Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Alexander D

  
  This certainly isnâ(TM)t the ideal sci-fi film, but rather a decent one. Itâ(TM)s quite likely that fans of the original series will not enjoy it all too much, whereas mostly anyone else should enjoy it well enough. Although one who turns off his or her brain will enjoy it much… More
  This certainly isnâ(TM)t the ideal sci-fi film, but rather a decent one. Itâ(TM)s quite likely that fans of the original series will not enjoy it all too much, whereas mostly anyone else should enjoy it well enough. Although one who turns off his or her brain will enjoy it much more, it might be better to just stick with the 2009 saga update. Full Review: http://wp.me/p1Urcx-zx

• Chris W

  
  When this came out in 1979, it was a big deal. It was the first piece of new Trek in a decade. Then, as now, this is a baffling movie, and back then, probably not what people expected. I kind of liked it though. It basically is something like the Star Trek version of 2001: A Space… More
  When this came out in 1979, it was a big deal. It was the first piece of new Trek in a decade. Then, as now, this is a baffling movie, and back then, probably not what people expected. I kind of liked it though. It basically is something like the Star Trek version of 2001: A Space Odyssey. That's cool, because it shows Trek really going for art, but at the same time, the film is lengthy, slow, a bit boring, and doesn't have much rewatch value. 2001 actually does have mroe rewatch value than this, but not greatly so. Even though this film is getting up there in years, the visual effects still look really cool. They were really impressive back in the day, and now have the distinction of having a cool datedness to them that doesn't actually work against the film. Aside from the drab uniforms (and no explanation for why they have the drab clothes), the art direction, set design, visual and sound designs, hell, all the technical stuff, is awesome. The music is damn phenomenal, too.

• AJ V

  
  The worst Star Trek movie ever filmed, mostly because of the director, who wasn't very familiar with the series, and the costume director who came up with the worst outfits ever seen. This movie is slow, boring, and way too long, sometimes I use it to help me fall asleep at… More
  The worst Star Trek movie ever filmed, mostly because of the director, who wasn't very familiar with the series, and the costume director who came up with the worst outfits ever seen. This movie is slow, boring, and way too long, sometimes I use it to help me fall asleep at night. It doesn't have a bad story really, the story is good, but everything else makes it torture to watch this movie. Only see this if you're a big fan of the show and don't mind fast forwarding a lot.

• Tim S

  
  Wonderful adventure. Can be a bit boring at times, but overall, satisfying.

• Carlos M

  
  Not at all original, as it looks like a stretched TV episode, and it tries too hard to be 2001, dragging endlessly in long, contemplative scenes that seem to exist only to show the higher budget.

• Anthony L

  
  Robert Wise was an interesting choice of director for the re-launch, in film, of the popular 60?s sci-fi TV series that had already reached cult status. His CV matched Star Treks intense sci-fi themes and so the first and most original of the films was born. Wise?s classic is one long… More
  Robert Wise was an interesting choice of director for the re-launch, in film, of the popular 60?s sci-fi TV series that had already reached cult status. His CV matched Star Treks intense sci-fi themes and so the first and most original of the films was born. Wise?s classic is one long psychedelic dream sequence with brilliant lines like ?V-ger is a child?. It?s got a 2001: A space odyssey feel about it, that I?m sure was intentional and yet, exceeds it in many ways and really stands alone in its bizarre but beautiful structure. This really was boldly going where Star Trek had never been before and it was brilliant! A classic that I never tire of but I guess it helps if your already a trekkie! :o)

• Jason O

  
  After a 10-year vacation (in human years at least), Kirk, who is now Admiral Kirk, goes onboard his old spaceship, the U.S.S. Enterprise once again. The Enterprise is now vastly updated with slicker looks and most of its crew members are relatively new; they never had to work under… More
  After a 10-year vacation (in human years at least), Kirk, who is now Admiral Kirk, goes onboard his old spaceship, the U.S.S. Enterprise once again. The Enterprise is now vastly updated with slicker looks and most of its crew members are relatively new; they never had to work under the eyes of Captain Kirk. When a mysterious alien creature sets its sights on Earth, Captain Kirk, being the ruthless leader he is, just can't help but to take things in his own hands along with the help of some familiar faces (Spock, Bones, Uhura, etc.), and some new faces (Ilia, Decker, etc.). Will this be something such as a troublesome morphing creature, a device that swallows galaxies whole, or a simple Klingon invasion? Will it be a mission that just about anybody can solve or will it be so complicated that it requires things such as a Vulcan Mind Meld? There's only one way to find out! "Star Trek - The Motion Picture" was made almost a year before I was born, so I never got the honor of seeing the original TV series or even this movie while they were showing for the first time. Nonetheless, I became addicted to watching Star Trek - The Original Series on the Sci-Fi channel, so I had to watch this movie. I can imagine the thrills of the Star Trek fans that were watching this movie in the theatres. For the time (1979), "Star Trek - The Motion Picture" has some SPECTACULAR special effects! You'll see what I mean throughout the entire movie, especially in sequences such as what happens when the Enterprise goes into warp speed for the first time (in the movie). Just as impressive is the musical score and the sound effects. You'll hear an impressive echoing sound at times throughout the film and you'll also hear familiar pieces of music, along with some brand new ones. It's real easy to see why "Star Trek - The Motion Picture" was nominated for an award in both of those categories. "Star Trek - The Motion Picture" is also done with style. Its plot is dynamic without being confusing or choppy, and the acting is also very well done. My only complaint with the movie's flow is that at times, certain scenes, such as when the Enterprise is on its path to V'Ger, seem to be pretty slow moving. In my opinion, these parts aren't boring; they give you more time to take in the dramatic visuals and for the suspense to take even more effect. The makers and performers of "Star Trek - The Motion Picture" shot for the stars with all they had at the time, and I think they did a great job of making a classic film that will never be forgotten! While it might not be the VERY best movie in the galactic series, it was perfect for getting the series on its feet, or engines, and for showing the fans that the Enterprise and its crew had a great future ahead of them. My eyes were glued to the screen the entire time that "Star Trek - The Motion Picture" was playing. There were times that my jaw dropped, even though the film is older than me. If you're a big fan of Star Trek - The Original Series, then don't take my word for it, purchase it for yourself and keep it dust-free in your collection! It's well worth it, to say the least. NOTE: That was my Amazon review from the year 2002. Awesomely underrated!

• Curtis L

  
  Okay. I wish there was more with the hot bald robot chick.

• Chris G

  
  After a decade in space dock the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise return in their first movie about an alien cloud that vaporizes everything heading straight for earth. What is it and why is it coming is a mystery for the crew to solve. I don't remember seeing this in its… More
  After a decade in space dock the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise return in their first movie about an alien cloud that vaporizes everything heading straight for earth. What is it and why is it coming is a mystery for the crew to solve. I don't remember seeing this in its theatrical form. The directors cut suffers from one thing: self important effects shots. Obviously the producers wanted to squeeze every penny out of its effects footage, so we get a ten minute shuttle run to the Enterprise. That damn ride lasted longer than an episode of the TV series. The effects are good, but to just show them off for the sake of showing them off is ridiculous. I know this was the post Star Wars world, but let's be serious. Give us some action. Cutting some of these scenes could have made the film forty minutes shorter and a tighter film instead of this trodding trek through space. The cast is typical with Shatner hamming it up as Shatner and the rest settling into the roles that they'll be stuck with until their dead and gone. The central premise is interesting once we get past the standard Star trek plot of something unknown destroying the universe. Once again, the pacing kills it. The film takes its time getting to the final resolution and wraps that up in a fraction of time. Disappointing. But it is an enjoyable, too long film that opened the flood gates for the superior sequel that was scaled down and played tighter causing it to benefit. This film gets the shaft and deservedly so. It plays out more like a competition for the Hollywood space race after Star Wars. Every studio wanted to cash in and this was a great opportunity to dust off Star Trek. Thankfully the race died quick and producers went back to focusing a little bit on stories and not plastic models and lights.

• Cassandra M

  
  This DVD version has improved and restored and made Star Trek: TMP a pleasure to watch rather than a chore. You're less inclined to hit fast-forward in those lengthy scenes. This movie will resonate well with mature-age viewers because the story is not what you would expect from… More
  This DVD version has improved and restored and made Star Trek: TMP a pleasure to watch rather than a chore. You're less inclined to hit fast-forward in those lengthy scenes. This movie will resonate well with mature-age viewers because the story is not what you would expect from today's action packed cinema. I appreciated the movie more as I got older. Bob Wise explains on the DVD that production was extremely rushed and had no time to preview the film with an audience that would now after 20 years, tell him to tighten the opticals and emphasize characters. This is precisely what he has done in the DVD version and its magnificent. Aesthetically, the DVD version shows you the best Star Trek: The Motion Picture can possibly look. Film is sharper; color is dead on however there is still a lot of film grain present unfortunately. My guess is they cleaned the original negative up as much as they could but it had deteriorated so much in storage, or was badly preserved. Certainly looks better than my bad pan/scanned VHS copy. The DVD truly shines with its brand new sound mix. This isn't your standard stereo to 5.1 DVD conversions like they are doing for movies pre 5.1; they have gutted it up and added new stuff. The original release was so rushed that very little in terms of ambient sound and special effects audio elements were done on the sound mix amongst other production elements. For this DVD they went back to the original audiotapes and remixed them digitally. Goldsmith's score sounded fantastic when it originally came out now sounds even better on the DVD version. It's tremendous, you will hear what your suppose to hear now with the added advantage of 5.1 surround sound. Goldsmith score truly has a chance to soar now by stretching into a clean high fidelity 5.1 environment rather than being squeezed onto a mono or stereo track. Bass kicks in often especially on big musical cues. You'll hear nifty panning and those surrounds and subwoofer will definitely get a workout. In instances they isolate different parts of the orchestra through different speakers, mainly the bass and percussion. Most onstage dialog was re-recorded afterwards because of onstage noise due to mechanical devices etc; this is now common practice in the industry. The result is cleaner dialog that comes prominently out of your center speaker. The dialog audio is good, but on occasion it shows a mild muffled and tinny quality probably due to age of material or analog technology of the time, nevertheless I guarantee you, the average viewer will like it, I'm just being picky. In short the movie will sound almost as good as if the movie was made recently. Not only having rebuilt the original audio they have put in more surround elements, like ambient bridge noises and computer voices. Not sure why they changed the `Intruder Alert' voice, I don't mind but I guess it was because they rushed the sound mix in the 70's and chose that voice as a last minute thing. There are other elements that have been changed, for the better I would say. The DVD contents have been remastered with Wise's overseeing. There are too many subtleties to comment on so shall briefly discuss a few. Before opening credits you are treated to Goldsmiths V'ger/Love theme, a nice touch. Then you hear the bombastic Star Trek Theme. Newly done credits over moving starfield. First main new special effect is the Vulcan landscape, tilting from sky to the surface. Then cuts to a new matte painting of the beautiful orange sky. Originally Spock shields his eyes and in the reversal, not only is there no sun there is little sky visible. The new matte painting now fits in nicely. San Francisco sequence has been redone, 3 new matte paintings that better show the futurized city, Golden Gate Bridge and a bigger shuttlebay. When they get into V'Ger they encounter a weapon heading towards them that is suppose to dissipate, in the original it simply disappears instantly, now we see a new visual that shows it dissipating just before it hits the ship. Later we see a probe heading towards the ship on the viewscreen and then through some hokey editing it appears on the bridge. This has been replaced with an improved FX shot showing the approach of the entity on an exterior shot. A new 'Wing Walk' sequence. Breathtaking new CGI's that show the away-team walk from the hull to the V'Ger stage, some using the original live action shots. New FXs for the most part are based on original storyboards. They didn't go overboard with the effects which is good, Bob tells us that they made FX that they could only do in the 1970's, unlike Star Wars whom George Lucas went overkill on new FX when he redid his in the 1990's. There are trims, some rearrangements of shots for the better. E.g. Ilia/Deckers exchange of looks, Kirk's `Oh My God', his second `Viewer Off.' I suspect they had to edit within Jerry's score, or have to also edit Jerry's score to accommodate the new editing, if so they have done it very well, I couldn't notice. Some lengthy scenes remain in its entirety, e.g. flying up to the enterprise, I don't blame them for not trimming them, some are sentimental. The 2 DVD's come with a plethora of information. Audio commentaries by the director, 2 special effect's guys, an actor and the composer guide you through the director's edition. Text commentary by Okuda gives even more scene specific info. Disc 2 gives you most of the trims, deleted scenes from the TV and Theatrical release not used in the DVD version and an outtake of an abandoned visual effect. Plus 3 documentaries about the abandoned TV series ST:Phase II, Directors edition DVD and the movie itself. Plus advertisements/trailers plus storyboards. A MUST BUY FOR FANS! You'll Love It!

• Jason S

  
  This really wanted to be as epic as it thought it was. The ship reveal was long and drawn out as it thought the image of the new ship would have people amazed... it didn't. It was fine but took forever. I liked the story but we took forever to get into it and then it seemed to… More
  This really wanted to be as epic as it thought it was. The ship reveal was long and drawn out as it thought the image of the new ship would have people amazed... it didn't. It was fine but took forever. I liked the story but we took forever to get into it and then it seemed to drag on a little more. We wrap up and I really get the feeling that the makers were going for a 2001 movie instead of the space adventure people wanted to see.

• David L

  
  I don't consider myself a die hard Star Trek fan, but I do know that I liked the original series and found bright spots in "Next Generation" and "Deep Space 9". I've always felt that the reason Star Trek films are generally better than other TV series to… More
  I don't consider myself a die hard Star Trek fan, but I do know that I liked the original series and found bright spots in "Next Generation" and "Deep Space 9". I've always felt that the reason Star Trek films are generally better than other TV series to film adaptations because they managed to reassemble the original cast, which fans loved because they never had to deal with drawing comparisons between a movie cast reinterpreting the beloved characters and the original cast themselves. Reassmbled a good couple of years after the original series was canceled, James T. Kirk (William Shatner) reassumes command of the newly refurbished Enterprise from current Captain Will Decker (a much younger Stephen Collins of TV's "7th Heaven"), allegedly the son of the Commodore Matt Decker character played by William Windom in the "Doomsday Machine" episode of the old series. Why? Because there's a big ass alien cloud heading for Earth and destroying (or is it absorbing?) anything and everything that gets in its way (Klingon battle ships, Federation space stations, etc). Kirk is unhappy not being out there "hopping galaxies" so he uses this incident as a reason to take back his old ship and crew, sans Spock (Leonard Nimoy), which hurts Decker. Yep, Kirk's a man for the nostalgia of his glory days. After meeting an old flame of Decker, the humanoid Ilia (Persis Khimbata), getting caught in a worm hole and nearly being killed by an asteroid, Spock, who's on a soul search of his own, joins the gang and fixes up the Enterprise's last few bugs. From there, they get sucked into the cloud and embark on a dark, atmospheric, visually stunning and psychologically gut wrenching adventure of Paramount proportions. The cast is good here, with Collins and Khimbata standing out as Decker and Ilia, respectively. Rather than present the audience with a big shoot 'em up adventure film, the writers have instead provided a more cerebral adventure, delving into feelings regarding how we view our existence and how some higher life form, in this case, the cloud that calls itself V'GER and seeks the "Creator", might view us. The film is in some peoples view a bit dull and dreary at times, lacking the panache of its sequels, I can see their point in a way but this is still a solid film, highlighted by what eventually became the theme for "the Next Generation" and some very impressive special effects. This film was a rocky start to the the Trek film series but thankfully we got the next film which was the best of the Trek films.

• Lafe F

  
  Star Trek returns to the big screen 20 years later in the post-Star-Wars sci-fi craze of the late 70's. It was nice seeing how all our favorite characters from the television series had aged. I wish they had explained what the characters had been doing in the last 20 years! It… More
  Star Trek returns to the big screen 20 years later in the post-Star-Wars sci-fi craze of the late 70's. It was nice seeing how all our favorite characters from the television series had aged. I wish they had explained what the characters had been doing in the last 20 years! It felt far removed from the series, with striking special effects. I didn't like the new uniform design, which looked like everybody was wearing frickin' pajamas! I loved the freaky transporter accident. The approach of Kirk and Scotty to the new Enterprise, with the Jerry Goldsmith orchestral score, was superb. All the music was great! The mid-section of the film where they fly into the cloud and then into the alien territory, seemed to go on forever; it's a cure for insomnia watching that. The romantic storyline with Ilea and Dekker was touching. When they reach their destination, it was awesome what they discovered. Everybody was so serious in this movie. It was a grand adventure, that had a plot somewhat derived from 2001.

• Cindy I

  
  For all the excitement this generated pre-release, it's actually really slow and dull. The next film in the series, Wrath of Khan, is when the movies started hitting their stride.

• Steve K

  
  Persis Khambatta was one of the all time great beauties. Film was more interesting as hard sci-fi, but less so as Trek.

• xGary X

  
  Fans of the TV series were disappointed by it's lack of humour and slow pace, but its visually spectacular, intelligent and has stood up rather better than most of the series

• McCoy 9

  
  (Please note, I'm reviewing the original theatrical release, not the director's cut from 2002) As a long-time fan of Star Trek, I have a rather above average feeling about ST: TMP. When three Klingon ships are destroyed and a Starfleet listening post is damaged by a… More
  (Please note, I'm reviewing the original theatrical release, not the director's cut from 2002) As a long-time fan of Star Trek, I have a rather above average feeling about ST: TMP. When three Klingon ships are destroyed and a Starfleet listening post is damaged by a cloud of unknown energy, the Enterprise is called into action under the command of James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and the Enterprise's former Captain Will Decker (Stephen Collins) Even though I didn't like some of the characterisation, (Especially Kirk's successor of the Enterprise, Will Decker and Illia) I did enjoy the story and it's themes of exploration and religion that finds it's roots back to the original TV show that ran in the mid to late 1960's. It's great to see the Enterprise crew back together once again to face the unknown. The music by the late Jerry Goldsmith and the special effects of V'Ger and the upgraded Enterprise are pretty good. The scene with Kirk and Scotty travelling to the upgraded Enterprise with the iconic Trek fanfare theme overlayed is one of the best scenes I've seen in a long time.

• Dann M

  
  It is the Star Trek film that's best forgotten. Star Trek: The Motion Picture (sometimes dubbed "The Motionless Picture") is a spectacularly dreary film that turned an action/adventure series into a boring, lifeless film. The story itself is interesting enough and has… More
  It is the Star Trek film that's best forgotten. Star Trek: The Motion Picture (sometimes dubbed "The Motionless Picture") is a spectacularly dreary film that turned an action/adventure series into a boring, lifeless film. The story itself is interesting enough and has a few good twists, but the execution is exceptionally poor. The tragedy of this film is that a series with so great a potential as Star Trek produced something so mundane.

• Byron B

  
  Right off the bat, the first thing I noticed was that the Klingons and Vulcans speak a different language, which they never did on the original series. I like this. Also the Klingon makeup concept has been changed to what is more recognizable from the NG series. There is hardly any… More
  Right off the bat, the first thing I noticed was that the Klingons and Vulcans speak a different language, which they never did on the original series. I like this. Also the Klingon makeup concept has been changed to what is more recognizable from the NG series. There is hardly any character development in this film. All the leads have returned since the original series stopped producing new episodes a decade before. On one hand, the characters had been developed on TV and it wasn't necessary to reintroduce who Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Scotty, Sulu, Chapel, Chekov, or Uhura were to fans. On the other hand, they come across as one dimensional in this story. I watched the director's cut. The original movie had been on a strict release schedule, so Robert Wise was happy to re-cut a few scenes and have some new digital effects bring some improvements to his vision. I think the visual effects are the real stars of the picture. Principal photography appears to be B-role instead through large chunks of the movie. With a slow pace the audience is given the chance to inspect the exterior of the newly designed Enterprise while Shatner as Admiral Kirk is shown in brief cuts looking dreamily at it too. The new Enterprise theme music, later adapted as the theme for the NG series is grand. Then through the wormhole, approaching the V'Ger cloud, and exploring the interior of the V'Ger ship, what the crew on the bridge sees on the view screen or what the audience sees from exterior shots in space compose the majority of the viewing interest. Cut to Sulu with a look of awe. Cut to kaleidoscopic visual of the cloud. Cut to Spock raising his eyebrow. Cut to different part of the cloud in a different color with the structure of the V'Ger ship in the distance. Cut to Kirk squaring his jaw and squinting a bit. Cut to wide shot of a tiny Enterprise approaching massive V'Ger ship and clouds still swirling in background. Cut to Chekov with a look of confusion and wonder. Cut to haul of V'Ger ship as Enterprise flies over. Cut to Uhura widening her eyes in disbelief. Cut to further reveal of V'Ger ship. Cut to multiple crew members realizing the enormous size of V'Ger compared to Enterprise. So much of the movie's run time consists of stuff like this. There are quick little flourishes of action then reaction shots where the crew doesn't say much and we are left to observe the handy work of the model builders and other visual effects. Spock's understanding of V'Ger seeking a response from its creator and wanting to know if there is more to life than pure mechanical logic is quite intriguing. I like the theme. However, I'm not really sure what happens at the end with Decker, Ilia, or V'Ger and why the Enterprise is left to sail another day supposedly untouched. I look forward to a few of the successive movies being structured better and containing more drama.

• Cameron J

  
  Being undeveloped, slow, drawn-out, confusing and inconsistant with underused characters and weak dialogue, the first entry in the "Star Trek" film series would have been a failure were it not for its emphasis on the great score, strong production value and stunning visual… More
  Being undeveloped, slow, drawn-out, confusing and inconsistant with underused characters and weak dialogue, the first entry in the "Star Trek" film series would have been a failure were it not for its emphasis on the great score, strong production value and stunning visual effects to show that it is not much more than a steady but successful test run into the quality of the cenimatic universe, thus making it a beautiful and reasonably fair watch.

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