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In many ways, this movie is the forgotten step-child of the Trek movies. It does not get a lot of credit for being as good as it was. Most Trek fans prefer the sequel, The Wrath of Khan, and give this an unfavourable comparison. On it's own merits, it's a very good, if not exactly great, sci-fi movie, made in the grandest traditions of sci-fi.
We already knew the characters very well, so there's not much need to go into character development. Still, a considerable amount of time is spent in the re-introductions before we get into the main plot. The story is familiar, a strange alien force, destroying everything that clashes against it, headed towards Earth. The Enterprise is to go and intercept the alien and to try and stop it.
Before we get to the climax, we go through a lot of philosophical questioning about the meaning of life, the value of emotions and other human frailties. There is very little action in the movie, I can't seem to recall even a single phazer being fired.The writers weren't looking to make a space adventure, they were looking to make a space opera, the next 2001: A Space Odyssey. Just for that, I give this movie and it's makers a lot of credit. The musical score is also fantastic, giving us a great atmosphere.
It's not roses all the way though. The movie plods along too much in the second half. The special effects are also dated but don't really detract from the story. Saving time from all the re-introductions in the beginning and better pacing in the second half, and focusing on the 'alien' a little more would have made this a better movie.
In the end, I admire the grand scale on which this movie was conceived, even if the execution did leave something lacking.
8/10
