Movie Review: Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)
Synopsis: A mysterious and powerful alien force destroys everything in its path on the way to Earth, forcing a newly refitted starship Enterprise into duty before it is completely ready. Admiral James T. Kirk is given command, much to the dissatisfaction of the ship's current captain Willard Decker, causing the two to butt heads as a mix of the original Enterprise crew and new faces speed toward danger.
Who's in it? The movie stars William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, Stephen Collins and George Takei.
Review: While I don't consider myself a Trekkie, I do enjoy at least some aspects of the Star Trek universe, including most of the movies. That's why, when I saw it was showing on one of my movie channels, I took the time to re-watch Star Trek: The Motion Picture. As has been the case with past viewings, my opinion of the film remains mixed.
I'll start out by saying there are a lot of things this movie does right. For one, I like how the movie reunites members of the original Star Trek cast without making it feel as though it was a reunion special. The transition from long-canceled television series to a motion picture is almost flawless, with some of the television series' characters already serving in natural roles onboard the starship while Kirk (Shatner), Dr. McCoy (Kelley) and Spock (Nimoy) are brought in via reasonably plausible storylines.
As part of that, I also like how the movie doesn't just pick up where the show left off and recognizes the time that has passed with promotions, new crew members and even a revamped ship. It made the movie feel a bit more believable.
The main plot is intriguing, both because of the unbelievable amount of power the alien mass possesses and the mystery surrounding what it is. It's one of those plots that make it seem like the heroes are embarking on a suicide mission and the various ongoing mechanical problems with the not-yet-ready Enterprise only makes that mission seem even more impossible. Even Spock's ability to communicate with the destructive mass does little to convince the viewer they will succeed.
The movie does, however, have some flaws as well. One of the biggest, in my opinion, is the pacing. A lot of the scenes are dragged out to painful levels, making a movie that is nearly 2 1/2 hours long seem even longer.
It is also a very noisy film, with various alarms and other sounds that always make me cringe, especially since, like much of the movie, they tend to drag on longer than are needed. I can overlook 1970s special effects. Unneeded noises, not so much.
The ongoing conflict between Kirk and Decker (Collins) also felt forced with neither man looking good as a result. Decker came off as whiny and insubordinate while Kirk's arrogance made him a bit unlikable, especially when it was clear he didn't fully understand some of the newer technology on the ship. And that's before he selfishly pulled strings to force his "friend" Dr. McCoy into joining him on a suicide mission.
Final Opinion: The movie isn't perfect, and some of the sequels are better. However, as a movie that was primarily meant to revive a franchise ten years after the television series was canceled, it does a solid job. At minimum, it's good enough for me to watch it yet again.
My Grade: B+
_____________________________________________________________________
Here are some reviews of other science fiction movies:
Movie Review: The Time Travelers (1964)
Comments
Post a Comment