| Star Trek - The Motion Picture: The Director's Cut (Two-Disc Special Collector's Edition) | 
 enlarge | Actors: Majel Barrett, Ralph Brannen, Roger Aaron Brown, Ralph Byers, Stephen Collins
Studio: Paramount
Category: DVD
List Price: $12.98
Buy Used: $4.81
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Avg. Customer Rating:  408 reviews
Sales Rank: 4872
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Director's Cut, Dolby, Dvd-video, Subtitled, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled)
Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Number Of Items: 2
Running Time: 136
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.4 x 0.9
MPN: 097360885842
ISBN: 079216685X
UPC: 097360885842
EAN: 9780792166856
ASIN: B00005JKHP
Theatrical Release Date: 1979
Release Date: November 6, 2001
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Back when the first Star Trek feature was released in December 1979, the Trek franchise was still relatively modest, consisting of the original TV series, an animated cartoon series from 1973-74, and a burgeoning fan network around the world. Series creator Gene Roddenberry had conceived a second TV series, but after the success of Star Wars the project was upgraded into this lavish feature film, which reunited the original series cast aboard a beautifully redesigned starship U.S.S. Enterprise. Under the direction of Robert Wise (best known for West Side Story), the film proved to be a mixed blessing for Trek fans, who heatedly debated its merits; but it was, of course, a phenomenal hit. Capt. Kirk (William Shatner) leads his crew into the vast structures surrounding V'Ger, an all-powerful being that is cutting a destructive course through Starfleet space. With his new First Officer (Stephen Collins), the bald and beautiful Lieutenant Ilia (played by the late Persis Khambatta) and his returning veteran crew, Kirk must decipher the secret of V'Ger's true purpose and restore the safety of the galaxy. The story is rather overblown and derivative of plots from the original series, and avid Trekkies greeted the film's bland costumes with derisive laughter. But as a feast for the eyes, this is an adventure worthy of big-screen trekkin'. Douglas Trumbull's visual effects are astonishing, and Jerry Goldmith's score is regarded as one of the prolific composer's very best (with its main theme later used for Star Trek: The Next Generation). And, fortunately for Star Trek fans, the expanded 143-minute version (originally shown for the film's network TV premiere) is generally considered an improvement over the original theatrical release. --Jeff Shannon
Product Description
Admiral Kirk & the crew of the refurbished Enterprise attempt to stop an unidentified alien from reaching Earth.
Genre: Science Fiction
Rating: PG
Release Date: 10-APR-2007
Media Type: DVD
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| Customer Reviews: Read 403 more reviews...
 Has gotten better with time ! October 7, 2008
When I watched STTMP in 79 I dosed off a couple of times and thought it was very boring.
The acting was stiff and the uniforms looked liked pajamas.
As an adult now, I appreciate the movie a bit more and enjoy the special effects.
 Surprisingly Good After the Re-edit September 23, 2008
Like most others, I eagerly anticipated the release of ST:TMP during the late 70s and was disappointed.
No longer.
The Director's Cut restores more even pacing to a story that is rather simple on the surface [think The Changeling Part II] but has multiple layers and a depth of complexity that no other movie in the franchise could hope to touch.
Have no doubts- if you're looking for fast paced action, well-developed characters or chemistry from the Big Three [Kirk, Spock, McCoy] look elsewhere.
But if you want a movie that discusses big issues in a serious way then you won't do better than Star Trek the Motion Picture. Consciousness, the meaning of life, religion and even love are addressed in extremely subtle ways that make this movie the most "adult" franchise science fiction movie out there and is far more in the spirit of 2001: A Space Odyssey than say Star Wars for example.
Highly recommended.
 A below-average Star Trek Film. July 20, 2008
I am still amazed that there are people who will give this a 5-star rating. When first released the movie had one main attraction: The reunion of the original series crew. Being a huge Star Trek fan I went to see it in the theater three times. But even then, before any other ST films were released it was obvious there were problems. Even when you take in the "Director's Cut" that has since been released, updating the look and feel of the movie, it still suffers from one major problem: The story sucked! It ended up being nothing more than a rehash of a couple of shows from the original series.
Back in 1979 I listened to a radio interview with Walter Koenig after the movie was released and he basically stated that they started off filming with half a script. Because of the tightness of the shooting schedule there were many times they filmed with only an outline for certain scenes. The film feels that way. There are many scenes that seemed contrived, like the actors were winging it. Some of the acting was horrible (Persis Khambata), some of it was bland (Walter Koenig, George Takei), and some of it was just unecessary (Majel Barrett, Grace Lee Whitney). The best acting on the film was turned in by Stephen Collins (future dad on 7th Heaven - Seasons 1-5). His character was interesting. His constant sparring with Admiral Kirk was one of the highlights of the film, giving the picture a great tension within the plot. Leonard Nimoy's portrayal of Spock was OK for this film but lacked originality. At the beginning he's 100% emotionless but by the end of the film he embraces his emotions. This would have been much more interesting had we not seen it 3 - 4 times in the original series.
One other problem, there were times that the movie drags. Two scenes in particular: When Scott is taking Kirk over to the Enterprize in a shuttle we're treated to a 10 minute dragging "inspection" of the ship. Interesting for the first 5 minutes, it gets old quickly. But that pales in comparrison to the scene showing the Enterprize entering the Vger cloud. That seemed to go on forever. The only good thing about it, you had enough time to get up, go to the restroom, then stand in line to buy another box of Bon Bons, and still get back before it was over.
Are there things to like here? Absolutely! Jerry Goldsmith's soundtrack was astounding! No wonder TNG stole it. And, again, the reunion of the cast 10 years after the cancellation of the series was fun to watch. But once you got to see Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan - The Director's Cut (Two-Disc Special Collector's Edition) you really do realize how bad this movie was. Did they improve it when releasing the "Director's Cut" on DVD? Yes, but only the look and feel of the movie. Even with the extended scenes added, it still ends up towards the bottom of the Star Trek Movie list, just a bit above (maybe) Star Trek V - The Final Frontier (Two-Disc Special Collector's Edition).
An Ambitious But Ultimately Modest Film July 11, 2008
I've always enjoyed Star Trek. Although it was never quite my favorite science fiction series, I appreciated it for what it was and simply loved many of the characters and ideals that it gave life to. As I've gotten older, I've become most fond of the original series. I was very young when "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" was released, and always seemed to just miss it when it was replayed on television. Having viewed most of the original series, I decided to pick the film up on DVD and give it a shot. What I saw was a drab, drawn out version of the colorful, often humorous series.
In this first film outing, an unknown alien force is making its way to Earth. On the way, it destroys Klingon and Federation ships. In an attempt to stop its progress and find out exactly what it is, Starfleet employs the Enterprise and her crew, headed up by Captain Decker (Stephen Collins, "Seventh Heaven"). Of course, the Enterprise without Captain Kirk (William Shatner)is like peanut butter without jelly, so Admiral Kirk boards the vessel per Starfleet and takes command. This opens up a brief but interesting divide between Kirk and Decker. It isn't until Kirk's conscious, Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley), arrives that this feud is settled. The rest of the gang is already aboard the Enterprise, excepting Spock (Leonard Nimoy), who does eventually join up with his old comrades. Along with Decker, a new addition to the crew is the Deltan, Ilia (Persis Khambatta), who will play a key role later in the film.
As the Enterprise takes flight, the story of the unknown alien unfolds, and unlike most other science fiction stories set in space at that time, there is very little dogfighting between starships, hungry aliens or laser duels. Instead, there's a refreshing yet very "Star Trek" tale of a misdirected being looking for guidance. It's a wonderful story, but it's poorly executed.
In this DVD, the Director's Cut, Robert Wise takes Alan Dean Foster's epic story and draws it out to its limits. There are long sequences highlighting the vastness of space, the massive size of the alien entity, and even San Francisco Bay. Mind you, they are all very impressive to look at, but I feel as if some of them could have been a bit shorter. The team that dressed up this version of the film did many wonders with backdrops, sound fx and even the musical score. Perhaps the greatest improvements are those of the planet Vulcan, which looks simply brilliant in this film. The improvements, for the most part, are seamlessly tied into the 1979 film.
Jerry Goldsmith's score is brilliant. If any one thing keeps you from becoming too bored with this film, it's the music. Goldsmith masterfully captures the adventurous and epic feel of this film.
The cast do a decent job. While Nichelle Nichols, George Takei and Walter Koenig are relegated to window dressing for the most part, James Doohan and DeForest Kelley do get a little more time to shine. As expected, Shatner and Nimoy are at the forefront of the film. Collins does an excellent job as the somewhat jilted Decker. Persis Khambatta proves that bald can be beautiful and she's simply a wonder to look at on the screen. Fans of the series will also note the presence of popular series regulars Majel Barrett (Dr. Chapel) and Grace Lee Whitney (Rand).
The special features on this film are very nice. Highlights include a brief documentary on the ups-and-downs of getting the film to the screen, a neat look at the development of the new fx for the Director's Cut, and scenes from the original film that were deleted or altered for this updated version. Also included are scenes from the TV release of the film that were not in the theatrical release. Other obligatory extras can also be found.
For true fans of the original series, this is sure to be a treat. It was very much welcomed when it was first released due to the fact that the series had been off the air for so long. I'm sure that lifetime fans will also appreciate the updates made to this film. However, when compared to the rest of the Star Trek films (including the TNG ones) and, most importantly, the original series, this film is merely a hint as to what great stories were to come. Recommended for fans of Star Trek, completionists who want all of the films in the series, and fans of smart sci-fi who don't necessarily need to see a blaster or dogfight every five minutes to keep them interested.
A film 22 years in the making, and worth the wait. June 26, 2008
I must admit that I did not see Star Trek during its initial run. I was only 4 when it started airing in 1966. I did see it in syndication, and I saw The Animated Series on Saturday mornings. In 1979, my parents brought cable TV into the house, and it was on one of the Los Angeles stations that I saw my first trailer for Star Trek - The Motion Picture. I thought the Enterprise looked gorgeous. So when that December came, I saw the film in the theatre. It looked like Star Trek - all the people were there, the ship was there (and nicely updated), the basic premise of Star Trek was there. But it didn't quite feel like Star Trek. I still devoured it - it was Star Trek, which meant to me that it was still better than the vast majority of junk which showed up on TV and movie screens at the time (and still persists to this day, although SF/Fantasy has made great strides).
Then came the Extended Edition on VHS. Yes, the added special effects were very nice, but it still didn't feel like Star Trek.
This edition - Star Trek - The Motion Picture: The Director's Cut (Two-Disc Special Collector's Edition) - finally gives Robert Wise the chance to do what he wanted to back in 1979 - finish the film he started making. Gone are the Red Alert "beeps" and silly computer voice-overs ("Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert! Location - a sonic shower."), and in its place is dialogue and the familiar Red Alert Klaxon (albeit not as strident as in the series). The editing has been tightened up and effects put in place to remind you that you're on a starship in space. All minor tweaks to the film. That's what it needed.
After 22 years, Star Trek - The Motion Picture finally feels like Star Trek, even while holding to Gene Roddenberry's initial vision of Star Trek as shown in "The Cage" as opposed to the remaining episodes. It's not the best film in the series, but it's not the worst, either, and its success at the box office paved the way for the film series. This is definitely the edition to get.
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