Ah I see now. Thanks for the clarification. I can well imagine that!
TMP vs. ST'09: Comparing the 2 launch films
- Thread starter AFEK ESLCAFE W
- Start date
Only TWOK was developed initially by the Paramount television division in what was probably a dodge to keep costs down. Three days into production it was "upgraded" to theatrical status, but by then everyone was under contract and a lot of union work had been done at TV rates.
I remember once reading that it was originally intended as a telemovie but the 'dodge' thing never occurred to me. But the involvement of Harve Bennett, who was after all primarily a tv producer, does suggest that it might have been on the level.
1.) Epic Scale - 2009
2.) Visual F/X - 2009
3.) Cast - TMP
4.) Direction - 2009
5.) Stephen Collins (Willard Decker) vs. Chris Pine (James T. Kirk) - 2009
6.) Starship Design - TMP
7.) Uniforms - 2009
8.) Dialogue - 2009
9.) Preference - 2009
10.) Babe Factor - TMP
11.) Story - 2009
12.) Pull with the Mainstream Audience - 2009
13.) Legacy - TMP
14.) Marketing Campaign - 2009
15.) Music - TMP
16.) Sets (Aesthetics) - TMP
17.) Main Villain - TMP
18.) Portrayal of Vulcans, Vulcan culture, and the planet Vulcan - 2009
19.) Lighting and Cinematography - TMP
20.) Sound and Editting - 2009
21.) Action - 2009
22.) Drama - 2009
23.) Moral of the Story - TMP
24.) Overall Quality - 2009
25.) Etc. - N/A
TMP - 9/24
2009 - 15/24
TWOK vs 2009 would be more interesting.
2.) Visual F/X - 2009
3.) Cast - TMP
4.) Direction - 2009
5.) Stephen Collins (Willard Decker) vs. Chris Pine (James T. Kirk) - 2009
6.) Starship Design - TMP
7.) Uniforms - 2009
8.) Dialogue - 2009
9.) Preference - 2009
10.) Babe Factor - TMP
11.) Story - 2009
12.) Pull with the Mainstream Audience - 2009
13.) Legacy - TMP
14.) Marketing Campaign - 2009
15.) Music - TMP
16.) Sets (Aesthetics) - TMP
17.) Main Villain - TMP
18.) Portrayal of Vulcans, Vulcan culture, and the planet Vulcan - 2009
19.) Lighting and Cinematography - TMP
20.) Sound and Editting - 2009
21.) Action - 2009
22.) Drama - 2009
23.) Moral of the Story - TMP
24.) Overall Quality - 2009
25.) Etc. - N/A
TMP - 9/24
2009 - 15/24
TWOK vs 2009 would be more interesting.
^ Old, over-rated and in need of a back wax?
It was quite common, at the time, for US telemovies of the 70s and 80s to get a theatrical release internationally. "Buck Rogers", "Duel", "Battlestar Galactica", "Mission Galactica: The Cylon Attack", "Cat and Mouse", "Spiderman: The Dragon's Challenge", "Sssssnake", etc...
Had Paramount not been pleased with the way things were progressing on ST II, it wouldn't have got the upgrade to US feature status a few days into production, but yeah, it was a clever way to guarantee keeping the initial costs from blowing out.
Duel only cost $450,000 to produce. Battlestar Galactica: Saga of a Star World was extremely expensive to produce for television, and it cost a little over $7 million to make (and much of those costs were intended to be amortized in the TV movies intended to follow). Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan cost $11 million to produce.
Consider these excerpts from a September 18, 1981 Press Release issued by Paramount (I'm too lazy to type the whole thing out):
Conclusion: the film wasn't upgraded to being a theatrical feature during production; this happened during early pre-production, likely as a cost-saving measure (read: union-dodging measure), nothing more.
Consider these excerpts from a September 18, 1981 Press Release issued by Paramount (I'm too lazy to type the whole thing out):
Conclusion: the film wasn't upgraded to being a theatrical feature during production; this happened during early pre-production, likely as a cost-saving measure (read: union-dodging measure), nothing more.
Hard to believe now, that there was ever a time when STII was not considered the big success it ended up being in the minds and hearts of many fans worldwide.
J.J. Abrams vs. Robert Wise. 'nuff said.
I can barely even watch the original movie anymore, there is just nothing left to see. The DC improved it, but it ranks down there (just above) with Five for me with the original cast. I mean, I don't think it's a bad movie, but it's not an enjoyable experience for me to watch anymore. I certainly wouldn't recommend it to anyone who hasn't seen Star Trek before, as I would '09.
Star Trek (2009) is a good movie to introduce people to Trek. Even with Leonard Nimoy's cameo as Old Spock. The people in the theater when I saw it (three times!) seemed to take everything in their stride.
1.) Epic Scale - TMP
2.) Visual F/X - ST09
3.) Cast - ST09
4.) Direction - ST09
5.) Stephen Collins (Willard Decker) vs. Chris Pine (James T. Kirk) ST09
6.) Starship Design - TMP
7.) Uniforms - ST09 The cast hated the costumes.
8.) Dialogue - ST09
9.) Preference - ST09
10.) Babe Factor - ST09
11.) Story - ST09
12.) Pull with the Mainstream Audience - ST09
13.) Legacy - TMP
14.) Marketing Campaign - ST09
15.) Music - ST09
16.) Sets (Aesthetics) - ST09
17.) Main Villain - ST09 TMP didn't have a "Main Villain" to speak of. It had a misunderstood nacient AI.
18.) Portrayal of Vulcans, Vulcan culture, and the planet Vulcan - ST09
19.) Lighting and Cinematography - TMP
20.) Sound and Editting - ST09
21.) Action - ST09
22.) Drama - ST09
23.) Moral of the Story - ST09 TMP's moral was better summed up in TOS - "The Changling"
24.) Overall Quality ST09
25.) Etc. TMP
2.) Visual F/X - ST09
3.) Cast - ST09
4.) Direction - ST09
5.) Stephen Collins (Willard Decker) vs. Chris Pine (James T. Kirk) ST09
6.) Starship Design - TMP
7.) Uniforms - ST09 The cast hated the costumes.
8.) Dialogue - ST09
9.) Preference - ST09
10.) Babe Factor - ST09
11.) Story - ST09
12.) Pull with the Mainstream Audience - ST09
13.) Legacy - TMP
14.) Marketing Campaign - ST09
15.) Music - ST09
16.) Sets (Aesthetics) - ST09
17.) Main Villain - ST09 TMP didn't have a "Main Villain" to speak of. It had a misunderstood nacient AI.
18.) Portrayal of Vulcans, Vulcan culture, and the planet Vulcan - ST09
19.) Lighting and Cinematography - TMP
20.) Sound and Editting - ST09
21.) Action - ST09
22.) Drama - ST09
23.) Moral of the Story - ST09 TMP's moral was better summed up in TOS - "The Changling"
24.) Overall Quality ST09
25.) Etc. TMP
Npt to argue my personal preferences here, but a question: were there morals to the stories?
TMP: logic needs heart? Human adventure just beginning? Don't shoot phasers at a wormhole?
09: . , , , uh, I got nothin. Don't beam into a Willie Wonka -esque Budweiser pipe? Ok, that's unfair . . . One can overcome the crappy childhood hand one was dealt?
What are thoughts out there?
TMP: logic needs heart? Human adventure just beginning? Don't shoot phasers at a wormhole?
09: . , , , uh, I got nothin. Don't beam into a Willie Wonka -esque Budweiser pipe? Ok, that's unfair . . . One can overcome the crappy childhood hand one was dealt?
What are thoughts out there?
^ Neither one are "moral of the week" stories. The only ones that have them are TVH (hunting is wrong), TUC (prejudice is wrong), and INS (forcible relocation is wrong).
Soooo... I went with TMP: "Learn all that is learnable." I'm biased because I used to work at a college, and a public school system before that. Weak justification but it is what it is.
Soooo... I went with TMP: "Learn all that is learnable." I'm biased because I used to work at a college, and a public school system before that. Weak justification but it is what it is.
There really should have been an "Appropriate film length" catagory.
Really? According to iMdb, The Motion Picture is only five minutes longer, 132 minutes vs. 127 for Star Trek 2009.