Review of Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) by Kenneth S — 20 Jun 2009

To fully appreciate STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE one must take into account the excitement surrounding its creation. Until this film came out, all fans had ever seen was a little television series on a fuzzy old television screen. In bringing this magical little series to the silver screen, Gene Roddenberry and the executives at Paramount wanted to do something special, larger than life. They wanted to do more than just make a two-hour long episode. They wanted to create an unforgettable cinematic experience. STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTUREis an ode to the classic series, showing its beauty and majesty on a larger scale and a grander scopt, opening it up to a whole new world. After all, the original series had gotten cancelled after just three seasons. The company wanted to create a film that would bring back the classic cast of characters in such a way so as to overwhelm and please the viewer.

However, STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE is so much more than a gift to the fans. It is a gorgeous, sweeping spectacle, an epic worthy of the highest honors of film achievement. Its presentation is flowing and engrossing, full of wonderment and beauty. Classic film director Robert Wise orchestrated a poetic masterpiece in the creation of this film. This film is a work of art, and is as great as STAR TREK could ever become. It is a film for the film lover, a film that requires no real knowledge of the show to be able to enjoy, yet it does feed the addictions that began with the show. This is a special one of a kind motion picture that did very slyly use another science fiction masterpiece as its role model: 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY.

With its use of musical accompaniment to ballet-like flying through space and the trip into the V'Ger cloud, there can be no denying the influence of 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY on this film. A clever homage to that fact is the shot of the ENTERPRISE passing Jupiter after leaving the space dock. In creating this film, there could be no greater film to choose for its key inspiration than 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY.

On another note, though, the film is smart enough not to ever let itself become to overwrought or overblown by its own spectacle. It knows how to keep things light, even by making fun of itself. Take the last line of the film, for example. After the whole affair is over, Captain Kirk (William Shatner) is asked for their heading. In all over-dramatic seriousness, Kirk leans forward, staring, and says, "Out there..." He then breaks, waves his hand and says, "Thataway." A hilarious final note for a wonderful film.

For all the dissenters out there who do not care for this film and those who say that this film isn't true STAR TREK, let us take a moment to point out some of the classic TREK moments associated with this film. First, listen to the music played over the opening credits. That music, written by Jerry Goldsmith, is some of the most famous music in TREK's history. It went on to become the theme song for the spin-off series STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION. It was written for this film. Next, think about the opening sequence with the Klingon battleships. Unforgettable imagery and music make that scene a favorite among Trekkies. Then, we have the scene on planet Vulcan, where Spock refuses the attainment of Kohlinar, total logic. Lastly, look at Lieutenant Ilia (Persis Khambatta). I'm sure that there are countless STAR TREK fans who have had plenty of fantasies about that delicious piece of eye-candy, strutting around in her little white shirt. These attributes of STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE make it definitive TREK. I would definitely call this the perfect TREK.

Another fascinating point to this film is how various parts of the story can be read into. Take Ilia's abduction and, ahem, assimilation into the V'Ger probe. Plus, the "birth" of a new life form, merging man and machine. Sound familiar, Trekkies? There is so much to this film beyond its basic story. It is a layered, textured film that truly follows the single most important STAR TREK phrase: "To boldly go where no man has gone before.".

In conclusion, I can assertively say that STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE is my favorite STAR TREK anything ever. It is brilliantly constructed, orchestrated, and executed, it contains definite TREK moments while being so much more than just another episode, and its depth and beauty make it a masterful work of art. For those of you who did not care for the film, watch it again with an awe-inspired mind. Give in to the journey played out before you, and boldy go on the greatest TREK you coule ever experience.

MORE NOTES ON THE FILM:

I wrote this review after watching the Blu-ray release of the original theatrical version of the film. Re-watching it in the best version available, I completely fell in love all over again with this film, as the previous review would show. I would also like to point out how brilliant the special effects in this film are. Not a single effect looks fake or flawed in any way, proof that old school special effects are just as effective, if not more so, than anything CGI can do today. As for the extended versions of the film, I'd say stay away from them if you can. The SPECIAL LONGER VERSION is only available in full screen, and it has a lot of scenes added to it that kind of dumb the film down, being kind of repetitive in a lot of them. THE DIRECTOR'S EDITION is an improvement on the SPECIAL LONGER VERSION, but, of course, its enhanced CGI special effects kind of stick out. My verdict: stick with the original theatrical version in widescreen. It truly is the film masterpiece I described.