New On DVD, Blu-Ray: 'Star Trek'

'Star Trek' (PG-13): Set your phasers and prepared to be stunned by the brilliance of director J.J. Abrams' new vision of "Star Trek," an origins movie that chronicles the early years of the crew of the Starship Enterprise, including James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) and Mr. Spock (Zachary Quinto). Fresh and funny, yet faithful to the "Star Trek" canon, this updated version of the classic 1960s sci-fi television series would have made late creator Gene Roddenberry proud.

The film expertly sets up the beginnings of Kirk, whose young life is spared(along with his mom and 800 others) by an heroic act by his father, George (Chris Hemsworth) -- to an incident involving young Kirk (Jimmy Bennett) -- which gives a telling sign of his rebellious days to come. Soon fully grown, Kirk has no fix on what his destiny will be until a chance meeting with Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood), a stately captain who challenges the young Kirk to join Starfleet Academy and pick up where his father left off. It proves to be a fateful move, as Kirk eventually faces Nero (Eric Bana), the same enemy his father faced years before.

While the new "Star Trek" is driven by a smart script and state-of-the-art special effects, perhaps the greatest key to its success is its spot-on casting on all fronts. Pine brings the perfect sort of swagger and confidence to Kirk that embodies the William Shatner version of the character (but without the ham-handed bravado), while Zachary Quinto nails the sort of intelligence and intensity needed to realize the brilliance of original Spock Leonard Nimoy. Nimoy turns up in a small, but pivotal role, too, as the older version of Quinto's Vulcan first officer.

Among the other standouts in the cast are Zoe Saldana, who is stunning as Cadet Uhura; Karl Urban, who brings playfulness to the sarcastic Dr. Bones McCoy; as well as Jon Cho and Anton Yelchin nail their roles as Sulu and Chekov, respectively. Although he's the last of the major crewmembers to be introduced, Simon Pegg ("Shaun of the Dead") nearly steals the show as Scotty, a witty engineer who plays a vital role in saving the newly commissioned Starship Enterprise.

While "Star Trek" is for all intents and purposes an origins movie, the familiarity of the characters that've appeared over the years in various TV and film incarnation aids greatly in the development of the story. The sky -- make that the universe -- is the limit for the already announced sequel, which can't come soon enough. It's a brilliant movie that easily ranks among the year's best.

Special Features: The Blu-ray three-disc pack includes a digital copy of the film, commentary by Abrams and filmmakers and a whopping 30 production featurettes. The nine deleted scenes with optional commentary are a welcome addition to the disc, and in most cases, would have worked well in the context of the film.

One scene chronicles the scene prior to the hot-rod joy ride incident featuring young Jim Kirk (Jimmy Bennett) and the voice of his step-father at the beginning of the final version of the film -- which reveals that the other young boy he sped by on the road was actually his brother. There's more of young Spock, too, as we witness of the birth of the Vulcan (a baby with cute, little pointed ears), along with more of Winona Ryder and Ben Cross as Spock's parents. Nero's back story as a prisoner is chronicled more as well, in addition to a Klingon takeover of the Narada. An expanded Kobayashi Maru sequences is telling, as it gives more insight into how Kirk defeated the unbeatable test with the inadvertent aid of his green love interest Gaila (Rachel Nichols).

The Blu-ray version of the release also includes a cool BD function, which gives viewers the option to get the latest news about space exploration for NASA and images from around the universe. The featurettes, highlighting the likes of Abrams, Nimoy, screenwriters Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, composer Michael Giacchino and sound designer Ben Burtt, cover multiple areas of the filmmaking process – from storylines (including the William Shatner role conundrum), props, costumes, special effects, the score and the legacy of Roddenberry.

Other cool features include a Starfleet vessel simulator, which gives you 360 degree views of the Enterprise and the Narada; as well as a mostly funny gag reel, which begins with a low-tech approach to the Enterprise floating across the galaxy. It covers gags, flub and other on-set antics, although Abrams' drum-like microphone thumping habit drags on way too long. (Paramount Home Entertainment).