Review of Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) by Jack M — 29 Apr 2012

It's a damn shame. The Enterprise crew finally gets to debut on the big screen, just after "2001: A Space Odyssey" comes out. It is painfully obvious that the studio behind "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" wanted director Robert Wise ("The Day the Earth Stood Still", "The Haunting", "The Sand Pebbles") to emulate Kubrick's epic, yet none involved realized how stupid that truly was. Missing the point so hard I have to wonder if anyone was injured, the film's pacing is it's biggest problem.

One of its few, actually; the story and characterization are spot on, and work very well as a big-budget continuation of the original series. The cast is wonderful, the special effects are far better than I remember them, and the music by Jerry Goldsmith is phenominal, yet it is the editing that lets the film down. The picture is easily an hour too long, and it is something that simply that kills the movie. An honest effort, but a poor start for the series.