Galaxy Quest 4K Ultra HD SteelBook

Once, they were the hottest stars on TV. Now, 20 years later, the cast of "Galaxy Quest" are washed-up, anxiety-ridden has-beens who are hired to appear at electronics store openings and thrill their creepy die-hard fans at Sci Fi conventions. That is, until they are approached by some even more unusual than usual fans—alien rebels from another solar system who have been watching the reruns of the show, and don't know any better than to believe that the adventures—and the crew—are real. After engaging the services of Captain Peter Quincy Taggart (Allen), who thinks he's at a really elaborate fan convention when he's taken to their ship, they also secure Lieutenant Tawny Madison (Weaver), Dr. Lazarus (Rickman), and the rest of the bogus crew to help them in a real space mission. The alien planet scenes were appropriately filmed at Goblin Valley, Utah. (Gary Reber)

Special features include the featurettes: "Filmmaker Focus With director Dean Parisot", "Historical Documents: The Story Of Galaxy Quest" (SD 18:13), "Never Give Up, Never Surrender: The Intrepid Crew Of The NSEA Protector" (SD 23:27), "By Grabthar's Hammer, What Amazing Effects" (SD 07:02), "Alien School: Creating The Thermian Race" (SD 05:22), "Actors In Space" (SD 06:09), and "Sigourney Weaver Raps" (SD 01:59); eight deleted scenes (HD ); theatrical trailer and a digital copy.

The theatrical release featured three different aspect ratios: 1.37:1 for the film’s vintage TV first two minutes, 1.85:1 for the next twenty minutes set on Earth, starting at the convention, and finally 2.35:1 in space. Paramount has remastered the film in 4K and restored all three. The 2.35:1 2160p HEVC/H.265 Ultra HD Dolby Vision/HDR10 picture, reviewed on a VIZIO Quantum X P85QX-JI UHD/HDR display, was photographed on Eastman Kodak film stock in anamorphic Panavision® using Panavision camera systems and sourced from a director supervised and approved 4K master Digital Intermediate format. The picture is pristine with a smooth grain structure that is never distracting. The production design, for the most part, takes place inside the Protector where smooth metallic surfaces and a bland gray color scheme are prevalent. Under such settings, the color palette exhibits rich and vibrant hues that reveal nuanced hues. Flesh tones appear natural except for the deliberate pale Thermians. HDR contrast is excellent with blacks and shadows revealing fine detail, even in the darkest scenes. White levels are well illuminated. The imagery is sharp and clear. Resolution is revealing. Facial features are detailed, such as the slime and sweat on the green aliens' faces. Clothing fabrics are finely detail, such as the lint on Tim Allen's costume or on the crew's plain gray, purple and maroon costumes. Sets and objects are sharply focused. The picture is pristine and will surely impress with its stunning visual quality. (Gary Reber)

The repurposed Dolby Atmos/Dolby TrueHD 7.1-channel soundtrack is dynamic sounding, with deep rumbling bass and directional sound effects, panning, and movement during action set pieces. The soundtrack mixes powerful sound effects, directionality, and aggressive bass throughout the outer space sequences with penetrating weapons fire, ships swooping from front to back, and various explosions. Metallic collisions envelop the entire soundstage along with the sounds of hydraulics heard moving all about the soundfield. The consistent hum of the Protector's engines create a decent sense of atmosphere throughout. The orchestral score is nicely recorded and penetrates the soundfield with aggressive surround envelopment. The music's soundstage extends to the surrounds. The dialogue is well recorded, with natural-sounding voices and generally good spatial integration. Deep bass is powerful, occasionally intense and even system threatening, with extension to sub-25 Hz frequencies in both the main channels and the .1 LFE.

The Immersive Sound element is often engaging and provides generally good height layer dimensionality. Various atmospherics enhance the immersiveness of the space battles, spaceship sounds and space enemy encounters. The music is extended as well.

This is a terrific holosonic® soundtrack that is sure to please fans. (Gary Reber)