I saw Star Trek: The Motion Picture (blu ray version) for the first time last night. I wasn't expecting it to be good. I've always heard that only the even-numbered Star Trek films are good, and the first 10-15 minutes of the film justified my low expectations.

But I walked away liking the film.

I like the costumes. I like the eerie soundtrack. I like how Spock is essentially wiped of his humanity for most of the film, making him something of a grim-faced wildcard. I like how shaken everyone was by the teleporter malfunction. Hell, I like Decker.

Is it a perfect film? No. The ending felt like an excuse to get the gang back together with minimal changes. And plenty of scenes dragged on. But overall, I think it was exactly the film the Star Trek franchise needed to reenter the public discourse.