Review: STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS Blu-Ray

Read my review of the Star Trek Into Darkness Blu-Ray!

The first thing you should know about the Star Trek Into Darkness Blu-ray * is there are a ton of different versions. They all have the same movie in them, but the special features are different. It depends on where you buy it from. Here's a rundown of the special features. The featurette lists are from TrekCore:

• All Retailers (Basic Disc)
  Featurettes (40 minutes)
  
• Creating the Red Planet
• Attack on Starfleet
• The Klingon Home World
• The Enemy of My Enemy
• Ship to Ship
• Brawl by the Bay
• Continuing the Mission
  

• Target: A Limited Edition 3-disc collector’s set
  Available only at Target, A Limited Edition 3-disc collector’s set that includes a Blu-ray bonus disc with over 70 minutes of special features including 30 minutes of exclusive content, available only at Target. Collectively these features give the fan detailed insight into the development of the movie’s characters and its amazing world of visual effects. Featuring a collectible package art, this set is a must have for any collector.
  Featurettes
  
• The Voyage Begins... Again (2:29)
• Mr. Spock and Mr. Spock (4:15)
• Rebuilding the Enterprise (5:30)
• Vengeance is Coming (4:27)
• Kirk and Spock (5:34)
• Visual Affection (9:02)
  
• Best Buy: “30 Minutes of Exclusive Never-Before-Seen Content”
  A Best Buy Exclusive, delve into the creation of the film’s unique alien creatures, get a first-hand look at one of the locations used for the U.S.S. Enterprise’s Engine Room and more.
  Featurettes
  
• Down With the Ship (6:09)
• NIF: Home of the Core (4:32)
• Safety First (2:26)
• Unlocking the Cut (5:10)
• The Sound of Music and FX (5:27)
• Aliens Encountered (6:50)
  
• Walmart: “Limited Edition Gift Set with Steelbook & Villain Ship”
  Only at Walmart, this Limited Edition Gift Set includes the Blu-ray Combo Pack in collectible Steelbook packaging and a replica of the U.S.S. Vengeance.
• Amazon: Starfleet Phaser Limited Edition Gift Set
  An Amazon exclusive, the Starfleet Phaser Gift Set includes a 1:1 scale authentic Starfleet phaser replica, gloss black display stand, brass plaque and the Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack.
• iTunes: iTunes Extras
  Go behind-the-scenes with the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise with iTunes Extras. Get a first-hand look at the making of Star Trek Into Darkness in an all-new, exclusive, enhanced commentary with visionary filmmaker, J.J. Abrams and his crew. See how filmmakers brought the red planet to life, find out how, and why, the identity of the film's true villain was kept a mystery to the very end, and sit in with Zachary Quinto and Benedict Cumberbatch as they revisit their intense preparation for the film's action-packed climax.
  

Finding out if a DVD or Blu-Ray has pre-production artwork is kind of tricky since some specifically say "concept art" or "storyboards" and others use terms like "production photos" or "designs from the making of the film."

So which one has concept art? I decided to roll the dice and went with the Best Buy version since it's the only one that specifically said it had designs for the creatures.

Well, it turns out the "special features" are a digital version of the featurettes on the DVD, so I didn't gain anything from it.

On the other hand, the shorts "Creating the Red Planet," "Attack on Starfleet" and "The Klingon Home World" have some amazing concept art. I especially enjoyed the insight concept artist Neville Page brought to the videos. He worked on the last film and even did a cameo in the first Star Trek as a Romulan crew-member.


Here's some art I captured from the featurettes of the Nibiru natives.

Here are the specifications for the disk set.

• Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen, Multiple Formats
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, French, Portuguese, Spanish
• Dubbed: French, Portuguese, Spanish
• Region: Region A/1 (B, C untested)
• Number of discs: 2 (DVD, 50GB Blu-Ray, UV digital copy)
  
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Paramount
• DVD Release Date: September 10, 2013
• Run Time: 131 minutes
• ASIN: B00AZMFK3K

Audio

• English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
• French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
• Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
• Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1

Video

• Codec: MPEG-4 AVC (26.27 Mbps)
• Resolution: 1080p
• Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
• Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1

Is it worth the money? I'd say yes, but with the caveat that it has no art galleries, no storyboards and very few interviews with artists.

Great for behind-the-scenes insights, but very little for fans of movie art




* Sales made through the links provide a small commission for me to help pay for art book and videos for review.

What do you think of the Star Trek Into Darkness home video releases?
 
Official Star Trek Into Darkness Synopsis
When the crew of the Enterprise is called back home, they find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organisation has detonated the fleet and everything it stands for, leaving our world in a state of crisis. With a personal score to settle, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction. As our heroes are propelled into an epic chess game of life and death, love will be challenged, friendships will be torn apart, and sacrifices must be made for the only family Kirk has left: his crew.

Pioneering director J.J. Abrams delivers the explosive action thriller Star Trek Into Darkness, following on from the international box office success of Star Trek in 2009. Featuring a stellar cast including Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Benedict Cumberbatch, Karl Urban, Alice Eve, Zoe Saldana, Anton Yelchin, John Cho, Simon Pegg, Bruce Greenwood, Noel Clarke and Peter Weller.

Official Site: StarTrekMovie.com

Director: J.J. Abrams
Cast: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, Anton Yelchin, John Cho, Bruce Greenwood, Benedict Cumberbatch, Peter Weller

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