MovieChat Forums > Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) Discussion > Who saw this in cinemas back in 79?

Who saw this in cinemas back in 79?

posted 9 years ago by bozo_500
44 replies | jump to latest

Who saw this back in the day? What were your memories - the anticipation of seeing it in the weeks/days before, the actually seeing it and how much a big deal was it where you were back then, the crowds, audience etc and after coming out of the cinema what were your thoughts and in the days/weeks that followed.

I didn't see it (was too young) but I think about what it mustve been like to attend TMP in Xmas 79... fans/audiences went in expecting ‘Star Trek’ : The Motion Picture. but what Roddenberry actually gave them was ‘Star Trek Phase 2’ : The Motion Picture.

its like Roddenberry saw 2001 in 1968 or 1969 when his TV series was constantly under threat and thought to himself 'thats what star trek should be like..if i ever get the budget to do a star trek movie i will make it more like that'

Its funny when you think Star Wars was out just 2 years earlier and the success of that prompted Paramount to switch from doing the Phase 2 series or low budget tv movie to the big movie. one of the inspirations for Star Wars was obviously star trek with its action packed romp style...so fans will have been expecting and wanting the Trek movie to jump straight back into that feel.....yet Star Trek TMP shunned that in favour of a lofty 2001 vibe (which to be fair was the norm for SF flicks of the 70s that thoughtful, intellectual dystopian stuff which Star Trek had already been planning to go that route for 'Phase 2' before SW brought back the feel good action SF, so you had people wondering why STTMP wasn’t like that as that’s what they remembered from the tv show! So if anything SW was the anomaly and STTMP turned up too late to the party!!)...with time its interesting to see it as a more realistic '2001' version of Trek as theres the action films Wrath of Khan etc to enjoy (i.e. thats what a 'Star Trek' universe might really be like in the 23rd century more so than any other incarnations of Trek that followed in the sequels TNG and even the JJ films – these ultra advanced astronauts in their white&grey uniforms aboard a clean dangerous and powerful starship that can travel faster than light where if they dont get the instruments precise can create wormholes etc. its almost like a realistic futuristic SF movie about what humanity would be like in the 23rd century dealing with this horrific unknown cloud thing. And it just happens to star older versions of the cheapnchearful colourful 60s tv show 'star trek') but its easy to imagine the disappointment fans mustve had in 79 when theyd been waiting for the movie for the best part of a decade.

The anticipation of a huge budget Star Trek movie (with all the original cast) directed by a big name director (essentially like a Spielberg of the day) mustve been off the scale. (esp with Star Wars just out near enough the previous year whetting everyones appetite for colourful space action) ...they mustve been expecting epic space battles, hand phaser fights, Kirk Fu, nasty creepy aliens, Klingons kicking ass, Kirk Spock Bones jokes/banter, that eerie uncanny Twilight Zone vibe alot of the season 1 eps had, light comedic moments, red/gold/blue uniforms similar to the tv show, colourful Ent interiors, alien space babes for Kirk, beaming down to exotic alien planets (all done on a bigger scale/more realistic) ....and instead they got 'Star Trek: A Space Odyssey' with a dash of Close Encounters

I wonder what the reaction would’ve been had it been the movie version of the TV Star Trek?

maybe itd have made Star Wars box office !

(then again there were plenty episodes that were like TMP- Changeling, Doomsday, Corbomite, Immunity etc only with the added element of earth in peril)

[–] strntz (10801) 6 years ago

One of the first films my wife and I saw together.

Here's my main recollection: the first 5 minutes (Klingons attacking the v'ger cloud and the plasma weapon dancing on the battle cruisers before disintegrating them) was thrilling and the effects were amazing. Then, it started dragging and dragging badly. Being an avowed Trekkie (Trekker?), I still enjoyed the film overall but I think as a standalone it may have been more a bore fest to the rank and file SiFi fan.

[–] liscarkat (16515) 5 years ago

I saw it at the giant state-of-the-art Edwards Cinema (since split into multiple theaters) in Newport Beach, California on December 7, 1979 during its original theatrical release. The place was packed with excited fans, and when the music started and the names "Gene Roddenberry," "William Shatner,", "Leonard Nimoy," and all the rest appeared on the screen, there were loud waves of applause and cheering. A couple of hours later, as everyone filed out of the theater, many were trying to tell themselves how good it was, but there was a general sense of disappointment.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

"A couple of hours later, as everyone filed out of the theater, many were trying to tell themselves how good it was, but there was a general sense of disappointment."

I've seen that phenomenon happen a few times. It's always interesting

[–] strntz (10801) 5 years ago

A couple of hours later, as everyone filed out of the theater, many were trying to tell themselves how good it was, but there was a general sense of disappointment.

It's been a long time, but I can't recall being disappointed.

On the other hand, I also can't recall being thrilled either.

[–] Gd5150 (11015) 4 years ago

I saw Back to the Future and Titanic there. Amazing theatre. It’s huge. Seats like 1500.

[–] liscarkat (16515) a month ago

Yeah, it was an amazing theater, but it isn't huge anymore. They divided it into multiple smaller theaters.

[–] bozo_500 (12211) 5 years ago

anyone seen it on the big screen.. today?
https://twitter.com/fathomevents/status/1173227467764449280

[–] Gd5150 (11015) 4 years ago

I did. It was so boring. And there was a bald chic. That’s still all I remember from it.

Saw Wrath of Khan and it was awesome.

[–] bozo_500 (12211) 3 years ago

Who else saw it

[–] pjl69 (2430) a year ago

I did. Always liked this movie better than the other Star Treks. And my appreciation for this movie has never diminished.

[–] Druff (1447) 2 years ago

I was spending the weekend at my best friend's house and his dad took the whole family + me to see it at the local mega mall. I was 10. Star Trek was one of the first things I ever fell in love with as a little kid, but Star Wars definitely supplanted it. I had kinda moved on from my obsession with ST, but the idea of a movie version of it on steroids definitely caught my interest. I loved STtMP when I saw it that night in the theater. It's always been my personal favorite Star Trek movie ever since, I don't think I had any awareness that anybody hated it until much later, probably after Wrath of Khan came out. Probably the same sort of morons who think 2001 is boring. BTW I also remember before the movie we were at the big arcade right across from the theater, and they had a brand new game I'd never seen before called Asteroids.

[–] SandyR (7345) 2 years ago

Saw it in the theater opening night. Struggled to stay awake for the entire movie.

[–] bozo_500 (12211) a year ago

😴

[–] PaladinNJ (20310) 8 months ago

I did on opening weekend. We were kind of pissed that they were charging full price when all the other movies were at Matinee Price. Had to pay an additional 25 cents.