[canadianrosey]

STTMP was a disappointment when it first released. Stiff acting, corny dialogue, terrible directing and poor editing did the project no favors. One movie critic lamented the "salivating pans" the director used so much... I still see why they were a good idea, but poorly executed in that they did little at times to convey the sheer size of the v'ger vessel. Mostly, TMP was done in by poor handling and hit-and-miss execution that was as much miss as hit, if not more so.

The re-release of TMP with the Director's Cut dvd reinvigorated the movie and made it very enjoyable. Some cut scenes were included, better dialogue editing helped, very well executed cgi scenes that breathed life into the visuals... It all went light years to adding quality to the product. TMP regained what it almost missed in it 70s debut: The human element. Can't have a human adventure without it! TMP is now one of my favorite Trek films and, arguably, one of the best of them.

TMP was based on a never filmed episode for the Fox Network tv series that fell through when the proposed new network collapsed. It was also a copy of the Nomad episode from the original 1960s series, just on a grander scale with more tension. I'm glad they went the movie route and didn't just discard all the sets, actors, and costumes they designed. Two of the things I always liked about TMP were it's unusual soundtrack, alien and oppressive to listen to, and the fact that the characters didn't have that 'manifest destiny' air of assured success about them. The helplessness of the crew and the fact failure might actually wind up being an option made you want to watch the movie and really root for them to succeed. TMP wasn't horrible, it just needed better studio hands at the helm.

In closing: Initial release bad, re-release good!

[kevin]

I think that definitely the DC fixes some issues because it strips out some of the never-ending effects shots.....................but for me the film doesn't have any tension or sense of the emergency that it's supposed to be.

I don't think you need to see panic on Earth (did anyone outside of a handful of people on Earth even know, one wonders!) as such, but I think the film lacks a sense that this could be catastrophic if they fail. Even though we know that Earth is meant to be in danger from the probe.

The soundtrack is excellent though.

[kevin]

A-ha! Rewatching the documentaries on the disc I have realised something I had long since forgotten about TMP.

When they started making the film...........they had no third act yet. This may explain a few things.

[omegaman]

Originally Posted by kevin

A-ha! Rewatching the documentaries on the disc I have realised something I had long since forgotten about TMP.

When they started making the film...........they had no third act yet. This may explain a few things.

That sound all too familiar doesn't it…

[kevin]

I think most of the later films had more of a completed script when filming began..................it was probably a holdover from the totally distorted creation process pre-TMP.