Star Trek : Le film

Given that the first Star Trek movie theatre troubles build on and well-established world of the series, one would expect a brisk introduction. But it takes the aged panther Kirk an hour and a little before he gathers the lost crew members, throws out the new ones, inspects the ship, and learns from his mistakes. Robert Wise certainly tuned the introduction not with accidental allusions to Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, fascinated flybys of models, excellent music by Goldsmith, and in the middle of the film, a moderate form of a hallucinatory flyby into the unknown. You can tell how much the creators enjoy a high budget and the opportunity to look deeply inside the Enterprise. From this perspective, Star Trek: The Motion Picture is only for Trekkies, an excursion to the well known with all the details. The story takes a nap, but as a result, it's worth watching. The film also has gentle humor and nice space action... Anyone who has ever been carried away on the NCC-1701 into the stellar distances will enjoy the film... for others, it’s a really long and tedious trek to the stars. (28/02/2007)

For the first film, I watched it from the perspective of someone who enjoyed the animated adventures of Kirk's crew more than the original series and the Next Generation combined. However, I must say that the Enterprise's film journey to the unknown and its difficult-to-classify enemy have something to them. However, the thirty years since its creation are very noticeable. Pajama uniforms, prolonged minutes-long shots of the passing ship, and effects that even then seemed like mockery are too heavy of flaws for me to fully enjoy the film. However, those three stars express a surprisingly well-defined story and a certain respect for the phenomenon. But for now, nothing more. (12/07/2008)

Today the concept of flying off somewhere the space seems a bit silly. But the Alien’s secret which unravels at the end of the movie left me completely gob-smacked. That takes the movie onto a completely other level. Thanks to Goldsmith’s music, even the long, sweeping shots of the spaceship are bearable. (30/11/2013)

The remastered and restored version, now out on Blu-ray, is a beauty. I can’t start my review with anything else. I had seen the film on TV once in my younger years, not since, and was curious to see how the ravages of time had gnawed away at it – and me. I am pleased to say that the film, at least, has not been harmed by time. On the contrary, the excellent story, co-written by Isaac Asimov, has a strongly timeless twist, is presented as seriously as it can be in the Star Trek universe, and is not overshadowed by the bombastic design, which is still breathtaking. Kirk's arrival at the Enterprise, enjoying the beautiful ship backed by Goldsmith's soundtrack, is one of the best scenes in the sci-fi genre. (02/10/2022)

I have to say that the film "Star Trek" pleasantly surprised me. Besides the fact that it is abundantly clear how much it plays on the nostalgia associated with the original series - those characters are beautifully alive and functional here - Robert Wise directed a film that is visually stunning. Not as groundbreaking as "2001: A Space Odyssey," nor as bombastic and rich as "Star Wars," which must have prompted the decision to bring "Star Trek" to cinemas, but it is still a joy to watch. Mainly because there is not much action, rather a bit of philosophizing. (22/03/2015)