Star Trek The Motion Picture, Revisited

Wedwood

I watched Star Trek The Motion Picture in its entirety for the first time in years (if not decades) and was pleasantly surprised to find I liked it and found it to be an epic movie that is much better than what poses as Star Trek in recent years.

The acting, special effects, story and of course the music hold up really well over 40 years on. The strongest part of the movie was seeing the original cast’s story arc starting off with them being out of touch with the times since they were last seen on the TV show 10 years previous, to getting back to their best by the end of the movie.

After years of derision about ‘the motionless picture’ etc, I found myself thinking TMP is one of those movies that deserves a reevaluation.

Star Trek The Motion Picture is one of the best Trek moves - There I said it !!!!

AMKC

I agree with you. It is a great movie. It is pure Star Trek unlike say TWOK which is more of an action film and which has many flaws. It is still a good movie do and far better than the 3 JJ films.
I was lucky enough to see "The Motion Picture" on the big screen a few years back and loved it even more.

Inviere

Definitely doesn't deserve the bad wrap it gets. I've a lot of time for the film, it's a slow, epic, Star Trek story true and true.

TheValeyard

AMKC wrote: »

I agree with you. It is a great movie. It is pure Star Trek unlike say TWOK which is more of an action film and which has many flaws. It is still a good movie do and far better than the 3 JJ films.
I was lucky enough to see "The Motion Picture" on the big screen a few years back and loved it even more.

Ah now, TWOK, is a classic. Great storyline, acting and special effects.

Inviere

TheValeyard wrote: »

Ah now, TWOK, is a classic. Great storyline, acting and special effects.

Indeed, it brought Star Trek up a level. Fantastic film. That and The Motion Picture are so VERY different though, in every conceivable way. I'd never really compare them head to head, because it's akin to comparing 2001 A Space Odyssey with Aliens....both fantastic, but not at all competing (and no I'm not comparing TMP to 2001).

JayRoc

I agree that on repeated viewing, when in the right frame of mind, The Motion Picture certainly holds up better than expected.

I found personally that having read more about the making of the film, particularly in relation to its direction by Robert Wise, I probably appreciated certain elements more.

Pacing is unquestionably a problem though.

Inviere

JayRoc wrote: »

Pacing is unquestionably a problem though.

Yeah there's definite question marks in that department. As a result, it's pretty unfriendly to anyone not already a significant fan of all things Trek (it really wasn't going to generate new fans.)

Rawr

One thing I really loved about TMP was that it somehow managed to make space seem so much "bigger" than in nearly any other Star Trek outing.

The new Enterprise appeared to be huge. Space was dark and forboding (with music to suit) and the sheer scale of V'ger compared to Enterprise made space seem vast, dark and mysterious.
Given the huge rush they had to finish this movie on time, it was really well done and I'll find myself often playing it in the background for some awesome deep-space atomosphere

Sleepy

You know, I don't think I've ever actually seen TMP... whenever a Star Trek movie appeared in the schedules it was always one of the later ones... I'm guessing The Voyage Home was the cheapest to obtain the rights to because it's always the one I can remember being on telly.

Must rectify that!

JayRoc

Sleepy wrote: »

You know, I don't think I've ever actually seen TMP... whenever a Star Trek movie appeared in the schedules it was always one of the later ones... I'm guessing The Voyage Home was the cheapest to obtain the rights to because it's always the one I can remember being on telly.

Must rectify that!

If it would ever be possible for you to see it on the big screen I'd almost say hold off then (if you've gone this long!).

The 2nd time I saw it was in the cinema and it made a massive difference. Dunno how realistic that is though.

OU812

I just bought this a couple of weeks ago as part of a ten pack for €19.99 on iTunes.

The voyage home is my favourite out of the OG cast movies, that was €4.99 on it's own, so at €1.99 a movie I figured I couldn't go wrong.

I really must get around to watching it.

TheValeyard

Special effects genuinely look better than Star Trek V

pixelburp

The two things that kill the movie for me are the pacing, and costumes. The latter was just a superficial detail but those onesies were verrry unflattering and a little too ... Uh, revealing. while I could see what they were going for (it was all the rage in 70s sci-fi IIRC), they should have stuck with something more like the original show.

The pacing though, oooooof. It was a good Trek story and sure, I could see why those involved really wanted to bask in all that Trekiness, but as a piece of cinema? TMP could be tedious to sit through. Not even by the standards of cinema at the time was it slow, it was 2 years after Star Wars lol

ErnestBorgnine

Always loved it, i'll take Directors Cut extra long Enterprise fly-by shots

Rawr

pixelburp wrote: »

The two things that kill the movie for me are the pacing, and costumes. The latter was just a superficial detail but those onesies were verrry unflattering and a little too ... Uh, revealing. while I could see what they were going for (it was all the rage in 70s sci-fi IIRC), they should have stuck with something more like the original show.

I get the feeling that they were sort of trying to have a continuation of the TOS uniform but update it slightly with a better budget.



The rank-system was TOS, but yep...those colours are pretty 70s and wouldn't look out of place on Battlestar Galactica or Buck Rogers. I often wondered about that Belt Buckle thingie. It's quite bulky, and I always assumed that it contained some sort of equipment.

Stark

The beige ones look a bit too much like nude-suits at times.

santana75

I honestly could never understand the level of derision levelled at Star trek The Motion picture. The first time I saw it I was blown away by its epic story line. I thought it was a very smart and compelling concept and directed by Robert wise no less.

Wedwood

Noticed iTunes have uploaded the newly remastered version at 1080p, new colour timing and scratch removal. The picture quality is pristine, hopefully the 4K version will be uploaded soon.

OU812

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117813608#Comment_117813608

There’s a 4K version already available, directors cut

TheValeyard

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/116327560#Comment_116327560

you've been given a few months, I trust this has been rectified? :D

Sleepy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117824359#Comment_117824359

It has! I enjoyed it but the SFX sure haven't aged well!

Mickeroo

FYI for anyone with iTunes/Apple TV you can get the first ten films for 20 euro at the mo (this includes the 4k HDR versions if they are available). The three newer films are on sale too but not in the TNG/TOS movie bundle.

corkie

"According to urban legend, images of Darth Vader and Miss Piggy can be seen when Spock travels through V'Ger, right after his line "Who or what are we dealing with?". In reality, these are not Darth Vader and Miss Piggy - they are actually an overhead perspective of the Epsilon IX station. The "Darth Vader" mask is the antenna relays and the "Miss Piggy" snout is most likely the command tower. There are no actual photos of either of the characters."

https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0079945/trivia/

https://youtu.be/CbHX160cgYo?t=122

Spon Farmer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058161143/star-trek-the-motion-picture-revisited

I saw the title of the thread (not the date you made the first post) - and I thought “oh God, some kind of re-edit with new VFX was on the way. :p

I only have a very vague recollection that “derision” was aimed at the movie but not what the derision is.

I’ve always love the film and it is the only one of all the movies where the Enterprise is actually exploring and dealing with the unknown.

_Kaiser_

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117824392#Comment_117824392

Watch the new 4k Director's cut. Did so myself a few weeks ago and it's excellent and some subtle edits improve the pacing a bit too.

pixelburp

It's funny how rigid aesthetics of Hollywood cinema are now, with various Head Honchos like Kevin Feige basically ruling over franchises to ensure a consistency of style or approach - yet watch Star Trek I and II, and the difference is kinda insane in some places.

micks_address

i watched the 4k version a few weeks ago on paramount plus. Its ok but i wouldnt call it a classic.. the concept is strong.. i watched 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 in quick succession after it.. 5 is pants really... the rest pretty decent..

_Kaiser_

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119168201#Comment_119168201

I've always thought 3 is seriously underrated as part of the "trilogy" myself. WoK gets all the kudos (and deservedly so) and TVH is held up as a great comedic outing (which it is), but TSFS is probably the last time that they took the material seriously (while still having comedic elements), and has some great new concepts introduced that carry forward through the rest of the franchise..

• Proper Klingons (their appearance in TMP was more a cameo really) and a great villain in Kruge
• The Excelsior
• The Klingon Bird of Prey
• Spacedock
• The lengths the Enterprise crew will go to for each other

and other bits. Plus (any excuse to post this!) tell me this isn't an AWESOME scene!!

https://youtu.be/mkJ3--2K7yo

micks_address

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119168224#Comment_119168224

did they have the story arc for 2, 3 and 4 in mind at the start of making 2? they lean heavily into the spock, kirk, bones relationship throughout

corkie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119168253#Comment_119168253

https://screenrant.com/star-trek-2-spock-death-wrath-khan-movie-changed/

Despite the fact that The Motion Picture was massively expensive and was only a moderate box office hit, a leaner, meaner sequel was commissioned in the form of Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan. Directed by Nicholas Meyer, many involved in the film's production believed The Wrath Of Khan would likely be the last Star Trek film; ......

https://eu.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2017/09/07/william-shatner-believes-leonard-nimoy-cooked-up-spocks-star-trek-death-leverage/619502001/

Wrath of Khan director Nicholas Meyer stands by the historical account that Nimoy asked to have Spock killed off because he truly intended to leave the franchise and the character.

“Here’s what happened," Meyer says. "Leonard was very ambivalent about doing another Star Trek movie. And Harve Bennett lured him with the promise of a terrific death scene, which (Shatner) and he played so touchingly.”

So don't believe there was a story arc for the following films.

Spock's Death and Funeral - Leonard Nimoy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Opu1HzIg0ZU

Edit: -

But Star Trek II-IV forms a complete narrative trilogy. One that just so happened to have three other films bookend it. At the core of these three films is the creation and ramifications of the Genesis Project, a device that can create life, and the death and return of Spock. Hence, the fan-given “Genesis Trilogy” label. And this trilogy structure all happened by total chance, and wasn’t at all mapped out. And yet, it remains an immensely satisfying bit of cinematic sci-fi storytelling. ~~ Link