One thing that's nice about the original "Star Trek" television series is that it was almost never really dull. There were some awful episodes, there were some that are just annoying, in spite of good ideas and decent writing ("Miri", which I recently rewatched, comes to mind), but it was almost always entertaining at least, something which I can't say about "The Next Generation", unfortunately.
However, in spite of the brilliant effects, music, and design work, "Star Trek: The Motionless Picture" lives up to its title, remaining a lifeless, embalmed, almost unbelievably dull story for its entirety. Also, it's really not as intelligent or sophisticated as some of its fans like to claim. Directed by Robert Wise, who made several of my favorite films, this film fails on every level in terms of storytelling, and in its attempts to be a genuine science fiction epic falls flat throughout.
The acting is really not good at all, and what is most disappointing about "The Motionless Picture" is that it fails to capitalize on the most charming aspect of the original "Star Trek" (and the later series as well, other than "Voyager" in which it wasn't present): the dynamic between the characters. "Star Trek" may have explored concepts, but it's only rarely that it achieved true greatness in that field. Its success was based on well-written stories and great, rich characters and a successful dynamic between them. "The Motionless Picture" has none of that. How sad it is that I'd rather watch "The Way to Eden" than suffer through this again.
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