Rating: 
Summary: Take a Fresh Look!
Review: You know, in many ways, this is the best of the Trek films. It's been misunderstood and underestimated at every turn. Sure, it's slower than any other Trek film, but don't think boring here; think, rather, 2001 A Space Odyssey.Don't laugh. Those opening shots, lingering over Enterprise, the deliberate pace and reverential syphonic music, what does that remind you of? It is a perfect scene, representing the movement of things in space, and showcasing the overlooked star of Star Trek, Enterprise. It is the only movie that fully understood the importance of the ship Enterprise. Wrath of Khan showed us another side the ship, going even deeper into Trek roots, to the source of Roddenberry's inspiration, the Horatio Hornblower series of novels. The first two movies were the best by far, with the first being pretty much ignored. None of the subsequent movies made any reference to it, as if it were the ugly red-headed stepchild of the franchise. But this movie deserves a fresh look. Thankfully, this DVD set does that. The changes to me are pretty incidental. They're pretty, but it's really the same movie, and that's not a bad thing! Sure, the improvements enhance it some, and that can't be bad. The Motion Picture, Wrath of Khan, Generations (though pretty flawed), and First Contact are the only films in the Trek world I care to own. This particular one was my most anticipated. The cast is all in fine shape, and Shatner's lust as Captain Kirk is some of his best work. The love interest here is Enterprise, and he'll have her no matter what. Not all that flattering, really, and Bill was pretty brave to play it that way. So have some patience with the pace, allow Star Trek to have some rare elegance, as this film possesses. Stop being in such a hurry! A damned fine effort!
Rating: 
Summary: From a fan, but not a treky
Review: Well, it took them long enough to release this on DVD. I like what they did with the "touch ups". They enhanced the film without going over the top with CGI and sound FX. The sidle changes are noticeable, but do not de-tract from its original content, and the text commentary was a nice surprise. The result is a fine finished product any Star trek fan will appreciate. The second disc is full of extras, deleted scenes, storyboards, etc...
Buy it, watch it, live long, remember and rejoice.
PS: I hope they do as good a job on the rest of them.
Rating:
Summary: TREK: The Royal Treatment
Review: I wouldn't consider myself a "Trekkie" but I do enjoy a good sci-fi film. I actually prefer "Star Wars" to "Star Trek". I was a loyal fan to the "Trek" films and enjoyed the first 3 or 4. I remember seeing "Star Trek - The Motion Picture" on New Years Day 1980. It was a thoroughly enjoyable holiday picture. My next memory of "ST-TMP" was when laser disks first came out (mid-80's?). I stood in a department store and forwarded through the scene where Spock hovers outside V'Ger. Laser disks amazed me - what an incredible invention for movie buffs! I like "ST-TMP" for three reasons: the story, the scope, and the effects. I prefer the Trek stories that comment on our humanity - that's what Gene Roddenberry did best with the series. "ST-TMP" definitely makes a wonderful comment on the human condition. The scope of the film is epic. It is definitely an "event" film and probably had the highest budget of them all. Robert Wise's direction is strong and steadfast. The characters (and starship) are given cinematic weight. Finally, the effects, now 22 years old, look wonderful. The Enterprise model is gorgeous. And the V'Ger trip has some beautiful scenery. This new DVD is done very well. There are two disks and lots of bonus stuff. Most interesting is the documentary "Phase II: The Lost Enterprise" which describes a second Trek series that was abandoned and eventually became "ST-TMP". Included are some screen tests for the series - real rare stuff! The main disk contains some neat text commentary (which appears at the bottom of the screen) by Michael Okuda. As for the "Director's Edition" version of the film: I like it. Robert Wise's tinkering has actually made the film's storyline easier to follow. He has clarified what V'Ger (the entity) really is. Before, V'Ger appeared to be a big cloud. We actually see V'Ger as a ship now. The script (and actors) referenced V'Ger as a "ship" or "vessel" - we never got to see it before. Also, Spock's character arc is more clear. "ST-TMP" is a grand film, highly entertaining and thought-provoking. "The Director's Edition" supplements this already wonderful film.
Rating:
Summary: Five stars for the DVD, four stars for the movie
Review: This DVD is a must have, just only for the Michael Okuda commentary. Really watch it once with his comments, great. But Robert Wise should have changed the ending too. Like "The Final Frontier" its really, really thin on content in this respect. The Final Frontier has the advantage of a great campfire ending, but even such a final, and definitive StarTrek, sequence is missing here. Its just effects. Why is Decker suddenly so happy to disappear, as he has expresses only mistrust before? But our Star Trek actors are performing at their best again, you even don't see the new uniforms after a while.
Its just the ending I don't like, so that's why I rated it 4 as not being perfect. This edition is loaded with documentaries and other shots. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Powerful science fiction, rather than good Star Trek
Review: When this film came out in 1979, it was maligned because it was expensive and slow ( though everyone seems to conveniently forget that the start-up and development costs for Star Trek Phase II were incorporated in this budget). Many Trekkers seemed to have some vague aspiration that it was going to be a form of 'Star Wars' with Kirk and Co along for the ride, with their banter. However, I felt it showed a lot more guts to aim for a much more intellectually sophisticated plot - and in many ways is still the closest a Trek movie has come to Gene Roddenberry's view of the future. The director's edition has really turned what was in effect a rough cut into an excellent science fiction film, with 2001 style philosophical overtones - albeit ( unlike 2001) it tries to answer them. The re-editing has really tightened the movie- and the sound effects are excellent though still subtle- the music still seems to come close to overpowering them at times, and some of the fx scenes that could have done with a digital clean up seem to have been missed ( budget restrictions???). The new fx however serve the film very well - though it might have been fun to have seen more shots of a full scale Vejur - as when these shots were presented they really make an impact. Jerry Goldsmith's music is outstanding - there are even some more cues. The story is now more exciting and the film's climax more effective. The commentary by the fx crew and Mr Wise is interesting and informative and some of the comments made by Mr Trumbull in the closing credits I couldn't agree with more with. So, I recommend this movie as an excellent science fiction film. The only other Star Trek films that come close to this level are Star Trek First Contact and Star Trek VI ( the darkest and most dramatic adventures of the series). Watch the others if you are after more comic strip style adventures
Rating:
Summary: Really Good DVD, but...
Review: The content of the DVD is (by current standards) average. When compared to "Fully Loaded" DVDs, it ranks in the lower of the top 20 DVDs of all time and will very likely fall soon. Multiple trailers and commentaries have become standard by now but the documentaries are very good insights into the TREK phenomenon that did not happen - "Star Trek: Phase II" - which was to pick up shortly after the original series left off with the same cast (minus one VERY important member of whom you must see the DVD to find out). The information, while appealing to Trekkies/Trekkers, seems lacking, and very very somber. The movie itself is in great shape. Until you see the Documentary on how they changed the F/X shots, you hardly notice the difference. The film itself is not the problem. It is the point in the story where a VERY IMPORTANT PIVOTAL MOMENT occurs: Spock discovers the KEY to the rest of the story. I have a problem with the moment that is obviously (after seeing the Documentaries) caused by editing and lack of time, especially the deadlines in the production schedule. I am talking about when the Enterprise is approaching the "V-ger Cloud" and has been attacked once. Spock discovers that V-ger HAS been communicating but at a high-speed frequency. Suddenly, there is a cut as if they clipped a scene and there is an unexplained gap. One moment, there is a "calm after the storm" feeling, then instantaneously Kirk is looking a different way in the same shot and there is another "torpedo" (for lack of the actual term) speeding toward the Enterprise. This is a very IMPORTANT moment of discovery and suddenly, we are missing a moment in the story and the tenseness and thrill of the moment is lost. A missing transition, though it may be, it is crucial to achieve the proper mood and throws off the next ten minutes of the story. Overall the DVD is a good movie and presentation. But for having TWO discs, there is merely average content. UNLESS anyone comes across some really good easter-eggs. (...)
Rating:
Summary: A whole new movie!
Review: This special "Reunion Movie" now has all the glitter it deserves. This is a "must-have" for all Star Trek fans. The sound remix is awesome. Many scenes were cut out, and many scenes were added. Some new special effects were added in just the right places. I thought the original version had too much lighting - that too was fixed. I can now watch this movie over and over again without getting bored! The bonus features were great as well. I especially enjoyed finally hearing the story on Star Trek:Phase II (The series that almost was). The Director's edition-DVD crew deserves a big round of applause!
Rating:
Summary: Magnificent
Review: I have always regarded this film as a diamond in the rough, a thoughtful (and grossly unappreciated) story on an epic stage. And now... there are still some rough edges, but the film is significantly tighter and cleaner. As was the case with the 1978 Superman movie, the ideal cut was somewhere between the original theatrical release and the overloaded "kitchen sink" TV version. We now have a better sense of V'ger's motivations, and why it chose Ilia to be its voice. The visuals are all the more fantastic, but are still mindful of what was possible in 1979... unlike the uneven mishmash Lucas made of Star Wars. Thankfully, the web rumors were wrong, and Spock's spectacular V'ger fly-through was not removed. This film can now truly take its place among the very best science fiction motion pictures of all time... arguably, second only to 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Rating: 
Summary: Good but what about the fans?!
Review: Star Trek The Motion Picture finally on DVD..excellent! Overall the film benefits well, the emotional opening (starfield with Ilia's music) is a nice tribute to the late Actress.
The new effects integrate very well with the existing footage, and the film is enjoyable.
But there is a problem about with the director's edition not coming up to the fan's expectations. Why? many scenes are deleted, and I think this is a mistake. On the one hand we have the director Robert Wise making a version that he is happy with, on the other hand we have the fans who have been waiting many years and who WANT THE FULLEST VERSION POSSIBLE, and Robert Wise should have realised this. These two philosophies are in conflict, and as a fan I am disappointed so much has been left out and relegated to the 'deleted scenes; section on the second disc. A missed opportunity and a disappointment Bob!
Rating:
Summary: Great new edition of a very good classic sci-fi film
Review: Whereas most 'true' sci-fi fans call this "The Motionless Picture", the idea behind Star Trek: The Motion Picture is not action, it's drama. Surprisingly I find that several edits of this new edition actually have lessened the tension that was present in the original (IE, the scene immediately after viewing the digitization of communications station where Kirk barks out a repeated command to turn off the viewer). Nonetheless, the updated special effects are very good, the remixed sound is excellent, and the movie does seem to "speed up" a little bit. This widescreen version is definitely an improvement over the old pan & scan version I had before; the placement of characters seems to improve the atmosphere quite a bit. Also the shots of the engineering section seem to have more depth & immersion than before. I can't really say the extras on the second disc were really worth a whole lot. While the transitions and menus were nicely thought out, the extras seemed to be an afterthought. The director / production crew commentary was not extremely exciting to listen to. It would have been far more interesting to have the cast in on this commentary as well (but apparently they had problems securing the cast for this DVD -- which I think is a shame, they should have waited them out). Overall though, this is a great movie to spend in a dark, dark room. Clear your mind of those sci-fi movies that solve everything with blasters & torpedoes. "The Human Adventure is Just Beginning." A magnificent optimistic statement, attached to a very solid piece of sci-fi film. Video: B+ Audio: A Extras: B Movie: B+ Overall: B+
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