The first reviews of Paramount Home Entertainment's upcoming DVD release of STAR TREK V: THE FINAL FRONTIER - SPECIAL COLLECTOR'S EDITION have begun to appear.

While mixed comments continue to circulate about the film itself, the DVD, set for a Region 1 release October 14, has met with less than enthusiastic response.

Steve Krutzler of TrekWeb has given the new DVD three stars out of five, citing again the positive attributes of William Shatner's theatrical debut. "There's something endearing about THE FINAL FRONTIER, a charm that reaches beyond the cheap sets, some bad jokes, a disjointed ending, and the bad Klingons," Krutzler points out. "STAR TREK V has a lot to say and really tries hard to say it,...but its aspirations of grandiose storytelling just couldn't match up against the budgetary restrictions of the studio and the inexperience of its director."

Krutzler had equally mixed concerns regarding the new DVD's presentation, citing less than stellar picture transfer, vintage video footage of unorganized moments, and only decent commentaries among the weaker points of the release. Krutzler has high praise for THE JOURNEY and ROCKMAN IN THE RAW, citing both as the stronger looks behind the curtain of the making of the film.

"The DVD tries to make up for a mediocre film with a plethora of features," Krutzler adds.

To read the full review, go to this link.

Andy Dursin of Film Score Monthly had equally mixed thoughts on the new DVD release, giving it two and a half stars out of four, also citing the mixed response in the film itself.

"Having to mix the humorous with the deep subject matter clearly wasn't going to be easy," Dursin points out, "and indeed, writer David Loughery's final screenplay shows the difficulty in striking the right balance the filmmakers faced."

Dursin also cited problems with the audio commentary and the on-screen text commentary by Michael and Denise Okuda, as well as with THE JOURNEY. "While the tone of the piece is not especially candid, at least there's some discussion of what went wrong behind the scenes, though the speakers seem overly concerned about not burning any bridges."

Dursin had high praise for the film's transfer, citing a new 16:9 enhanced widescreen transfer that shows improvement from the previous DVD release. "Though the supplements aren't as in depth... the effects test footage and the more vintage extras make it, overall, a worthwhile trip back to a 'final frontier' that's fun in spite of its flaws," Dursin adds.

For the full review, go to this link.

Peter Bracke and Dan Ramer of DVDFile give the DVD three and a half stars out of five, also citing a strong new video transfer and some good supplements on the release among the high points while again reserving criticism for the film itself.

"There are many plot holes and inconsistencies that (Shatner) could have fixed in the editing room or with reshoots....Only the effective score from the prolific Jerry Goldsmith elevates the material," Bracke and Ramer point out.

Bracke and Ramer have high praise for THE JOURNEY. "(It) is the only extra on the whole disc that approaches...truth and honesty," they point out. "If you read between the lines you'll get a good glimpse at the lingering disappointment felt by all who participated."

For the full review, go to this link.

Scott Kimball of the Home Theater Forum has also reviewed the film, giving mild praise to both the film and the DVD presentation.

"There is a kernel of a good story here... a real adventure into the unknown," Kimball points out, "but we are so hurried in getting there, and are so distracted by mystical trickery, that we can't enjoy the ride."

Kimball also briefly analyzes each of the DVD's extras and only stops to specifically review the deleted scenes. "None of these add anything of interest to the film," Kimball mentions.

For the full review, go to this link.

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