Star Trek The Motion Picture: Revisiting the Crew’s First Movie

I was 17 in 1979 and saw this in the theater. A 15 year old friend of min fell asleep watching it. After I saw it, I was crushed. I thought the film was so bad, there would never be a sequel. The plot was just a rewrie of the original series episode, "The Changeling," which featured a probe named. I enjoed watching the DVD with the director commentary on (Robert Wise, director, being interviewed by Bicholas Meyer). Nevertheless, I never recommend this movie and I believe it is the worst of all the films with the classic actors.

I consider this a daring movie compared to the sequels which played it safe. I still appreciate them all but hosted a seminar at our film school when this came out with whoever would appear because, as George Takei said, the film was released unfinished. Todd Ramsey, the editor, really gave us the lowdown on how they had to stretch what they had because the score was already written and the missing effects added to the slow pace. Years later I went to a presentation with an effects company that was working on the director's cut. I think most of the team did the special effects for "Babylon 5" and they really got me excited. This movie is profound, perverse and almost as majestic as "2001: A Space Odyssey". That's why I love it.

Why is ALIEN a STAR WARS knock-off? Simply because it takes place in outer space??? STAR WARS must be the first space movie if everything that came after it was a knock-off. I don't even consider STAR WARS science-fiction, as the laws of science are completely disregarded; it's fantasy, pure and simple.

Star Trek > Star Wars

I've always liked that movie, and so did everyone else until the Internet, IIRC.

Robert Wise was a top-notch filmmaker, who'd also made The Day the Earth Stood Still [1951], and The Andromeda Strain [1971], both of which remain monumental Sci-Fi masterworks in film.

It owes more to Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey than to Star Wars, but that never disappointed me.

It's a great 10 of 10 star film, that would be truly surpassed by its (first) sequel.

Gene Roddenberry's ego ran wild here.
No wonder he was dumped.

Oh wow…. had no idea so many disliked the first film. I actually LOVE the first film. There's literally nothing else like it. My favorites are III and VI ( I obviously love II as well). Huh…. interesting.

This is first movie I ever remember. I remember lying on the couch when I was 3 and it was on TV. The earliest memory I have. Love it

The editing makes it ponderous and dull in places, the dynamic between Kirk, Spock and McCoy was uncomfortable and strained, but I think the label of the worst Trek movie is unfair. It's one of the rare moments when Star Tek was Star Trek. An exploration into the human condition.

I was at the perfect age for this movie when it came ouit: 16. I didn't care that much about acting and themes and plot development. I was MESMERIZED by the special effects that at the time I thought were better than Star Wars (which I saw 8 times–at the theater by then!). I was just starting to appreciate the theatrical scores of films too and I had Jerry Goldsmith/s soundtrack on an LP record, a cassette, even 8-track for my first car. I loved the movie! When I saw it get panned Hard by Siskel & Ebert on their "Sneak Previews" show I was PISSED! When I recently saw the polished-up version of the movie on Paramount+, I really wasn't that impressed, because by now CGI and "perfect'-looking sfx are so prominent and expected these days, it has left me jaded, like there can't be any sfx that can look next-level better anymore, like TMP did compared with what was there at the time.

Nothing can replace the prure joy I felt when I first saw this movie the first time at just the right age to enjoy it the most! (on a side note, I saw "The Black Hole" about six months later. Also panned on the same episode of S&E, but I loved it too (at least up to the wtf ending), especially the awesome and haunting score by the late-great, John Barry).

I think that you misrepresent the movie a bit. There is a focus on Decker and Illa, as the later is taken by V'ger and replaced by a probe in her image, and Decker is called upon to try to reach out to whatever of his former love may still live within the probe for information.

But at the same time, Kirk, who's found himself promoted out of command and is unhappy in his desk job, jumps at the chance to take back the Enterprise and lead the mission to confront V'Ger, while struggling with a midlife crisis that will define him thru all the classic Star Trek movies and even into Generations.

But Spock is the one who really shines. Throughout the original series we'd seen him struggle with his half-vulcan/half-human nature. As TMP begins, Spock is undergoing a ritual that will strip him of the last of his emotions and hopefully bring him peace. Only to be touched by V'Ger and sense that despite it's own powerful logic, it yearns for more. So, he joins the crew in their mission to V'Ger in hopes of finding his own answers.

This is SUCH an important development for the character of Spock. Because he does find his answer, it's just not the one he ever expected. Spock realizes he NEEDS his human half, and thus makes peace with himself, and finally feels comfortable with who he is, rather than who anyone thinks he should be. And this would define the character in all the later Star Trek movies and TV shows he appeared in.

I've always loved this movie. Yeah, it's not perfect, but it's far from bad.

STAR WARS can "suck it" compared to STAR TREK!

👍👍

The Motion Picture is underrated as sci-fi, it's much more like the tv series than the later movies. The second, third and fourth are great cinema but less sci-fi. Say what you like about the Motion Picture, it looks and sounds incredible! The long scene of the shuttle pod approaching the Enterprise is the best example of the model maker's craft and close-up cinematography ever put to film. Star Wars zooms around to hide the seams, this scene lingers to show how flawless the model and the camera work really is. The theme then crowns the whole scene. Only modern CGI can equal it.
I got the chance to see it again in cinema last year and was amazed again.

It’s a masterpiece. It just is.