I just watched Star Trek : TMP and I've changed my mind

[palitoy]

Last night, out of sheer boredom, I decided to watch Star Trek : The Motion Picture with no distractions. It forced me to revaluate my feelings about it. I've always been fond but mainly viewed it as a bore-fest.

Despite the pacing (still the film’s biggest flaw IMO) and those costumes, good lord high def TVs have not improved those pants, I left the experience thinking more highly of it.

One, it has a really good story, I mean it’s a classic Star Trek through and though, the concept is solid and I truly respect it.

Second, it’s flipping gorgeous! The effects have aged incredibly, I found myself just ogling the V’GER set as a marvel of practical effects.

I highly recommend a re-watch of this film.

[Werewolf]

I agree the pace is pretty glacial. The effects were always lovely and to this day it has the best Enterprise design. I don't think that Enterprise will ever be topped.

[Mikey]

Did you watch the director's cut ?

It has a little CGI cleaning up some things and enhances the walk from the Enterprise to V'ger on the huge stones

Going back to the original movie, one thing I didn't like was they never showed V'ger in full without the cloud … This made the end confusing when V'ger melded with Decker … I remember seeing it in the theatre and wondering what just happened

[sprytel]

I probably need to revisit it. As a kid, I was indignant that it was a ripoff of Nomad / "The Changeling" episode. That kept me away even more than it being as slow as it is.

[Hedji]

There is just... something about it that has made it age incredibly well.

It is pure scifi, and it wears it on its sleeve. This is Asimov, not Tolkien. The production design is gorgeous, and it's a well produced epic. The special effects are top notch (aside from some dodgy mattes on Vulcan). They've never done the Warp Speed effect better.

It has Jerry Goldsmith... which, while I love the main themes and Ilia's theme... I do find some of his V'ger material less engaging. It doesn't help the pace. But it does help the tone of the film, with the "blaster beam" sound. Giving it that 1970s sci fi weirdness.

Regarding the slow pacing... I think it's really two scenes: The Enterprise in Drydock, and the Enterprise enters the V'Ger Cloud. Drydock works for me; V'Ger Cloud does not. Lord, I could drool over that gorgeous Enterprise refit model all day. That scene, with no dialogue, and Goldsmith's music detailing the, well, details of the Enterprise are movie magic. I love it. The V'ger Cloud scene, on the other hand, despite all the mind-blowing album cover effects can make me sleepy if I'm not careful and watch it at night.

It may be that with longer running times on many films, we are more conditioned to accept TMP's time. It does have slow pacing... but it is an AMAZING character study of the three principles if you really take it in. Kirk and Spock both have incredibly deep and dramatic character arcs that are almost eclipsed by the absurdity of V'Ger effects and the Ilia Probe dominating screen time.

I think what threw off most of us is the characters were NOT where we'd left them at the end of TOS. They'd moved on. They stopped emailing each other. Those friendships were broken, and when we first see them, Kirk and Spock themselves are broken. And McCoy, despite his good intentions, isn't really helping. The dynamic of the Big Three is a mess. And audiences were not ready to start the film that way. We wanted the fun camaraderie those actors always delivered in all 78 episodes. But over the course of the film, we see them begin to realize their place, and the strengths of their friendships.

Still flawed, but it is a GREAT Star Trek Film. Sure, it could've used an action scene, more alien screen time, and a little more humor. But that's what the next FIVE Star Trek films are for. Star Trek TMP dares to stand proudly alone being a challenging epic Science Fiction Film, not a "Space Movie", and I have long respected it for that.

I just wish they'd produced the alien figures in greater quantities.

[Earth 2 Chris]

I appreciate the production, but I tried watching it again with fresh eyes just a few years ago, and I didn't really find my mind changed. It's still a magnificent technical achievement and a visual wonder, but I would honestly rather watch a mediocre episode from Season 3. The characters, other than McCoy, are so vary lifeless and ...inhuman. Even the usually VERY human Kirk. It's Roddenberry's revisionist humanism kicking in, which he'll inject into TNG, when Harve Bennnet rejects it for future feature films.

But I don't begrudge anyone loving this film (or any film for that matter). It's a bit fun to pick on, but it's a very well-crafted, visually gorgeous movie.

Chris

[Bruce Banner]

It remains my second favourite ST movie (after TWOK).
As a kid, I was somewhat unimpressed by the movie's very stately pace, but as the years passed I grew to like it more and more.
Great score, amazing SFX and overall the film maintains an impressively solemn tone throughout.
I also really like Robert Wise's director's cut, which tightens up the editing and actually clocks in shorter than the theatrical version.

[Nostalgiabuff]

I just rewatched it a few months ago too. I have always enjoyed the movie. the directors cut Mike mentions is really good with the enhanced effects. I usually increase the viewing speed during the half hour exterior shots of the ship, LOL

agreed, it is pure Star Trek at it's finest

[TrekStar]

I enjoyed the movie, but I do understand why some people feel it's a bit boring and talkative.

I still need to put together a custom 8" mego Kirk in those Gray pajamas uniform.

[Werewolf]

Did you watch the director's cut ?

It has a little CGI cleaning up some things and enhances the walk from the Enterprise to V'ger on the huge stones

That's one of the few director's cuts I actually enjoy.

[monitor_ep]

I grew to really like the movie when they connected it in the novel to the Borg:

William Shatner's The Return

This got me reading Star Trek novels.

[The Bat]

I love it, I've always loved it since I saw it in the theater when it came out. I love the original version & the Director's Cut. The Director's cut really does fix a lot of pacing issues you mentioned. Down side: the Director's cut...CUT a couple of scenes of character interaction and that really bothered me.

[hedrap]

I spent an afternoon with Robert Wise where we covered everything from Curse of the Cat People and Day The Earth Stood Still through TMP. Trek was a case of too many cooks in the kitchen.

[Hedji]

I can't recall the new director's cut impressing me as much as it seems to for others. There were small nitpicks for me, like deletions of little things I enjoyed ("Viewer off..... VIEWER OFF!"). One particular niggle with it for me was the substitution of the simple elegant thin white font in the titles with the golden computerized font credits "beaming in". I know, I know... it's a weird complaint. I should give it another chance. Wish they'd release it in high definition.

[knight errant00]

I love it, I've always loved it since I saw it in the theater when it came out. I love the original version & the Director's Cut. The Director's cut really does fix a lot of pacing issues you mentioned. Down side: the Director's cut...CUT a couple of scenes of character interaction and that really bothered me.

Yeah. One that I really miss is after they assembled crew on the rec deck watches V'Ger destroy the communications station and Kirk orders "Viewer off." Uhura just stands there stunned and Kirk has to repeat "Viewer off!" before she moves to shut it off. Wise cut that bit because he thought she'd be too experienced/professional to hesitate, but I always liked it for how overwhelming it made the whole thing feel to the crew in that moment.