Star Trek: The Motion(less) Picture?

Introduction
It was a misguided attempt, perhaps, by Paramount to respond aggressively to 20th Century Fox's phenominal success of Star Wars with Star Trek The Motion Picture. It cost a fortune. It's slow. And it's directed by Robert Wise, known best, science-fiction wise for The Day The Earth Stood Still, itself a classic, but hardly a template for a dynamic, new franchise aimed to combat the exploits of a certain Tatooine farmboy. Despite all of this, Star Trek The Motion Picture is well worth spending some time with! I remember in 1979 being more than a little excited about the re-teaming of the crew of the NCC-1701 Enterprise. This was a group of adventurers I had discovered many years before, and for reasons that I didn't really get at the time (I think I was 6 when I first saw Star Trek the series), whose company I loved being in for 50 minutes a week. Then, for lots of stupid reasons I missed the Movie at the cinema, not catching up with it until 1982 when I was lucky enough to see it as part of a double bill with Star Trek II The Wrath Of Khan. WOW!!!
There are stretches in this movie that do drag, admittedly, but these, by and large, involve the non-established members of the cast and their relationships. Characters and scenarios spun out of budding ideas from the aborted Star Trek: Phase II TV series. The script misses chances to lighten the mood but the director and cast glide above this with aplomb, subtlety, wry smirks and the odd raised eyebrow. Shatner, Nimoy et al settle back effortlessly into their respective roles and it is a joy to watch them work, however restrictive the written material.


Video
The picture, presented anamorphically at 2.35:1, is crisp and clear and I'm sure the movie has never looked better. One challenge for the restoration team was to match the new CG footage to the quality of the original stock. The seams are truly invisible, but it does strike me as a bit odd that whilst the digital tinkering was going on ther might have been a little more cleaning up of the original negative, but clearly the decision was not to, so who am I to comment. 7/10

Sound
The sound is solid, but a little understated. This is perhaps indicative of a team who understand that the original sound didn't need that much tinkering with in the first place! 8/10


Douglas Trumbull's effects work is truly special and he acheives the same sense of visual awe he did with Close Encounters Of The Third Kind. The Enterprise looks sleek and new without losing it's classic character (something I think the Star Trek designers only truly managed to cock-up with the New Generation's Enterprise D (I'll wait for the complaints!!!)), even the Klingon Cruisers at the beginning of the movie look great. All in all a slow moving wonder to behold.


But, to the DVD. Paramount, at last have done justice to the Star Trek franchise. This DVD edition contains all that any Trekker could really want from the archives. There are 2 commentaries on the first disc - a rather dry one from Robert Wise, Douglas Trumbull, John Dykstra, Jerry Goldsmith and Stephen Collins; and a text commentary from Michael Okuda which is both fun and enligtening. It is great to note that the main commentary is also subtitled which is, I believe, a function that should be linked to EVERY commentary!!
The second disc contains 3 insightful documentaries utilising archive and newly filmed footage. The third of these focuses on the making of this director's edition and shows the care and passion shown by Robert Wise, who clearly relishes the chance to put his final stamp on a film that was originally delivered under a large amount of pressure and uncertainty. The doc also covers the subtle digital tweaks and touches added to the movie to complete it's vision. It goes to show that a movie does not have to be endlessly tinkered with and, in cases dramatically changed, to make it a Special Edition! George Lucas should really take note! Deleted scenes, galleries and trailers round off this package and leave the viewer with a feeling of nostalgic completeness.
Let me make it clear that I am not a trekker (and that isn't meant in any way to be a slight on the dedicated fans of this series). My joy of the Star Trek universe has always lain with the original series and the movies, which I found were able to meld the character interaction with the type of awesome visual effects that the series had always screamed out for!
Star Trek The Motion Picture has many flaws, that were solved brilliantly in it's follow-up, but it is a strong science fiction movie that, whilst slow, is so well produced it washes over the viewer like a warm, comforting bath. Not to everyone's liking, but a brave move in a movie-going world that was bristling with post Star Wars fever. Robert Wise has managed to give the viewer the movie he always wanted to, but was unable due to time and monetary constraints. His movie may not be the one to win over new viewers to either Star Trek, or science fiction but it is a good film that does nothing to deserve to be beaten up as much as it is. I cannot comment on the minutiae of the changes the director has made but I know that I've found this movie as enjoyable as ever. 
The DVD package, on the other hand, is top-notch and is a great example of how to treat a film to a DVD release (just release it at the same time as the vanilla disc, Paramount - not ages after!!!).