Film Video Review: The Motion Picture (2/2)

[Stark]

A funny story: when I started up the first video, and "nothing" was on screen, I thought my computer was glitching. After refreshing YouTube about ten times, restarting my computer, and even unplugging it for a few minutes, I decides to just let it run...and then you said it was supposed to look like that because the whole movie begins with a blank star field for three minutes. My jaw hit the floor, it never crossed my mind anyone would put that at the beginning of a movie, basically three minutes of literally nothing. That was easily the most boring movie I've ever seen, and all I saw was your video (don't get me wrong the video was fine, but the movie was still dull as shit). I don't think I've ever seen a movie that slow and meandering in my entire life...and I saw 2001 and the Brown Bunny.

This man has a sophisticated understanding of cinema and his opinion is worth reading.

[Big Orange]

Gerry Goldsmith does a great job with the score as usual, making TMP a semi-successful experience, his Klingon March has obvious staying power and while the Klingons' make up doesn't look "right", their costumes and ships (even screen readouts) remained essentially unchanged all the way up to S4 of ENT. It does have an excellent score and reasonably polished effects, but with the mainly leaden characters and events, the whole movie kinda feels like a hollow tube made out of very pretty, glowing glass. V'Ger was designed by popular sci-fi concept artist Syd Mead.

[Stark]

Do you adopt that laughably pompous style on purpose? Can you explain how a soundtrack makes the movie a 'semi-successful experience'? Can you relate this to hysterical fearmongering about UK youth?

[Aaron]

Gerry Goldsmith does a great job with the score as usual, making TMP a semi-successful experience, his Klingon March has obvious staying power and while the Klingons' make up doesn't look "right", their costumes and ships (even screen readouts) remained essentially unchanged all the way up to S4 of ENT. It does have an excellent score and reasonably polished effects, but with the mainly leaden characters and events, the whole movie kinda feels like a hollow tube made out of very pretty, glowing glass. V'Ger was designed by popular sci-fi concept artist Syd Mead.

What are you trying to say here? Are you saying that it was semi-successful financially or that it was semi-enjoyable to watch because the music offsets some of it's flaws?

[Big Orange]

I'm saying the decent music score dampened the blow of a stilted script, pretentious directing, and lack of editing.

[Stark]

I'm not really seeing how 'point camera at actors, point camera at viewscreen' is 'pretentious direction'.

[tim31]

He's mistaking it for self-indulgence. A common mistake, surely?

[Stark]

A common mistake, but amusing as hell when he's trying so hard to come across as some kind of SUPER CRITIC with his co-opted phrases and forced diction.

[tim31]

Call 'em as you see 'em

I do agree with regards to the score; Jerry Goldsmith fanfare was obviously potent enough that they could reuse the core of it for 1 x tv series and 5 x movies.