Star Trek: The Motion Picture | Rotten Tomatoes

Star Trek: The Motion Picture

G

Released Dec 6, 1979

2 hr. 12 min.

Sci-Fi

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List

53%

57 Reviews

Tomatometer

42%

50,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

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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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

Alec B

I think it's impressive that a movie given the greenlight because of the success of "Star Wars" was done more in the vein of "2001: A Space Odyssey". This contains some of the most impressive model special effects work ever made and that Goldsmith score is unbelievably great.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/07/24

Full Review

Mike P

This is disappointing because everyone here can do better than this. Robert Wise; who successfully helmed The Day The Earth Stood Still; and The Andromeda strain; two superb Sci-fi classics; the Star Trek cast...Gene Rodenberry and the scriptwriters...I mean this is a half baked effort; a slow, stately slog through an overblown sci-fi mystery.. (Which is pretty boring. It's all based on a simple, Hangman type riddle..."What is V GER"???... It's a lame, one-note joke stretched out to two hours). Worst of all; the personalities in the movie take a back seat to the gimmicky story...It's as if Wise and the writers don't really care about Kirk, Spock, Bones, Chekov, Sulu and Scotty; etc etc...They just want us to gawk at all this slow moving outerspace gadgetry and scenery... As if we've never seen a space movie before. As if they're doing the very first one...I mean, the movie does have good production values...But that's not enough to save it...So... thumbs down...The best that can be said about this is that it was a big hit; and it opened the door to reboot the entire franchise; both movies and TV shows... Overall 👎

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/27/24

Full Review

Rami A

Star Trek: The Motion Picture exceeds in its visuals, set design, and special effects. However, it lacks on many different levels. The pacing is terribly slow, and some of the acting is dull.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/29/24

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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Star Trek: The Motion Picture: Official Clip - Kirk Needs Bones

1:53

Star Trek: The Motion Picture: Official Clip - Spock Reports for Duty

2:12

Star Trek: The Motion Picture: Official Clip - Kirk Takes Over

1:35

Star Trek: The Motion Picture: Official Clip - VGER is a Child

1:48

Star Trek: The Motion Picture: Official Clip - Attempting to Communicate

1:31

Star Trek: The Motion Picture: Official Clip - VGER is Voyager 6

2:12

Star Trek: The Motion Picture: Official Clip - The Light Probe

2:03

Star Trek: The Motion Picture: Official Clip - VGER's Journey

1:11

Star Trek: The Motion Picture: Official Clip - Thattaway

2:13

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Star Trek: The Motion Picture: Trailer 1

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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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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
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
Sound Mix: Dolby Stereo, Surround
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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