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Star Trek: Original Series Vol. 15
List Price: Unknown [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie:
This is the first "Original Series" Star Trek DVD that I've reviewed, and the first time in a long while that I've sat down to watch an episode of the old show. Watching it reminds me of why it became so popular, and in similar fashion, why the "X-Files" has built up such a fan base. This isn't television but something beyond it; breaking the boundary to become more of a movie than television.
Led by William Shatner's entertaining overacting (please, no more priceline ads), the crew went on journeys to bold new worlds each week. There are two episodes on this DVD; the first one is "Operation: Annihilate", where Captain Kirk and crew visit the planet Deneva to find what happened to Kirk's brother. The crew find creatures that have invaded the humans that were left on the planet, causing insanity. They're going from planet to planet in an attempt to take over the galaxy.
I was actually very impressed with this episode. Where much has been said about Shatner's overacting at times, I actually found the dramatic scenes where he finds out the fate of the people of the planet to be very well played. Of course there are the few scenes where he does that Kirk speech - "we're looking...for...some...kind... of creature." It's too bad that some of the "special effects" don't match up to the kind of strong acting that's shown in this episode - they're kinda silly, but they're what you might expect from a series of this time.
The other episode in this volume is a little more "out-there". In "Catspaw", Sulu and Scotty are turned into zombies when Kirk and crew venture onto a planet containing a wizard named Korob, who uses his powers against the crew. A few of the effects in this episode are a bit better than the "Operation" episode, and I thought the performances were pretty good when the plot could have turned goofy.
Both episodes contained on Volume 15 are quite good, and are recommended for "Trek" fans.
The DVD
VIDEO: The image quality for both of the episodes included in this DVD are quite good, although they occasionally do show a few small signs of wear. Both episodes are full-frame, and sharpness and detail are very good with few exceptions. Clarity is also solid, and problems are few.
I didn't see any instances of pixelation or shimmer, but there are some occasions where a couple of slight marks appear. This is not a consistent problem, but a very brief one. There is also some slight grain, but this isn't very noticable. I haven't seen the rest of the editions of the original series that have been offered on DVD, but with these two episodes being 32 years old now, the clarity is worthy of praise.
Colors seem natural and accurate, although not terribly bold or bright, they also don't seem faded or flawed in any way. In general, I believe that this edition more than likely looks better than the episodes that are broadcast on cable television currently. It's good to see that they've been kept in fine condition.
SOUND: Both episodes have been remixed for Dolby Digital 5.1 audio; while this is certainly a good idea for a show like "Star Trek", it really doesn't make the audio, which was originally mono, that much more agressive. The audio is mainly from the front 3 speakers; I heard only very minimal surround use during both of the episodes. Still, it's about what I would expect from a series that's now over 30 years old.
Quality is still pretty strong though; this isn't rich sound, but I was pleased to find that it wasn't thin or flat, either. The music seems crisp and clear, and dialogue is easily heard throughout, with no problems at all. I didn't hear any distortion or other such problems.
MENUS:: Menus aren't animated, but are nicely designed, with both episodes having their own area.
EXTRAS:: The original previews for both episodes.
Final Thoughts: Two fun episodes that are nicely presented here. Recommended.
This is the first "Original Series" Star Trek DVD that I've reviewed, and the first time in a long while that I've sat down to watch an episode of the old show. Watching it reminds me of why it became so popular, and in similar fashion, why the "X-Files" has built up such a fan base. This isn't television but something beyond it; breaking the boundary to become more of a movie than television.
Led by William Shatner's entertaining overacting (please, no more priceline ads), the crew went on journeys to bold new worlds each week. There are two episodes on this DVD; the first one is "Operation: Annihilate", where Captain Kirk and crew visit the planet Deneva to find what happened to Kirk's brother. The crew find creatures that have invaded the humans that were left on the planet, causing insanity. They're going from planet to planet in an attempt to take over the galaxy.
I was actually very impressed with this episode. Where much has been said about Shatner's overacting at times, I actually found the dramatic scenes where he finds out the fate of the people of the planet to be very well played. Of course there are the few scenes where he does that Kirk speech - "we're looking...for...some...kind... of creature." It's too bad that some of the "special effects" don't match up to the kind of strong acting that's shown in this episode - they're kinda silly, but they're what you might expect from a series of this time.
The other episode in this volume is a little more "out-there". In "Catspaw", Sulu and Scotty are turned into zombies when Kirk and crew venture onto a planet containing a wizard named Korob, who uses his powers against the crew. A few of the effects in this episode are a bit better than the "Operation" episode, and I thought the performances were pretty good when the plot could have turned goofy.
Both episodes contained on Volume 15 are quite good, and are recommended for "Trek" fans.
The DVD
VIDEO: The image quality for both of the episodes included in this DVD are quite good, although they occasionally do show a few small signs of wear. Both episodes are full-frame, and sharpness and detail are very good with few exceptions. Clarity is also solid, and problems are few.
I didn't see any instances of pixelation or shimmer, but there are some occasions where a couple of slight marks appear. This is not a consistent problem, but a very brief one. There is also some slight grain, but this isn't very noticable. I haven't seen the rest of the editions of the original series that have been offered on DVD, but with these two episodes being 32 years old now, the clarity is worthy of praise.
Colors seem natural and accurate, although not terribly bold or bright, they also don't seem faded or flawed in any way. In general, I believe that this edition more than likely looks better than the episodes that are broadcast on cable television currently. It's good to see that they've been kept in fine condition.
SOUND: Both episodes have been remixed for Dolby Digital 5.1 audio; while this is certainly a good idea for a show like "Star Trek", it really doesn't make the audio, which was originally mono, that much more agressive. The audio is mainly from the front 3 speakers; I heard only very minimal surround use during both of the episodes. Still, it's about what I would expect from a series that's now over 30 years old.
Quality is still pretty strong though; this isn't rich sound, but I was pleased to find that it wasn't thin or flat, either. The music seems crisp and clear, and dialogue is easily heard throughout, with no problems at all. I didn't hear any distortion or other such problems.
MENUS:: Menus aren't animated, but are nicely designed, with both episodes having their own area.
EXTRAS:: The original previews for both episodes.
Final Thoughts: Two fun episodes that are nicely presented here. Recommended.
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