1979 ST Motion Picture premiere

[Shalashaska]

TMP is one of the best of the films, it's boring (just how I like my sci-fi), but it's pure, unfiltered Star Trek and the only feature that had Gene Roddenberry's full input. It's the only of the films that was really cerebral or high-concept science fiction, it wasn't the Enterprise crew trying to kill some bad guys or it wasn't trying to copy the Wrath of Khan formula like almost every other film that came after it. It was literally just an episode of TOS spread out to 120-minute feature film length (The Changeling, In Thy Image).

Its production values were worthy of a film of its magnitude, its special effects were beautiful, and its visuals were glorious. I can pick out a few shots taken from this movie just from the top of my head that should be kept in a museum. It's philosophical and poetic. It takes some of the pretensions of the original series and kicks it up in a way that speaks more to 2001 and Solaris than to Star Wars. It's probably Goldsmith's best film score, arguably, and that's a high bar. That's why I love it.

By the way, let's just put it out there... Gene Roddenberry and Robert Wise were stupid idiots. "Let's make a fucking two-and-a-half hour boring movie and not ape off the success of this amazing, action-packed, box-office crushing sci-fi adventure called Star Wars from two years earlier" It's kind of amazing, a miracle, that it even exists.

Sometimes, I just like to sit back, drink some tea/coffee, listen to some Jerry Goldsmith and watch the Enterprise slooooowly sail through a giant space cloud. TMP perfectly satisfies my needs

 

[Warped9]

I was 20 years old when I saw the film on its premiere weekend. It was an honest science fiction film set in the Star Trek universe. It was GR's concept for Trek writ large for the big screen.

That was its plusses and to some small extent its minuses.

Back then I enjoyed the film, but it did leave me wanting a bit. Over the years I leanred to understand the film was flawed because it was rushed. Firstly TPTB couldn'y decide what they wanted and when they finally did decide they thought they could just spend more money to turn a TV project into a feature film. Then they full ahead into making a feature film without a finished script. They spent LOTS of mney redoing things and hiring the wrong f/x people initially then set an unrealistic release date when the film would be far from complete and properly edited.

I don't blame the production people. I fault the front office suits.

But over the years I've grown to appreciate TMP more than all the other Trek films that followed. In look and in concept it is more adult than all the followups. With the DE edition it is much closer to what it should have been when released in 1979.

But a flaw remains that cannot be fixed with new f/x. The film stills missteps because of an unfinished script written essentially on-the-fly. A proper rewrite injecting more character drama would have made a significant difference.

It's a flawed work, but a noblely flawed one.

 

[Commodore Mendez]

TMP has a special place in my heart. I was in 8th grade and we were starved for new Star Trek. My mom took me and a friend to the theater on the first day. There were a LOT of people there. We were told that we wouldn't be able to get in until the midnight showing. We had to come back a couple of days later. Many weeks worth of paper route money went into repeat viewings of the movie and buying various pieces of merchandise. I still have my Enterprise blueprints. Although a lot of people bemoan the pace, lack of action, and uniforms, this is my second favorite Star Trek movie.

 

[Warp Core Breach]

I didn't see this film in the theater for whatever reason I don't remember, which is odd because I was a total TOS fanatic throughout the 70s. When I finally caught it on HBO a year or so after its release date, I was completely underwhelmed. Too slow, too plodding, I thought.

But you know what? It has really grown on me as an adult. It's my favorite of all the films now. The characterization of our old friends is still there, it's just very subtle and really doesn't gel until the final act. It works. The film is all about finding a purpose, not only for V'ger but for Kirk, Spock, McCoy and the rest of the crew who've been separated and somewhat lost for a few years. I don't think I could have understood the greater scope of the movie back when it came out and I was 14, but I surely appreciate it now.

And damn, now I need to throw on the theatrical edition for tonight's entertainment.

 

[HGN2001]

When I finally caught it on HBO a year or so after its release date, I was completely underwhelmed.

Many were. Part of the problem is that the film is so big in scope, that it didn't look right in the ancient 4:3 standard that HBO was born with. In the days of Laserdiscs, DVDs, and Blu-rays, we can appreciate it in all of its widescreen glory.

 

[Mudd]

Dull movie, but real good-looking.

 

[johnnybear]

The Klingon encounter with V'Ger at the beginning was the best thing in the movie that and Spock's ritual on Vulcan! It was good to see him the most unemotional and ignoring Chekov and McCoy and Chapel as though they had little interest for him now or ever! Olympian detachment I think they call it!
JB

 

[Galileo7]

The Klingon encounter with V'Ger at the beginning was the best thing in the movie ...

Yes, I liked the Klingon scenes. I was hoping that the exploration of V'Ger was going to be a joint venture with both Kirk's 1701-Refit and another Klingon K'T'inga entering together.

 

[johnnybear]

Give me tactical..!
JB

 

[Spock's Barber]

Dull movie, but real good-looking.

Yup. TMP is as slow as molasses in January, but the strange thing is that I still watch it every once in a while. It's a great cure for insomnia.