TMP is the best film. It is not 'tedious' at all
- Thread starter Spock's Eyebrow
- Start date
Well... that was the point. Wise and Roddenberry was trying to move beyond what was approached on 60's television. The reality was Trek fans in America of that time, not movie goers*, didn't want fillet mignon but rather have hotdogs. And as the movies progressed all they wanted was the rollercoaster ride, lacking substance or any true evolution for our heroes. Reminds me of Alex Kurtzman's CBSALLACCESS shows which embarrasses themselves by calling them STAR TREK.Of thirteen Star Trek movies, I like the majority of them, but my favorite is still the first TMP because it feels epic.
*General Audiences has proven time and time again, they don't care about mythos and lingos all they want is to be entertained.
Last edited:
TMP was a spectacle too.
Still my favorite as well. By far!
I think it's visually very interesting 40 years later and has great, believable world building (that set the standards for all later films and shows), but ultimately a little too self-indulgent and plodding.
And it's got a fantastic score too by the late Mr. Goldsmith...
Also Dr. McCoy grumbling about the engineers changing the sickbay for the sake of it (like software) did elicit a genuine laugh from me.
Also V'Ger is a genuinely alien and intimidating threat, a vast AI god of almost unrivalled power (and should be a main visual inspiration for Iain M. Banks' Culture-verse, alongside Star Trek: Beyond, if it's getting adapted by Amazon Prime).
And it's got a fantastic score too by the late Mr. Goldsmith...
Also Dr. McCoy grumbling about the engineers changing the sickbay for the sake of it (like software) did elicit a genuine laugh from me.
Also V'Ger is a genuinely alien and intimidating threat, a vast AI god of almost unrivalled power (and should be a main visual inspiration for Iain M. Banks' Culture-verse, alongside Star Trek: Beyond, if it's getting adapted by Amazon Prime).
Last edited:
I took a quick nap midway through the movie. I was so bored that I went to the snack bar to buy one of those 1,000 year old hot dogs.
I find The Motion Picture, at its worse , "relaxing" boring, not "annoying" boring like Insurrection was...
Since reading Alastair Reynolds and Iain Banks novels, I've come to appreciate TMP more on hindsight, even if its original edit did not quite stick the landing, and it was too verbose next to The Wrath Of Khan.
If you read Iain M. Banks' Excession and Matter, you get a clear image of alien races like the Oct and Affront (so advanced and fearsome to us) suddenly looking so hopelessly small, outclassed, and pointless next to the magically advanced, gigantic Culture and its ilk (like the humans, Klingons, and Vulcans were in comparison to V'Ger on the cinema screen).
If you read Iain M. Banks' Excession and Matter, you get a clear image of alien races like the Oct and Affront (so advanced and fearsome to us) suddenly looking so hopelessly small, outclassed, and pointless next to the magically advanced, gigantic Culture and its ilk (like the humans, Klingons, and Vulcans were in comparison to V'Ger on the cinema screen).
Last edited:
I admire its ambitions, and I can respect the effort in genuinely making the first appearance Trek on the big screen feel truly cinematic no matter how difficult. However as someone who most enjoyed the crew dynamics and character exploration on the show it feels like those elements just drown in the focus on large scale spectacle.
I've heard certain fans claim that TMP is the explorative spirit from TOS best manifest, but so much of the warmth and energy of the latter just feels lacking for much of the movie. The sickbay scene between Kirk and Spock is one of the few exceptions, and I know some will say its all the more meaningful because there's a coldness in the film prior. The experience of that though doesn't make me appreciate the scene more as much as it has me wishing the rest of the film had even a small sense of those character dimensions to it.
For my money the greatest strength and weakness of the Motion Picture is its drift from The Original Series. Its handling of the human elements the latter excelled at are either undercooked or clunky, yet it does reach for a certain existential depth in a way the show could (and some would argue would) never do. Regardless of whether it stuck the landing in what's trying, you certainly can't accuse it of playing it safe.
I've heard certain fans claim that TMP is the explorative spirit from TOS best manifest, but so much of the warmth and energy of the latter just feels lacking for much of the movie. The sickbay scene between Kirk and Spock is one of the few exceptions, and I know some will say its all the more meaningful because there's a coldness in the film prior. The experience of that though doesn't make me appreciate the scene more as much as it has me wishing the rest of the film had even a small sense of those character dimensions to it.
For my money the greatest strength and weakness of the Motion Picture is its drift from The Original Series. Its handling of the human elements the latter excelled at are either undercooked or clunky, yet it does reach for a certain existential depth in a way the show could (and some would argue would) never do. Regardless of whether it stuck the landing in what's trying, you certainly can't accuse it of playing it safe.
The strained relationship is largely Spock, which is key to the plot. I wonder if they had put a fraction more focus on the junior crew, whose relationships have not been disrupted, they could have upped the human warmth quotient. Chapel and McCoy have no on screen conversation at all. They talk independently while others are in the room. Rand is back but has no direct interaction other than Kirk talking at her. In Thy Image had a scene with the supporting crew on a break in the Rec Deck. I think it was the fan episode Ktumba that had a similar scene, although was a direct homage to the scene on the bridge with Uhura and the Rhandarite ensign. A slightly humorous exchange, reminiscing about old adventures and tactics might have been fun. Sulu, "Hey Uhura, do you remember when that alien probe Nomad came on board?" Uhura, "No."
If you haven't seen TMP on the Big Screen, you haven't seen it. That's the best way to watch it.
I was only four months old when it came out... but I was able to watch on the big screen during a 40th Anniversary showing. I don't think it's the best Star Trek movie, nor is it my favorite of the movies, but I do think it's the best Star Trek film. There's no comparison between model work and CGI, and TMP has model work at its finest. The musical score is among the best (I like the TUC soundtrack better, but that comes strictly down to personal preference). And the special effects still hold up even now.
This is a visual and musical experience first and everything else second. And the visuals are only truly done justice in a theater. If you watch any of the other Star Trek movies on TV, you're not losing anything. With TMP, you are.
So I don't blame anymore for getting sleepy while watching it on a regular TV. You're not watching it the way it was meant to be seen. And it's not anyone's fault, it's just the way it is. It's a visual feast and it can't overwhelm your senses on a TV screen.
I was only four months old when it came out... but I was able to watch on the big screen during a 40th Anniversary showing. I don't think it's the best Star Trek movie, nor is it my favorite of the movies, but I do think it's the best Star Trek film. There's no comparison between model work and CGI, and TMP has model work at its finest. The musical score is among the best (I like the TUC soundtrack better, but that comes strictly down to personal preference). And the special effects still hold up even now.
This is a visual and musical experience first and everything else second. And the visuals are only truly done justice in a theater. If you watch any of the other Star Trek movies on TV, you're not losing anything. With TMP, you are.
So I don't blame anymore for getting sleepy while watching it on a regular TV. You're not watching it the way it was meant to be seen. And it's not anyone's fault, it's just the way it is. It's a visual feast and it can't overwhelm your senses on a TV screen.
Last edited:
I suppose we're gonna have to disagree on this one. I grew up watching TMP on a small screen, and although it is an acquired taste, it is still best enjoyed on a TV screen IMO. I was in my teens when I watched it all the way through for the first time without falling asleep, and nowadays it's easy to sit through the whole thing, Vejur flyover and all, if I am in the right mood (which I'd say is more than half the time, LOL). That being said, I went to see it on the big screen last year, and after the Klingon battle at the beginning, I found it VERY hard to concentrate. My mind kept wandering, and I couldn't keep myself invested in what was happening onscreen. I don't even remember the "easy to follow" parts very clearly, such as the flyby around the refit Enterprise, which I have for years considered to be iconic. I still can't explain my lack of focus on this one occasion.
Now, TWOK is a different story. THAT film is the opposite, in that you just don't get the full effect unless you've seen it on the big screen.
I like TMP on the small screen too, but it's just the big screen that changed my perspective of it.
The only one I still haven't seen on the Big Screen is TSFS. That's going to annoy me now, until I get the opportunity.
The only one I still haven't seen on the Big Screen is TSFS. That's going to annoy me now, until I get the opportunity.
Brilliantly stated. TMP is a must see big screen cinema event to truly experience it.
