Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray + Digital

They can’t all be winners now can they? Don’t get me wrong. I love the original Star Trek franchise with a passion and Star Trek III: The Search for Spock has a special place in my heart BUT it just doesn’t survive the scrutiny of a critical lens, you know? The film is flawed in some of the most basic ways: plot and special effects being the easiest to identify, which is really weird considering the success for Paramount the second film had and the fact that Industrial Light and Magic were brought in on a bigger budget.

"Paramount’s 4K handling- which includes a new 4K scan of the original camera negative and of the master interpositive elements to produce a new Digital Intermediate - helps a bit in making its clunkiness (and overall frustration) go down smoother."


But Paramount’s 4K handling- which includes a new 4K scan of the original camera negative and of the master interpositive elements to produce a new Digital Intermediate - of Star Trek III helps a bit in making its clunkiness (and overall frustration) go down smoother. And the newly remastered James Horner score is pure perfection, especially in the captivating English 7.1 surround in lossless Dolby TrueHD format.

Written and produced by Harve Bennett and directed by Leonard Nimoy, Star Trek III picks up right where The Wrath of Khan left off, with the death and burial of Spock. Well, not a traditional burial as he was launched right into deep space. Mind you, his body was placed in a photon tube and jettisoned onto the planet Genesis, created by the terraforming experiment Khan stole in the second film. Are you beginning to see how he was resurrected? Genesis, man, it’s pretty amazing.

Connected to this unstable planet, a rapidly growing Spock is discovered by David Marcus (Merritt Butrick), Kirk's son and a key scientist in Genesis's development, and Lieutenant Saavik (Robin Curtis, who makes the character hers after Kirstie Alley refused to return for the pay Paramount was offering) but their find is quickly threatened by Kruge (a wonderfully on-point Christopher Lloyd), who wants the Genesis material for a weapon.Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray + Digital

Little does he know that Kirk and his crew are on their way to Genesis, too. Something Spock’s father (Mark Lenard) said to Kirk is not sitting right with him. Stealing the Enterprise, Kirk, Bones (who is suffering due to the infusion of Spock’s katra onto his psyche), Scotty, Sulu, Chekov, and Uhura make their way to the Genesis planet, risking everything to reunite Spock’s body with his katra in a dangerous procedure called fal-tor-pan on Vulcan.

But there are sacrifices along the way. Oh, boy, are there ever sacrifices made.

From the Enterprise itself in a memorable self-destruct sequence to the death of Kirk’s only son, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock sets up a chain reaction of events which lead straight into the next and probably most popular Trek film: Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. It also features some of the BEST acting from Shatner who faces a whole lot of death in the face of his best friend’s resurrection.

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock is now available in 4K, which is the ONLY way to see this entertaining but flawed film.

3/5 stars


 

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray + Digital

4k details divider

4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray Edition

Home Video Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Available on Blu-ray
- September 6, 2022
Screen Formats: 2.35:1
Subtitles
: English, English SDH, French, German, Japanese, Spanish, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish
Audio:
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1; French: Dolby Digital 2.0; German: Dolby TrueHD 2.0; Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0; Japanese: Dolby Digital 5.1
Discs: 4K Ultra HD; Blu-ray Disc; Two-disc set
Region Encoding: 4K region-free; blu-ray locked to Region A

The third installment of the original motion picture saga comes to 4K UHD with HDR-10 and Dolby Vision, boldly remastered from the original film elements. Admiral Kirk's defeat of Khan and the creation of the Genesis planet are empty victories. Spock is dead and McCoy is inexplicably being driven insane. Then a visit from Spock's father, provides a startling revelation: McCoy is harboring Spock’s living essence. Kirk attempts to steal the U.S.S. Enterprise and defy Starfleet’s Genesis planet quarantine to search for his friend, but the Klingons are planning a deadline rendezvous.

Video:

Paramount’s 4K restoration is fantastic in giving the film a clean look without sacrificing too much of the grain. The contrast and colors are restored to extenuate the muted color palette of the film, and the sparkles and other mystical elements really seem to pop out wonderfully. Overall, this is probably a perfect transfer and the best version of the film we will ever see. The organic depth of color leaves the previous blu ray releases in the dust. From opening to ending, the darks throughout these four films are inky black and the vibrant colors pop off the screen. There are almost imperceptible shots that are a touch on the soft side, and the optical effects stand out more so at this resolution, but this is completely faithful to the source, organic even, and the finest these films have ever looked.

Audio:

The new Dolby TrueHD 7.1 mixes are also another massive upgrade over the previous release. With new overhead channels mixed in, a robust soundscape awaits your ears. Again, the start of these films waste no time in showing you the difference aurally as well as visually.

Supplements:

Commentary:

  • There are two and they are the previous commentaries found in the other releases. Fans get a commentary by Leonard Nimoy, Harve Bennett, Charles Correll, and Robin Curtis and another from by Ronald D. Moore and Michael Taylor.

Special Features:

  • The newly-remastered film is also offered in 1080p HD and SDR on a Blu-ray Disc that’s included in the packaging (and is also available separately). It features the exact same audio and subtitle options as the 4K disc and adds the following additional special features:
  • Commentary by Leonard Nimoy, Harve Bennett, Charles Correll, and Robin Curtis
  • Commentary by Ronald D. Moore and Michael Taylor
  • Library Computer Viewing Mode (HD)
  • Production
    • Ken Ralston on Models and Creature Effects Easter Egg (SD – 7:06)—Select ‘Right’ from the Production menu item
    • Captain’s Log (SD – 26:13)
    • Terraforming and the Prime Directive (SD – 25:53)
    • Industry Light & Magic: The Visual Effects of Star Trek (HD – 13:50)
    • Spock: The Early Years (HD – 6:22)
  • The Star Trek Universe
    • Space Docks and Birds-of-Prey (SD – 27:49)
    • Speaking Klingon (SD – 21:04)
    • Klingon and Vulcan Costumes (SD – 12:16)
    • Star Trek and the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame (HD – 16:52)
    • Starfleet Academy SCISEC Brief 003: Mystery Behind the Vulcan Katra Transfer (HD – 2:42)
  • Photo Galleries (HD)
  • Production
  • The Movie
  • Storyboards (HD)
    • Main Titles
    • The Klingons Attack
    • Entering Spacedock
    • Search for Life
    • Finding Spock
    • The Destruction of the Grissom
    • Stealing the Enterprise
    • Self Destruct
    • Kirk Fights Kruge
    • The Katra Ritual
  • Theatrical Trailer (HD – 1:12)

4k rating divider

  Movie 3/5 stars
  Video  4/5 stars
  Audio 5/5 stars
  Extras 4/5 stars

Composite Blu-ray Grade

4/5 stars


Film Details

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray + Digital

MPAA Rating: PG.
Runtime:
105 mins
Director
: Leonard Nimoy
Writer:
Harve Bennett
Cast:
William Shatner; Leonard Nimoy; DeForest Kelley
Genre
: Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi
Tagline:
Join the Search.
Memorable Movie Quote: "What you had to do, what you always do. Turn death into a fighting chance to live."
Theatrical Distributor:
Paramount Pictures
Official Site:
Release Date:
June 1, 1984
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
September 6, 2022.
Synopsis: Admiral Kirk and his bridge crew risk their careers stealing the decommissioned U.S.S. Enterprise to return to the restricted Genesis Planet to recover Spock's body.

Art

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray + Digital