(Click on images to enlarge.)
From the scrapbook this time comes the Time magazine review of "Star Trek II," published June 7, 1982. I don't have a single negative review of this movie in my scrapbooks; which is more than can be said for the first one. Even lukewarm reviewers still manage to give it a thumbs-up.
Below, two more of the 5 x 7 collector's cards.
Is that reviewer actually suggesting that The Motion Picture was pandering to the teen crowd? Did he see it?
ReplyDeleteI read it as the reviewer thinking that effects are only done to draw teens, which is a mistaken theory. But I don't see how anyone could percive the movie as being marketed to teens. I'm thinking he saw effects as something only kids would be interested in.
ReplyDeleteIndicative, perhaps, of how little professional critics actually know about the subject matter they critique.
ReplyDeleteI politely disagree with the commenters: I think the reviewer is simply saying Paramount attempted, with TMP, to draw in a crowd by overloading the film with special effects, ala Star Wars, at the expense of story (unlike SW, in which effects served story. At least back then). Which is a fair criticism of TMP. He wasn't saying that the attempt worked or that it's the only reason people may want to include effects. The effects didn't stop the film from being slow as molasses or bring in the mass teen audiences Paramount may have been hoping for (the film had a massive audience, but one made up mostly of ST fans... like me... watching the film over and over for the chance to see their heroes in a new adventure on the big screen).
ReplyDeleteI read this TWOK review when it first came out and still remember it after all these years: especially the line about (paraphrasing) "the TV show wrapping up even bigger issues in an hour." A nice compliment to both the movie and the series, and after the reviews of the first film (I remember those too), especially welcome to read. Very fun to see and read it again twenty-seven years later on!
Do you have Time's review of The Voyage Home? I recall a line in that one comparing Star Trek fans to Moonies (a reference to the followers of The Reverend Sun Myung Moon, a little more relevant at the time, maybe, but still doing his thing, I guess). In other words, a lot less complimentary, both to the movie (of all ST movies!) and the fans. I'm wondering if it was the same reviewer? Why the hate, all of a sudden? Still sticks in my craw, half a life-time later! :-)
Doug,
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting! I'll have to look to see if I have the Time review of TVH. But the one they did for TMP was a good example of someone reviewing a film while being ignorant of what it was all about. I'll have to post it soon also.
I think Newsweek gave it a negative review, calling it "On Golden Galaxy"
ReplyDelete(A reference to On Golden Pond)