Let me guess: you were watching the ABC “Extended Edition” on pan-and-scan VHS?
Which Star Trek Movie Do You Think Was The Best?
- Thread starter CmndrSela318
- Start date
I don't know about extended edition or not, but in the late 80's it was definitely VHS. And IIRC, that was before the rise in popularity of widescreen VHS tapes, so it probably was pan-and-scan full screen.
Should I watch the theatrical version on blu-ray or the Director Edition to get the best possible experience out of TMP? I've read that the Director Edition has improved visual effects.
Should I watch the theatrical version on blu-ray or the Director Edition to get the best possible experience out of TMP? I've read that the Director Edition has improved visual effects.
Whill, it's my understanding that the Director's Cut for The Motion Picture is one of those rare things where it's shorter than the original but you wind up grateful for it.
I hear it's much better-paced, although it still suffers from bad pacing to a point.
I hear it's much better-paced, although it still suffers from bad pacing to a point.
Thanks for your feedback. But according to IMDb, the Director's Cut is still a little longer than the theatrical version, but not as long as the "TV version."
From what I've read, the TV version (VHS) is much more than what the director ever intended to be included and the extra footage is unfinished and bogs the movie down (even more). The theatrical version would be in blu-ray and my experience is that older movies actually look worse in hi-def.
The Director's Cut is in standard def, only the originally unfinished material that the director wanted to be there is in it, and some of the effects were polished up. And I've never seen the Director's version. So I think I'll go with the Director's Edition to give this movie the best possible chance. The way I look at it, TMP has still got to be better than TFF!
Time to cash in that free 3-month trial of Netflix someone gave me...
Star Trek: The Motion Picture on Blu-ray is absolutely stunning.
Ah, sorry I was wrong, Whill. Not sure where I got my info from... oh well. Might have just been a misunderstanding at the time.
Thanks for clearing it up on your own, at least. I learned something!
Thanks for clearing it up on your own, at least. I learned something!
From favorite to least favorite:
Star Trek
The Wrath of Khan
First Contact
The Undiscovered Country
The Voyage Home
The Search For Spock
Nemesis
Generations
The Final Frontier
Insurrection
The Motion Picture
Star Trek
The Wrath of Khan
First Contact
The Undiscovered Country
The Voyage Home
The Search For Spock
Nemesis
Generations
The Final Frontier
Insurrection
The Motion Picture
L
Lord Garth
Guest
TWOK, which I just saw in a theater in Rhode Island, this past Friday. I can say TWOK with reaffirmed conviction. It takes the characters far beyond the TOS status quo, shows how everything has caught up to Kirk, has several conflicts that come across as natural instead of forced, and Spock's death still packs a punch.
After that is TVH, which converted me into a fan when my parents bought it on VHS 20 years ago. Next up is XI. I like all three for very different reasons but TWOK still comes out on top. To this day, it's still influencing the Star Trek movies.
I'm looking forward to XII because the second one is always the best, whether it's TWOK or FC. Here's hoping the pattern holds.
TMP has fallen off my top 3 upon re-evaluation. It's still one of the best, musically and visually, but that's not enough. Especially since I've only ever watched it in a single sitting a grand total of... twice.
After that is TVH, which converted me into a fan when my parents bought it on VHS 20 years ago. Next up is XI. I like all three for very different reasons but TWOK still comes out on top. To this day, it's still influencing the Star Trek movies.
I'm looking forward to XII because the second one is always the best, whether it's TWOK or FC. Here's hoping the pattern holds.
TMP has fallen off my top 3 upon re-evaluation. It's still one of the best, musically and visually, but that's not enough. Especially since I've only ever watched it in a single sitting a grand total of... twice.
STTMP is the best original series movie on blu ray by far. As for older movies looking worse in Hi DEF, I would suggest folks take a look at Hitchcock's North By Northwest on Blu Ray!!!!
Star trek 2.
number6
Vice Admiral
I would say that ST, TMP, and TWOK pretty much tie. I like them equally, but for different reasons:
TMP because it was the first and looked like God on the Big Screen.
TWOK because it dealt very realistically with the mortality of the cast and allowing their characters to be written to reflect that.
ST because it brought back the spirit of adventure that the original show. TOS always had a cowboy swagger to it and so did this film. The film also looked huge in the theatre.
Shallow as it may sound to some, I have to factor in the thrill factor of seeing it in big theatre on the big screen for the first time on every opening night.
I saw every film that way and that is a major factor in my emotional attachment to the film.
FC is a close second to the first three, because it was the first time we saw the 1701-D crew more comfortable in their own skin. That added a lot of realism to TNG that we seldom saw on the TV show. It also had a lot of Borg and explained the whole Trek philosophy with the Cochrane subplot.
TUC is cool because the character play was pure TOS, but had some epic SFX shots. Sulu got his own ship and it was a misty eyed sendoff for the TOS crew.
GEN was actually a pretty cool film. I didn't mind Kirk getting killed. He died a hero twice. Some of the lighter moments have become more cringeworthy over the years.
TSFS, TVH and INS kind of tie after that. They were all serviceable films that had some good character moments, character development carried over from the previous films and interesting storylines. They all suffer from "cute" humor moments that are embarrasing to watch.
TFF is just plain bad. While it had some great chemistry moments, ecpecially with Kirk, Spock and McCoy, it felt like a third season episode on the big screen.
It only wins out over Nemesis because it's still a riot to watch baked.
NEM isn't really bad and I don't really hate it. It had some amazing special effects sequences and some of the set design was the best Trek had ever seen. The whole Romulan senate sequence in the beginning was worth the admission price, especially on the big screen. Story-wise it was just plain boring. Everyone looked tired and bored on the screen and I felt no emotional connection to what was onscreen. That's why it's at the bottom of my list. I am not as blindly angry about it. It was OK, just not spectacular, and it disappointed my expectations. I did enjoy seeing it and I pop it into the DVD now and again, probably more often than the others. It is still stunning visually.
TMP because it was the first and looked like God on the Big Screen.
TWOK because it dealt very realistically with the mortality of the cast and allowing their characters to be written to reflect that.
ST because it brought back the spirit of adventure that the original show. TOS always had a cowboy swagger to it and so did this film. The film also looked huge in the theatre.
Shallow as it may sound to some, I have to factor in the thrill factor of seeing it in big theatre on the big screen for the first time on every opening night.
I saw every film that way and that is a major factor in my emotional attachment to the film.
FC is a close second to the first three, because it was the first time we saw the 1701-D crew more comfortable in their own skin. That added a lot of realism to TNG that we seldom saw on the TV show. It also had a lot of Borg and explained the whole Trek philosophy with the Cochrane subplot.
TUC is cool because the character play was pure TOS, but had some epic SFX shots. Sulu got his own ship and it was a misty eyed sendoff for the TOS crew.
GEN was actually a pretty cool film. I didn't mind Kirk getting killed. He died a hero twice. Some of the lighter moments have become more cringeworthy over the years.
TSFS, TVH and INS kind of tie after that. They were all serviceable films that had some good character moments, character development carried over from the previous films and interesting storylines. They all suffer from "cute" humor moments that are embarrasing to watch.
TFF is just plain bad. While it had some great chemistry moments, ecpecially with Kirk, Spock and McCoy, it felt like a third season episode on the big screen.
It only wins out over Nemesis because it's still a riot to watch baked.
NEM isn't really bad and I don't really hate it. It had some amazing special effects sequences and some of the set design was the best Trek had ever seen. The whole Romulan senate sequence in the beginning was worth the admission price, especially on the big screen. Story-wise it was just plain boring. Everyone looked tired and bored on the screen and I felt no emotional connection to what was onscreen. That's why it's at the bottom of my list. I am not as blindly angry about it. It was OK, just not spectacular, and it disappointed my expectations. I did enjoy seeing it and I pop it into the DVD now and again, probably more often than the others. It is still stunning visually.
ST-One
Vice Admiral
I have only seen TMP and TWOK of the original movies in HD.
Both films can't stand up against the current VFX (obviously).
In TWOK there is so much ghosting, where you can see background through the foreground-objects in the space-shots, it's not even funny anymore.
Yet, I think TWOK can get away with those... deficiencies more than TMP because the VFX only complement the story,
whereas in TMP the visuals are very much part of the story (hell, they are for the most part the most interesting things in the movie, apart from the music).
I was looking forward to see TMP in HD, and was really disappointed how blurry and washed out and shoddy (and that's not only because of the poor Blu-Ray transfer) many of the effects-shots looked: the rim of the saucer vanishing during the fly-around, the V'Ger-cloud looks (except for two shots) blurred out, the matte-paintings are atrocious pretty much through-out the film (maybe not in all the Vulcan-shots),...
So, I guess for me the best one is Star Trek.
But I can get entertainment out of all the others too.
for me, TWoK, for a number of reasons,
1. The first time we saw another class of starship
2. Kirk had only ONE child?
3. Space battles were mad, I mean, two Federation Ships having a dog fight with no Klingons in sight!!
4. The mistakes...Khan "recognises" Chekov, Khan wearing a movie style Federation uniform
and 5. Khhhaaaaaaannnnnnn!! Classic
1. The first time we saw another class of starship
2. Kirk had only ONE child?
3. Space battles were mad, I mean, two Federation Ships having a dog fight with no Klingons in sight!!
4. The mistakes...Khan "recognises" Chekov, Khan wearing a movie style Federation uniform
and 5. Khhhaaaaaaannnnnnn!! Classic
Glad to see Wrath of Khan out front. Anything else would be a travesty.
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