Review of Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) by James C — 11 Jun 2014

The plot of the first "Star Trek" film is a retelling of the original series episode "The Changeling." Anyone who has seen this episode will pretty much know the basic plot of "The Motion Picture." For those that have not, you'll enjoy the TV episode more than the film, which is an overreaching blunder. Gone is the upbeat feel of the original series, as well as the bright colors. They've been replaced with a drab 1970s palate. Even the lights on the computer consoles are brown, orange and yellow.

The pacing of the film is just atrocious. It takes the Enterprise literally 20 minutes to travel to the center of the massive alien vessel threatening Earth with destruction. During this time, there is about a ten minute span where absolutely nothing of consequence happens. The camera literally shows the view-screen display of the interior of the alien vessel, then cuts back to the astonished looks of the Starfleet crew, then back to the alien vessel, back to the crew, and so on. Yes, for ten minutes.

On the upside, it is always good to see the cast of the classic series together on the big screen; and the Star Trek films do get better. This film also benefits from magnificent visuals of Douglas Trumball, the celebrated special effects supervisor well known for his work on "2001: A Space Odyssey," "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and, later, "Blade Runner." The early sequence in which Kirk and Scotty fly to the new Enterprise in as small shuttle is so well done that you cannot resist being moved to nostalgic awe at the majesty of the ship, which has become a symbol for the excitement, promise and adventure of the final frontier. And this, above all else, is the heart of Star Trek.