Rating: 
Summary: A Masterpiece
Review: Let's hope Paramount recognizes and puts the rest of the Trek series on Director's Editions, and the franchise will make much more money. ST:TMP Director's Edition is a huge success both with it's 5.1 sound mastering and it's new visual effects rendering. This is just a hands-down great movie too. The special features disk is good, but nothing specatular. At times the interactive menus can get annoying, but the pros outweigh the cons here, with great commentary by Sci-Fi great director Robert Wise and others. Definately an investment you can be proud to own.
Rating: 
Summary: Very good, but with some problems
Review: I cried tears of joy when I first saw this movie in the theater. Thats how big a ST fan I am. But this DVD has serious problems. I can't understand why they did not clean up the film better. The noise during the darker scenes made me think I was watching the film at a theater that had already played it 200 times. I found this to be a major distraction, especially since the noise stopped during the new CG scenes. Several scenes have been deleted, supposedly to tighten up the story. But this version of the movie will still be boring to any one, except Star Trek fans like me, who would have appreciated the deleted scenes. Only for tue fans.
Rating:
Summary: A good start, but when's ST:II getting a Special Edition?
Review: Well, as for a Director's or Special Edition DVD release, this one is not bad. Good video transfer as well as audio. This Director's Edition has some reworked visual sequences and redone background paintings. The scene on Vulcan has been enhanced with some new backdrop matte paintings that give a better view of what the volcanic Vulcan is supposed to look like. Also the approach to V'Ger has been reworked. It has some additional shots of an approaching Enterprise to the V'Ger "platform" because instead of the platform already preformed, we get a new CGI rendered "building" of a "plank" that reaches out to touch the Enterprise.Now even though this version is entitled "The Director's Edition" it doesn't mean a Full Director's Cut as in several scenes have been cut from the film while others have been added. In other words, it's a re-edited version so-to-speak. For example I have had 2 versions of the VHS version. One was the "Special Longer" P&S version which pretty much had all of the footage in there. Then I had a Widescreen version which was pretty much the standard Theatrical version. This Director's Edition DVD is somewhere in between. It has scenes that were in the Special Longer Version that weren't in the Widescreen version and vice versa. The Bonus Features occupy the second disc and although numerous, none of them are all that explanatory. At least the ones that I have viewed. However the Menu Navigation on this disc is cool as it's centered around V'Ger's shrine. But as to my review title, let's hope Paramount gets their act together and starts putting out Special Editions of the other Star Trek films. I'm hoping that they update the viewport graphics with some new CGI. There were some atrocious "fillers" for some of the window and viewers in ST:II and III. Such as fake-looking "star fields". But anyway, grab this Director's Edition and wait for the remaining films to get this Special treatment.
Rating:
Summary: The best version yet
Review: The original release of ST:TMP was, to say the least, a rush job. Paramount had committed to a release date that had made it impossible to do the film right, and had wasted huge amounts of time and budget with visual effects people who weren't up to the task. Moreover, in the wake of Star Wars, they put far too much emphasis on those visual effects. The 1983 edition was an improvement, tightening up the slow spots while restoring scenes that should never have been cut, but even it left something to be desired, in part because the added material from the abandoned "Memory Wall" sequence created a gaping continuity hole in the "Spock Walk" sequence that had replaced it (namely, Kirk changes from a "work" space suit to an "evacuation" space suit with no explanation). This edition is as much of an improvement over the 1983 version as that one was over the original, partly because the pacing has been refined even further, and partly because the new visual effects finally let us see what the film was intended to look like. It's regrettable that the "Memory Wall" footage of Kirk leaving the ship had to come back out of the "Spock Walk" sequence, but as beautiful as it was, it had created far too jarring of a continuity gap in the 1983 version.
Rating:
Summary: Star Trek Episode 1: Attack Of The Geriatrics (Only joking!)
Review: Sure, I've heard it all before: Star Trek - The MotionLESS Picture. (Yeah, ha ha. You're such a card!) Out of all the other Star Trek movies and TV series, this movie is unique. It features the original cast before they got too old, the BEST musical score of any ST movie, a take on the Star Trek "universe" that hasn't been repeated, and don't forget those cool space jammies! (The refreshing lack of space-jargon that clutters up all the later TV series is also a nice change of pace!) Lots of people decry this film with charges of it being boring. This film has a slower pace than most modern films, but it also offers the viewer to be amazed at the beauty and scope of the cosmos. Most modern SF films are all mindless action. It's refreshing to enjoy a movie that has wondrous visual images, a positive message, and Jerry Goldsmith's incredible musical score! The "Director's Edition" of STTMP features this film in a form that more resembles Robert Wise's original vision. The changes are subtle and enhance the movie. They don't distract from it like the updated Star Wars films. (And for those of us who want to still see the original film elements, they are included on the bonus disk.) Mr. Wise has taken the original 1979 film,
added the crucial scenes from the 1983 TV version, and edited the film into a more comprehensive whole. The parts added to the film were originally intended to be part of it back in 1979 (they were fully "storyboarded" way back then). Time constraints and technical limitations of the late 1970's prevented them from being included at that time. Because the release date was set in stone, Mr. Wise never had the time to see what worked (and what didn't) in the film and then re-edit the movie into what he truly wanted. This is why he went back and "fixed" certain parts for DVD. A few reviews on these pages are lamenting that Robert Wise made the film "less" somehow because he cut out certain parts. I admit, I hate tampering with classic films (Why George Lucas now has Han Solo shooting Greedo "in self-defense" in Star Wars is beyond me!). I would have been upset if the deleted scenes weren't included on the bonus disk. But, when you watch the missing scenes, you realize that they didn't really propel the story at all. Watch the movie, then look at the stuff that was cut. You'll see that it wasn't missed. I've seen this movie more than any of the others. Why? Well, *liking* it more than the others may be a start, but it's also due to STTMP's "epic" nature. While the later films in the series are good, they don't have the same visual appeal (space jammies notwithstanding!), nor do they have Jerry Goldsmith's wonderful STTMP score! This DVD collection is well worth the money.
Rating:
Summary: This Director's Edition Lives Up to Its Promise.
Review: I am normally wary of re-released films slapped with the title "Directors Cut," or "Director's Edition." I have been burned more than once with these "buzzwords" claiming that I am getting something better, grander, or more relevant than the original version. "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" is one of those films that fans know has several versions. There is a theatrical version, the 1982 television version with loads of added scenes that many fans thought made the film more watchable, and then there is this DVD; A re-release with new special effects that do not distract you from the film, but actually enhance it, and a different edit that clears up a bit of ambiguity in several scenes. What you get when you buy this DVD is two-discs. I won't go into great detail about the features since they are listed on the main page. But I will tell you why you should buy this product: 1) Better sound, and a crisper, cleaner image than previous releases. 2) Deleted scenes that are SEPARATE from the actual film. That is, you can view deleted scenes that are not in the body of the film. On a side note, I wasn't too thrilled that some of the so-called "deleted scenes" from the "Star Wars: Episode One: The Phantom Menace" DVD were actually inserted into the body of the film. Why they didn't call it a Special Edition, I don't know. Maybe adding two more words to the title would have made it too long to put on a DVD box? 3) The Extras: I haven't even been able to see them all, and that is the hallmark of DVD. You will have loads of material to view with this DVD. I especially enjoyed the documentary section. So, I hope I made a case for this film. If you aren't a Star Trek fan, it IS a Robert Wise film, and anyone who loved the director's work in "West Side Story" would need "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" to round out their Robert Wise collection. As DVD's go, this one delivers the goods.
Rating:
Summary: Ultimate Success
Review: I recommend watching the original VHS version of this film first. After that, take a break and absorb what you saw. Now, put this DVD in and prepare for the new "Human Adventure." The Directors Edition has plenty in the way of bonus footage, but let's get to the film...you haven't seen it like this. Aside from the obvious, that it is DVD, everything has been changed and the full story is told. This edition shows you a beautiful scene on Vulcan...and that is the only spoiler. Robert Wise has done a fabulous job of completing the story that he could not in 1979. Nothing is thrown in, or taken out, that didn't belong to bring the movie the depth it deserved. I don't want to spoil anything more...seeing is believing...
Rating:
Summary: Complain, complain, complain...
Review: This version of ST:TMP has been trimmed and massaged to the point where the average viewer will probably no longer find it dull. Unfortunately, the changes destroy the lulling atmosphere of the previous versions. ST:TMP used to be a 2001-style piece of ambient filmmaking that was really, really good at two in the morning with all the lights out; this version...isn't. Trivial example: they have revised the ambient sound design. The Enterprise bridge sequences now sport the beeps and chirps that are associated with the original TV series. This would be nice except that said happy little beeps are used even when the atmosphere of a given scene is supposed to be awesome and portentous. They don't fit; they detract. The major problem with the DVD as a DVD is the terrible menu design; it not only requires the use of all the arrow keys on the remote, it forces one to view flashy visual effects sequences when going from feature to feature. This, as the saying goes, gets old real fast. Paramount should release a revised edition with the menus redesigned (consider the design of APOLLO 13), and add the capacity to view the other versions of the film through seamless branching. Oh, and Paramount? fix the opening titles again -- that blur-in effect is hard on the eyes.
Rating: 
Summary: An Enjoyable Big Screen Return
Review: Paramount brought back Star Trek in the form of a big budget motion picture in 1979 with the orginal cast intact (unlike todays method of recasting roles with younger actors). Reception of the film was lukewarm, which was understandable, it was very slow paced, but the story was pretty good, the set design and special effects were awesome, and the music score was just plain breathtaking. To try and quicken the pace director Robert Wise has trimmed the film down (as well as added a few of the scenes from the televised version) and added a few new special effects. These changes do improve the film slightly, but not at the level to generate the amount of hype this dvd has received. The changes are not as noticable as those in the Star Wars rereleases of 1997, and no new scenes have been added save the footage already presented in the 1983 televised version. Nevertheless watching the film again is fun, and the special features are wonderful, particularly the featurette on Star Trek: Phase II, a cancelled television series that was the seeds from which this film, along with Star Trek: The Next Generation sprang. Star Trek: The Next Generation fans should take particular interest in this film was probably a prototype of what Gene Roddenbury was hoping Star Trek: The Next Generation to be. Even dialogue from the film was repeated in the pilot.
Rating:
Summary: What the DVD format is all about....a feast for trekkers
Review: Having listened to critics and fans bash this movie for so many years now, I was very happy to see it finally live up to its promise in this "Director's Edition". Warning for non-Trekkers: the added information about the production- from director Wise to a seemingly nonplussed Shatner- is EXTENSIVE to say the least! For Trek enthusiasts it is a gold mine of behind-the-scenes footage, describing the minutae of costume design, storyboards, and yes, the development of the show's true star, the "Enterprise" itself. Newly created scenes flesh out some of the original sequences, from giant Vulcan statues to "Vejur's" exterior. Whether you are the kind of fan who dons pointed ears or the kind who doesn't admit it, this guilty pleasure runs long with lots of information...and is well worth the price. Thanks to Paramount for giving the ol' Enterprise some respect at last; she's made them quite a bit, and it's long due.
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