...I must really love everything everyone else finds boring. (Off-Topic)

by Leviathan , Hotel Zanzibar, Friday, July 24, 2015, 22:37 (3219 days ago) @ ZackDark

In my quest to watch all of Star Trek in story-order during the last few years (I had only seen random episodes and films growing up), getting to The Motion Picture was a big highlight! I had only seen glimpses of it before.

I instantly fell in love with the art direction (Ralph McQuarrie from Star Wars had a big part to play in that) and the music of the Motion Picture (which is the first use of the theme that would become TNG's intro music). I think I was crying as much as Kirk in the ten minute montage of the Enterprise at space dock.

Wrath of Khan is a better action-adventure film, sure, but it's lighter on the sci-fi and feels smaller, less grand, especially since it lost that epic music theme and replaced the great costumes of TMP with ugly red sweaters and turtlenecks.

Also, I should note I'm a bigger fan of the ST:TMP Director's Cut, which has a better pacing. It's still quite slow and steady (just how I like it - falling asleep to a Middle Earth Extended Edition is a weekly tradition around here) but it feels a little more to the point. It's worth checking out if you liked elements of the TMP.