Star Trek: The Motion Picture 1979

It's a first effort at adapting Star Trek to the feature film format, and it shows. Pacing is very slow for most of the film, only picking up near the climax. The slowness is not helped by long, drawn-out shots of the ship—leaving spacedock, exploring new environments, etc. At the time, I suppose, the audiences probably loved getting to see such views of the ship they'd known up until then only on small television screens, but that's the only purpose these…let's call them "ship porn" shots…serve. Dramatically, they belong on the cutting room floor (or, more accurately, should never have been shot, given how much of the $43 million budget effects shots consumed).

There just isn't enough plot to fill the runtime of this film. It feels like a standard one-hour TV episode script stretched to fill 2+ hours with eye candy. Presented as an episode of the original TV series that ran from 1966-1969, the film's plot would likely have been quite at home. As a full-length feature film, though, it felt like a slog. For the first 90 minutes or so I found myself often checking the playback position, the movie-watcher's version of constantly asking Mom, "Are we there yet?"

That's not what you want your viewers to do when they watch your film.

Update from the future: In summer 2019, TrekMovie interviewed Douglas Trumbull about his work on Star Trek: The Motion Picture, as a lead-up to the film's 40th anniversary and Trumbull's first appearance at a Trek convention. Read it here: https://trekmovie.com/2019/07/26/interview-vfx-pioneer-douglas-trumbull-on-how-it-took-a-miracle-to-complete-star-trek-the-motion-picture/

[7.0/10] In one of his excellent write-ups of The Original Series, Zack Handlen wondered what it must have been like for Star Trek fans to write and plead and cajole the network for more of their favorite show on the cusp of cancellation, and be rewarded for their enthusiasm with the thud of “Spock’s Brain.” It’s hard not to wonder about the same thing for Trek fans who watched Star Trek: The Motion Picture after having not seen their space-bound heroes in the flesh for a decade, and found this cinematic revival that is, to put it kindly, a very deliberately-paced two hours of entertainment.

It’s easy to imagine devout Trekkies sitting in the theater and thinking, “Wow, look at the detail on those Klingon battlecruisers! And the splendor of that massive fluorescent cloud!” Then they might say, “Oh man, the new Enterprise looks great. We’re spending a lot of time showing it off from every angle, but hey, it’s a big moment! It’s okay to indulge a little!” And then they might go, “Look, the massive V’Ger apparatus is pretty cool and all but, uh, could we maybe get on with it already?”

That’s the heaven and hell of a film the fans have lovingly dubbed “The Slow Motion Picture.” After three years of shoestring television budgets and one more of a stiffly-animated Saturday morning cartoon, Star Trek suddenly had the funds to be done up in cinematic splendor. That means the world of The Federation seems more expansive and fully-realized than ever before, that the distant space creatures and galactic phenomena seem more awe-inspiring than ever before, that the settings of this universe, whether they be the alien sands of the Vulcan homeworld or the V’Ger interior that calls to mind Alien, are more vivid and detailed than ever before.

But it also means that creator Gene Roddenberry and director Robert Wise knew that too, and weren’t afraid to show off, without regard for the progression of character or momentum of the picture. If there’s a recurring motif to ST:TMP, it’s a visually that initially awes you, and then prompts you to ask the movie to get to the point already when it’s luxuriating on its sixth alternate angle of the same event, or cutting to the eleventh reaction shot of it.

In the same way, Star Trek: The Motion Picture is the ur-example of the “What if we did an episode of the TV show, but bigger?” criticism leveled at any series that makes the jump to the big screen. While ST:TMP borrows heavily from its own prior episode “The Changeling” in terms of premise, that has less of an effect on the film than the scant amount of incident it packs into a two-hour movie. The lesser episodes of The Original Series felt like twenty minutes worth of plot stretched out to fill an entire episode, and The Motion Picture feels like the same idea expanded to cinematic length.

The story is a familiar one for Star Trek. There’s a massive mysterious cloud on the edge of the galaxy, destroying everything in its path and slowly but surely making its way toward earth. The crew of the Enterprise has to go solve the mystery of its existence and figure out how to save the day. It’s the kind of problem TOS, could and often did solve within forty-five minutes. And even adding in the heartening, “we’re getting the band back together” material only justifies so much more time spent.

But damn if the reunion portion of the episode isn’t affecting, even for someone who didn’t have to wait ten years between outings for Kirk and company. The Captain himself gazes in wonder at the refurbished Enterprise. Spock is more stoic and to the point than ever. Bones is his usual irascible, lovably grumpy self (now with more hair everywhere and a sexy seventies neck medallion!) And the rest of the crew -- Scotty, Uhura, Sulu, Chekov, Doctor(!) Chapel, and even Yeoman Rand(!) -- are back along for the ride. It’s a thrill to see the crew back together in silver screen glory.

The only catch is that, true to the series that spawned it, The Motion Picture only has arcs of meaningful things to do for a handful of cast members. Spock returns from the Vulcan homeworld having come this close to purging himself of emotion entirely. He neither offers nor responds to any warm welcomes from his old crewmates, and there’s a mild, frankly underdeveloped suspicion that he might put the ship in harm’s way to better understand V’Ger. It leads to him embarking on a 2001-esque escapade through V’Ger’s impressive gaping maw, but also to one of the film’s stand out moments.

Spock, having been through this interstellar vision quest, laughs and refers to his once and future captain as Jim. The version of Spock we first meet is one who seems colder and more distant than the character from The Original Series. But that just lends power to the moment when he grasps Kirk’s hand and lionizes the power of human connection, the purpose and camaraderie that imbue life with a vitality and meaning that, V’Ger lacks and which Spock realizes once more, logic alone cannot confer.

That is, true to the spirit of its predecessor, the major theme of Star Trek: The Motion Picture. It posits that there is something illogical, emotional, and unknowable about the human condition. Call it the soul; call it the core of a person’s being; hell, call it the force. Whatever it is, Roddenberry has long since presented the notion that whatever humanity lacks in logic or pure capacity, it makes up for in curiosity, in creativity, in yearning that allows us to transcend the empirical nature of even the universe itself and reach new planes of understanding.

To the same end, it reaffirms Kirk as a risk-taker, and argues that it’s his very desire to push that makes him worth more than the average regulation-abiding captain. The Kirk we meet in The Motion Picture is one who’s been behind a desk for two-and-a-half years and clearly misses the thrill of adventure on the Enterprise. He squeezes out Captain Decker (7th Heaven’s Stephen Collins) out of the captain’s chair, using the mysterious cloud as an excuse to rush the ship out of the spaceport, impress his old friends into service, and relive his glory days.

The great and frustrating thing about this tack is that it starts out seeming like a deconstruction of all the Kirk as Great Man™ themes and plots The Original Series went back to again and again. Rather than the infallible, undefeatable leader of men of TOS, Star Trek: The Motion Picture gives us an individual who’s pushed out a worthy captain and gets an earful from it, who hears from Bones about how he’s pushing things too much too fast after being out of the saddle for so long.

His rush to get the Enterprise out to sea results in a transporter malfunction that takes two lives. His desire to get to warp speed results in a dangerous wormhole that nearly tears the ship apart. His effort to confront V’Ger costs him the life of his Deltan helmswoman Ilia. There is the sense in the film’s early going that Kirk’s courage and attendant recklessness has a cost and maybe this isn’t such a good idea.

But then, the movie sort of forgets about it, or at least wraps up his story in that same notion that it takes a little unorthodox action, a little raw humanity, to do what needs to be done out there. There’s not really a price to any of it, just an affirmation that the Nomad-like robotic cloud machine needs a touch of humanity to truly fulfill its mission, with a finish that calls to mind “Metamorphosis” from The Original Series. There’s a nice sci-fi bent to the reveal and the resolution, with a typically pat summary of the meaning of it all from Kirk on the other end that signifies this really is just an episode of the show on steroids.

And yet, as much as is so familiar in The Motion Picture, what’s striking about the film is how much feels so different. Gone are the Seussian colors of The Original Series and in their place are washed out whites and grays with occasional pastels. As stultifying as it becomes when the film repeatedly lingers too long on effects and set pieces, the visuals of the film are breathtaking and a far cry from the models and foam rocks of the 1960s T.V. show. ST:TMP clearly borrows from Star Wars with the used future look and intricate exteriors of its ships and from 2001 with its extended sequences through galactic psychedelia and small men cast in front of hulking aparati. And the production design -- from the ship itself which feels like a working vessel and no longer just like a series of hallways, to the interior of the cloud which evoke a sense of a Frankenstein of technological superiority -- is outstanding.

In that way, Star Trek: The Motion Picture expands and advances and beautifies the world established by its television forebear. As much as it drags the film to a screeching halt at times, it’s understandable how Roddenberry & Co. wanted to show off the aesthetic chops to match the character and storytelling creativity of the series that had struck such a chord with fans worldwide. The movie becomes tedious at points, but the heart of Star Trek is there, in the friendly banter and disagreement between the crew, in the out there sci-fi problem threatening the Enterprise this week, and in the philosophical and sentimental bent to the solution.

Oddly enough, the theme the film tries to impart works best when applied to itself. Amid all the technical wizardry and aesthetic virtuosity that starts to dull and feel mechanical with overexposure, the animating spirit of the franchise, the more human side of this distant adventures in the vacuum of space, are what makes Star Trek’s first cinematic outing feel like a worthy one, even as it becomes lost in its own special effects wonders. Whether Trekkies in 1979 were wowed by those visuals, or bored by their omnipresence, it’s hard to imagine them seeing their space-faring heroes on the screen once more, fighting the same fight, once again boldly going where no one has gone before, and not been heartened by the knowledge that the core of the series -- its tropes and traditions, for good and for ill -- were still alive and well.

An Epic Sci-Fi Milestone

Star Trek: The Motion Picture is a true milestone in the world of science fiction cinema and a delight for all Trekkies out there. This epic journey through the infinite depths of the universe far exceeded my expectations and provided an unforgettable cinematic experience.

The cast, led by Captain Kirk (charismatically portrayed by William Shatner) and Spock (the unforgettable Leonard Nimoy), returns to the big screen to embark on a new adventure. Their chemistry and roles in this film are as fascinating as ever.

The visual effects, groundbreaking for their time, contribute to showcasing the majestic beauty of space and the technological splendor of the USS Enterprise. The tremendous effort put into designing the models and visual effects definitely pays off, giving the film a timeless quality.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture's plot is deep and captivating. It explores the concept of human existence, technology, and the quest for new frontiers. The film prompts reflection and ignites our curiosity about the unknown.

Jerry Goldsmith's music is another highlight of this film. The stirring soundtrack enhances emotional moments and immerses us even deeper into the world of Star Trek.

Overall, Star Trek: The Motion Picture is a cinematic masterpiece that captures the fascination and spirit of Star Trek in an impressive way. It's a film that will not only captivate Trekkies but also anyone who loves great science fiction cinema. I highly recommend this film and encourage everyone to embark on this epic journey and accompany the USS Enterprise on its mission into the unknown. Live long and prosper!

This is my first rodeo. Wanted to watch the Original Series before. Did this last year. Can't say I liked the original show. It's a hastily produced mess with a lot of bad episodes. It shows that TV was the ugly child of the movie biz back then. It's beyond me they were able to secure a reboot of the franchise with this movie.

It's immediately clear that they had a lot more money to spend on the movie than they probably had for one season of the TV show. It looks so much better than the TV show. They put way more work into the plot. The only thing I don't like: the beige uniforms. I always like the vibrant colors in the original series and later shows.

Do these improvements over the TV show make this a good movie in its own right? No. I still don't like arrogant, hands-on Kirk. I never liked him. At least he's not running around bare-chest and is starting fist fights. Or worse: chasing girls. He channels his alpha male mojo into hating poor Decker (who I like). I don't like the pacing of the movie. Discussing philosophical issues at snail pace is one thing; in this movie though, every single scene is terribly drawn-out. Cut this down to an 80 minutes runtime movie and you're all set. The first 60 minutes or so are a terrible waste of time: the crew is assembled; the ship's undergoing some engineering work. There's really not much more happening. Then the ship and Spock travels through what I can only describe as a kaleidoscope. It's a very simple story. There's maybe a philosophical core behind the story: evolution, an origin story, artificial life and intelligence, Spock's journey to understand logic, perfection and feelings, loving androids. But that's discussed in no way I can relate to or in a way that I might find appealing.

PS: I like this overture before the movie starts. It's like an opera. Nice to see Yeoman Janice Rand again. She has changed though.

Theme- 6.5/10
Rewatchibility- 4/10
Acting- 5/10
Kinematography- 7/10
Time- 3.5/10
Total - 26/5 = 5.2

Each of us... at some time in our lives, turns to someone - a father, a brother, a God... and asks..."Why am I here? What was I meant to be? Where's the editor? Who's dragging this out?" When the original series ended, it was a tad bittersweet. On one hand, the quality of the episodes was very clearly on the decline. On the other, it was quite an abrupt ending, a five-year mission ending at three. Enter the Slow Motion Picture. The film doesn't pick up where the show left off as too much time has passed to convince us otherwise but it does collectively bring us back or forward I suppose to the original crew in a sort of 'we're getting the band back together' kind of way. It was nice to see the OG crew in a bigger budget setting and an updated Enterprise. Bones went from someone I would often be irritated with to being the most enjoyable to watch on the screen. I guess he's earned the old curmudgeon character legitimately for me now that he's been drafted back after retirement. Spock's in a less-is-more capacity which I didn't have a problem with. Even Shatner felt like he toned Kirk down a notch for the big screen which is always appreciated. The only character that felt off was Scotty and I'm not sure why. No problem with Riker and Ilia as they were purely plot fodder. Now then all that's left is the large V'ger in the room, speed. My god does this movie move at a snail's pace. There are long extended scenes purely built on a visual standpoint with no real reason to exist beyond a fraction of the time that they do. The movie does exactly what 2/3 of the show did, draw out a story nearly twice as long as it needed to be, which was the case here. If this was a 90-minute movie we would likely be having a completely different conversation about the first Star Trek movie.