Paramount Pictures
Director Robert Wise’s definitive vision — eagerly anticipated by Star Trek fans for over two decades — is now meticulously restored and remastered. The adventure begins when an unidentified alien intruder destroys three powerful Klingon cruisers. Captain James T. Kirk boldly returns to the helm of a newly transformed U.S.S. Enterprise to take command. This bold adventure launched one of the longest running movie franchises of all time and features the cast of the original Star Trek series, including William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, George Takei, Nichelle Nichols, Walter Koenig, and James Doohan.
REVIEW
Star Trek: The Motion Picture had a slightly torturous route to the big screen. Following the untimely demise of the original ‘five year mission’ after three seasons, creator Gene Roddenberry had attempted a television revival of the franchise but was never able to launch a project successfully. A decade after the series ended, Roddenberry and the entire original cast were finally brought together for the feature film, helmed by legendary director Robert Wise, no stranger to the sci-fi genre with classics like The Day the Earth Stood Still and The Andromeda Strain to his credit. Wise, in fact, had an amazing career across several genres with films like The Curse of the Cat People, The Body Snatcher, Run Silent Run Deep, West Side Story, The Haunting, The Sound of Music, The Hindenburg and Audrey Rose on his resumé. Directing a big screen Star Trek movie should have been right in his wheelhouse, even if the film’s story felt lifted from an episode of The Original Series. What ended up being released in December 1979 wasn’t quite what Wise intended due to Roddenberry’s constant meddling and demands for script rewrites during production, and because of a pre-imposed release date set by Paramount that had to be met, or else. This resulted in a few scenes being cut or significantly altered simply because Wise was not given the time to finish them (an earlier attempt at a ‘director’s cut’ actually includes those unfinished effects scenes that show partial sets without the FX added). The release was met with some fanfare but mostly a big shrug by the fandom, and the film’s less than successful run at the box office nearly killed the franchise’s continued big screen hopes (Paramount finally agreed to a second movie as long as Roddenberry wasn’t involved, and it had to be produced on a significantly lower budget by the studio’s television division … and that film went on to revive the franchise and is regarded as a classic).
The story of Star Trek: The Motion Picture follows the appearance of an alien entity that is destroying everything in its path (later it seems the objects and beings are actually being digitized and stored as data in the living machine), including three Klingon cruisers — one captained by Mark Lenard (better known as Spock’s father Sarek) in Klingon makeup, the first major revision to the Klingons that carried over to Star Trek: The Next Generation — and a Federation outpost on its way to … Earth. Now Admiral Kirk (William Shatner) feels that he is the only person qualified to lead the mission to find out what this thing is (and Dr. McCoy just hates when we call something we don’t understand a ‘thing’) but the only problem is he hasn’t commanded a starship is more than two years and his beloved Enterprise has been totally overhauled and is now under the command of Will Decker (Stephen Collins), who is none-too-pleased at his sudden demotion, even if it is supposed to be temporary. The original crew is on hand except for Bones, whom Kirk pretty much drags out of retirement (‘I was drafted!’, he quips), and Spock, who has been on his home planet of Vulcan to go through the Kolinahr ritual to remove the remaining pieces of his human emotions. But he feels something in the universe is calling to him, and that brings him right back on board the Enterprise, although he’s a bit more stand-offish than his fellow crew remembers him as he wrestles with his place in the universe. Another new crew member is introduced, Ilia (Persis Khambatta), a Deltan whose oath of celibacy is on record (this is never really explained but apparently the Deltans are known for their strong sexual drive, something obviously not explored in a movie that was originally rated G), and who has a history with Decker, something that becomes important to the film’s climax (no pun intended). They set out on the mission, encounter some issues along the way due to the rush to get the ship out of its space dock, and learn the entity calls itself V’ger and it is heading to Earth to be reunited with its creator, except all of those pesky carbon-based units are making that task impossible so they must be eradicated. It’s up to Kirk and company to convince V’ger that the carbon-based units are a necessary part of making things run while they try to figure out who exactly ‘the creator’ is.
The original theatrical version of the film wasn’t terrible, it just lacked some oomph in the story, and the meandering special effects shots extended the runtime needlessly (but they gave composer Jerry Goldsmith an opportunity to create some truly wonderful movie music), perhaps to distract the audience from the shortcomings of the story. Fans didn’t like the new uniforms much either, and some of the jumpsuits were a bit … questionable (hey Decker, is that a photon torpedo in your pocket or are you just happy to see us?). The main crew were all present though woefully underused so that the Kirk-Spock-McCoy trio could share the focus with the Decker-Ilia story. The special effects are nothing short of spectacular (this movie contains one of my favorite special effects shots of all-time in the opening Klingon scene) and every penny spent on them is on screen. This new Director’s Cut completed in 2022, long after the death of Robert Wise in 2005, is pretty much the same, as far as content, as the 2001 release that did have Wise’s involvement. This new edition does have a few significant changes, for the better. First, the story seems to flow better and even the long, languorous special effects shots hold more visual interest. Remember, back in the day when the film was produced, all of the ships were actual models so they have certain weight to them. This new version does include some updated CGI effects but they are integrated seamlessly and do not stand out from the original effects. It would have been nice if the original screenplay had given us more character development for Decker and Ilia, but in the end this is a movie about the original crew of the Enterprise, and Shatner, Nimoy and Kelley in particular, pick up right where they left off without missing a beat (Kelley still gets all of the movie’s best one-liners and zings directed at Spock). Is it the perfect Star Trek movie? Not by any stretch although it may be the most pure Star Trek movie as it carries on the original series’ methods of dealing with a situation by thinking things through rather than shooting first and asking questions later as we see in more modern versions of the franchise. In 1979, it was a big deal to see the crew of the Enterprise on the big screen, and it’s still a thrill this time around with a film that is closer to what the director intended.
Paramount Pictures
VIDEO
The new 4K edition of Star Trek: The Motion Picture – Director’s Cut is nothing short of stunning. This edition includes the film’s Overture, which was played in theaters to get audiences into their seats before the movie started, now with a starfield background instead of the black screen of the original, which is fine as it lets the home viewer know there isn’t anything wrong with the video but the way the stars have been generated makes it look like they are going to form a shape that never materializes. The opening credits have also been redone, changing the original white text to gold with sparkly edges (not a fan), but the rest of the film is beautiful with some fine film grain. The 4K upgrade may also enhance — not in a good way — some of the matte lines in SPFX shots, but that is just inherent in the original elements and it doesn’t detract from the visuals. The Dolby Vision enhancement to the colors makes some things pop, while keeping skin tones authentic. One thing that really stands out is how dimly lit the bridge of the Enterprise is, something again that is inherent in the elements but feels more pronounced now in 4K on a bigger screen. Overall, though, the film has probably never looked better and is well worth adding to your collection.
AUDIO
The Dolby Atmos upgrade to the soundtrack is a masterpiece. Jerry Goldmith’s score just booms out of the speakers when necessary, and underscores key moments more quietly, never overtaking the dialogue, which is crisp, clear and fully centered. If you’re using an Atmos surround system, the sound effects from the opening Klingon assault to the encounter with V’ger totally engulfs the room, making this a truly immersive experience with direction sound being used to its fullest effect. For a film of this vintage, this is hands down one of the best remastered surround tracks out there. The 4K disk of the movie also includes a new Audio Commentary that discusses the new restoration, and an archival track with Robert Wise, SPFX gurus Douglas Trumbull and John Dykstra, composer Jerry Goldsmith and actor Stephen Collins.
SPECIAL FEATURES
A separate Blu-ray disk contains the bulk of the bonus material.
- The Human Adventure — An eight-part overview of the making of the film that runs about an hour total but is also viewable in segments: ‘Preparing the Future’, ‘A Wise Choice’, ‘Refitting the Enterprise’, ‘Sounding Off’, ‘V’ger’, ‘Return to Tomorrow’, ‘A Grand Theme’, ‘The Grand Vision’.
- Deleted Scenes (4:31) — a new collection of three scenes with critical text introduction.
- Effects Tests (3:30) — A new look at raw SPFX shots.
- Costume Tests (4:40) — A new look at the film’s costumes as well as a history of Star Trek costumes.
- Computer Display Graphics (3:10) — A new look at the 16mm and 65mm footage projected onto the background screens on the Enterprise.
- The Star Trek Universe — A seven-part feature including ‘Phase II: The Lost Enterprise’ (new), ‘A Bold New Enterprise’ (new), ‘Redirecting the Future’ (new), ‘The Longest Trek: Writing The Motion Picture’, ‘Special Star Trek Reunion’, ‘Starfleet Academy SciSec Brief 001: Mystery Behind V’ger’, ‘The New Frontier: Resurrecting Star Trek’ (new), ‘Maiden Voyage: Making Star Trek: The Motion Picture’ (new).
- Storyboards
- Additional Scenes 1979 Theatrical Version
- Deleted Scenes 1983 TV Version
- Trailers
- TV Spot
OVERVIEW
The new Director’s Cut of Star Trek: The Motion Picture really goes above and beyond anything that’s been attempted over the last 20 years, and even improves greatly upon the original theatrical release. The 4K Dolby Vision overhaul and additional, upgraded effects breathes new life into the film, and the Dolby Atmos soundtrack is a real treat. The whole presentation lifts the film up from its original lackluster reception in 1979, making it a vital entry into the Star Trek film series with the original crew. Any Trek fan should absolutely have this in their collection. Star Trek: The Motion Picture – The Director’s Cut is available as a stand-alone package with a Special Features Blu-ray, or in a 4K/Blu-ray box set that also includes the Theatrical Edition, and the five other Original Crew films. Star Trek: The Motion Picture has a running time of 2 hours 16 minutes and is rated PG for sci-fi action and mild language.
STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE – The Director’s Edition | Official Trailer
Paramount Pictures