I watched Star Trek The Motion Picture the other day. Kudos for the temporal scrying the writers of STMP for the efficacy of their spell casting. Minus everything else for the lack of originality in their story writing. You would think that those attempting to establish a new film franchise based on a beloved science fiction tv franchise would be capable of more originality than cribbing from the future and the "work" of a second rate at best talent like JJ Abrams. But the evidence is undeniable.
Lessee, James Tiberius Kirk as a guy who has no problem bucking the rules and jumping the chain of command to get what he wants? Abrams did it. Spock contemplating the purging of all emotion in the kiln of Kohlinar, then rejecting it to seek his destiny with Starfleet? Abrams did it. Bones feeling forced into service by the weight of life's circumstances? Abrams did it. Alan Dean Foster and Gene Rodennberry, you guys owe a HUGE vote of thanks to the creativity and precience of Abrams, Robert Orci, et al.
Just kidding.
Actually, I find the fanboy wars very, very dismaying and not to mention stultifyingly dull. Not going to refight the fan wars here, other than acknowledging that A. I very much do enjoy the Abrams films and B. They are far from perfect and I'm hoping that future films in the franchise will hew closer to the core of themes that make Star Trek unique. As good as being reunited with that universe and those characters was, there is a bit more work to do.
That said, I hope fans, new and old, will look back at earlier films in the franchise. Star Trek The Motion Picture in 1979 was the film that brought Trek back before the large American audience. Star Trek had long cemented itself as a cultural phenomenon, continuously running in syndication since it's cancellation in 1969, showing unheard of staying power in viewership and devotion in it's fans. What originally started out as a sequel TV series was converted to a film following the success of Star Wars and the coming of the new age of cinematic blockbusters. So it is interesting that for the first film out of the gate, the storytellers decided to tell a tale that was calm and cerebral in tone, warm and easygoing in it's reintroduction of the characters and reverent in it's pacing, almost the dead oppositite in many ways of not only Abram's film and what is expected out of cinematic genre blockbusters nowadays.
It shares far more in common with 2001 A Space Odyssey than Star Wars, seeking to be thoughtful and meditative. But there is no doubt, with the characters and themes, this is a reintroduction and a move forward in a beloved science fiction universe.
If you don't need something jumping at you every few minutes to keep your attention and are up to pondering deep though, this is a great movie. And as another visit with old friends on the starship Enterprise, STTMP is well worth your time.
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