TMP... what's the difference?

[number6]

I certainly feel that way about TMP.. If they could have combined the grandeur of TMP with the heart of TWOK, they would have had an unforgettable series of films.. We got some good films, but nothing touches the epic feel the first film had. Unfortunately the story was weak and an obvious retelling of The Changeling. They should have had a fresher story.

 

[milo bloom]

I recall that some of the supporting characters' dialogue got cut in the Director's Cut too.

Not much. Some of the supporting character's dialogue had been left on the cutting room floor for the theatrical version, but finally restored for the ABC-TV "Special Longer Version" (and subsequent release on VHS), such as the bridge Rhaandarite's defence of Captain Decker (which had been featured in the Marvel Comics adaptation and in the novelization) and his admonishment by Uhura. That scene was retained for the DVD DE.

As a fan of Billy Van Zandt, it's the scene I miss the most on the recent BluRay version, which goes back to the original theatrical version.

That's true, it was Uhura's best line too. The supporting cast didn't get much in the way of lines so I'd prefer a hybrid of the DE plus all the extra dialogue - it's the lengthy reaction shots I can live without.

I once heard a second-hand tale of a fan-film somebody had assembled using just the reaction shots of the crew, but they had dubbed over "adult movie" sounds, so it looked like the crew was watching...well. Has anyone else ever heard of this?

And I enjoy both cuts. I never had a problem with Shatner's "Oh my God" line, plus other scene trims. I have all the 2 disc DVD sets of all the movies, and then I hunted down a used DVD set of the recent box set reissue to get the theatrical cuts of 1 and 6, and I would gladly buy a third copy of TMP with all the deleted scenes put back to get something like the old "special longer version" that used to exist on VHS and LD.



Also, the FX for the DC were apparently only done at 480p resolution (DVD resolution). That's why the Bluray version only had the theatrical cut.

 

[Indysolo]

I once heard a second-hand tale of a fan-film somebody had assembled using just the reaction shots of the crew, but they had dubbed over "adult movie" sounds, so it looked like the crew was watching...well. Has anyone else ever heard of this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPXx2ceFr1k

No graphic footage, but there's no doubt what's going on, so you may not want to watch that at work.

Neil

 

[milo bloom]

I once heard a second-hand tale of a fan-film somebody had assembled using just the reaction shots of the crew, but they had dubbed over "adult movie" sounds, so it looked like the crew was watching...well. Has anyone else ever heard of this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPXx2ceFr1k

No graphic footage, but there's no doubt what's going on, so you may not want to watch that at work.

Neil

No sound at work anyways, but I'll be sure to check it out tonight.

thanks

 

[Warped9]

With the advances in CGI only getting better and better perhaps one day someone will write the extra needed scenes and they'll be able to perfectly reproduce the actors and their voices to put in the needed character drama.

On the other hand that's perhaps going too far...

 

[captain-brad]

As much as I love TMP, and think it's the closest of the movies to the heart of the show, it lacks in the drama department. The over story about V'Ger and the evolution theme really work, but the problem is Decker. He's too soft in the movie. This guy is captain of Starfleet's flagship, whose father gave his life to destroy an alien doomsday machine and a man who gave up the love of his life for his career. He really needed to seem a bit harder, more grizzled, wise beyond his years. On Kirk's level, but less enamored with space, less deserving of being an explorer. Kirk could leave a woman behind and go zipping through space with no problem, he'd done it before, but Decker just doesn't have that type of spirit. Eventually we would realize that he regretted leaving Ilia all those years ago, never got over it, and though being a starship captain is fulfilling ultimately it doesn't make him happy. In fact, it would be fascinating in those early scenes where he confronts Kirk about wanting the ship back if you got the sense that even though he was angry at Kirk he may at the same time be relieved on some level. I would love to see that contrast, Kirk a man of the universe and Decker a man of the soul, neither one right and neither one wrong.

In a thematic sense making him a less visionary, but still passionate, man would also do a better job of justifying Kirk getting the Enterprise back.

 

[Potemkin_Prod]

Ah, but you see that's the flaw in your reasoning. Kirk doesn't deserve the Enterprise back. He simply doesn't. And so he chooses to pull rank. It's a reflection on Kirk's character that he must have the Enterprise at any cost, even if it means becoming what he hates: admirals who have exaggerated opinions of themselves (seen in "The Deadly Years") and admirals who pull rank (Admiral Komack in "Amok Time"). He's become BOTH.

Unfortunately, GR and Robert Wise were more interested in showing sparkly lights instead of concentrating on the drama that was clearly there but never truly examined or developed. This is why I consider TMP a failure on this level.

 

[milo bloom]

I once heard a second-hand tale of a fan-film somebody had assembled using just the reaction shots of the crew, but they had dubbed over "adult movie" sounds, so it looked like the crew was watching...well. Has anyone else ever heard of this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPXx2ceFr1k

No graphic footage, but there's no doubt what's going on, so you may not want to watch that at work.

Neil

No sound at work anyways, but I'll be sure to check it out tonight.

thanks

That was even funnier than I expected!

 

[Oso Blanco]

I still prefer the Special Longer Version aka the ABC Cut ... I wish we would finally get a widescreen version of it on DVD or BD!

 

[ST-One]

I still prefer the Special Longer Version aka the ABC Cut ... I wish we would finally get a widescreen version of it on DVD or BD!

Why? Do you really want to see even more of the scaffolding?

 

[plynch]

They ruined the red alert in the directors' cut. The sirens and "RED ALERT! RED ALERT!" are gone, and replaced with something resembling a pager going off.

The original red alert makes it unwatchable, for me. IDIC, man.

 

[Oso Blanco]

I still prefer the Special Longer Version aka the ABC Cut ... I wish we would finally get a widescreen version of it on DVD or BD!

Why? Do you really want to see even more of the scaffolding?

I can live with that better than I can with all the things the DE did wrong.

Adding new FX to twenty year old movies is just plain WRONG! Would you like old records by The Beatles to be redone with new drumbeats and synths, just because NOW it can be done? That's just sick!

I like the SLV because it's the most complete version there is, including some very nice character moments. I know it has its faults, but I can live with those!

 

[Warped9]

Ah, but you see that's the flaw in your reasoning. Kirk doesn't deserve the Enterprise back. He simply doesn't. And so he chooses to pull rank. It's a reflection on Kirk's character that he must have the Enterprise at any cost, even if it means becoming what he hates: admirals who have exaggerated opinions of themselves (seen in "The Deadly Years") and admirals who pull rank (Admiral Komack in "Amok Time"). He's become BOTH.

The thing is when you read GR's novelization of the film it fills in a lot of gaps in the movie. We learn that Kirk was basically strong armed into accepting his promotion. He was drained after an exhaustive 5-year mission and got blindsided. If he'd been on his game it's more likely he would have resisted a promotion to remain in command of the Enterprise and overseeing her refit.

Kirk's behaviour early on in the film supports the background given in the book, but the necessary scenes the would show it are missing from the film. Maybe all we would have needed was that brief scene at the beginning where Kirk confronts Admiral Nogura to get command of the Enterprise and then his behaviour would make more sense onscreen.

 

[JonnyQuest037]

I still prefer the Special Longer Version aka the ABC Cut ... I wish we would finally get a widescreen version of it on DVD or BD!

Why? Do you really want to see even more of the scaffolding?

 

[plynch]

HEY - since we saw the scaffolding on screen, it is canon. Let's hear somebody do a convoluted explanation for why the refit-E has scaffolding near its egress. I love those in-universe "explanations." Please?

 

[Therin of Andor]

There is no sound(stage) in the vacuum of space.

 

[number6]

Ah, but you see that's the flaw in your reasoning. Kirk doesn't deserve the Enterprise back. He simply doesn't. And so he chooses to pull rank. It's a reflection on Kirk's character that he must have the Enterprise at any cost, even if it means becoming what he hates: admirals who have exaggerated opinions of themselves (seen in "The Deadly Years") and admirals who pull rank (Admiral Komack in "Amok Time"). He's become BOTH.

The thing is when you read GR's novelization of the film it fills in a lot of gaps in the movie. We learn that Kirk was basically strong armed into accepting his promotion. He was drained after an exhaustive 5-year mission and got blindsided. If he'd been on his game it's more likely he would have resisted a promotion to remain in command of the Enterprise and overseeing her refit.

Kirk's behaviour early on in the film supports the background given in the book, but the necessary scenes the would show it are missing from the film. Maybe all we would have needed was that brief scene at the beginning where Kirk confronts Admiral Nogura to get command of the Enterprise and then his behaviour would make more sense onscreen.

The novelization doesn't really qualify as it wasn't shown on screen as part of the plot. Of course, they could have written that into the script, but then the movie would have been that much longer and slower.. As least we might have seen some familiar characterization of GR's characters instead of the flat, wooden characterizations we got in this film.

 

[Warped9]

^^ GR's novelization of TMP is one of those rare instances where if it supports what onscreen then I accept the printed work as is.

 

[number6]

I'm not buying that. If one novelization is ok then they all should be. With all the control GR had over the content of TMP, he could very well have included that in the shooting script instead of long drawn out sequences of crew members gaping slackjawed at the viewscreen.

 

[NewHorizon]

The Director's edition fixes some flawed and incomplete f/x shots from the theatrical release. The film is edited as a whole rather surgically so that the pacing is improved to a limited fashion. And some previously cut footage was put back in. Although the DE is actually about nine minutes longer than the theatrical cut it actually feels short because of the improved pacing.

The DE is my preferred version of the film, the one we should have gotten all along.

I believe you're thinking of the "Extended Edition" that was released on VHS. It is quite a bit longer than the theatrical cut.