Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (Two-Disc Special Collector's Edition)
by Nicholas Meyer
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Actor: DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, Leonard Nimoy, Walter Koenig, William ShatnerDirector: Nicholas Meyer
Writer: Leonard Nimoy
Writer: Nicholas Meyer
Producer: Brooke Breton
Writer: Denny Martin Flinn
Writer: Gene Roddenberry
Writer: Lawrence Konner
Writer: Mark Rosenthal
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Format: Closed-captioned, Collector's Edition, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 113 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-01-27
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Paramount
DVD Reviews of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (Two-Disc Special Collector's Edition)
DVD Review: Boldly going into "The Undiscovered Country"
Summary: 4 Stars
"Star Trek: The Undiscovered Country" Review by Wayne A. Klein
Boldly going where no cast has gone before--retirement, the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise endure one more mission under the direction of Nicholas Meyer ("Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Kahn", "Time After Time" and author of "The Seven Percent Solution") Despite some story gaps and flaws in logic, the momentum and action keep "Country" entertaining something that couldn't be said for the badly flawed "Star Trek V". Although clearly well beyond his days of gallivanting about the galaxy, James T. Kirk (William Shatner) is pushed into escorting his enemies to a meeting to discuss peace between the Klingon Empire and the United Federation of Planets. Kirk still bears scars and anger over the murder of his son by a Klingon commander (in "Star Trek 3: The Search for Spock"). With witty allusions of Sherlock Holmes, and current history, Country has enough action and humor to satisfy both the devoted Trekkie and the average viewer.
It seems that a massive explosion on the moon Praxis has forced the Klingon Empire to seek outside aid from the Federation as the debris of the moon destroying their planet. Led by the Lincolnesque Chancellor Gorkon (the droll and sincere David Warner in a marvelous supporting role), the Klingons are as suspicious of Kirk as he is of them. When the Enterprise inexplicably fires on the ship Kronos 1 and a murder is committed by Enterprise crew members, General Chang (a larger than life Christopher Plummer) arrests Kirk and Dr. McCoy when they beam over to the ship to provide assistance. Returning to the Klingon home world, Kirk and McCoy are put on trial and convicted of assassinating a leading Klingon political leader and sentenced to spend their lives on a distant ice gulag.
Meyer's taunt direction and witty script (written with Denny Martin Flinn)helped breath new life into the final entry featuring the original cast. Meyer is to be commended for his direction of the actors as well. William Shatner can easily blow through a scene like a tornado consuming all the audience's attention when he overplays his role. As in "Khan" Meyer brings out the best in Shatner without letting him chew the scenery too much. Shatner's staccato line readings are also kept in check. He gives one of his best performances as Kirk in the Trek franchise. Nimoy Nimoy and Kelley are, as always, a delight to watch interact. Doohan Doohan, Koenig, Takei and Nichols are all given their moments as well. Each plays the comic elements of their particular scenes really well. Something that's often missed about the original cast is their skill as comic players. Humor was a regular feature of many episodes but there were also a number of tongue-in-cheek episodes where the actors displayed their versatility at drama and comedy. The material provided by Meyer and Flinn (with an original story dreamed up by Leonard Nimoy) provides just the right mix of drama, comedy and pathos for the original cast to play.
Finally released in its correct widescreen anamorphic aspect ratio (the previous release was widescreen only), "Country" looks marvelous with rich blacks and a minimum of compression artifacts. As a result, the image looks sharper and richer particularly in scenes involving optical effects. There are virtually no analog artifacts in the form of hair, splotches, etc. on the print used for the transfer. The colors are rich and vibrant looking. While the color seemed a bit richer on the previous release, clearly this "Country" features the look that Meyer wanted for his finished film. After the lackluster earlier release from Paramount of the same film, "Country" wafts in like a cool breeze on a nasty, humid day.
While the sound isn't up to par compared to a 2004 theatrical release, the expansive Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround mix has a much more expansive feel than the previous edition of the DVD. The unusual orchestral score by Cliff Eidelman finally gets its due; the opening fanfare captures all the raw excitement evident in the film itself. Eidelman's score compares favorably to Jerry Goldsmith's score for Star Trek: The Motion Picture and sounds just as great here as Goldsmith's did on that remastered DVD from a couple of years ago.
Some of the dialog sounds a bit "flat" without much depth but usually this is most noticeable in scenes where there is little else going on in the way of sound effects and music score. Otherwise, the remastered sound marvelously captures the best elements of the theatrical release. The rich sound effects and background ambiance hasn't sounded this good since the film's original theatrical release in 1990. There are some minor flaws with the sound due to the use of compression to fatten up the sound of the film but, again, that's a very minor issue.
Paramount decided to spring for most of the extras with Country. While there are no deleted scenes or any gag reels, out takes, etc. the film comes packed with a number of attractive feaurettes and trailers. Since Meyer's Director's Cut was released on laserdisc, home video and DVD previously, there aren't any new extended scenes in the film. It does appear, though, that Meyer may have done some more trimming here and there to enhance the film. We have an engaging audio commentary on disc one by director Meyer and co-screenwriter Denny Martin Flinn. Meyer tends to occasionally go off on some wild tangents but, on the whole, stays focuses on the day-to-day difficulty of producing the film. He and Flinn also discuss scenes that were cut from the original script prior to production due to cost
Almost all the extras are located exclusively on the second disc. There's six feaurturettes on the making of the film entitled "Movie Making". All six can be played together or separately. There's also a section on The Star Trek Universe which focuses on the background of Gene Roddenberry's original creation and Meyer's take on the same raw material. Meyer has made no secret that he saw Star Trek as Horatio Hornblower in outer space and that's relayed clearly in this feature as well as the first film of the franchise he directed ("Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Kahn"). Universe consists of a number of notable feaurettes including "Klingons: Conjuring a Legend".
The section about the inspiration of the film is particularly compelling. "Art Imitates Life: The Perils of Peacemaking it focuses on the real life inspiration for The Undiscovered Country including the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet Union. The most touching piece, though, is the tribute to an under rated actor. DeForest Kelley made his debut in Fear in the Night from 1947. This short tribute focuses on the film and television roles he inhabited outside of Star Trek. Featuring interviews with colleagues and producers from the beginning and latter part of his career, "Deforest Kelley: A Tribute" captures all the warmth and magic of this consummate character actor who finally found his niche as Dr. McCoy.
The original cast and crew interviews as well as the trailers are included. Additionally, there's an excerpt from a 1991 convention presentation by director Meyer. Finally, we have an Archives section consisting of production photos, storyboards and assorted odds and ends that didn't quite fit into other parts of the disc. I personally found the extras here more rewarding than on any other Trek film release with the possible exception of Robert Wise's Director's Edition of "Star Trek: The Motion Picture". While "Country" doesn't differ as significantly as "ST:TMP", the minor tweaking that Meyer did for the previously issued laserdisc version helped clarify plot points and improve the overall pacing of the film. My only complaint is that, unlike the recent re-release of "Alien", "Country" doesn't offer the original theatrical version in an extended branching edition so fans can compare both head to head.
.
Although Shatner, Koenig and Doohan appeared in one more Trek film ("Star Trek: Generations" which featured The Next Generation cast and which will be issued in March in a Special Director's Edition as well), "Country" clearly was intended as the final voyage of the original crew. It's a marvelous sent off for the original cast of the original series, "Star Trek:The Undiscovered Country" finally appears the way director Meyer intended it to. Additionally, the second disc of extras make this an essential DVD for Trek fans.
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