I've never seen any of these movies and want to know the best way to start. Unless I'm mistaken the blu-ray versions are theatrical and the DVD's are director's cuts. Which version do you recommend? Is the higher quality of the blu-ray versions worth missing out on the extra content and paying the higher price?
Blu-Ray vs DVD
- Thread starter Buster
- Start date
Ditto. Ditto!
I could be wrong but I think it was only the first 2 movies that got directors cuts on DVD. The Motion Picture gets the most changes with some new CGI shots and edits to improve pacing, Star Trek 2's changes are more subtle with some extended scenes and additional dialogue. Some of the movies on blu-ray have pretty poor transfers but I guess they'll still benefit from the bump in resolution over DVD so you're probably better off going for the blu-rays even if you miss out on the extras. If you really want to see the directors cuts then you can pick up the individual DVDs.
Yeah you're right but I believe the changes are pretty minor. The only one I noticed is that as the conspirators are being named an image of them flashes on the screen. I prefer the original because the image and the sound effect they use really take me out of the scene.
Plus, I believe the Blu-ray is the only version with the original aspect ratio.
The differences between the two extended versions are minor -- and, like you, I prefer the version on the 1-disc DVD-- but the differences between the two extended versions and the theatrical version are more dramatic. Colonel West is completely eliminated in the theatrical version and there are a few other scenes absent as well.
While I fully apreciate the purists' point of view, and would probably agree in any other subject, to me I'll take more story; it's the extended cuts for me.
In my opinion, The Motion Picture was a completely different, and better, film in the director's cut version.
More Star Trek is better!
In my opinion, The Motion Picture was a completely different, and better, film in the director's cut version.
More Star Trek is better!
I totally respect your opinion, CaptPapa. But from my own perspective, even though I'm a fairly long in the tooth 44 year old original series fan dating back to the early 80's, I still don't regard myself as a purist at all. I just feel the DC's are genuinely inferior as movies.
As an example, I feel the changes and additions made to TWOK actually tarnish what is a truly classic film. The extended Peter Preston scene in engineering for instance, with the "blind as a Tiberian bat" comment and suchlike, is pretty cringe-worthy - totally unnecessary and an obvious cut for both content and pacing.
Also, the alternate takes used are, for me, clearly inferior to the ones selected for the theatrical version. Dialogue delivery and acting performances don't quite hit the mark. Again, IMHO, it's very clear why they weren't originally chosen.
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"This is not Klingon blood..."
The theatrical cuts for me. Those are the versions I saw and fell in love with. Besides, the stuff added to TUC was distractingly awful; the Scooby-Doo ending to a plot that didn't make any sense (why put a human in a rubber mask when there are plenty of Klingons in on the plot?); Valeris sliding down that damned pole and hitting the rubber wall; "that Klingon bitch"; "Admiral Cartwright" BONNNNNG!. Totally ruined the film for me and I grew to hate it. Seriously. Then I saw the theatrical cut again and loved it. Those few minutes made all the difference. There was enough cheesy stuff in the movie, it didn't need any more.
Star Trek II: most of the additional scenes are pointless ("that young man, he's my son!" - pause until Spock enters frame - "faaaaaaascinating!"), but the Scotty stuff was great.
I will admit I like the DE of TMP better than any other version, but the theatrical still has great stuff the DE removed. It's still a favorite of mine.
Star Trek II: most of the additional scenes are pointless ("that young man, he's my son!" - pause until Spock enters frame - "faaaaaaascinating!"), but the Scotty stuff was great.
I will admit I like the DE of TMP better than any other version, but the theatrical still has great stuff the DE removed. It's still a favorite of mine.
TMP: I strongly dislike the DE, and I'm thankful that the theatrical version has been released on BD. Although I would have preferred the SLV.
TWOK: I prefer the DE.
TUC: I think the first extended version is the best, although the picture quality on the DVD is crappy and it isn't anamorphic.
TWOK: I prefer the DE.
TUC: I think the first extended version is the best, although the picture quality on the DVD is crappy and it isn't anamorphic.
I grew up on TUC video cassette, so I saw the extended edition quite a bit. So recently when I borrowed the DVD version from the library, I expected to miss the extra scenes, I did not. It actually was a tighter film in that regard, not sure why they added those scenes back in the first place...
As for TWOK, I've watched the DC so much that I imagine I'd miss the extra footage, as in that film, I feel it does add to the over all flow of the film.
As for TWOK, I've watched the DC so much that I imagine I'd miss the extra footage, as in that film, I feel it does add to the over all flow of the film.
Well I haven't seen TMP's theatrical version for years now so I can't compare with the one I have, but I prefer TWOK's special edition because there's some added character moments that I feel are missing from the theatrical cut.
I think those extra scenes kill the pacing of The Wrath of Khan. I remember watching the theatrical cut the first time on Blu-ray (first time I had seen the theatrical version in years) and thinking how crisp it was compared to the Director's Edition.
But, everyone has different things that they look for in a film.
TWOK Theatrical vs Director's is a difference of exactly 3 min and 30 seconds.
Act I from the begining to Kirk's disrupted conversation with Carol---has @1min 10 seconds of added footage
1. glassess 7 seconds
2. Preston 50 seconds
3. Carol/Chekov extended 13 seconds
Act II up till Kirk yells Khaaaan has @1min 53 seconds added
4. Extended Regula debate 8 seconds
5. Extended McCoy/Spock debate 21 seconds
6. Kirk/McCoy discussing Khan after preston's death 1min 24 seconds.
Act III the remainder of the movie has @25 seconds addedd
7. Jeffrey's tube dialogue 15 seconds
8. 'Human ego' dialogue 10 seconds
and there is another 2 seconds that are during the opening logos.
Of course not all the additions are great, but any version where I get to see more of De Kelley as McCoy---well, I'll suffer thru a couple of weak lines by an average actor.
But McCoy and Spock having a slightly longer argument and McCoy and Kirk having one of their trademark heart to hearts and Spock ribbing Kirk about the human ego, is what Trek is all about to me.
3 scenes with additions each for Spock and McCoy and 6 scenes with more Kirk--I'm grateful for it and sadly we'll never see them work together again.
Weird fact---for those of you who might say that even a few seconds can slow down the pace of the movie........
Well as a format Blu-ray is just a fraction slower than DVD and film.
So the theatrical cut of the Blu-ray is 9 seconds longer than the DVD, despite being the exact same cut.
It's the same for all movies, put in a copy of any movie--even ones that came out same day like when Iron Man 3 comes out. The Blu-ray will be 8 to 10 seconds longer than either the movie in theater or the DVD that comes out the same day.
Hopefully 8 to 10 seconds is below your threshold for ruining the pacing!
Act I from the begining to Kirk's disrupted conversation with Carol---has @1min 10 seconds of added footage
1. glassess 7 seconds
2. Preston 50 seconds
3. Carol/Chekov extended 13 seconds
Act II up till Kirk yells Khaaaan has @1min 53 seconds added
4. Extended Regula debate 8 seconds
5. Extended McCoy/Spock debate 21 seconds
6. Kirk/McCoy discussing Khan after preston's death 1min 24 seconds.
Act III the remainder of the movie has @25 seconds addedd
7. Jeffrey's tube dialogue 15 seconds
8. 'Human ego' dialogue 10 seconds
and there is another 2 seconds that are during the opening logos.
Of course not all the additions are great, but any version where I get to see more of De Kelley as McCoy---well, I'll suffer thru a couple of weak lines by an average actor.
But McCoy and Spock having a slightly longer argument and McCoy and Kirk having one of their trademark heart to hearts and Spock ribbing Kirk about the human ego, is what Trek is all about to me.
3 scenes with additions each for Spock and McCoy and 6 scenes with more Kirk--I'm grateful for it and sadly we'll never see them work together again.
Weird fact---for those of you who might say that even a few seconds can slow down the pace of the movie........
Well as a format Blu-ray is just a fraction slower than DVD and film.
So the theatrical cut of the Blu-ray is 9 seconds longer than the DVD, despite being the exact same cut.
It's the same for all movies, put in a copy of any movie--even ones that came out same day like when Iron Man 3 comes out. The Blu-ray will be 8 to 10 seconds longer than either the movie in theater or the DVD that comes out the same day.
Hopefully 8 to 10 seconds is below your threshold for ruining the pacing!
Why is that? Are there additional credits?
No, it's not anything like that---it's just the actual time the Paramount logo is shown before the music starts up or possibly even just the amount of black screen before the logo comes up. It may have been the fact they used a more modern Paramount logo for the DE.
Just for whatever reason from the start of the movie to the caption
"....in the 23rd century"
---takes 2:51 on the 1 disc DVD and it takes 2:53 on the 2-disc DE.
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