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Reviewer Patrick Douglas

Patrick Douglas is a Library Technician at the University of Central Oklahoma.

Title

Star Trek: The art of the film

Mark Cotta Vaz

Review

Although not the commercial success of previous franchise films, the reboot of the Star Trek universe included the same level of special effects fans have come to expect from Star Trek motion pictures. In fact, CGI (computer graphics imaging) has expanded and improved upon the standard. Now, not only can digital graphics be used for the depiction of outer space, but it can also bring to life creatures (both sentient and bestial) and alien landscapes like never before.

Included in Star Trek: The Art of the Film are essays by cast members describing their experiences, sketches of various alien races, the concept development of spacecraft involved in the story line. Conceptual renderings, detail sketches, and movie stills show the evolution of vehicles (space-faring and earthbound), weapons, and tools (such as the famous communicator) from the drawing board to finished product. There is a section on aliens, which illustrates the creation of many new races for this film, as well as one covering just the Romulans. Even uniform design has its own chapter.

The author, primarily through interviews with director J.J. Abrams, shares the reasoning behind virtually every graphics decision made, from costuming to ship design. While informative, Star Trek: The Art of the Film is mostly pictorial, putting it more into the coffee-table-book category than anything else. It is certainly worth a look, whether or not you actually liked the film itself.

Review Date

Reviewed October 2011