Star Trek: The Motion Picture

G

Released Dec 6, 1979

2h 12m

Sci-Fi

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List

53%

Tomatometer

57 Reviews

42%

Audience Score

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

Times (UK)

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.

Rated: 4/5

Aug 19, 2022

Full Review

Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

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

Rated: 4/5

Aug 18, 2022

Full Review

Arthur Knight

Hollywood Reporter

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

Dec 7, 2021

Full Review

Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

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]

Jan 17, 2024

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

[The film] lacks almost every joyous attribute carried by the television show, regardless of its technical merits.

Rated: 2/4

Sep 5, 2023

Full Review

Yasser Medina

Cinefilia

Its space adventure registers, on the visual side, fleeting moments of special effects that work as pyrotechnic decoration, but it has a rushed plot that goes nowhere with the crew of mechanical characters. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 6/10

Oct 31, 2022

Full Review

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sean p

The studio tried to make it a visual event; however, it lacked the writing of the original series. Acting was good, but story was lackluster at best.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

06/23/24

Full Review

Jake B

A mature, evolved take on the original Star Trek series. This movie cuts out the campy silliness of the series and takes Star Trek to a more cosmic level. At the root of this movie is a question that lives inside the heart of every human being. This movie has aged incredibly well and I enjoyed every minute of it. I'm actually shocked to see it holds a low rating here.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/14/24

Full Review

Julian L

Long, and rational film brings you to ennui but has an interesting plot.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

07/24/24

Full Review

Brent A

40% rating ... Terrible storyline with a villian that is basically a cloud. Had some decent sci-fi special effects for the 70's, but overall a lackluster film.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

04/28/24

Full Review

Silo m

I can see why the general audience thinks this movie is boring. If you're not interested in nuance, intellect, the feeling of a human made experience, essentially of being home, combined with a bright vision of the future from the perspective of the 20th century, the opportunity to sink into colorful beauty and philosophy, then you will probably dislike this film. Otherwise, this movie is a truly fascinating piece of art which shines new perspective on your life, widens your mind. As I said, I get why the general audience perceives this experience as boring, they want flashy, fast cuts with a lot of dumb action sequences, tough guys, shallow dialogue that everyone can understand. They react extremely defensive against nuance, that's why they label everything as generally bad if they don't want to think too much. It's kinda like classical music or literature of the 19th century: Kids would describe it as boring, but just because they are not able to understand it yet. The sad thing is that most people nowadays stay in this infantile state of mind.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/04/24

Full Review

Albert W

It's OK. It's still Star Trek. The new(er) 4K UHD version looks pretty good too.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

04/03/24

Full Review

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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

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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
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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