I'm with Rich Evans. ST:TMP is the best Star Trek movie. Here's my brief review.

[Set Harth]

But do you need a copy of the film print?

 

[Pauln6]

They will try to source a movie for you but if they can't, you could take in your own copy. It's not a huge screen.

 

[ichab]

I don't know. As a first-generation fan, who grew up watching TOS during its original run on NBC and later in syndication, I wasn't comparing it to later Trek shows and movies back in the 1979, since all of those had yet to exist. And I still thought TMP, for all its virtues, felt more like "2001" and "Close Encounters" than the show I devoured back in the sixties and seventies. (For the record, I was in college when TMP debuted.)

And let's be honest here. There was plenty of action and adventure back in the classic original series; heck, Captain Kirk got into a bare-knuckled fistfight every third episode and there was no shortage of colorful space-opera coolness: a lizard monster, a salt vampire, Apollo's giant green hand, and so on, along with the morality plays, topical allegories, and frequently thought-provoking SF notions.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying TOS was just fun and excitement, but let's not pretend that it was a purely "cerebral" enterprise that never, ever indulged in good, old-fashioned thrills, chills, full-blooded, emotion, conflict, and drama. The TOS I remember was brash and bold and, yes, even melodramatic at times. Not coolly philosophical

I respect TMP's ambition, but am no hurry to watch it again. Give me Khan or the whales instead.

(Let it noted, however, that I am a big fan of many of Robert Wise's other movies. Not just The Day The Earth Stood Still, but also The Andromeda Strain, The Haunting, The Body Snatcher (with Karloff and Lugosi), Curse of the Cat People, and, of course, West Side Story and The Sound of Music. Actually met Wise back in the day. Still have his autograph.)

My thoughts exactly. When I do a Star Trek marathon, I always skip this one and start with TWOK.

TMP is nothing like TOS. The relationship between Kirk, Spock and McCoy is almost non existent. The movie takes itself way too seriously and has almost no light hearted moments. Vger is a weak antagonist. There is no action or scenes to get the blood pumping. The characters spend most of their time reacting to a view screen. The sets arent helped by the bland PJs that the actors are forced to wear. Its a one hour episode that got turned into two hours with scenes that were stretched way too long.

The only thing that saves that movie is the top notch visuals accompanied by Jerry Goldsmiths excellent score. But special effects should never be more than window dressing to a strong story and good characterization, which this film completely lacks. That will always be the problem for me no matter how many versions the film gets.

 

[Pauln6]

My thoughts exactly. When I do a Star Trek marathon, I always skip this one and start with TWOK.

TMP is nothing like TOS. The relationship between Kirk, Spock and McCoy is almost non existent. The movie takes itself way too seriously and has almost no light hearted moments. Vger is a weak antagonist. There is no action or scenes to get the blood pumping. The characters spend most of their time reacting to a view screen. The sets arent helped by the bland PJs that the actors are forced to wear. Its a one hour episode that got turned into two hours with scenes that were stretched way too long.

The only thing that saves that movie is the top notch visuals accompanied by Jerry Goldsmiths excellent score. But special effects should never be more than window dressing to a strong story and good characterization, which this film completely lacks. That will always be the problem for me no matter how many versions the film gets.

Personally, while the TWoK era movies are great fun and TWoK is my favourite, it's untrue to say the character relationships are non-existent in TMP. When I saw it in the cinema, the audience all laughed a lot at McCoy's one liners. Kirk is deliberately rusty, Spock is deliberately distant, but everyone else is on par. Their relationships are quite subtle but they are there.

 

[ichab]

Personally, while the TWoK era movies are great fun and TWoK is my favourite, it's untrue to say the character relationships are non-existent in TMP. When I saw it in the cinema, the audience all laughed a lot at McCoy's one liners. Kirk is deliberately rusty, Spock is deliberately distant, but everyone else is on par. Their relationships are quite subtle but they are there.

I said "almost non existent." And it's true. Where is all these relationships? Other than Kirk's quick light hearted moment with Scotty during that long, boring shuttle ride and his brief moment with McCoy at the transporter, there is very little evidence of friendship or camaraderie. The only real relationship that was given much screen time was Decker and Alia, two characters that I could care less about and who wind up KIA at the end. Kirk, Spock and McCoy was what drove TOS and that was badly missing. I see no resemblance between TOS and TMP. This was more "Star Trek thru the lens of 2001" than a real continuation of TOS.

 

[Rebel Scum]

I enjoyed TMP. It was exciting seeing the TOS cast aboard the Enterprise reuniting for a motion picture.

 

[fireproof78]

This was more "Star Trek thru the lens of 2001" than a real continuation of TOS.

One thing that helped me enjoy TMP a bit better is not treating it as a continuation of TOS.

 

[CoveTom]

I said "almost non existent." And it's true. Where is all these relationships? Other than Kirk's quick light hearted moment with Scotty during that long, boring shuttle ride and his brief moment with McCoy at the transporter, there is very little evidence of friendship or camaraderie. The only real relationship that was given much screen time was Decker and Alia, two characters that I could care less about and who wind up KIA at the end. Kirk, Spock and McCoy was what drove TOS and that was badly missing. I see no resemblance between TOS and TMP. This was more "Star Trek thru the lens of 2001" than a real continuation of TOS.

You must have watched a different film than me. The relationship between Kirk, Spock, and McCoy was front and center in that film. It was the heart of the movie. All three of them had gone their separate ways and had discovered they were much worse off for it. Each one of them starts the film profoundly unhappy. Spock, through his failed attempt at Kolinahr and then his contact with V'Ger, experiences the most profound character development of the three, when he realizes the importance of feelings and relationships. That is why he is the character he is in TWOK, calm and at peace for the first time in his life. And by the end of TMP, we see the three of them choosing to remain together where they are home, on board the Enterprise.

 

[Tallguy]

You must have watched a different film than me. The relationship between Kirk, Spock, and McCoy was front and center in that film. It was the heart of the movie. All three of them had gone their separate ways and had discovered they were much worse off for it. Each one of them starts the film profoundly unhappy. Spock, through his failed attempt at Kolinahr and then his contact with V'Ger, experiences the most profound character development of the three, when he realizes the importance of feelings and relationships. That is why he is the character he is in TWOK, calm and at peace for the first time in his life. And by the end of TMP, we see the three of them choosing to remain together where they are home, on board the Enterprise.

You have to love a post that makes you want to go watch the movie again.

 

[Relayer1]

Without any deep dives, TMP is my fave too.

Epic, beautiful, cinematic Trek with heart and soul.