Star Trek Vengeance

Definitely better than the original. Better I'd say even than the first one. It looks better, the pacing is better, there is less filler, the story is tighter. It looks great too. The color here definitely is better than the original's; it pretty much reminded me of the original Trek movies a lot. The influence from the Trek movies definitely helps.

Minor issues affect the edit: namely the very ending. Everything straight from the beginning was top-notch, but the very ending seems a bit flat. The original's choice to keep the fight between Khan and Spock suspenseful by revealing the necessity for Khan's survival a little later was good. This edit bypasses that suspense and because of that, the final fight isn't as cathartic. Leaving that part in would've surely tied the edit together thematically in connection with the title: Vengeance. Actually, I do have an issue with the title because thematically, vengeance isn't a very big aspect of the story. I get that the reference to the USS Vengeance is a bigger reason for the title being that way, but Star Trek has always been neat in titling its movies. The Wrath of Khan is very poetic and spot-on. Generations, Nemesis, etc. Vengeance being the title here isn't very strong. Finally, the edit tried a little too hard to end the film in a more isolated manner, but it ends up being too rushed. It needed the lengthier ending of the original. Kirk's speech in particular at the end is very awkwardly cut, straight into the Final Frontier speech.

Overall, the visuals are great, and the visual editing is too. The audio just kinda suffers a bit with the awkward cutting at the very end. Nitpicky and anal? Perhaps, but that awkwardness right at the very end kind of breaks the spell that the film holds on you, especially after such a masterful experience beforehand. Another auditory badness is the mixing. I wish something could be done for the mixing because it still has that theater-intended mix that sounds terrible on TV. Finally, the narrative is just a little iffy, as in the examples I've stated above. Overall, as the edit is now, I'd give it a solid 6.5/10, while the original was a 4. It'd be a 7 if the ending was fixed.

When Star Trek into Darkness originally came out, I remember it being touted as being the movie to save hollywood that year. It definitely isn't a perfect film and has many loopholes, but I remember enjoying watching it in the theater. Hearing that TM2YC was attempting to fix some of those loopholes, I have been extremely excited to see this edit.

All review content is based on the 18gb Blu Ray AC3 Stereo edition and will focus on the main rating categories. This review will also attempt to be spoiler free until the narrative section.

Audio/Video Quality: 9/10
The AC3 audio sounds great.
The video quality is crisp and clear with only slight blocking during scenes that have a lot of particle effects and or movement (ala Nibiru chase scenes).

Visual Editing: 9/10
TM2YC's visual editing is seamless. Added components such as smoke overlays, new title sequences, removal of ships, etc. are completely natural looking as if they always occurred in the film. This is a textbook example. The color grade is fantastic. I find that I am noticing more in this film because of the more accurate coloring. There may be a bit too much yellow for my eyes, but this is far superior to the official release.

Audio Editing: 9/10
Audio transitions during edited scenes are near flawless in this edit. The only real issue I have with the audio is during the ending of Pike's chastising of Kirk. The audio switch used to end the scene feels a bit off due to the same cue being heard in the following scene. This is more an issue of personal taste though as the execution is flawless.

Narrative: 8/10 *Spoiler Alert*
The main changes to the narrative are handled well in this edit. This is a more streamlined presentation that focuses on the core story and removes content that would otherwise distract from or add to the main focus. The rearranging of certain scenes works great and helps establish certain key elements of this edit.

The beginning scenes of the movie seem to have an extra sense of freneticism due to some editing choices. I personally like the lines regarding the prime directive that were omitted and felt that they helped to strengthen the connection to the OT and its characters. I also feel like this omission removes some of the key components of the OT triangle; Kirk (heroism), Spock (logic), McCoy (compassion). One area that doesn't seem to fit the narrative is Pike's line "It's going to be ok son" around the 20 minute mark. Since there is no demotion, this line doesn't feel right or needed. Speaking of the no demotion of Kirk, this is handled superbly and all scenes concerning this scene have been expertly edited. The added components to the meeting ambush help to create a greater sense of tension and loss which enhance the impact of the scene. Edit choices throughout appear to follow the "Faster, more intense" mindset. While it works to progress the story and cut side plot material and character development, I found myself missing omitted scenes. Certain dialogue such as Spock's line about incurring the rage of Uhura doesn't quite make sense without the lovers quarrel scene that was removed. Again, this is a personal preference.

*EDIT*
Upon further watches I noticed that the security guards are sitting in the cockpit with Kirk, Spock & Uhura. It totally makes sense that Spock would not divulge such in their presence as it wouldn't be appropriate. Good edit TM2YC! The inclusion of the deleted scenes are absolutely fantastic and placed expertly to advance and enhance the story.

While this edit does a fantastic job at removing the confusing choice to demote and promote Kirk in the same movie, I had hoped that Kirk's death could have received a more believable resolution. This is no fault of TM2YC as the source material does not allow for such at the moment. While I find that I actually might prefer the original cut more, this was a fun ride and an excellent example of what a quality fan edit should look, sound, and feel like. Thank you TM2YC!

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoyed this movie and would like a fresh take on it, tolerated this movie but wished for similar changes, and any aspiring faneditor who would like to view an example of superb craftsmanship.

A labor of love for the editor, who took painstaking care of using everything at his disposal to transform an uneven and careless picture into a much tighter and interesting action adventure.

I personally was a bit skeptic on how much could be salvaged but was pleasantly surprised to discover the film becomes something else once so much junk and nonsense has been ejected.

I really recommend it as the definitive version of the film (forget the other one) and as a fix for those who felt that the original had something going but never got around to materialize it.

Count me firmly in the "liked it" camp. In fact, when I first saw Into Darkness, I thought it might even be better than its predecessor (and this is coming from someone who LOVED ST09 - it's my favorite Trek film). Since then, watching it again, is it perfect? No. Some plot contrivances become more obvious upon repeat viewings, and character regressions become more eyeball worthy. Still, is STID a fun and completely watchable flick? Definitely. So while many have clamored for an edit for awhile, I have not. But I'm more than welcoming to Vengeance, which brings the film damn near close to the best it can be.

First of all, all the nips and tucks done, whether to remove weird lines or fix reactions or pacing - perfect and completely seamless. In many cases they do what they set out to do like a trick, keeping things going. In most cases you won't even notice. Most of the edit is comprised of these types of tweaks, to the point where, even though 15 minutes have been removed, if you didn't know better you'd probably never notice. Which is of course the true sign of a great fan edit.

The opening scene works this way, and is in many ways faster and more fun than the original. Not in all ways because unfortunately, the resequenced reveal of the Enterprise emerging from the water to save Spock is sort of ruined, pacing-wise, in comparison to the original. Still, I love the reinsertion of the deleted scene (even if the musical scoring isn't quite what I would have done), and the new title is very well done.

Moving on, removing Kirk's demotion is handled quite well and does a good deal to improve the film in regards to Kirk and Spock's character. Kirk doesn't need to be sent to his room for him to learn his lesson, so the change is nice, in addition to removing the redundancy of getting his rank back later. Unfortunately there's a slight oddity because of this when Kirk says that only he can go get Harrison, but I suppose its not all that different from the original. More odd is the bar scene. The intention of the editing is clear, but you can't remove Pine's smile to make Kirk reaction go from feeling comforted to feeling guilty. The real winner of the demotion change though is the scene in which Kirk asks Spock why he saved him which is expertly done and really frames their relationship in this film very well.

Spock's handling of his emotions is a big through line in the original and here, with a key scene being his discussion with Uhura on the ship en route to Kronos. That scene is cut here, mostly because of what it does to Uhura's character. Going it to this edit, I was okay with that. Watching, the edit is, of course, seamless, and helps keep the film going at a breakneck pace. Problem is, though, once the film has come full circle and Spock is watching Kirk die, the emotional through line kind of falls apart. The scene on the ship is crucial not just to establish and deepen Spock's handling of his feelings post-Vulcan, but also to have a pause in the action for some depth, and to remind us where the characters are coming from emotionally. Ultimately, I think removing the scene is a mistake, regardless of how it treats Uhura. The Spock/Kirk dynamic is simply more important to this film and isn't quite there without this crucial element. (As well, Uhura kissing Spock after they get back on the Enterprise just seems contextless and random.)

Still, Kirk's death works fine here and in many ways much better than in the theatrical cut due to the relequencing of Bones's super-blood discovery. I mean, this is it, guys, this is the reason you need to see this edit. I'm not one who ever cared much about the Wrath of Khan rip-off critique because, frankly, I think it's not really there. Still, I can't deny the original's Kirk death and resurrection is a bit misguided. Well, it can't be removed, but it can be improved. It's so simple, really, and the changes are actually quite subtle, but what's done here is the final bit of the climax has been given a much needed boost of excitement and tension and plain heroism. It just works.

So yeah, overall, this is a great edit. On the technical side, yes the scene where Scotty resigns is out of sync. As well, for the most part I like the regrade (and appreciate that the vibrancy is still there), though I think it could have gone a bit farther. Shadows are still far too blue, and a couple deleted scene shots don't look quite right (Kirk's shirt almost green in the first scene, Scotty's face a little too desaturated in the one where he finds the Vengeance). Otherwise, though, the technical proficiency of this edit is top shelf. And it's just damn fun too. Recommended.