While not quite as epic in scope as J.J. Abrams' Star Trek (2009), Star Trek Beyond feels more like classic Star Trek than Star Trek Into Darkness did, which relied too much on references to better written and directed Star Trek television and the feature film, Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Kahn in particular and lest we forget the cure for death due to "Kahn's Magical Blood," which is an actual and laughable quote from that film.
While Abrams is the man who revitalized Star Trek, he was not as well versed in Trek Lore as some of his colleagues and despite the great respect and admiration he developed for the venerable franchise, Abrams wisely chose Doug Jung and perhaps the worlds most famous professional and fanboy working in feature films today, Simon Pegg, who also reprises the role of Mr. Scott for the third time in this series set in the alternate "Kelvin Timline" created during the opening events of the 2009 Abrams directed Star Trek feature film.
Directed capably by Justin Lin, Star Trek Beyond is set three years into the Enterprise's five year mission of exploration where once again we find our characters at a crossroads that could effect the outcome of the rest of the mission until after following a distress signal, the crew of the Enterprise are faced with a malevolent force bent on stopping Starfleet's continued expansion as ships like the Enterprise explore the Milky Way Galaxy.
Paramount Home Entertainment presents Star Trek Beyond 3D: Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray + DVD + Digital HD as a three disc set containing one disc that contains the 3D version of the film, the second disc contains a 2D high definition 1080p full HD copy with bonus features and a standard definition DVD as well as an insert containing a limited time only redeemable code for either an iTunes or Ultraviolet Digital high definition copy. The three discs come housed in a single size Blue BD Case with a cardboard slip over it.
The Blu-ray 3D Disc version presents the film in a beautiful high contrast yet quite colorful approximate (2.35:1) 1080p full HD presentation. This is a good three dimensional format disc. Lots of details come through as a result and there is a nice depth of field too. In addition there are previews that are also present on the DVD version that are presented as one reel (5:15) and include trailers for Arrival and XXX: The Return Of Xander Cage among others.
The 2D Blu-Ray disc delivers a spot on HD widescreen picture quality that I am sure will please fans though I think the high contrast of the 3D disc version was personally sharper to me than the 2D, but many times questions of HD picture quality for new film releases are extremely subjective and while I prefer the picture quality on the 3D version, the differences are subtle enough that other consumers may disagree and prefer the 2D BD version or consider them equal.
Both the BD 3D and 2D BD feature English Dolby Atmos Soundtracks that are quite ambient if not atmospheric and are backwardly compatible with older Dolby decoding receivers and sound bars. Both also feature French, Spanish and Portuguese Language Dubbed Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Soundtracks along with an English Descriptive Audio Track for the Visually Impaired. English Subtitles for the Deaf and Hearing Impaired as well as English, French, Spanish and Portuguese Language Subtiltes are encoded as options.
That standard definition anamorphic widescreen DVD version looks washed out compared the the Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D Disc versions. English, French, and Spanish Language Dolby Digital 5.1 Soundtracks are encoded as options along with an English Descriptive Audio Track for the Visually Impaired as well as English Closed Captions for the Deaf and Hearing Impaired and English, French, Spanish and Portuguese Language Subtitles. The DVD menus are standard interactive still frames that are easy to navigate. All three discs divide Star Trek Beyond into 14 scene selections.
The extra value features on the 2D Blu-ray Disc include two deleted scenes that can be viewed individually or as one reel. The rest are featurettes that appear to be pieces of a larger whole that include interviews with JJ Abrams, Justin Lin, Simon Pegg and Doug Jung discussing the development of the film (10:06), a look at the visual effects behind the attack sequence (4:31), a behind-the-scenes peek at the location set shooting (8:04), an exploration of the villainous Krall, played by Idris Elba (5:15), location shooting in Dubai to standin for the futuristic starbase seen in the film (3:06), a tour of the production sets with Director Justin Lin (6:02), alien makeup effects (8:04), a retrospective look back at Star Trek's 50 year legacy (7:51), a farewell to Leonard Nimoy and Anton Yelchin (5:04) and a funny gag reel (6:13) too.
Star Trek Beyond 3D: Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray + DVD + Digital HD is available now at retailers on and offline courtesy of Paramount Home Entertainment.
(C) Copyright 2016 By Mark A. Rivera.
All Rights Reserved.
