@Damndirtyape, I do feel the same way about 2001.

I can enjoy it as an incredibly rich, deep film. But that doesn’t change the fact that it’s boring. I think this just goes to the fact that not every story is ideal for every medium. As Reed Farrington pointed out, the story would probably have worked infinitely better as an hour long episode.

There are ways to turn “boring” stories into interesting films. Some filmmakers have become incredibly adept at doing so over the past few decades(aside from the Bay approach of simply blowing more shit up). Filmmakers like the Cohen brothers, Ridley Scott and David Fincher, in particular, to name a few, have a keen understanding of how to use presentation to make simple, slow, “boring,” events entertaining. Kubrik had this understanding as well, to a certain extent, which is why 2001 stands the test of time better than STTMP.

In STTMP, for an all too large portion of the film, we simply get static shots of the bridge crew cut with static shots of the view screen. This allows for a great sense of how large V’ger is that would probably be lost were the film made today but it is rather monotonous.

Good review Reed.

For me, 2001 is rather boring as well. It wasn’t reviewed well when it was first released. I think it only got a reappraisal after stoned audience members began appreciating it. Actually, when people started attaching meaning to the images, high-brow critics started appreciating it.

I think Ben raises a valid point. It’s hard to make an involving non-action science fiction film without having dialogue that is didactic. STTMP tries with having Ilia taken and replaced, for example, to break the monotony of the journey through V’Ger. The visuals weren’t interesting enough, but try to come up with something yourself to see how hard that task is. I suppose there could have been an interesting parallel B plot introduced, but that would have probably distracted from the V’Ger threat.

STTMP would probably have been better as an hour long episode since its plot did come from a script for the planned new television series at the time. It’s interesting that the Next Generation pilot originally involved only the mystery of the Farpoint station when the episode was only supposed to be an hour long. When the executives wanted a two-hour pilot, Roddenberry added the parallel Q story which turned out to have the most resonance (although most writers thought this idea was hackneyed by now).

::Reed::
A second chance for STTMP does not really count for me because I only remembered just parts of it and I might of fell asleep during the first view of it when I was kid. So I forgot or did not remember the ending of it enough. So – it was like a first watch to me. I just remember being bored the first time and Totaly into it the second time. Maybe I was in the mood for a slow plot at the time and that I will agree with, it is slow…. but I think it works that way…. for me….

And I hope you do commentary for the new movie! It sounds like you are starting to like it more than you did, but maybe I am wrong.

- Do you feel the same about 2001? I think they share some similarity in that regard.

Doesn’t the directors cut with redone effects cuts some of the long Vger sequences down? Reed would know..

Damndirtyape, I totally agree with all of your sentiments except I have a certain fondness for Final Frontier.

Big Hungry, I’m surprised you gave STTMP a second chance. Most people wouldn’t, and probably not even Trekkies. I’m still trying to figure out why the movie made so much money beyond the common reasons people have made.

I think I would have to watch the latest Star Trek movie again before doing the commentary in order to think of things to talk about. Otherwise I would end up concentrating too much on the dialogue and not say anything during the commentary. I’ve been reading about interesting subtleties that I totally overlooked and did not appreciate during my first watching. For example, when Kirk is eating the apple during the Kobayashi Maru, I thought it was too cocky and sort of strange. (Where did he have the apple before he started eating it? What is he supposed to do with the core when he’s done?) But I had totally forgotten that when he relates the story of the Kobayashi Maru in The Wrath of Khan, he is eating an apple!

The vast, sweeping and enigmatic feel of Vger really made an impression on me as a kid. It felt truly alien and incomprehensible. No, it was not very much like the original series in tone and crew dynamics, but it truly personified the “explore strange new worlds, seek out new life and new civilizations” spirit of Trek like no other film.

For me, every other Trek film has felt smaller in scope and grandeur than STTMP. Despite some of them involving huge space battles etc, they don’t convey much mystery and “unexplored possibilities” of deep space.

So although I love Wrath and First Contact and Undiscovered Country etc, when I’m in the mood for a more contemplative Trek experience I can go back and appreciate STTMP. I would love to see the next Trek movie involve some grand themes like STTMP did instead of the having a generic vilain of the month for an antagonist. The bad guys in Insurrection, Nemesis and the new movie all blend together in my mind.

Besides, a movie with a hot bald Indian chick in heels cant be all bad!