What started as a late-seventies television show revival being developed by the original Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry turned into a full motion picture under the control of a seasoned director and studio.
This meant that effects models, props and sets had to be re-prepared for the detail of a cinema screen and the production entered new territory as Roddenberry was eased out.
The premise was to reunite the original crew of (an updated) starship Enterprise and bring them to face an ultimate threat to planet Earth. The plan was to also give us brilliant effects on par with the recent Star Wars explosion and give Paramount a return on its previously mishandled Star Trek property.
What resulted was an over-long, over-dramatic but interesting film that entertains the fans nonetheless and presents a high concept in its story. Many have commented on its ridiculously long effects shots and the lack of personalities in our beloved bridge characters. But underneath these is the core of a good science fiction film, just maybe not a brilliant Star Trek film.
After a trio of Klingon battlecruisers are destroyed by a mysterious cloud of energy, Kirk takes command of a new, untested Enterprise starship to intercept and investigate the object which is heading directly to Earth.
As they find a way to communicate with it, the object stops trying to destroy them and instead welcomes them deep inside itself where further information is revealed after a number of events.
For the first time in Star Trek history, we return to 23rd century Earth as the object threatens to destroy all life on it unless Kirk and crew comply with its demands, which leads to a startling discovery.
The original budget blew out to almost four times its original allocation, partly due to the project carrying the burden of an aborted television series and hefty sums paid to numerous writers and Leonard Nimoy to get him to reprise his role as Spock.
Whatever you say about the effects, you can't say they are not impressive. They are beautifully created by 2001: A Space Odyssey effects specialist Douglas Trumball and legendary composer Jerry Goldsmith delivers a brilliantly-matching musical score to give the film a grand feeling.
The screenplay for this film went through many, many rewrites from an original story by Alan Dean Foster, but unfortunately they didn't capture the soul of the original series that came before it. Perhaps the story was too serious or a victim of its difficult development but it is considered by many to be a poor start to an on again / off again run of 11 variable films that followed it.
The film has been released in its original theatrical version, special video versions and a DVD-era re-edited Director's Edition that addressed some pacing issues and shortcomings of the original special effects that were rushed due to budget and time constraints. Some of these improvements work well, some don't.
Overall, a great science fiction adventure and a giant leap for the ongoing Star Trek franchise.
This meant that effects models, props and sets had to be re-prepared for the detail of a cinema screen and the production entered new territory as Roddenberry was eased out.
The premise was to reunite the original crew of (an updated) starship Enterprise and bring them to face an ultimate threat to planet Earth. The plan was to also give us brilliant effects on par with the recent Star Wars explosion and give Paramount a return on its previously mishandled Star Trek property.
What resulted was an over-long, over-dramatic but interesting film that entertains the fans nonetheless and presents a high concept in its story. Many have commented on its ridiculously long effects shots and the lack of personalities in our beloved bridge characters. But underneath these is the core of a good science fiction film, just maybe not a brilliant Star Trek film.
After a trio of Klingon battlecruisers are destroyed by a mysterious cloud of energy, Kirk takes command of a new, untested Enterprise starship to intercept and investigate the object which is heading directly to Earth.
As they find a way to communicate with it, the object stops trying to destroy them and instead welcomes them deep inside itself where further information is revealed after a number of events.
For the first time in Star Trek history, we return to 23rd century Earth as the object threatens to destroy all life on it unless Kirk and crew comply with its demands, which leads to a startling discovery.
The original budget blew out to almost four times its original allocation, partly due to the project carrying the burden of an aborted television series and hefty sums paid to numerous writers and Leonard Nimoy to get him to reprise his role as Spock.
Whatever you say about the effects, you can't say they are not impressive. They are beautifully created by 2001: A Space Odyssey effects specialist Douglas Trumball and legendary composer Jerry Goldsmith delivers a brilliantly-matching musical score to give the film a grand feeling.
The screenplay for this film went through many, many rewrites from an original story by Alan Dean Foster, but unfortunately they didn't capture the soul of the original series that came before it. Perhaps the story was too serious or a victim of its difficult development but it is considered by many to be a poor start to an on again / off again run of 11 variable films that followed it.
The film has been released in its original theatrical version, special video versions and a DVD-era re-edited Director's Edition that addressed some pacing issues and shortcomings of the original special effects that were rushed due to budget and time constraints. Some of these improvements work well, some don't.
Overall, a great science fiction adventure and a giant leap for the ongoing Star Trek franchise.