Rating: Summary: Still the best Trek - now even better Review: No question that this majestic film is still the best reiteration of Star Trek, and I would in fact rank it among the ten finest sci-fi films of all time. And the truth is that this is in fact a true sci-fi film, as opposed to a mishmash of action scenes with a starfield backdrop, as all of the other Trek films have been. The re-working is nothing short of an astonishing revelation - the CGI blends in flawlessly, the result of the engineers achieving a 1979 look to the FX. A great, great film.
Rating: Summary: Awesome! Review: I was too young to see this film in the theater and understand it to it's entirety (I felt this way about Star Wars IV as well.) But, this new Director's cut is simply awesome! I love the new touches to the effects. The film feels newer than 1979-era and seems to have almost Next Gen crew interaction. I would HIGHLY recommend buying this DVD. It's a great movie with simply wonderful music and effects. The warp effect obviously inspired Next Gen as did the score.
Rating: Summary: "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" is the ultimate Trek film!! Review: I am really glad that Robert Wise and company decided to go back and put in the new special effects and new scenes that were left out in the rushed 1979 release of "Star Trek: The Motion Picture". This is among one of the absolute best "Star Trek" films ever made because you get to see what happens to Kirk, Spock, and crew after their famous 5-year mission in the original series. And plus, you get to see a new side of the U.S.S. Enterprise when they transformed it from a smaller ship (original "Star Trek" series) to an even bigger ship! And also, you get to see a couple of new faces, including Stephen Collins as Commander Will Decker and the late Persis Khambatta as Lieutenant Ilia. Some of my favorite improvements of "The Motion Picture" are as follows:A.) The overture and main title sequences B.) The color of the sky on the planet Vulcan, Spock's home C.) Starfleet Headquarters in the future San Francisco D.) The Enterprise's warp speed sequences E.) Shots of the Enterprise's warp nacelles inside the officer's lounge F.) The improved Red Alert sounds G.) A full shot of V'Ger heading toward Earth H.) Shots of Kirk, Spock, Dr. McCoy, Decker, and Ilia outside of the Enterprise as they were heading toward V'Ger's source This "Star Trek" film has pretty much everything that you'd expect from a "Star Trek" film, such as action, a great storyline, and new and improved special effects! And you also get a little romance thanks to Decker and Ilia. This is truly one of the greatest "Star Trek" movies ever made, alongside the other 8 Trek films. And like "Superman: The Movie", there will be no other film like "Star Trek: The Motion Picture"...maybe someday.
Rating: Summary: Overall, a good buy. Review: I rented this the other night, and I was -impressed- by the new FX. Folks have already stated some of the new additions, etc. But there are also 'small' differences. 1) The torpedo effects (Klingon, Enterprise, and V'ger) have been cleaned up. The Klingon torpedo is brighter then the original, using the current CGI technology. It actually looks like a Star Trek torpedo. Same with the Enterprise's. Doing a step-by-step with your DVD-remote when this is fired will show you how it's been re-done. V'Ger's torpedoes are smoother, and they added a lens-flare effect. 2) On the subject of V'Ger's torpedoes, I know I'm not in the same boat when it comes to dissapointment on it's attack on the Enterprise. The first torpedo is fine, but the 2nd one speeds towards the viewscreen, sorta jitters and wobbles, and then just "vanishes" while the sound of it's approach remains. That was redone. Right after Spock starts transmission, the scene changes to an outside angle of the 1701 with the torpedo coming close, and then vanishing. I was so glad they redid that. 3) The wormhole itself wasn't redone, but the explosion of the asteroid was. Instead of just an explosion, the camera shifts to a view of the Enterprise from the AFT, and it's then you see an explosion and the wormhole itself fading out into nothingness. 4) The new shot of V'Ger's cloud dematerializing and the ship emerging was just awesome beyond belief. Along with the re-done shots of V'Ger's greenish-color "planet-killer" probes. In the original, the cloud is still there and the probes are fired from the top. In this version, you see a starfield and the probes are fired from below. 5) In the original, when V'Ger vanishes, the Enterprise just emerges from a supernova-like blast. Whoopee. Well now, you see the small V'Ger vessel brighten, expand, then contract and explode out to make that effect, and that was also something to be seen. 6) The stairs from the Enterprise to the Voyager 6 probe. ..It was the director's original idea, and it was done for this. You have to see it to believe it. 7) And finally, on Disk 2, someone on here wrote about the deleted scene with Kirk's exit of the airlock, and when the camera shifted out a distance you could see the set. ..Well, seeing it is an understatement, the set DOMINATED this shot. Scaffolding, lights, etc. It made the final cut into the original, too. Talk about the editor sleeping on the job. Once you see this, look to the extreme right, and you'll see.. what's that? Why yes. It's a moving ARM! Yes, a worker on the set was on a platform watching the scene being shot, and it appears he raised his arm to either get it out of the shot or to pick his nose. They should've had a credit for him as "Unrecognizeable arm". A friend of mine made a joke about the shot, for when Kirk came out he says: "I've spotted him!" And my friend commented: "He's over by the food table!" You'll love this DVD. Trust me. :)
Rating: Summary: Why ruin a good film? Review: I was very upset That some of the dialog was cut from the directors edition and also the computers voice in the background. I thought it made it sound more like what life really would be like on a starship. I wish they would just release a copy of the original cut of the movie. Most of the rework on this really didn't make much of a difference. I guess I'll be forced to buy a foriegn VCD copy in order to get the original cut. Not worth the wait or the hype.
Rating: Summary: "Three Stars" Trek Review: STAR TREK has a life of its own, in part thanks to this film. After 70 or so episodes of the original television series, there was extensive talk of a second series starring the same cast (with the exception of Leonard Nimoy). When Paramount heard of the tv plans, they changed the medium and made the first Trek film, STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE. Leonard Nimoy was even brought back, restoring the cast. The film boasted a complete overhaul from the series... and that overhaul has set the stage for 8 more films and 4 more television outings. The film itself is rather static, lacking the quick pacing that made some of the other film's such a success. Attributed by that pacing, the performers seem to be 'older' than they are in later films. The new DVD includes the directors cut, adding some small scenes, small effects changes (most notably, the creation of the walkway from the ENTERPRISE to V'Ger), and slight editing on the 'still way to long' trip through the V-Ger cloud (It still clocks in around 13 minutes of shots of the alien environment interspersed with looks of awe on the crew's faces...) On the good side, the musical score by Jerry Goldsmith is marvelous, probably his best 'thematic' work. And many of the effects are exceptional. Especially the introduction of the ENTERPRISE while in "SkyDock". The film was eclipsed by the pacing and action of its superior sequel STAR TREK 2: THE WRATH OF KAHN, but, you can't have one without the other. The DVD is pretty loaded with a couple nice documentaries and commentaries. However, many of the menus are difficult to navigate and that is a turn-off. And it is wonderful to have the musical "Overture" put on the film, but it is quite possible that people will think they are actually looking at a faulty menu, (It's just music over a moving starfield.)...Enjoy. To boldly go where no man has gone before.
Rating: Summary: The forgotten Star Trek Review: I completely forget about this movie sometime. In fact I haven't seen it in years. So when I saw it in the store, I bought it on a whim. I don't know if the changes the director made really made any difference, but it's a great deal better then I remember. Saw that it was supposed to have new effects, but I hardly noticed them. There was one glaring addition at the end, but aside from that the new effects were seemlessly integrated. One thing about the movie is it's difference from the rest of the Star Trek films. It was made before they set the standard with the Wrath of Kahn, so it's unique. A very good movie, highly recomended,
Rating: Summary: STMP DVD Disappointment Review: I'm a pretty big Star Trek fan and couldn't wait for this DVD to arrive, however I've been somewhat disappointed. The advertisements say 7 hours of bonus materials, and that seems to be more of a technicality. Most of the bonus material is commentary. The "deleted scenes" are nothing more than scenes deleted from this DVD version, originally shown in the theatrical release. I do admit that the TV spots and trailers are interesting, but I guess I was hoping for more. The DVD is till a "must have" for any Star Trek fan, but don't purchase this thinking you're going to see an abundance of "fresh" Star Trek you haven't seen before. The STMP VHS Special Longer Version is actually longer than this DVD version and contains the scenes listed under "additional" in the DVD disc 2.
Rating: Summary: Could have been better! Review: I have to admit I was a little disappointed. There seems to have been dialogue removed that only makes some scenes more awkward. For instance, right after the transporter accident Kirk asks Starfleet if they have them....but now there is no response from Starfleet and Kirk continues by telling Starfleet where to reach their families (as if someone was listening). Next, the moment when Kirk and McCoy are talking in Kirks quarters and Uhura interupts to let them know that a ship is approaching and seems to be coming along side. However in this version there is no signal to kirk, but he orders the computer to activate his viewscreen anyway (as if he had ESP) and to make matters worse the editing starts Uhura's dialogue halfway into her converstion. The last problem I noticed is way Kirk calls the Enterprise from V'ger and asks the crew to pull up any data on NASA/Voyager 6. The problem is that Kirks request is cutoff the moment the view changes to Uhura and the crew listening to him and then the scene followed up with Decker agreeing that that must be what V'ger wants (well what was it...Kirk doesn't get a chance to say because its on the editing room floor). The result is a awkward pause just when the crew seems to be listening intently to nothing! Don't get me wrong, I love most of the re-editing and new CG effects but this missing dialogue really hurt this DVD and it didn't save anything on running time of the movie. This probably because the scenes in question just go on without it and we are just left with these strange moments of silence. Please let me know that I'm not going crazy and that it's also obvious to you also.
Rating: Summary: At Last!! The Way This Movie Should Have Been Done!! Review: The first Star Trek movie definitely had its shortcomings but was still an enjoyable film. Previous video releases included additional footage which enhanced the storyline. At last, the DVD version includes the best of the added footage, deletes some of the more wooden dialogue (e.g.-Shatner's stale "Oh...my...God" after the transporter mishap early on in the film.) and includes some enhanced & CGI effects that weren't possible due to time constraints in 1979. If you liked the first film, you'll love this version. If you're uncertain, give this one a chance--It's how the film would have appeared in theaters if they hadn't been pushed into a definite release date and it is a definite improvement!
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