Unfair reputation?


Is this movie as bad as its reputation suggests?

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Absolutely not; it's one of my favorite sci-f films.

"The Motion Picture" is the only installment in the franchise that possesses an undeniable cinematic awe along the lines of "2001: A Space Odyssey." It starts off spectacularly, is visually attractive, has a magnificent score, takes its subject serious, is very adult-oriented (i.e. it doesn’t have that, um, kiddy vibe of, say, Star Wars), has a powerful subplot about Spock’s deliverance from ultra-cold logic coinciding with V’ger’s desperate search for meaning, purpose & spirituality, and the cast, sets and Enterprise all look great, albeit rather colorless and disregarding the pajamas. Plus the story really is profound and moving if you stay with it and allow it to unfold.

Conclusion: "The Motion Picture" towers alone, utterly unique in the feature film series — a profoundly spiritual TRIUMPH.

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[deleted]

Fair enough.

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I saw it on opening night back in 1979 and it was certainly a big event. I think the director Robert Wise kind of ruined it with those long, long boring scenes through the cloud. Yes, the movie was an event, a spectacle, but in the end it was disappointing. Movie making ain't easy folks.

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