Star Trek: Beyond – 4K UHD Blu-ray Review

After docking at Starbase Yorktown, the USS Enterprise, ventures into new dangerous uncharted territory. In an uncharted nebula, the Enterprise gets torn apart by an unknown enemy with a boiling hatred of the Federation of Planets and strands Kirk and company on a remote planet with no means of warning the Federation of the impending danger they face. Can James T. Kirk figure a way out of this predicament in time to save everyone on the Yorktown or is his fate already sealed?

Specifications

Paramount Studios
2016, 2160p with HDR, Dolby Atmos, 2.35:1 Aspect Ratio
Rated PG 13, 2 hours and 2 minutes
Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Idris Elba, Simon Pegg
Directed By: Justin Lin

Rating

Entertainment:

Video:

Audio:

Extras:

Violence: Yes (no gore)
Sex: No time for that
Language: Mild

This third installment into the “new” Star Trek timeline starts out with the crew about half way through their 5 years voyage to go where man has gone before. Kirk is getting bored with the episodic routine and longs for more. Soon he gets his wish when a new enemy of the Federation appears and wipes out his beloved Enterprise. Is it me, or does the Enterprise get a smack-down in almost every Trek film these days? Anyways, Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Uhura, et al, enlist the help of a female alien named Jayla to make things right. They re-furb the derelict starship Franklin and race back to the Yorktown to square off with an interesting villain played by Elba (who is completely hidden by latex throughout the film). Lin, who directed the Fast and Furious franchise keeps the action coming and the explosions…well…exploding. The best parts of the film are the quieter scenes where the characters interact and reveal their inner workings. I think they play up to their fan base a bit too much, though. “I am a doctor, not a (fill in the blank)!” says McCoy.

But that’s OK. You finally start to see the crew becoming family and caring for one another. I must admit, they carry the original characters personalities well and that what makes this film so much fun. Special effects are amazing, too. The Yorktown is what Deep Space Nine should have looked like. The destruction of the Enterprise was bit too frenetic, but exciting to watch. The weak action scene for me was Kirk zooming around on a motorcycle. Really? That must be a Fast and Furious thing. Anyway, I really liked this movie and felt it was perhaps the best of the three. It reminded me more of the original TV series episodes and that is a good thing. I’m looking forward to their next adventure, wherever they may boldly go.

As this year winds down, the editors are selecting their “picks of 2016”. I debated having a 4K movie category this year, but I have only seen about eight movies in UHD so far and it’s too premature to select an outstanding 4K movie for 2016. That said, this movie would be in the running as it is certainly one of the slickest movies in UHD I have seen to date. The HDR is magnificent and an excellent example of what can be done with HDR and WCG. Details are razor sharp, contrasts are great, blacks are super black, colors are brilliant and one scene shows a sun rise and the sun was dazzling white, while the planet surface was bathed in the warm morning light. It really looked breath taking. This whole movie contains all sorts of eye candy. You can see subtle color shifts of the uniforms as the light changes.

Every whisker on Spock’s five o’clock shadow can be distinguished (in spite of makeup). Really, in HDR and with the WCG, this movie is impressive especially when compared to the paler Blu-ray version. It was shot with a Red Dragon and an Alexi camera in 3.4K, but a 2K DI was used in the final transfer to disc. In spite of it not actually being 4K, it still looks wonderful. I can’t wait to see what the studios will be putting out there in 2017. The audio is equally impressive in 5.1, and I imagine the Atmos crowd will be well served by this movie, too. The future is looking good, because the future is in 4K!

The extras are like Tribbles! Included are a Blu-ray with deleted scenes, Beyond the Darkness, Enterprise Takedown, Divided and Conquered, A Warped Sense of Revenge, Trekking in the Desert, Exploring Strange New Worlds, New Life, New Civilizations – See how special effects designers met the challenge to create an unprecedented 50 new alien species for the film to celebrate Star Trek’s 50th Anniversary. To Live Long and Prosper, For Leonard and Anton – a touching tribute to the legendary Leonard Nimoy and beloved crew member Anton Yelchin, and of course, the ubiquitous Gag Reel.