Star Trek: The Motion Picture Review (Updated)

Star Trek: The Motion Picture


Release Date: 21st December 1979 - Australia


Production Companies
Paramount Pictures (presents)
Century Associates
Robert Wise Productions

Distribution
Paramount Pictures Australia


Genre: Sci-Fi

Rating: PG

Runtime: 132 minutes
                 136 minutes
                 (director's cut)


Budget: $46,000,000

Box Office Gross: $139,000,000
(Worldwide)


Plot Summary

A strange phenomenon
of unparalleled size and
power is bearing on Earth,

wreaking havoc on

everything it touches.

The U.S.S. Enterprise -

still in dry dock after a
significant overhaul - is

the only starship in range.

Arriving with orders to

take command of the
Enterprise and intercept

the intruder, the legendary

Admiral James T. Kirk
finds Captain Decker

preparing his ship and crew

to face a new threat.

Upon investigation, the crew discovers that the alien cloud houses an artificial intelligence with an ominous primary directive. A crisis arises when a probe sent by the energy cloud attacks the team, and the navigator, Lieutenant Ilia, is kidnapped. Soon after, an android doppelganger appears with her memories.

Cast

William Shatner - Admiral

James T. Kirk

Leonard Nimoy - Spock

DeForest Kelley - Dr. Leonard
"Bones" McCoy

James Doohan - Scotty

Walter Koenig - Chekov

George Takei - Sulu

Nichelle Nichols - Uhura
Persis Khambatta - Ilia
Stephen Collins - Willard
Decker
Majel Barrett - Dr. Christine Chapel
Grace Lee Whitney - Janice Rand
Mark Lenard - Klingon Captain

Billy Van Zandt - Alien Boy

Roger Aaron Brown - Epsilon Technician

Gary Faga - Airlock Technician
David Gautreaux - Commander Branch

John D. Gowans - Assistant to Rand

Howard Itzkowitz - Cargo Deck Ensign
Marcy Lafferty - Chief DiFalco
Jon Rashad Kamal - Lt. Commander Sonak

Michele Aween Billy - Lieutenant
Terence O'Connor - Chief Ross
Michael Rougas - Lt. Cleary

Susan O'Sullivan - Woman

Ralph Brannen - Crew Member

Ralph Byers - Crew Member

Paula Crist - Crew Member

Iva Lane - Crew Member

Franklyn Seales - Crew Member

Mono Yashima - Crew Member

Jimmy Booth - Klingon Crewman

Joel Kramer - Klingon Crewman

Bill McIntosh - Klingon Crewman

Dave Moordigian - Klingon Crewman

Tom Morga - Klingon Crewman

Tony Rocco - Klingon Crewman

Joel Shultz - Klingon Crewman

Craig Thomas - Klingon Crewman

Edna Glover - Vulcan Master

Norman Stuart - Vulcan Master

Paul Weber - Vulcan Master

Joshua Gallegos - Security Officer

Lisa Chess - Yeoman

Leslie C. Howard - Yeoman

Sayra Hummel - Technical Assistant

Junero Jennings - Technical Assistant

Crew
Director - Robert Wise
Based on the Series "Star Trek"/Producer -
Gene Roddenberry
Story - Alan Dean Foster
Screenplay - Harold Livingston
Associate Producer - Jon Povill
Producer (2001 director's edition) - David C. Fein

Executive in Charge of Production - Lindsley Parsons Jr.

Special Science Advisor - Jesco von Puttkamer
Special Science Consultant - Isaac Asimov
Casting Director - Marvin Paige
Production Designer - Harold Michelson

Production Illustrators - Maurice Zuberano,

Michael Minor, David Negron, Andy Probert,

Tom Cranham, Robert McCall and Don Moore
Production Illustrators: Apogee, Inc. -

Jack Johnson, Martin A. Kline, Syd Mead

and John R. Shourt
Art Directors - Leon Harris,
Joseph R. Jennings and John Vallone
Set Decorator - Linda DeScenna
Costume Designer - Robert Fletcher

Makeup Artists - Fred & Janna Phillips

and Ve Neill
Director of Photography - Richard H. Kline

Assistant Cameramen - Michael Genne and

Robert A. Wise

Unit Production Manager - Phil Rawlins
Second Unit (Uncredited)/Special Photographic
Effects Director - Douglas Trumbull

Mechanical Special Effects - Alex Weldon,

Daniel Pritchett, Ray Mattey and Marty Bresin

Electronic and Mechanical Design - Evans Wetmore

and Richard E. Hollander
Special Photographic Effects Supervisor -
John Dykstra

Visual Effects Supervisor (2001 director's edition) -

Daren R. Dochterman

Visual Effects Supervisor: Foundation Imaging

(2001 director's edition) - Adam 'Mojo' Lebowitz

Visual Effects Producer: Foundation Imaging

(2001 director's edition) - Ron Thornton
Special Photographic Effects Producer/

Photographic Effects Director of Photography -

Richard Yuririch

Visual Effects Art Director: Foundation Imaging

(2001 director's edition) - Steve Burg

Visual Consultants - Virgil Mirano,

Ernest Garza and Guy Marsden

Special Visual Effects Consultants: Apogee, Inc. -

Mike Middleton, Erik Nash and Phil Joanou

Photographic Effects Director of Photography -

David K. Stewart

Digital Compositing & Camera: Foundation

Imaging (2001 director's edition) - Sherry Hitch

Photographic Effects Cameramen - Don Baker,

Phil Barberio, Don Cox, Douglas Eby, John Ellis,

David Hardberger, Alan Harding, Don Jarel,

Lin Law, Clay Marsh, David McCue,

Max Morgan, Scott Squires and Hoyt Yeatman

Photographic Effects Cameramen: Apogee, Inc. -

Chuck Barbee, Bruno George, Michael Lawler,

Jerry Pooler, Doug Smith and John E. Sullivan

Optical Photography Supervisor: Apogee, Inc. -

Roger Dorney

Additional Photography - Jim Dickson,

Bruce Logan and Charles F. Wheeler

Special Animation Effects - Robert Swarthe

Animators: Foundation Imaging (2001 director's

edition) - P.J. Foley, Trevor Pierce, Bob Quinn,

Lee Stringer and John Teska

Matte Paintings - Matthew Yuirich

Additional Matte Paintings - Rocco Gioffre

Digital Matte Paintings: Foundation Imaging

(2001 director's edition) - David Morton

Miniatures - Gregory Jein, Russ Simpson and Jim Dow

Miniatures Supervisor: Apogee, Inc. - Grant McCune

Digital Modelling: Foundation Imaging

(2001 director's edition) - Rob Bonchune,

Doug Drexler and Jose Perez

RA&A Designs - Richard Taylor

Editor - Todd C. Ramsay

Restoration Supervisor (2001 director's edition) -

Michael Matessino

Supervising Sound Editor - Richard L. Anderson

Supervising Sound Editor/Re-Recording Mixer

(2001 director's edition) - Chuck Michael

Sound Editors - Stephen Hunter Flick,

Cecelia Hall, Alan Murray, Colin Waddy

and George Watters II
Sound Effects Creators - Dirk Dalton,
Joel Goldsmith, Alan Howarth,
Francesco Lupica and Frank Serafine

Sound Mixer - Tom Overton

Supervising Re-Recording Mixer - Bill Varney

Re-Recording Mixers - Steve Maslow and

Gregg Landaker
Composer: Theme "Star Trek" -
Alexander Courage
Music - Jerry Goldsmith


Awards

1980 Academy Awards
Best Art Direction-Set Decoration - Harold Michelson,

Joseph R. Jennings, Leon Harris and Linda DeScenna (Nominated)

Best Visual Effects - Douglas Trumbull,

John Dykstra, Richard Yuririch, Robert Swarthe,

David K. Stewart and Grant McCune (Nominated)

Best Music, Original Score - Jerry Goldsmith (Nominated)

Review

The movie STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE kicked off an incredibly long-running and profitable film franchise that is still going strong today. I said it before, and I will say it. I am not a die-hard Trekkie. I won't go much into detail, but it's necessary if I have to. It began life early in development as the television series was cancelled in 1969 after three seasons and went into syndication afterwards, where it maintained a cult following throughout the 1970s. There have been several attempts by Paramount Pictures to revive Star Trek and bring it to the big screen before pre-production began on a new Star Trek television series called Phase II, which would have been the flagship program for Paramount's new television network. Unfortunately, everything was all set until Paramount decided to scrap the whole thing. That is until the release of Star Wars convinced the studio executives that a feature film was possible and decided to greenlit it. Production of the movie based on a script for what would have been the pilot episode for Phase II, In Thy Image, began as it went behind schedule and over budget and barely made its release date until 1979 when STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE finally hit theatres.

When I first saw the first Star Trek movie on television at a young age, it was slow-paced and uninteresting. It's no wonder why fans called this "Star Trek: The Motionless Picture". Years later, having watched nearly all the later Trek originals and the J.J. Abrams reboots, I revisited the old and first Star Trek instalment, but only in the director's cut edition. It is a significant improvement over the theatrical cut, but it still has no action scenes many fans promised before its release. The plot line is similar and identical to Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, but is borrowed heavily from a Star Trek episode, The Changeling. I can now see the differences between both movies of the science-fiction category. Then again, it's not exciting and has already been told. It didn't surprise me that the people responsible for the VFX on Kubrick's masterpiece were to helm once again for STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE.

Though the director Robert Wise is a surprising candidate to helm the Trek saga for the first instalment, the main cast wearing bad outfits that looked like pyjamas, a lack of character building, an agonising Captain James T. Kirk and slow pacing have lessened the quality of the movie. The visuals are excellent, especially for the 1970s. The musical score by Jerry Goldsmith complimented the moments. It's a better Trek film score than the others.

The Trekkies have been moping about the results of this movie since its release in 1979. It only has exploration and mystery in a greater sense. Fortunately, the series redeemed itself with the release of the low-budgeted, action-packed sequel, The Wrath of Khan, which is everything the first Star Trek movie should have been. It may not be the Trek we knew for many years, but it's a lengthy cinematic experience for non-Trek fans. I recommend skipping the first instalment and starting with the second if you're unfamiliar with the Star Trek films. Nothing much is missing, but if you must see the first film, try the director's edition if you can find a copy.

Star rating: (7/10) Good Movie

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