--- title: "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" year: 1979 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/star-trek-the-motion-picture" fi1m_score: 64 critics_score: 67 critics_reviews: 14 published: "2026-09-18T12:17:20.540227+00:00" updated: "2026-09-18T12:17:21.026246+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) Directed by Robert Wise · 2h 11m · MPA G · Science Fiction, Adventure, Mystery **Fi1m score: 64** · Critics 67 from 14 reviews *In a sentence:* A five-minute love scene with a spaceship, then two hours of people staring at a cloud > Robert Wise sends the Enterprise crew, a decade older, into a cloud and asks us to be patient. Jerry Goldsmith’s score and Harold Michelson’s ship reward the wait; Harold Livingston’s script mostly does not, and the middle hour is long. ## Synopsis A vast cloud of energy is crossing space towards Earth, having just destroyed three Klingon cruisers. Admiral James T. Kirk (William Shatner) uses the emergency to take back command of the refitted USS Enterprise from its captain, William Decker (Stephen Collins). Dr. Leonard ‘Bones’ McCoy (DeForest Kelley) is drafted back into uniform against his will, and Lt. Ilia (Persis Khambatta), a navigator with a history with Decker, joins the bridge. On Vulcan, Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) has spent years trying to rid himself of his last emotions, until something in the cloud reaches his mind. The ship leaves drydock before it is ready, with a faulty transporter, a misfiring engine and days to intercept. ## Review Gene Roddenberry got his television crew back, a budget to match, and Robert Wise to direct. What it is aiming at is plain from the first frame: [*2001: A Space Odyssey*](https://film.one/film/2001-a-space-odyssey) (1968) with familiar faces, not [*Star Wars*](https://film.one/film/star-wars) (1977) with pointed ears. A cloud is coming for Earth, the Enterprise is sent to meet it, and for 131 minutes the film asks us to be patient. It is handsome, sincere and slow, and the slowness is chosen. We felt every minute of it anyway. The best thing in it is Jerry Goldsmith. His main theme is a brass march that carries the ship out of dock as if it weighed nothing, and his Klingon cue does more to make them frightening than the make-up does. It earns its keep in the drydock sequence, in which Kirk (William Shatner) and Scotty (James Doohan) ride a pod round the refitted Enterprise while the music climbs. We were moved, because Shatner plays the whole thing in silence and what is on his face is a man looking at the one thing he gave up and wants back. Harold Michelson has built a ship worth circling. The bridge is grey and cream with a sunken well; the recreation deck is the size of a school gymnasium; the engine room has a glowing shaft. Robert Fletcher dresses the crew in beige and pale blue two-pieces with a medical monitor set into the belt buckle, so that Starfleet looks like the staff of an expensive clinic. Richard H. Kline lights it flat and soft, so the corridors resemble an office at three in the afternoon while the space outside the windows has all the colour. The trouble is Harold Livingston’s script, from a story by Alan Dean Foster, which has a good premise and almost no scenes. Once the ship arrives the pattern sets in: the crew look at the viewscreen, the film cuts to the effects, the crew look again. Todd Ramsay holds each shot of Uhura (Nichelle Nichols) or Sulu (George Takei) staring a beat longer than it can bear, and a reaction shot is not a scene. Chekov (Walter Koenig) is given a burned hand so that something happens. Somewhere inside the cloud we were bored, and then cross about being bored by something so plainly made with care. The people fare better than the plot. Shatner plays Kirk as a man who wants his ship back and does not much mind who he moves to get it. Stephen Collins’s Decker is the film’s most interesting human, a capable officer bumped aside by a legend, and he plays the grievance without whining. Persis Khambatta, with her head shaved, gives Ilia a stillness the second half puts to use. Leonard Nimoy arrives an hour in and the film improves at once; the scene in which Kirk and McCoy (DeForest Kelley) greet him at the airlock and get nothing back is the best acted in it. Kelley has the few laughs. Mark Lenard’s Klingon Captain is gone by the end of his one scene. The second half arrives at an idea we will not describe. It is a better idea than most of the sequels bothered with, and it gives Collins and Khambatta something to play. Wise knows how to hold a frame, but the script has not told the people in it what they are thinking, so the frames stay empty. Most critics have come round to it, and we half agree. See it if you already know these people; the film assumes you do, and that assumption carries it across the flat stretches. It is rated U. There is a good ninety-minute film in there, and Wise has left us to find it ourselves. *Fi1m score 64, published 18 September 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics come down in its favour, and the warmest reviews are the most recent. Praise clusters on the scale of the thing: Douglas Trumbull’s effects, Jerry Goldsmith’s brassy score and the long, unhurried approach to V’Ger draw admiration across four decades of notices. Several reviews of the restored versions argue that the film’s seriousness, its interest in consciousness and the search for meaning, now looks like a virtue rather than a failure to be fun, and that it plays as a proper 1970s space odyssey. The reservations cluster almost entirely on pace. Contemporary reviews call it sluggish and talky, and even admirers concede it drags. The spread is wide. The Times calls it possibly the most satisfying film in the franchise; Empire calls it the worst, with effects that look tacky beside Star Wars. The dissenters, Empire and The AV Club among them, mostly want the television series’ charm and do not find it here. ### Reviews we read (14) - **The Times**, Kevin Maher (★★★★☆): The critic argues the film is better than its initial reputation as a plodding sci-fi suggests, calling it possibly the most satisfying in the franchise. They single out the classier existential denouement involving V'ger and the lavishly shot heavy material for praise. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/star-trek-the-motion-picture-1979-review-kirks-first-theatrical-outing-is-better-than-you-remember-d23dd2sc6) - **RogerEbert.com**, Roger Ebert (70/100, inferred): The film is a solid, well-made piece of work with an interesting premise about an alien entity seeking its origins, though familiarity with the TV characters somewhat undermines the sense of wonder. It lacks the brilliance of 2001 but delivers an enjoyable ride thanks to strong special effects that improve as the story progresses. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/star-trek-the-motion-picture-1979) - **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (70/100, inferred): The critic finds the 4K restoration of the 1979 film watchable and enjoyable for its over-the-top acting and unhurried visionary sequences. They single out the theatrical resonance of the Kirk-Spock-McCoy dialogue scenes and Shatner's distinctive delivery for praise. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/aug/18/star-trek-the-motion-picture-review-high-definition-with-enough-high-camp-to-boldly-go) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, Arthur Knight (70/100, inferred): The critic calls the film a big, spectacular epic with strong entertainment values and professional craftsmanship throughout. He praises the visual effects, score, photography and production design while noting some pacing issues and overly talky scenes. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/star-trek-the-motion-picture-1979-review-1235058609/) - **The New Yorker**, Roger Angell (70/100, inferred): It is a medium-range, medium-boring vehicle that is not as inventive as Star Wars or as beautiful as 2001, but there is room for it; the special effects and score create puzzling and awesome travelogues that make the trip enjoyable despite some deficiencies and familiar sci-fi tropes. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1979/12/17/high-and-low) - **Variety**, Variety Staff (70/100, inferred): Producer Roddenberry and director Wise deliver state-of-the-art screen magic with impressive effects under Trumbull and a brassy Goldsmith score that justify the budget; the film makes good use of TV familiarity in a search-and-destroy thriller with philosophical elements, romance, and a twist ending. [Read](https://variety.com/1978/film/reviews/star-trek-the-motion-picture-1200424425/) - **The AV Club**, Zack Handlen (C): The critic finds the film overly long and lacking the charm of the original series, criticizing its tedious pacing and weak character work. He notes some effective visuals and ideas but concludes it fails to be fun or engaging. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/star-trek-star-trek-the-motion-picture-star-trek-1798206281) - **Los Angeles Times**, Charles Champlin (30/100, inferred): It is less a conventional film than a cultural phenomenon and fan reunion that audiences willed into being, with spectacular effects and polish from director Robert Wise, but it is sluggish and falls short of its aspirations despite the visual splendors and Goldsmith score. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-star-trek-motion-picture-review-19791210-snap-story.html) - **Empire**, William Thomas (20/100, inferred): The critic calls this the worst Star Trek film, failing to capture the TV series' tone with a dull, stretched plot and unconvincing effects that look tacky next to Star Wars. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/star-trek-motion-picture-review/) - **/Film**, William Bibbiani (90/100, inferred): The critic argues the film is riveting and exciting when seen as a serious, mature sci-fi drama continuing the TV series, praising its vast visual scale, effects, and exploration of consciousness and existence. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/1196231/star-trek-the-motion-picture-isnt-boring-youre-just-not-watching-it-correctly/) - **Collider**, Rebecca Landman (B+): The critic praises the Director’s Edition’s upgraded visual effects for finally realizing the film’s original vision as a grand space epic. They highlight how it celebrates the story’s exploration of human emotion versus logic and its role as the franchise’s big-screen origin. [Read](https://collider.com/star-trek-the-motion-picture-directors-edition-review/) - **Den of Geek**, Charlie Brigden (4/5): The critic appreciates the film's epic scope and visuals, especially the V’Ger sequences and Jerry Goldsmith's score, but criticizes the languid pacing, lack of urgency, and editing issues. Overall, it's a fascinating but flawed attempt at something more ambitious than typical Star Trek. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/star-trek-the-motion-picture-blu-ray-review/) - **Film Stories**, A J Black (80/100, inferred): The critic views the film positively in retrospect as a philosophical work about connection, humanity, and the search for meaning, noting it gains emotional resonance with age despite its initial slow reputation and mixed reception. [Read](https://filmstories.co.uk/features/star-trek-revisited-the-motion-picture-1979-and-a-film-whose-reputation-has-enhanced-over-time/) - **The Ringer**, Tim Greiving (80/100, inferred): The critic argues the restored film is the best entry for non-fans, praising its patient, meditative sci-fi approach, Jerry Goldsmith score, and naturalistic performances as a thoughtful 1970s space odyssey focused on humanity’s search for meaning. They note its contrast to the more action-oriented sequels and its critical and commercial success upon release. [Read](https://www.theringer.com/2022/04/05/movies/star-trek-the-motion-picture-restoration-trekkies) ## Details - **Director:** Robert Wise - **Director:** Robert Wise - **Screenplay:** Harold Livingston - **Story:** Alan Dean Foster - **Cinematography:** Richard H. Kline - **Editor:** Todd Ramsay - **Music:** Jerry Goldsmith - **Production design:** Harold Michelson - **Costume design:** Robert Fletcher - **Producer:** Gene Roddenberry, Jon Povill - **Cast:** William Shatner as Admiral James T. Kirk; Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock; DeForest Kelley as Dr. Leonard 'Bones' McCoy; James Doohan as Cmdr. Montgomery 'Scotty' Scott; George Takei as Lt. Cmdr. Hikaru Sulu; Walter Koenig as Lt. Pavel Chekov; Nichelle Nichols as Lt. Cmdr. Uhura; Stephen Collins as Captain William Decker - **Runtime:** 2h 11m - **Certificate (MPA):** G - **Release (the US):** 7 December 1979 - **Genres:** Science Fiction, Adventure, Mystery - **Budget:** $44 million - **Box office:** $139 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrXvBaFFu80 ## Where to watch in the US - Paramount+: streaming, hd - Hulu: add-on, hd - The Roku Channel: add-on, hd - Amazon Prime Video: add-on, uhd - Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, hd - Amazon Prime Video: buy $14.99, uhd *Checked 2026-09-18.* Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, ES, FI, FR, GB, HR, HU, IE, IN, IT, JP, LT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SI, SK, TR, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## Awards - Academy Awards 1980: Best Original Score (nominated); Best Production Design (nominated); Best Visual Effects (nominated) ## If you liked this - *2001: A Space Odyssey* (1968), Fi1m 92: The film this one is reaching for, with the nerve to stay strange to the end. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/2001-a-space-odyssey.md) - *Solaris* (1972): Tarkovsky’s slow space station, where the patience is the point and it pays. - *Ikarie XB-1* (1963): Czech crew on a long voyage, grey corridors and real dread, decades ahead of its time. - *Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan* (1982), Fi1m 85: The sequel that found the pulse this film lacks, and kept the people. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/star-trek-ii-the-wrath-of-khan.md) - *Arrival* (2016), Fi1m 86: Another attempt to talk to something enormous, with a script that gives its people scenes. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/arrival.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/star-trek-the-motion-picture