BRAVO !!!

And to those of you that are leaving such horrid and negative comments to my review, WAKE UP!! These are MOVIES that we are talking about. I now understand why some actors comment at some point in their careers, about some fans needing to get a life. Movies are not real life changing events. They are meant for ALL of us to ENJOY (or not)for the two or three hours we sit in that theater, and maybe learn a little something (or not). Movies allow us to escape our sometimes droll and stressful lives for just a moment, to fantasize, to dream for a moment, to forget how different our lives have become. If you don't like or feel the same way about a movie as I do, I understand. But understand this, I don't try to keep people from seeing, renting, or buying a film because I don't like it, nor do I spend my time trying to drag someone else down because their opinion is different from mine.

I saw this film and I had Fun!! It took me back to the early days of Bart Sloane (The 4D Man The Blob), Ray Harryhausen (Jason and the Argonauts), and Stanley Kubrick (2001: A Space Odyssey) when special effects were in their infancy. I felt the same way when I saw my first Steven Spielberg film (Jaws), my first Ridley Scott movie (Alien), George Lucas (Star Wars), and now J.J. Abrams. These are but a minute few of the hundreds of great filmmakers (I could go on forever)that have gone the extra mile to entertain us, to give us a break from the real world that is so full of Intolerance, Hate, Fear, Hunger, Struggle, and Disease. Give them a break guy's, they are just making movies for us to enjoy (or not).

Remember, the world will still turn tomorrow, that is unless God decides that he has had enough of us, and the way we treat each other, and decides to just shakes us off of this little blue planet that we do not respect at all.

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I am disappointed to say that I have just cancelled my order for this item. I really wanted this special edition, however I have just learned that this release will not contain all the extras that were prepared. For some reason, Paramount decided to split the special features up and give some to other retailers. In order to get them all, you need to buy 3 different sets of the Blu-ray. In the end you'll have 3 copies of the Blu-ray and only then will you have the special features. I have no problem with retail incentives. That's why we have the phaser, or in the case of other retailers, models of the ships, etc. The extra features, however, should be on all the DVDs. The 'video' themselves should not be the extra features. Nothing against Amazon it's a great company, but i think with their buying power, they should have had all the features made put on the discs.

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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.