January 1, 2014

Movie Night: Star Trek: The Motion Picture.


Review #515: Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

Cast
William Shatner (James T. Kirk), Leonard Nimoy (Spock), DeForest Kelley (Leonard McCoy), James Doohan (Montgomery Scott), Walter Koenig (Pavel Chekov), Nichelle Nichols (Uhura), George Takei (Hikaru Sulu), Stephen Collins (Willard Decker), and Persis Khambatta (Ilia) Directed by Robert Wise.

Review
This review was delayed a week as other films took this film's place on the reviewing spectrum, that and Santa Claus Conquers the Martians sounded better to review on Christmas. Since this is a new year, it only makes sense to finally publish this review. Enjoy and welcome to the beginning of Season 4.

Out of the seven Star Trek films I've watched (#009 - Star Trek (2009), #225 - Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, #226 - Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered County, #246 - Star Trek: Generations, #299 - Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, #337 - Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, #492 - Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home), Star Trek II was the best of them all, and for some, the first. Then there's this film, the first that started it all, and...the one with the nicknames. It is often called The Motionless Picture, The Slow Motion Picture, The Motion Sickness...and the names make perfect sense. The movie isn't awful, but it is so slow. The movie tries to hide the mediocre acting by showcasing many special effects (Along with some awful costumes that make them look more like yoga instructors then a space crew), which are fine and sometimes spectacular, but the effects can't save the movie from padding them out to the point where even 2001: A Space Odyssey would be merciful. Shatner does okay, but it seems like he's going through the motions, Nimoy is slightly better, it's usually fun to see Kelley and Nimoy bicker at each other. With 2001, I could forgive it because while it also took its time, it was an extraordinary film that was subject to much interpretation. The other Star Trek films (And to a lesser extent, the fifth one) were more subdued, more focused on the characters and their interaction along with the story. This film sticks out like a sore thumb, and it's no wonder why none of the events (along with throwing out the pale costumes) were ever mentioned again. It's an okay film.

Overall, I give it 6 out of 10 stars.

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