ST:TMP is my favorite Trek film, an opinion I have found to be controversial when discussing Trek with other fans. On the other hand, whenever I
do encounter someone who loves TMP as I do, it usually turns out that we have similar tastes when it comes to science fiction books/films/tv in general, preferring more cerebral depictions of humanity's exploration of space than outer space shoot-'em-ups. TMP-ers are a tiny subset of Trek fandom, so we have a secret handshake to identify when we meet IRL.
A unique time and place made it strong enough - audiences of the time were addicted to TOS and wanted to see it on the big screen, heightened after that space soap opera with the laser swords and the lady with the cinnamon bun hairdo that was clearly inspired by "Zardoz", and villain with a snorkel fetish who has a updated-for-modern-audiences-yet-emo Samurai outfit on. But the f/x are so phenomenal that people would understandably have loved watching a 25 hour screensaver of close-ups of NCC-1701's new hull, without water input break (or water output break for that matter.)
But the theatrical version had needed scenes removed. Not just more on Ilia's culture and what the celibacy oath is all about, as it's not explained and most audiences are not going to go buy a comic book on the side that explains it. Wouldn't make a difference if they were discussing "celibacy oath" or "non-chocolate ingesting oath", it's minutiae. Only in TMP it was surely inspired by Studio 54.
<00 hey look, it's the Trek tunic hues*!
(Well, almost...)
I will admit that, of the first Trek films, TMP is in the top three of films I've revisited - narrowly eking out TSFS as I can't deny its plot is stronger, even if TSFS had better action scenes. I'm sure my opinion will have changed by 30-April after revisiting these again.
Eh, I wouldn't call flying cars "grounded".
I also have the strong opinion Trek needs to keep it's "goofy" elements (like beaming, human-like aliens,...). And seatbelts & tactical vests are even "too" grounded for me.
This list is purely based on what triggers my personal sense of disbelief, and therefore night but be applicable to anyone else (thus "controversial")
They play it all with so much sincerity that it's easy to engage the suspension of disbelief*.
It's odd; they all stand and get knocked around in opposing directions, regardless of what hits the ship from what side and yet few bat an eye. Depending on control panel type, there will be more complaints rolling in than the result of a bowling ball manufacturing plant at 99.7% efficiency. Even in 1987, I was whinging because the new control panels reminded me of those older home computers' (circa 1979) membrane keypads that were so unresponsive unless you bashed it and, while doing so, making the three year-old look in awe as it knows the tantrums it puts out can't begin to compete to that level of ferocity by comparison.
* Even more so for the tunic hue colors of blue for medical/science, gold for command and navigation/ops, and bright bold red for engineering/communication/securityforcesthatwontuseahuethatblendsinbecausetheyredumb, and so on.
