![]() ![]() “The only starship in interception range is the Enterprise.” That seems a little strange and surreal by itself. “Mister Scott, there’s an alien object with unbelievable destructive power less than three days away from this planet,” Kirk explains. However, despite the fact that The Motion Picture introduces what would soon become a staple of these big-screen adventures, things never seem tense or potentially precarious. Even the latest installment, Star Trek: Into Darkness, gets in on the act. Since then, threats to the planet have become the franchise norm, especially on the big screen. For better or worse, The Motion Picture was the first live action Star Trek plot to feature a direct alien menace to Earth. ![]() That’s not to suggest that there isn’t room for exploration or development, but The Motion Picture often feels far too relaxed and too complacent. That was the basis of the first fifteen minutes of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. An alien probe is slowly making its way towards Earth for some unknown purpose, with the capacity to wipe out everything living on the planet. While Robert Wise is able to establish a sense of mood and place effectively, The Motion Picture suffers quite a bit because there simply isn’t enough here to sustain a movie running over two hours. Indeed, even the films directly following The Motion Picture – Star Trek II: The Wrath of the Khan or Star Trek III: The Search for Spock – moved at a much brisker pace. There’s a remarkable sense of comfort and ease with this, and it’s very hard to believe any major blockbuster produced within the past couple of decades could be so comfortable setting so casual a pace. ![]() It even opens with an overture before the now-familiar Paramount logo, inviting the audience to take a trip into space before they worry about the opening credits or the story itself. The Motion Picture takes its own time, something I quite appreciate. ![]()
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