 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Star Trek: The Motion Picture
- Review Date: March 13, 2007
- G
- Genre: Science Fiction
- 1979
Common Sense Media says
First big-screen flight of the Enterprise.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that the plot concerns a nonhuman entity asking quasi-religious questions like the purpose of life, and whether there is a creator. Just as confounding: what version of this movie will you find? There are both G- and PG-rated cuts of this on video. The original theatrical release was, in fact, rated G. A harsher rating on the video reflects more the changing attitudes toward that MPAA classification than the movie content; Paramount evidently decided a G might make video consumers think this was the one where Kirk meets Barney the Dinosaur. It's worth noting that the "PG" director's-edition VHS is in letterboxed widescreen -- really the way this expensive f/x spectacle was meant to be seen and appreciated -- and has an interesting making-of documentary with the participants 20 years later, and a prolonged intro of theme music. The DVD is crammed with similar extras and commentaries.
What's the story?
After years deskbound as an Admiral in Starfleet, James T. Kirk (William Shatner) reassumes command of the starship Enterprise, just refurbished with the latest gear and weaponry. Their mission is to stop a cosmic menace, a shimmering force field from uncharted space that is heading for Earth and destroying anything in its way. Kirk is in an uncomfortable situation, having demoted the younger, more tech-savvy Captain Decker (Stephen Collins) in order to get his ship back. First Officer Spock (Leonard Nimoy) is a late arrival on the mission, having unhappily opted out of joining a monk-like mystical order of pure logic on his home planet of Vulcan.
Is it any good?
Far more complex than the film's plot is the story behind the many years it took to bring the first STAR TREK film to the big screen. The $42 million final budget generated almost as much awe in itself as the movie's cosmic menace, but the best part about this movie is the reunion of beloved small-screen cast members. It's commendable that the filmmakers, for the most part, stuck to the TV show's model of character-based dramatics, and an interplanetary menace was defeated using intellect and good judgment, not light sabers.
Still, the film is a pretty ponderous spectacle. When the Enterprise enters the vast, cloudlike boundaries of the intruder, an awful lot of the movie is indeed the cast gaping at the shimmering light show, right up to a quasi-mystical finale that might have some viewers more puzzled than dazzled.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the conflict between Kirk and Decker, and how Dr. McCoy sizes up the situation of the starship having two rivals jockeying for the command chair. Those in more religious households might discuss the idea of creators and the search for meanings in existence. Spock's quest for perfect logic leads him to sympathize with V'ger, an entity that is planet-killing lethal, yet not really evil. You might ask kids if they prefer this kind of character- and idea-driven science fiction or the more simplistic notions of good and bad, in space swashbuckers like Star Wars. There is a small history lesson in the various real-life heroic vessels that have had the name "Enterprise," including a WWII aircraft carrier and a prototype space shuttle.
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AGE
I couldnt sit through it...
Dragged on and had a boring storyline. 2/5
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AGE
Wow. BORING!!
Wow was this boring. The slowest moving movie ever. Wow, my kids hated it.
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AGE
A Disappointment, to Say the Least...
Before a few nights ago, I'd never seen the old STAR TREK movies (I know; shocker). I saw THE VOYAGE HOME on a shelf, and, knowing that the plot was independent of the others, picked it up and watched it. I was wowed; it was sharp, funny, intense, and intelligent. This one...not at all. If you're hoping to watch the first to gain character knowledge: you won't get it. In fact, you're better off starting with number two.
That said, there's little objectionable content. People are vaporized (their forms are seen screaming before they disappear), and there are some "d**n"s and "hells".
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AGE
Fun to look back on
This was the first Trek movie and had ground breaking special effects (for the day). However, there is a very long period of musical interludes where there is no dialogue. My 11 year-old loves Star Trek and wanted me to fastforward through this really long sequence. But, for me, it was neat to see all the cast members. In this film they all look so young and skinny (William Shatner, for instance). Compared with others in the franchise, this one is very tame in terms of action and violence.
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AGE
boring... could have been much more
well, i wish it was more interesting. had a boring plot and was slow moving. watch it if you wish. i wouldn't recommend it unless you're a die-hard fan... or a "trekkie" but even then...
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AGE
Probably the best Star Trek movie ever made.
The violent content in this movie is practically nonexistent. In a few scenes, an alien machine fires at other ships and turns them into what looks like static electricity. Later, an alien beam does this to one of the characters. Most cartoons are more violent then that, though. The language is comparable to most PG movies, you'll hear a few "D" words. The message at the end of the movie is a very good one. The movie ends when an artificial intelligence realizes that he can't grow without faith. Just like most of the episodes of the original series, this one ends with a moral message.
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Kid, 10 years old
November 29, 2011
AGE
BEST STAR TREK MOVIE
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| Topics: | adventures, space and aliens |
| Studio: | Paramount Pictures |
| Director: | Robert Wise |
| Cast: | DeForest Kelley, Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner |
| Genre: | Science Fiction |
| Run time: | 143 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | December 7, 1979 |
| DVD release date: | November 6, 2001 |
| MPAA rating: | G |
| MPAA explanation: | general audiences |
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