Paramount Home Entertainment, out now

Experience the first big screen adventure for the crew of the USS Enterprise in 4K – and multiple different versions…

It’s been written off as Star Trek: The Slow Motion Picture, and regarded as the first step towards Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan which really cemented Jim Kirk and co’s legacy on the big screen, but that is doing Robert Wise’s movie a huge disservice. If you’ve not read any of the various books about the creation of the film, then make a beeline for the disc of extras in this collection which will set you straight not just as to what went wrong, but what went right, and what the gift of the Director’s Edition did for Wise in rectifying things that simply were beyond his control in 1979. I had the pleasure of interviewing him and the team in 2001 about it, and his delight at the opportunity was palpable – and I strongly suspect he’d be all in favour of the new work that’s been done subsequently.

Very simply, if you’ve only ever experienced the released version of ST: TMP, you’ve not seen the movie. The Director’s Edition rebalances the storytelling so that the “human” part takes its rightful place alongside the effects – we’re no longer watching Kirk and crew watching a viewscreen, but feel part of it. Sometimes it’s as simple as a slightly shortened shot, sometimes it’s a complete new scene. Part of it, without doubt, is the new audio mix that brings out the workings of the Enterprise, as well as Starfleet (and which the opening of the 2009 movie emulates more than you might realise). Part of it is the regrading of shots and the clear sense now of what V’Ger is. (And yes, there are still a couple of oddly uncomfortable moments such as the reactions to the transformation at the end…)

And that’s before the benefits of watching it in 4K. It really does feel like seeing a pristine print of the film with utter clarity (the scene on the rec deck is an unusual but clear example). If you go for the Complete Adventure edition, you don’t just get the Director’s Edition in this format, you get the theatrical release and the SLV (slightly longer version?) that includes the scenes for television that were added (with one correction to a missing background from what was broadcast in 1983), which prove it isn’t simply the addition of 4K that makes the new edition sing! UK purchasers get these on Blu-ray as well in this set – a lot of reviews are of the US edition which only has the 4K discs and the extras.

It’s worth buying for the movie alone – but then you add in the extras. There’s pretty much everything that’s been released before, as well as a plethora of new documentaries, commentaries and features. It’ll take you hours to work through but there’s nothing here that you finish thinking, why did they bother (and I wish that were the case always!). And for those who want a real nostalgia buzz, there’s a load of goodies included…

Verdict: An excellent edition that enables a reassessment of a fine Star Trek story. 9/10

Paul Simpson

Click here to order from Amazon.co.uk