...I've talked about the first time I saw Star Trek The Motion Picture (1979) which by far has its detractors.
For me it was the first movie I ever went to see with a friend without an adult chaperone on a weekend night just before the holidays (that fact itself set the evening off as one of freewheeling independence & excitement). We were going to see a film created from a TV series (which, at the time, was virtually unprecedented). We were going to see a big budget, sci-fi film with special effects on the big screen! And we were seeing the reunion of the original crew which defied the odds since the TV show had initially been a cancelled, old series, but was now resuscitated, at first by fan letters, and ultimately given new life in motion pictures (another unprecedented factor which added to the whole experience being an almost "historical" event no matter how good or bad the movie turned out to be)!
Although the film may not have been as exciting as I felt it was the first time I saw it, the excitement I felt at that time got attached to my memory of the movie - which is why it's in my list of favorites even after I've read the opinions of others about how "dull," "dreary," and "painfully drawn out" it was. And when I see it again, it brings back memories & feelings of youth and good times...
For me it was the first movie I ever went to see with a friend without an adult chaperone on a weekend night just before the holidays (that fact itself set the evening off as one of freewheeling independence & excitement). We were going to see a film created from a TV series (which, at the time, was virtually unprecedented). We were going to see a big budget, sci-fi film with special effects on the big screen! And we were seeing the reunion of the original crew which defied the odds since the TV show had initially been a cancelled, old series, but was now resuscitated, at first by fan letters, and ultimately given new life in motion pictures (another unprecedented factor which added to the whole experience being an almost "historical" event no matter how good or bad the movie turned out to be)!
Although the film may not have been as exciting as I felt it was the first time I saw it, the excitement I felt at that time got attached to my memory of the movie - which is why it's in my list of favorites even after I've read the opinions of others about how "dull," "dreary," and "painfully drawn out" it was. And when I see it again, it brings back memories & feelings of youth and good times...
I also seen Star Trek The Motion Picture (1979) first run but my experience was a bit different. I went with some friends to the drive-in theater and probably brought some beer along despite the fact I wasn't evening old enough to vote. All I can remember is my friend had a VW van with a big sliding sun roof and we all stood with our heads out of the sunroof and watched the movie. Needless to say there was no sound and I don't think we paid much attention to the movie anyway. Just a bunch of teenage shenanigans
I did however have one of the most exhilarating film experiences in my life and it was another Star Trek movie. I went to see Star Trek First Contact (1996) with my brother and we were both Star Trek fans. It was opening night and the theater was jam packed and audience was really into the movie. I'll never forget the rush I felt when I watched the opening scene of Picard as Locutus on the Borg cube. The scene starting with an extreme closeup of Picard's face and the ocular implant and then the camera pulled back....and back...and back in one sweeping motion until we seen Picard as just a speck inside this massive Borg cube. That scene and that moment took my breath away! I've seen that movies since on my big screen TV and it's still a cool shot, but doesn't have the same impact as it did that opening night.