Rating: 
Summary: blah
Review: This movie is too long with too many slow scenes in it. The later Star Trek movies are much better than this first one. This one nearly put me to sleep, it was so long and boring.
Rating: 
Summary: Compares somewhat to Wise's superior "Day the Earth..."
Review: Science fiction fans, as well as film historians, are aware that director Robert Wise had traveled similar interstellar waters with the classic "The Day the Earth Stood Still". The 1951 film appears on many "best of" lists and coined an alien catch phrase that is forever embedded in popular culture ("Klaatu Barada Nikto").Some thirty-eight years later, at the helm of Star Trek's first theatrical adventure, the director presented a movie with close ties to the landmark "Day". Both films feature highly intelligent aliens seeking to better understand the human existence ("Klaatu" and "Mr. Spock", respectively). Both feature then-state-of-the art special effects. Both have award-winning scores from legendary film composers (Bernard Herrmann from the former and Jerry Goldsmith on the latter). Persis Khambatta and, to a certain extent, Patricia Neal from "Day" are the female "love" interests that provide some stimulation for male characters in the film (Stephen Collins in "ST: TMP" and Michael Rennie/Hugh Marlowe in "Day"). There is little action in both films, though it works to the earlier film's advantage; the protracted "flyovers" in "ST: TMP" - though beautiful to look at - slow the plot significantly. Finally, the two films end on a positive note as to the future of humanity if it follows the warnings given by seemingly omnipotent aliens that could snuff us out in a heartbeat. When looked at from this comparative angle, "Star Trek: the Motion Picture" isn't that bad a flick. It is not the standard by which intelligent sci-fi is measured, as is "The Day the Earth Stood Still", but it is still a commendable achievement.
Rating: 
Summary: A special effects extravaganza with too little substance
Review: This was a box office smash when released in 1979. Tickets cost less back then, but as many people saw it today, it would have grossed $370 MILLION!!!!!!!!! How well a movie does has little, if anything to do with quality, it is all about promotion. So many people came to see it because it showcased such eye-popping special effects. Like 1998's Lost in Space, This movie had a very weak plot that was moved along only by the breath-taking visuals. When I rented Lost in Space five years after it came out, the visuals were still impressive, but not as good as I remembered. When they become obsolete, as this movie's are, the movie is essentially left with nothing. Don't get me wrong, I am a big Star Trek fan, I just found this movie to be too long and boring. I have never gotten tired of the other movies (Except for the mediocre Star Trek V) But the positiv ething about this entry to the movie series is it made Trek mainstream. If this weren't the phenomenal success that it was there would be no Wrath of Khan. While this first movie was a boring film that contributes little if any insight into the Star Trek universe, it did pave the way for 9 more sequels, which blew this one away (I really hope that Nemesis won't be the last.) However, as for as quality goes, this movie didn't do it for me. By contrast, The Wrath of Khan, the BEST in the series had the lowest budget, minimal special effects, but it focused on plot and character development, making it much more watchable. I am well aware that you are ready to vote negatively, but I stand by all my statements.
Rating: 
Summary: Wow
Review: This is the first DVD I've bought where all the extras were interesting and worth watching. The modifications to the 1979 movie, including new special effects, and better editing provide a very good look at how the movie might have been if Paramount hadn't messed it up. The new special effects alone would make this a valuable addition to ones DVD collection, but that only scratches the surface of what is here. Wise has expertly edited the movie bring a much needed pace, and included scenes that had been deleted. Another bonus is a feature on Phase II the Trek series that never happened; including some test scenes that were shot. If you are a Trek fan then this is a must have DVD. I cannot say enough about how thrilled I am about this version.
Rating:
Summary: Better than its reputation
Review: After a ten-year hiatus in which its fanbase grew immeasurably larger, Star Trek roared back to life in 1979 with the release of Star Trek- The Motion Picture (ST-TMP). Star Wars had made sci-fi a bankable property once again, so the powers-that-be decided to give Jim Kirk's crew a shot at the big screen. The result, for many, was a mixed bag. Over the years, ST-TMP has carried a sullied reputation as a ponderous and slow-moving dinosaur of a movie. Many even call it "Star Trek- The MotionLESS picture". It's not hard to see why - there are long stretches with no dialogue. The film, in which Captain James T. Kirk returns to the refurbished USS Enterprise to deal with an alien threat, features no great space battles, instead choosing to rely on philosophical meditations on questions of identity, self-awareness, and life itself.
I can see the nay-sayers' point. I can concede that there is not a lot here to get the adrenaline flowing. However (and this is a big however), I consider ST-TMP to be a success. Not only for what the filmmakers achieved, but for what they set out to do. Certainly it would have been easy to bring the crew back to fight Klingons, or use the cinematic scope to feature other great space battles. The filmmakers instead chose to make a movie that owed more to 2001: A Space Odyssey than Star Wars. This is the only Trek movie that truly takes advantage of the motion picture medium. It feels big, and epic, with numerous examples that no expense was spared: long shots of the refit Enterprise; lengthy sequences of special effects as the ship encounters the alien entity that's threatening Earth; expansive sets like the recreation area, filled with extras in an early scene; and more.
I like ST-TMP a lot. Not only does it make you think, it re-introduces you to the characters you grew to know and love on the TV series. While the movie may not be to everyone's taste, I encourage all to give it a try with an open mind. This version of the movie is a new cut, and succeeds pretty well at tightening up a lot of the slower spots in the movie. I will, however, still feel an affinity in my heart for the "special longer version", which was the version previously available on video. Whether that's on the basis of quality or for sentimental reasons, I can't say. I encourage anyone interested to watch both and check out the differences.
Rating: 
Summary: Paved the way for what would come
Review: Director Robert Wise (West Side Story) got to helm this big screen adaption of the classic sci-fi show, and while it's certainly not the best in the series, it would only pave the way for some of the best science fiction films ever made to follow. Captain James T. Kirk and his crew are reunited on a newly modeled Enterprise and soon encounter an entity known as V'Ger which (naturally) threatens the galaxy. The plot has bits and pieces from old Star Trek episodes, and hardcore Trekkies balked at many a moment in the film (especially those bland Starfleet uniforms, good God...), but in the end Star Trek: The Motion Picture is still a good hearted sci-fi film that went on to be a phenominal hit (and spawned numerous sequels and spin off TV series). This Director's Edition of the film includes some extra footage which actually helps the film make more sense, and the DVD itself is one of the few DVD's worth paying Paramount's full list price for (Paramount is famous for overpricing their DVD's and including no extras whatsoever other than a trailer) and the extras will keep Trekkies (young and old) entertained for days. All in all, if your a hardcore Trek fan, than you most likely already have this, but if you don't give it a look.
Rating:
Summary: The first and possibly worst of all the Treks
Review: [BEFORE YOU VOTE ON THIS REVIEW, KEEP IN MIND THAT I HAVE NOT SEEN THE DIRECTOR'S EDITION OF THIS FILM. I WILL REVIEW THAT LATER ON IN THE FUTURE. IF YOU VOTE NEGATIVELY, I WILL ASSUME THAT YOU LOVE THIS FILM UNCONDITIONALLY.] With the Trek animated series going from 1973-1974 and a loyal fan following growing enormously through Star Trek's syndicated run, Gene Roddenberry proposed "Star Trek II" as a new series. But that eventually led to the groundwork for the new Star Trek film. With a grand budget, an excellent musical composer named Jerry Goldsmith (who would receive an Oscar nomination for this, but lost to George Delarue's "A Little Romance," which is a tragedy), veteran director Robert Wise at the helm, and the original cast back, this would seem like a dream. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be. Jerry Goldsmith's score and some impressive visual effects were the only things keeping this thing alive. It's extremely boring. The characters don't really strike a chord (there's hardly any humorous interaction between Kirk, Spock, and McCoy) and it moves slowly. The character interactions that we so loved are vacant here, which is quite a shame. It almost plays like "2001: A Space Odyssey," but really shouldn't. Robert Wise is an ideal director and it's not his fault; it's clearly Roddenberry's (in production notes, he and screenwriter Harold Livingston fought constantly and this often delayed drafts). It's a strange paradox because the story itself is not bad. It's filled with hints of human nature and it even involves NASA. Sadly, it being very similar to the original Trek episode "The Changeling" is all too apparent. This story would've made a good film (after all, it worked with "2001" and "2010"); it was just executed in a minimal and slow-moving way. Overall, I would probably slate this at being the bottom of the Trek series. Some people might place V, Insurrection, or Nemesis at the bottom, which can be debated... but to me, the first one is boring and lacks character. Needlesstosay, Roddenberry was removed as head of the trek films and Harve Bennett would revive Star Trek's second rebirth, which would be claimed as the best by many in the series... The Wrath of Khan.
Rating:
Summary: Star Trek 1
Review: Well, after watching the Director's Cut version of "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" I slightly had a better understanding behind the film, despite the slow pace and average acting. Released in 1979, 10 years after the original series of Star Trek ended, Kirk and crew face a new alien menace while cammanding the recently out-fitted and improved Enterprise. The first part of the movie where the Klingon ships get vaporized by some sort of alien energy storm was an awesome sight to behold. I have heard people say that they hate this movie for it's boring pace and lack of action. Well, I have to admit that it took some determination to get through the movie in one sitting but I did ,in a way, enjoy it. The bad points of the movie is of course the slow pacing, the bland and dull looking new uniforms, the occational bad acting and the scence of that this is going nowhere. However, the good points is the excellent score by Jerry Goldsmith, the cleaned up special effects by the new Director's Edition and the bonus material, which include deleted scenes, trailers, interviews and much more. My point is, watch this movie staright through beginning to end and see what you think. It's not that bad.
Rating:
Summary: Star Trek The Motion Picture; without all that much motion
Review: This film has often been called "Star Trek: the Slow Motion Picture." It's true; this movie has a very slow-moving story, if there's really a story at all. While there is a "plot" of sorts, the story never seems to move anywhere. The acting seems dry from every character, especially Kirk who says an almost embarassing "Oh my God" after the transporter accident (which thankfully on the DVD is a deleted scene....by the way, wasn't there a transporter accident on almost every other episode from TOS?) Spock also seems even more stoic than ever, which is explained in that he's been off learning more logic (of Kolinar) in the time that has elapsed since the series. The story involves the newly refitted Enterprise to (stop?) a big "cloud" called V'ger (who has a big, borg-like vessel) from destroying Earth, but there's very little intriguing development other than V'ger is revealed to be Earth's lost Voyager VI probe. The actual resolution to the story is actually pretty interesting, but at the same time seems pretty silly; just how Decker and Ilia magically fuse as one being right there, and V'ger ship magically dissappears in the process. The ups: The special effects (while very overused) are magnificent (the Special Edition DVD has even revamped some special effects.) There are some great shots of Klingon cruisers that were barely seen in TOS. The Klingons now have ridges on their heads, and though they look like circus animals at this point, compared to later Klingons, it's still a pretty cool development. Arguably the best attribute of this film is the score; Gerry Goldsmith's powerful theme is so incredible that it has even returned in Star Trek V, VIII, IX, and X, as well as even being the theme song for the seven seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation. The score fits the film very well. The DVD is also loaded with a bunch of bonus material, and more trailers and TV spots than I have ever seen on a DVD. The Downs: Bad directing; Robert Wise was not the man to direct this film; his visions of "The Andromeda Strain" and "The Day the Earth Stood Still" are ok, but his directing of Trek just does not seem to work for me. The Starfleet uniforms look like pajamas, their very tight uniforms with bland colors, and sometimes it looks like they even come with "footies." The special effects shots are too long; and finally, the characters do not seem to click with each other as they did in TOS.
Rating:
Summary: Improved, but still not that great
Review: Possibly one of the most hyped movies of the late '70s, the first Star Trek movie quickly turned out to be The Motion*less* Picture. Drawn out scenes, little action, and drab uniforms have made the first Trek movie a tool for insomniacs everywhere ever since its initial video release. Now, Paramount, in finally releasing the movie to DVD, has allowed Robert Wise to re-edit the film, something that he really didn't have time to do thanks to time constraints. Some scenes from the extended "TV version" are present, and some scenes from the original cut have been excised to help the movie along. Perhaps the best changes, though, have been to the audio track and certain effects scenes. Gone is the droning "red Alert" voice (with the matching sirens), replaced with the sirens from the original series. The revisioned effects are no more than what was possible in 1979 (although done in CGI), and bring life to some of the clunkier moments of the film (Spock's Kolinahr and the Enterprise's "docking" onto the central area of V'Ger in particular). What *is* sorely lacking, though, is the original cut of the film (as nauseating as it is, it's still the original film). All of the missing and changed scenes are in the special features disc, but it's not enough, and it spoils an almost perfect package. Still, if you've seen the first movie, you owe it to yourself to at least rent this disc.
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