Ebullient filmmaker J.J. Abrams and the rest of the cast and crew of the new Star Trek went boldly and brilliantly to reinvigorate a tired franchise.
Even fans of the original series rejoice in what Abrams and company did. Their collective creative talents produced one of the best action thrillers, and one of the best sci-fi movies, of 2009. With the doubling of Oscar's best picture category, can it earn a surprise nomination? Will box office success now be a blessing instead of a curse?
More impressively, perhaps, even cast members from the original franchise are on board the new Enterprise, literally in Leonard Nimoy's case. Nimoy, now 78, plays Spock Prime in a time-warp version of his iconic character.
"I'm really impressed with the casting of this movie," Nimoy says in tomorrow's Star Trek DVD and Blu-ray releases. "Not only are they people who know what they're doing and how to do it," Nimoy says about all the key actors -- including Chris Pine as the new yet still cheeky James T. Kirk and Zachary Quinto as the new yet still emotionally repressed Spock -- but all have attributes that "extend" the vitality of the original characters. That is high praise from the original Spock.
The 2009 Star Trek, which cost a reported $150 million, earned $385 million in worldwide box office, according to Box Office Mojo. It is no leap to guarantee that it will be a home entertainment bestseller. There is a single-disc DVD for rentals of those who want to cut to the chase. We recommend instead the two-disc Special Edition DVD with generous bonus material, a digital copy and a free trial of the forthcoming Star Trek video game for XBox 360.
Then there is Blu-ray. This three-disc set offers everything from the special edition DVD, plus a lot more.
While making-of materials are generous on DVD, they are over-the-moon on Blu-ray. For example, there is a Blu-ray exclusive called Gene Roddenberry's Vision in which Nimoy, Abrams and others pay homage to the humanism of the original Star Trek creator.
"He had great, great faith in what humanity could accomplish!" Nimoy says, referencing Roddenberry's penchant for infusing his Star Trek universe with stories that spoke to the highest impulses of the human race.
Cast members from the original franchise are on board the new Enterprise, literally in Leonard Nimoy's case. Nimoy, now 78, plays Spock Prime in a time-warp version of his iconic character.
