Rating: 
Summary: A visual and audio sc-fi masterpiece? Well, just about.
Review: After approximately six long months of waiting for Star Trek: The Motion Picture to be released on DVD, it's finally here. And I'm one happy bunny. . .OK, a reasonably happy bunny. For after all the pre-release hype about what was and wasn't going to be done to the original print in way of a overhaul, everything that's been done is so, so good, you can't help but notice that you can't notice the difference.
The new opening title sequence is a joy, although I'd have liked to see a beefed up version of the TNG theme, as opposed to the one that was actually there. Damn fine musical intro though when U plug the audio through your Hi-Fi.
The opening sequence with the Klingon Warbirds still looks lousy, despite all the cleaning up of the visual effects that have obviously taken place for the new edition. That said, it's still a big improvement on the original version of the scene.
The film's new visual effects are superb. The new CGI rendering of the Enterpise is so seamless U almost can't see it.
The deleting and tweaking of scenes has made TMP a new movie. I will say that the first 30 mins still drags as it did in the original. But when the Enterprise get's going, the action moves suprisingly fast for what was always a very slow film.
The dialogue and action is so much tighter than previosly, making for a much more pleasurable viewing experience. I never once thought, "how long left to go", something rare for a film of 2hrs 15 mins.
The second disc delivers a coup de grace with it's superb documentaries, in-depth cast and crew interviews and deleted scenes. It's almost a complete library on the making of the movie. Terrific stuff.
I have two gripes. The film hasn't been re-mastered. Certain areas of the print are showing quite a bit of wear and would've benefited from a clean up. Also, the menu screens on the first disc are terrible.
But not to worry. This is Paramount. We've got more from them than we've ever got before.
Rating: 
Summary: Director's Edition 1000 Times Better!
Review: Star Trek: The Motion Picture Director's Edition is a revelation. Who knew that a few cuts in all the right places, some added effects (that do not distract from the original film) and revamped sound effects could turn the flawed, slow-paced original cut into a great film? It's so clear now that this is a film about Kirk, Spock and V'Ger, three troubled beings searching for answers. The movie was so long before you forgot what it was about. The scenes now have tension and drama in all the right places, where originally they were vague and flat with way too much technical dialogue and special effects shots (all available on the supplement disc for true purists, including the excruciating V'Ger fly-throughs). It all makes sense now, and is a much more fast-paced and exciting movie. Robert Wise's commentary mentions that this was the only film he's ever done that received no test screening and he thinks they would have said "more with the characters, less with special effects." But the film was rushed into theaters instead, leaving the film unfinished in the director's eyes. I am thrilled that he got the chance to revisit and correct the problems with the film. Well worth checking out.
Rating:
Summary: Best Trek
Review: I was always wondering why Paramount was delaying the release of the first (and in my opinion best) Star Trek movie. Now, I know. This new edition is a vast improvement on the previous video releases in terms of the visual effects. There is new CGI animation and footage which enhances many of the weaker scenes in the original film. The scenes on Vulcan, and the scene where the Trek crew confront V'ger outside the Enterprise have totally new (and improved) animation, and there is a new animation showing V'ger orbiting the Earth -- the first time we glimps the overall shape of the spacecraft. This is the most thoughtful of all of the Trek films, which has made it a favorite of mine. It is closer in spirit to the original TV series than the other movies in the series. Spock's meld with V'ger and his subsequent understanding is just as moving -- and as relevant -- to us today as it was when the film was released in 1979. On the downside, the Enterprise still looks like a model on screen, so having that 5 minute flyby sequence in the beginning is a bad idea, IMO. Also there are several gratituious shots which seem to be there just to show off the new Enterprise interiors, the new starfleet gadgets, etc. This weakens the film a bit as well. Finally, the actor playing Will Decker gives a pretty weak performance. Finally, this film suffers from our familiarity with the Star Trek crew. The grandiose plot is worthy of being placed up there with other great films such as 2001: A Space Odyssey, yet it misses the mark due to our familiarity with Kirk, Spock, and the rest of the Enterprise crew. The captain of one of the most campy space operas on television just seems out of place confronting the biggest unknown of his career.
Rating:
Summary: Enough Criticism, Already. It's Entertainment!
Review: Based on the new release by Paramount (the first Star Trek DVD/Video with any semblance of extra features that have meat on them), a perceived wrong has now been corrected. No longer is it Star Trek: The Motionless Picture, although there is still a little bit of "Where Nomad Has Gone Before" in it. Wise often said that he had made 30 films, and 29 of them were representative of his standard of quality. Now it's 30. In many cases, a matter of a few frames to a few minutes in some areas was trimmed from the film. No longer are there superfluous sections, such as those added in 1983 to make the film a "TV Event." The story moves better. The action plays better. And the flaws in the main characters are more pronounced and poignant. Remember that this script was the basis for an episode for the second Star Trek series that never happened (thank you Michael Eisenberg), not a feature film story, and it was ultimately rushed out to compete with Star Wars, Close Encounters, Battlestar Galactica, and any number of science fiction (not based in fact) films. So it was not the directors fault. Blame deadlines in stone and Jeffrey Katzenberg if you want, but leave Bob Wise alone. Even the most subtle of changes have created a new patina of texture in line with the palette of tricks used when it was first made. The special effects guys were able to retrograde their work to 1978/1979 standards to the point that if you were seeing it the first time it would hard to determine what was added and where. Still, shots that used to be static now have motion. Shots in which we were previously looking at reactions or the view screen now actually have something to react to. The story, even though it is essentially the same, is also tighter. Also, the recomposed final approach and crew exit from the Enterprise to contact V'ger alone raises the level of this film several notches. One more note for you critics. It is not outstanding. The even numbered ST films still retain that accolade. But it is new enough that it has a new copyright date, and altered enough that it now warrants a PG rating instead of the original G. Also, the few moments we see of William Shatner talking about the work actually seem to present him without the expected veneer seen in the past (but still with a piece on - and so what!). He appears more genuine than memory provides. So let him be also. Read his books. He was willing to let go of the com long before many Star Trek fans were wanting to let him do so. I am a fan of intellectual writing and good storyline, which made ST:TNG my favorite series for some time (along with NYPD Blue and West Wing to show you my tastes). While I am well versed in Trek-lore (or Data and Lor) I don't go to conventions, wear uniforms or prosthetics, or even split my fingers when I greet people. Still, from the intellectual point of view -
THIS IS ENTERTAINMENT PEOPLE. IT HAS A MESSAGE IN THERE, BUT IT IS ENTERTAINMENT.
This isn't a documentary or Private Ryan or something. So for the entertainment value I rate it at 4+ stars, saving films like Wrath of Kahn and Dr. Zhivago for 5 stars. Got a problem with that? I got a Klingon friend to introduce you too! Thanks for reading. Live long and buy the DVD.
Rating:
Summary: It's a bad movie no longer
Review: It's amazing. Robert Wise and company have removed everything bad about this film. The pacing is better and stronger. The new visual effects are amazing and the old ones have been tidied. The best change, in my opinion, was removing that honk-honk-honk "red alert" effect and that terrible computer voice -- the film's now less cluttered and flows much, much better. There are a couple of nits to pick -- for example, in the new external shots, the ship's running lights don't flash -- but that's just to please the hardcore Trekkie nitpickers. Just an incredible rework of a bad film into a near-classic.
Rating: 
Summary: What a bitter disappointment.
Review: First of all, I'm a Trekkie through and through. I don't subscribe to the "Trekker" nonsense. I was a Trekkie in the 70's and in my view calling myself something else would not only be a specious gesture, but would dishonor everything Star Trek has taught me; in short, accepting what you are and embracing diversity. To change how I see myself in order to fit into some strange Star Trek clique would be beneath me. That said, I loved The Motion Picture. It had flaws, of course, but the story was classic Star Trek. I've watched and re-watched it on VHS, as many of us have, for decades. When I saw interview after interview with Bob Wise and those responsible for this DVD, and reading the Star Trek magazine which featured it, I was totally jazzed about this release. I went to 4 different stores until I found it, and once I did find it, I asked the clerk to go into the back of the store and get it for me, as they hadn't seen fit to display it on the release date. Various reviews have lauded this DVD as an incredible piece of work. A dramatic and compelling retelling of a classic story. More dramatic, better music, and woohoo. At the end of the DVD, I found myself wondering what the heck I missed! Yes, there were some new effects shots. But when it comes down to it, all they really did was cut out a few good scenes and put them on Disc 2. We're talking literally 5 or so scenes of several seconds apiece, ALL of which can be found on the old VHS version, and none of which were worth removing in the first place. I haven't yet watched the documentaries, but I'm hoping they are worth the 20 bucks I spent on this disappointment. I don't remember any "new" footage during the movie. Not once during the film did I say to myself, "Oh, this is great new material!" There is nothing noticeably new here but eye candy. One dramatic moment takes place during the "rec room" briefing shortly before the Enterprise leaves spacedock. This is nothing more than an extended silent pause before Kirk dismisses the crew to their stations. And you'll notice a few lines removed, but I saw nothing that stood out as new. They changed a few sound effects, like the alert sounds, which was pointless. They did it not to improve the piece, but just to show they could do something different. So the viewer would say, "Oh! This is different than what I'm used to! New footage!" Nonsense. This DVD, and the hype surrounding it, are nothing more than hoopla in my opinion. When I re-watch this movie, and I will, I'll likely pop in my worn-out VHS tape rather than see this sliced-and-diced version of the film. I give this item 2 stars only out of loyalty to the original film. Most of the "new" things in this version are not worth the loss of the "old" stuff they took out. Someone please tell me what I missed, other than twenty bucks that could have been given to charity.
Rating: 
Summary: Decent Extras, Terrible & Uneven Transfer
Review: I,ve been looking forward to this for quite some time, and it comes as quite a disappointment in terms of the look of the film itself. The space sequences are very dark and lack contrast and detail. The interior scenes at the beginning are way too warm and yellow. There are a lot of scratches on this transfer. The overall look of the picture is dull and blurry. This is all made very obvious to any viewer when you compare the movie's appearance to the dvd menu screens. The menus are rich and vibrant in colour and detail, where as the film itself is dark, flat and murky. Maybe the film's '70's cinematography is dated though, but other Robert Wise dvd's such as the "Sound of Music" look incredible! Not all the film is terrible but the tranfer is very uneven. 60% of the tranfer looks fine.
Rating:
Summary: Telecine conversion errors
Review: Well this certainly is a feature packed DVD with loads of extras and in general good image quality except that while watching the movie I noticed one really big problem. Occasionally I noticed that some of the camera cuts on this DVD seemed to have this odd shearing-effect instead of a nice solid cut. I thought this might have all been in my head until i tried pausing it, then frame by frame advancing the film.. and sure enough.. you can see Telecine interlace problems, where you will see 2 images from 2 different shots combined together in this ugly sheared interlaced mess. The strange thing is, my TV isn't even a progressive scan TV, but a normal NTSC interlace TV. Whoever did the Inverse telecine for this DVD didn't do a very good job. The problem is very distracting. If you don't believe me.. check out the shot at56min and 26 seconds into the film, there is a cut to Bones right after Jim says "On my way"... pause it there and frame by frame advance it the actual cut and you'll see what I mean. There are multiple telecine errors in this DVD just like this.
Rating:
Summary: A Gorgeous Tribute to Star Trek
Review: When I first learned many months ago, that Star Trek-The Motion Picture was finally going to be released on DVD, I was thrilled. When I had soon after discovered that the movie was receiving a huge face lift and edit from Robert Wise for the DVD release, I was elated..... I don't think I have ever anticipated the release of any movie onto DVD as much as I have with ST-TMP. And, today was finally THE day! For me, it was a glorious moment. I could not wait to watch this movie! And now that I have watched it, I find it difficult to describe in words, how incredible this DVD really is! It is nothing short of AWESOME...From start to finish, you are treated to a front row seat to the movie that we should have seen 22 years ago! The additional effects done for the Director's Edition were absolutely fantastic. They didn't stand out like a sore thumb. In fact, they blended in so well, that on many occasions, I wasn't even sure if it was a new effect or not. Mr. Wise tweaked and trimmed this movie to perfection. Of course, this opportunity was long over due for him. I am so very thankful that Paramount gave him the chance to re-edit the movie the way HE wanted in the first place. The 5.1 sound track is full and luxurious, and the addition of several sound effects throughout the movie really completes it well.
The Director's Edition of ST-TMP truly changes and revitalizes this motion picture, and takes it to a whole new level. It is now a very satisfying movie, a whole universe apart from it's 1979 counterpart. It was easy to see why Mr. Wise was so unhappy with the original release, and all of the personal anguish that he had to endure for the past two decades before he could finally 'right' the wrongs. The bonus disc of the set is also very insightful, packed with three new documentaries, as well as all the added and trimmed scenes from the original '79 release, and the '83 TV premiere. I have not yet had the chance to view the movie with the added commentary, but I have no doubt that it will most likely be one of the most interesting commentaries that I have ever encountered. My most sincere thanks to Mr. Wise and Paramount Pictures for giving all of us who love Star Trek the ultimate gift. I'll stop now so you can buy this movie and enjoy it for yourself!!
Rating:
Summary: Star Trek The Motion Picture Directors Edition
Review: Well,I may have been expecting to much,but I was somewhat disapointed with this DVD.Being a Star Trek fan since I was about 5 years old(I am now 27)I remember seeing the motion picture for the first time and the overwhelming feeling of excitement that I felt,but anyway on with the review.I was disapointed mainly because,for 1,all the deleted scenes that are included have all been seen before,either in the special extended VHS version or on the Television version,this to me was a total letdown.The documentarys are o.k.,the one about star trek phase II is way to short and hardly shows any footage from the show that was supposed to be.The biggest addition in my opinion was the trailers and the television commercials,these are absolute classics and were a treat to see again.As for the movie itself,the inclusion of the new special effects was O.K.,but some things,like the new alert sound,drove me nuts,the old alert sound demanded attention,this new one is pathetic,also they toyed with the warp drive sound,and the v`ger bolt firing sound,which in my opinion were better before they were altered for this new version.All in all this was a decent effort,but it honestly did not live up to my expectations,and sttmp is probobly my 2nd fav star trek movie.
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