Star Trek: The Motion Picture

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Star Trek: The Motion Picture

G

1979

2h 12m

Sci-Fi

Adventure

Action

Mystery & Thriller

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Popcornmeter

51%

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59 Reviews

43%

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50,000+ Ratings

The Federation calls on Adm. James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and the crew of the Starship Enterprise to contain an immense nimbused object that's on a crash course with Earth. After investigating, the crew discovers that the alien cloud harbors artificial intelligence with an ominous primary directive. Crisis strikes when a probe dispatched by the energy cloud attacks the crew, abducting navigator Lt. Ilia (Persis Khambatta). An android look-alike containing her memories shows up soon after.

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Critics Consensus

Featuring a patchwork script and a dialogue-heavy storyline whose biggest villain is a cloud, Star Trek: The Motion Picture is a less-than-auspicious debut for the franchise.

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Kevin Maher

The Times (UK)

08/19/2022

4/5

A cerebral, 2001: A Space Odyssey-inspired story that sends our heroes into the heart of a dangerous alien megaship. Yet what they discover... is the essence of human scientific inquiry and the existential despair at reaching the end of all knowing.

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Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

08/18/2022

4/5

It’s a bit overextended but very watchable with flourishes of exotic invention...

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Arthur Knight

The Hollywood Reporter

12/07/2021

No mistake about it, Star Trek is a big movie - big in scope, big in spectacle and, most important, big in entertainment values.

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Wesley Lovell

Cinema Sight

Jul 6

2/4

Shatner’s performance is always one of the weakest of the original crew and there’s not much here that disproves that notion. While he’s adequate, those around him help prop up his liabilities.

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Terry Grimley

Birmingham Mail

09/22/2024

In fact, so much more was apparently spent on the effects than on the script that the chief mystery is why there is so little action and so much talk.

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Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

01/17/2024

Star Trek is good entertainment, with moments of genuine lyricism and no convincing reason to last two hours and eleven minutes. [Full review in Spanish]

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Silas W

@RT04385124 Jan 27

THIS REVIEW IS BASED ON "STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE (DIRECTOR'S EDITION)". THIS IS NOT BASED ON THE THEATRICAL OR DVD VERSION OF FILM. I absolutely loved almost everything about this film. I loved the grand, cerebral scale and tone, and the muted, sterile vibes. It felt very sci-fi. This movie had VFX for a 70's movie made me drool with the total scale of it. It was perfect in almost every way. But, it was not without its many, many flaws. The movie felt very cinematic, and very watchable. Definetely deserves an 4/5. I feel like the film's slow pacing played as a strength to this movie, because it fits what the movie is supposed to be like. It is very grand and cerebral. This movie isn't as good as Star Wars, but then again, nothing is. Something that hurts the movie publicly is the constant comparison to Star Wars. But, this movie isn't Star Wars, and isn't trying to be Star Wars. It's almost nothing like Star Wars in tone or story. Overall, it's a very grand cerebral good movie.

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Nicholas P.

@npuzar Jan 24

Bad Star Trek movie, but a good science fiction movie.

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Elliot B

@ReichReview Jan 21

Great movie. Love the little twist.

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J L.

@KobraKhan Jan 12

Still better than anything startrek made after 2005

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Shawan L.

@ShawanLLibang Jan 10

Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) is often misunderstood as being "too slow," but for those who love high-concept science fiction, it is a foundational masterpiece. It serves as a bridge between the campy charm of the 1960s and the epic, philosophical storytelling that would define the franchise for decades.

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Noah H

@Noah85 Jan 5

The very first Star Trek movie and still one of the best. The acting may not have been comfortable for critics but I thought it was fine. William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, George Takei, and the rest of the cast did the best they could with what they had. The effects are REMARKABLE for the time and the score by Jerry Goldsmith absolutely SOARS. I'm surprised how low this movie is rated. Don't listen to the critics. It's a fun space adventure. I promise

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Robert Wise

Director

William Shatner

Admiral

Leonard Nimoy

Commander Spock

DeForest Kelley

Lt. Cmdr, Leonard H. 'Bones' McCoy, M.D.

Stephen Collins

Capt.

Persis Khambatta

Lieutenant Ilia

Movieclips: Star Trek - Spock's Best Scenes

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Star Trek: The Motion Picture: Official Clip - Kirk Needs Bones

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Star Trek: The Motion Picture: Official Clip - Spock Reports for Duty

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Star Trek: The Motion Picture: Official Clip - Kirk Takes Over

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Star Trek: The Motion Picture: Official Clip - VGER is a Child

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Star Trek: The Motion Picture: Official Clip - Attempting to Communicate

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Star Trek: The Motion Picture: Official Clip - VGER is Voyager 6

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Star Trek: The Motion Picture: Official Clip - The Light Probe

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Star Trek: The Motion Picture: Official Clip - VGER's Journey

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Star Trek: The Motion Picture: Official Clip - Thattaway

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Synopsis

The Federation calls on Adm. James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and the crew of the Starship Enterprise to contain an immense nimbused object that's on a crash course with Earth. After investigating, the crew discovers that the alien cloud harbors artificial intelligence with an ominous primary directive. Crisis strikes when a probe dispatched by the energy cloud attacks the crew, abducting navigator Lt. Ilia (Persis Khambatta). An android look-alike containing her memories shows up soon after.

Director: Robert Wise
Producer: Gene Roddenberry
Screenwriter: Alan Dean Foster, Harold Livingston
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Paramount Pictures, Century Associates
Rating: G
Genre: Sci-Fi, Adventure, Action, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 6, 1979, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 16, 2009
Runtime: 2h 12m
Sound Mix: Dolby Stereo, Surround
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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