STAR TREK: INTO DARKNESS

STAR TREK: INTO DARKNESS TRAILER

What is most surprising about 'Into Darkness', though, is that, apart from the reveal of Harrison's true identity, there are no real surprises in 'Into Darkness'. This film carries so many features of the previous film that, even though it does them just as well, it fees like something we've seen before. Also, unlike many franchises, this film doesn't attempt to link directly with the events of the previous film apart from nods and acknowledgements, so the film feels very self contained and episodic. This isn't necessarily a fault of the film, but as a consequence, the same edge-of-your-seat exhilaration from the last film is conspicuously lessened.

That said, of the many blockbusters we've had this year, 'Star Trek: Into Darkness' is one of the few that genuinely delivered on its promises. This is escapist cinema at its best, a thrilling ride through a world and characters we've all come to grow a serious affection for. It also continues to demonstrate just how gifted a storyteller J.J. Abrams is; one of the few directors who can work on an immense canvas while never losing the intimacy of his tremendous characters. It's a great disappointment that he won't be returning for a third outing, as one could only guess where he might have taken it next. Then again, maybe we shouldn't complain. What he's done with the Star Trek franchise is breathe new life into a cultural icon, bringing a whole new generation to it in a manner contemporary and exciting. We can only wait with bated breath as he turn his eyes to an even more sacred franchise, one set a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...

PICTURE & SOUND
If 'Star Trek: Into Darkness' wasn't a reference quality presentation, there would have been something seriously wrong. Of course, the film looks and sounds spectacular. The 1080p 2.35:1 transfer is a genuine marvel, the spit and polish of the film's design presented with breathtaking clarity. The world of Star Trek is one of shining surfaces and curves, a vision of a gloriously modern future, and the team behind this film have executed that to perfection. A light filter of grain maintains a cinematic quality over the film, but doesn't obstruct sparkling fine detail or Abram's love affair with the lens flair. And then there's the Dolby TrueHD 7.1 track, which blasts gloriously from the speakers. This is a big film in every way, and the dynamism of the sound design, coupled with the terrific score, create an all-encompassing aural environment. There's nothing to fault with the audio-visual presentation Paramount have afforded this film.

The film is also available on 3D Blu-ray.

SPECIAL FEATURES
This is where things get tricky. At first glance, it seems like we've got an acceptable (if somewhat slight) set of features on offer. A series of featurettes cover the development of the film, changes in the design and the decisions around the character of John Harrison. All are handsomely produced, but in total, they only amount to around half an hour of content. And that's all. No commentary, no deleted scenes, no galleries. Where this gets complicated is that there is a commentary on the iTunes version (which wasn't available to check at the time of writing), and a number of U.S. exclusive editions offer various extra content that clocks into over an hour of extra material. In order to have all the excellent material created for the film, consumers in the U.S. have to buy four copies of the film, while in Australia, we don't have access to any of that material, apart from (hopefully) the commentary. For a major release, this might make sense for a market as big as the U.S., but for other countries unable to access that material, it's frustrating to say the least.

Click here to read our 4-star review of 'Star Trek: Into Darkness'.

To win one of five Triple Play (3D Blu-ray, Blu-ray and Digital)s thanks to Paramount, just make sure you follow both steps:

Competition opens at 5:00pm AEST on Sunday 15th September 2013 and closes at 11:59 pm AEST on Sunday 22nd September 2013. Five winners will be chosen at random on Monday 23rd September 2013. To successfully win, entrants must fulfil the above entry conditions before the time the competition closes. Current members/followers are eligible to enter the competition. Only one entry per person. Only one winner per household. To be a valid winner, the entrant must not have won a prize from SWITCH within the last 28 days. Each winner will receive one Triple Play (3D Blu-ray, Blu-ray and Digital) copy of 'Star Trek: Into Darkness'. By entering, you agree to receive occasional emails from SWITCH in the future. If you decide to unsubscribe from these updates, any further entries will not be applicable. Only Australian residents are eligible to enter.