So I guess it has to be said, this is the original cast Star Trek film that even I watch the least... Is it an unfairly maligned classic -- or just a classic example of a tedious patience tester? As a fan of the exploits of Jim Kirk and friends both on the small screen and in their cinema outings, this certainly sits as the one which gets over looked when I revisit the series. Embarrassingly I have probably sat through part five, The Final Frontier more often. Yes, the one where they meet God and didn't have the money to afford ILM. Despite it's far bigger shortcomings it's still a guilty pleasure with a few good moments. But while The Wrath of Khan and The Undiscovered Country stand as examples of fine dramatic movies that also hold up as fun space adventures, where does this first step on their post-television journey fit alongside the rest?
They do call it the No-Motion Picture after all. Or is that the Emotionless Picture? Or is it just that one you can leave playing while you go for a haircut and not miss anything? I mean this is a film which has an Overture in it. It was just supposed to be a follow up to a television show, it's not a David Lean film. In the wake of Star Wars (which I have no doubt spurred on the studio producing this) they seem to have looked back to the 1960s not only in reviving the content of the original show but also in terms of style - this owes more to Kubrick than Han Solo, just look at some of those space helmet close ups. But while it doesn't all move at a geological pace, there are still one or two drawn out moments that verge on the ridiculous.
The most obvious example is the shuttle trip to the newly refurbished Starship Enterprise. This first act reveal is incredibly slow and sometimes rather awkward. There are far too many cuts to a silent Captain Kirk and Mr. Scott as they stare in awe at a ship. I means sure, it's somehow been transformed from a cheap TV effect to an immense Douglas Trumbull miniature, but get a move on you two. The first sequence showing off the interior of an alien cloud that will later threaten all life on Earth also goes on forever. I appreciate they wanted to show off what could be done with the budget available, but by this point many sci-fi movies had given audiences this kind of experience already. Even if many of the visual and special effects are neat there's really no need for some of this stuff to outstay its welcome this way. I enjoy a lot of it and the glimpses of Star Fleet Command and the planet Vulcan are nice, but a lot of the other sequences could be edited down -- even in the slightly trimmed director's cut.
However, putting these issues aside it does try at least to tell a proper science fiction story. A tale of an unknown but existentially troubled life form trying to figure itself out. Even if the cues it takes from the original series (The Changeling) are distracting and it's evident that this plot was actually written by genre novelist Alan Dean Foster for their cancelled 'phase two' show. Maybe this explains why the running time feels so stretched and the amount of spoken dialogue is so sparse. As for the other aspects of the movie, things shape up unevenly. I guess that's a fair appraisal, for example did they really need to go with that transporter death scene? It's kind of unnerving to start such an early part of the film with something like this. Someone planning this all out for the big screen must have it on their checklist of things that had yet to be done. The sequel would out do this in pure gross factor, but it's still an odd choice.
Maybe it was just a way of them saying 'hey we're getting Star Trek back, let's show them ironing out the bugs in a visual way'. After all a lot of the film spends its time dealing with the idea that everything was moth balled for a decade and at least thematically they had to show things getting back up and running. It's an idea at least, and it fits with how the characters are presented too. Besides philosophy and politics, this franchise has always been at its best when it's about the people. In this case the characters are fine but they're not particularly animated. Bones and Spock seem a little rusty; a bit out of practice. Maybe it's what they intended, or maybe it's just the direction.
They do get a few good moments but everyone involved would go on to become far better in these roles as they got back in the swing of things and were properly warmed up. For me the weakest aspects are the new characters who don't get enough to do before the climax takes them away from being able to appear in any future adventures. There's a weak romantic subplot that exists just for the finale to work, plus that odd moment where Ilia (Persis Khambatta) randomly talks about her celibacy. This is before she's part robot. It feels like they're plot devices and not real crew members. Obstacles for Kirk or puzzle pieces for the story to fit around. It all feels slightly off kilter, slightly clinical, and just a bit too much like a product of its time in terms of both tone and design.
I suppose that it goes without saying but any discussion of this production has to include something about those outfits. I'm certainly no fashion designer, but really what is with all the weird colours, the belt-less buckles and the bib shaped shirts? Style over utility might be one thing, but this is just weird and hasn't aged well at all. The primary colours of the show might have needed altering a little bit, but surely not like this. It's strange since the Admiral's uniform William Shatner wears in the opening scenes is pretty swish ... why not go with that look for everyone? They'd kind of do this and opt for a smarter, less pyjama style uniform later on of course but it's surprising nobody thought of it earlier. Though I'm amazed that after ditching most of it the silly security guard armour got kept - it always looks like something from a video-game about a sci-fi sports league.
Overall it's a mixed bag, though if I'm honest I can't say this is really bad at the core. They offer enough intrigue on the adventure, which at least feels like a journey into the unknown. It also has a decent amount of atmosphere, even if I'm unsure that telling a story about new life needed to feel this lifeless to fit the rebirth theme. Looking back at science fiction throughout this decade it's probably the last of it's kind, almost a throwback as things like this evolved and moved towards the '80s. Some of the effects are still neat in that big widescreen way, though I'm unsure which parts belong to the more modern version and where sections have been altered or replaced since its original release. In spite of the flaws it would still have an impact and go on to revitalize this series with a sequel which is a favourite to many. But it's certainly still better than part five and any of the films that don't feature this cast.
3/5
