It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
^ Back to Top
The MI6 Community is unofficial and in no way associated or linked with EON Productions, MGM, Sony Pictures, Activision or Ian Fleming Publications. Any views expressed on this website are of the individual members and do not necessarily reflect those of the Community owners. Any video or images displayed in topics on MI6 Community are embedded by users from third party sites and as such MI6 Community and its owners take no responsibility for this material.
James Bond News • James Bond Articles • James Bond Magazine
Comments
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (Director's Edition)
In order to somewhat prep myself for the viewing of this film, I watched the Original Series episode, "Space Seed," to get some backstory.
The plot of TWOK is actually relatively simple and less cerebral than the film in which it followed, but I don't view that as a detriment. Having a simpler plot allowed TWOK to have far better pacing than TMP, and therefore makes for a more exciting viewing experience. Having the story that somewhat "checks up" on a villain of yesteryear was an interesting premise and I believe that TWOK pulls it off.
The Wrath of Khan also features some nifty subplots that lifts the film beyond a simple revenge based sci-fi adventure. Kirk's worries about his age loom over the whole film, and when Spock is jettisoned into space at the very end, Kirk's realization of feeling young makes for a great moment. The addition of Kirk's son was also a nice touch - all this parading around space hasn't been without its consequences. TWOK does a great job in bringing the larger than life Kirk down to a humble human being.
A special mention must also be made to the now famous 'Spock sacrifice' scene. The decision for Spock to sacrifice himself not only made for a neat twist, but gave the character a human trait not often associated with him. His eventual death with Kirk is a very good scene, too. Leonard Nimoy is just fantastic.
Ricardo Montalban made for a decent enough villain of the week on TOS, but hot damn did he become one of sci-fi's greatest villains in TWOK. Khan is a deliciously evil and cunning character. He is smooth yet crazed. Brilliant, but at the same time, unstable. (He is also obsessed on cold-served revenge.) Montalban steals the show here and he is a very large reason why TWOK works so well. Talk about having a screen presence.
Not to be outdone (naturally) is William Shatner. Like I said in my TMP review, he is one to get used to, but I feel I am already there. The greatest scene is the film is easily Kirk's confrontation with Khan via the communicator ("Khan you bloodsucker!"), and that truly is a feat. The two characters never actually meet in this scene, but through Montalban's and, dare I say it, Shatner's performances, the scene makes for one of the most memorable in sci-fi cinema. Deforest Kelley, James Doohan and the rest of the regulars are as reliable as ever, as well.
Now, here is where I may surprise some of you. I do believe there is just one major thing Star Trek: The Motion Picture did BETTER than Star Trek II - and that was create mood. TMP painted a very mysterious and almost frightening image of space, and sometimes even went out of its way to do so. It doesn't seem to me this was fully realized in The Wrath of Khan - not to say that this is a fatal flaw, but one of my reasons for enjoying TMP was its ominous and intimidating depiction of space. (Perhaps this stems from the fact that I found Goldsmith's elegantly eerie TMP score slightly more effective than Horner's bombastic one. Though TWOK's score is still great.)
Something silly, but it must be mentioned: For some odd reason I was annoyed at the reused special effects footage from The Motion Picture. Of course, this was pretty much a non issue and I understand that it was done for budgetary restrictions, but it was so damned obvious to me - particularly the reused shot of the Enterprise that was the final (and slightly iconic) shot of The Motion Picture. Did they think people wouldn't recognize that?!
In the end, however, The Wrath of Khan is an improvement over its predecessor. With a great villain, simple but engaging plot and small but effective human touches, I can fully understand why many consider TWOK to be such a classic.
1. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (Director's Edition) (1982) - 8.5/10
2. Star Trek: The Motion Picture (Director's Edition) (1979) - 7/10
Up next....
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
*** - Minor revision: I'm changing TWOK from an 8 to an 8.5. The more I think about it, the more I like it.
STIII is actually quite an entertaining ST movie vastly better than the next crew Baldly going......
I'll take Nemesis over Search for Spock any day. At least Nemesis had great space battle scenes near the end of the film.
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
So, the question that was on my mind (and likely everyone's mind upon first viewing TSFS) was - just how the hell are they going to bring him back?
And then, the question I had after the film had ended: that was it?
The Search for Spock is a somewhat messy film, and is incredibly uneven in terms of quality. For me, the film went back and forth from being pretty good to decent, to average more times to count. I'll explain.
Although the title almost fools us that this is Spock's film, he is barely in it at all. The real star of the show is DeForrest Kelley, who - up until this point - gives his best performance as 'Bones' McCoy. That scene in the bar is great, and the scene in which Bones tells Spock that he "cannot lose him again," is also quite strong.
The screenplay is also full of cute little zingers and dialogue exchanges. ("The word is no. I am therefore going anyway." "That green blooded son of a bitch! It's his revenge for all the arguments he lost!" Kirk asking how many fingers he's held up...etc.) Not to say that TMP and TWOK didn't have similar moments, but TSFS dialogue is mostly sharp and is clearly the script's greatest asset.
However....
The way in which The Search for Spock arrives at its ultimate conclusion is a bit of a rocky road. First of all, David's death misses the mark entirely. It's an awkward death followed by an awkward reaction from Shatner. For such an apparently HUGE moment, the film frustratingly glosses over the fact that Kirk's only known son has DIED. Maybe Kirk is really that much of a bastard, I don't know.
It is very unfortunate that Kirstie Alley chose not to return as Saavik. I understand that the character is Vulcan, but Robin Curtis is incredibly stiff and just a poor actress. Coming back to David's death, her telling Kirk that his son is dead is plain awful. ("David. Is. Dead.") The scene was already struggling as it was, but that brutal delivery sealed the deal. Once again, I understand that she is Vulcan, but that scene should not have been played off that way. I understand that Curtis is also Savvik in Star Trek IV...I can't say I look forward to that fact.
Christopher Lloyd is fine as the film's antagonist, I suppose, but it is safe to say that he is a huge step down from Khan. The Klingon villains of TSFS never seemed to give Kirk and company any sort of real threat. Kruge's ending fist fight with Kirk is also frustratingly anticlimactic.
After three films, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock is easily the weakest. The mysterious and frightening depiction of space seen in TMP and touched upon in TWOK is all but gone here. While it is shorter than The Motion Picture, TSFS does not have anywhere near as interesting as a storyline. And on first thought, I don't think TSFS does a single thing better than TWOK from a plot or action perspective.
Overall, I'm disappointed with Star Trek III. It makes it even worse that it is the direct sequel to the stellar, and vastly superior Star Trek II.
1. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (Director's Edition) (1982) - 8.5/10
2. Star Trek: The Motion Picture (Director's Edition) (1979) - 7/10
3. Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) - 6/10
Up next....
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Yep, spacebattles over the cameraderie of the original ST crew, I'll pass simply because the Next Gen movies after First Contact were never anything more than enhanced tv-episodes and not even the good ones. And I would not be surprised if those spacebattles were added after a test showing it did happen with the previous ST next gen movie.
There were five other films showing the comradarie of the TOS cast, and Wrath of Khan, The Final Frontier, and The Undiscovered Country showed it off far better than Search for Spock.
As far as the last two Next Gen films, Insurrection was more of an enhanced TV episode, but Nemesis was a little bit (and I stress little bit) more than that.
I agree that the six ST movies were about cameraderie and action in space, I found STIII absolutely not lacking in that sense.And what about the opening of the movie when the Enterprise returns to spacedock and the people see her damage absolutely heartbreaking followed by her decommision. The stealing of the Enterprise and the consequences of that action are very powerfull. Overall the movie is for me the reverse of TWOK where Spock gave his life for the Enterprise, this time it is the ENterprise that does the same curtisy and instead of being mothballed goes down as a hero. Her death did do something to me. And indeed this movie is as well about the family these men and Uhura have become during the decades of traveling the universe, they go to great lenghts for each other. And the Enterprise has always been a member of that family. Great movie and the second installment of the Genesis trilogy.
That would have been closer, but still a bit misleading. The true plot of ST3 wasn't looking for Spock, or even returning to Genesis, it was about going to the brink. ST2 was about growing old, ST3 was about going to the end, and ST4 was about a new beginning.
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
What a strange, joyous, wacky little movie. I honestly do not know where to begin.
After viewing the first three Star Trek films within the last week and a half or so, I figured that I had a general gist on how these movies went. And then comes Star Trek IV, a cinematic curve ball that left me adrift - but mostly in a good way - I think.
I find it quite fascinating that Leonard Nimoy directed both Star Trek III and IV, as both films are inherently dissimilar. First of all, the dialogue scenes that take place on 20th century Earth are, for the most part, HILARIOUS. This is the most quotable Star Trek film I have so far come across; the script is so good and so funny that it almost makes you forget that the story is - putting it mildly - bizarre beyond all reason. I am almost convinced that the tone of the film is what saves The Voyage Home from being a total mess. If The Voyage Home had treated itself the same way the first three ST films did, I don't believe TVH would have been as good of a film.
The cast of the film is excellent. William Shatner's style of acting fits perfectly with the film's tone, Leonard Nimoy is beyond funny and at the same time valiant, DeForest Kelley is clearly in his element, particularly in the hospital scene, even Walter Koenig seems just a tad more comfortable as Chekov. Kirk and the gang jumping into the water upon saving the world makes for a strangely touching moment. This is the crew of the Enterprise having unfiltered fun. It's the first time we've seen that happen in the films, and I thought it was fantastic.
The visual effects also have noticeably improved for TVH. Not to say that the previous films were unimpressive visually (quite the contrary), but ILM outdid itself for The Voyage Home.
Through all the fun, however, there were a few instances when The Voyage Home crossed the line for me. Chekov's ill-fated escape from his interrogation goes too far into spoof territory for me, as does the scene where Kirk, McCoy, Chekov and Gillian escape from the hospital. The latter scene particularly reminded me of something right out of Benny Hill, dumb cops and all. Which brings me too....
The score. Unfortunately, Leonard Rosenman's score for The Voyage Home is a massive step in the wrong direction (especially when you compare it to the marvelous works of Jerry Goldsmith and James Horner). Too often did it sound like some sort of oddball spoof for me. Even during the scenes in space, there is no Goldsmith inspired elegance or Horner inspired bombastic-ness. It is just blah. I'm not going to call it a terrible score, but it just wasn't the right sound for Star Trek - lighter tone or not.
And then there is the story. It is just kooky. I actually found the whales fairly interesting, but The Voyage Home sorely lacks any motivation for its already severely under developed "villain." Even in Star Trek: The Motion Picture, we got an eventual semi-understanding of V'ger and its reasoning behind its actions. In TVH, all the probe wants to do is contact the whales. The 'why' is apparently irrelevant, and that is frustrating with a Star Trek film.
So, with all that being said....
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home is certainly a fun movie with a splendid sense of humor. I just wish it would have fleshed out the story more, and had its silly scenes just a little more under control. I understand Star Trek V: The Final Frontier is the movie that broke the camel's back, so maybe after that one, I'll be yearning for The Voyage Home again.
1. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (Director's Edition) (1982) - 8.5/10
2. Star Trek: The Motion Picture (Director's Edition) (1979) - 7.5/10
3. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) - 7/10
4. Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) - 6/10
Up next....
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
Footnote: Upon more thought, I have added .5 to The Motion Picture.
All I can say for now is that I didn't like it. ;)
http://collider.com/star-trek-3-news-zachary-quinto/#more-268297
Continuing my very first trek into the films of Star Trek...
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
I can only imagine how great it must have been to be a Star Trek fan right before The Final Frontier had been released. The Voyage Home had been the last immediate release and had been a critical and commercial success - hell, it was even nominated for four (!) Oscars. So then comes Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, a movie that likely suffered from the mercy of "yes men" and its director, William Shatner.
Now, let me get this out of the way: I love William Shatner as Kirk. It is true that Shatner pretty much plays himself but his screen presence is second to none, and Kirk is quite the character. But a director Mr. Shatner does not make. The Final Frontier is such a mess of a film and it doesn't take long to become a frustrating viewing experience. How can a film franchise that had delivered four solid feature films produce such a train-wreck?
The biggest problem with Star Trek V, like with most bad high-concept films, is the script. The Final Frontier wanted to be The Voyage Home: Part 2 in terms of tone and spirit, but the jokes and humor come across as either incredibly forced or totally unfunny. The incompetence bleeds into the actual storyline of the film, too. I think there is actually something interesting going on with the plot, but the film is so concentrated on delivering 'laughs' that the story is wish washed to oblivion, and the film therefore shortchanges itself.
When compared to what came before it, The Final Frontier's special effects look terrible. I got a kick when I realized that the only convincing shots were reused footage from The Voyage Home. I would not normally complain about the special effects from a film made in 1989, but previous Star Trek films always had at least decent effects. Some of the visual effects shots of The Final Frontier look straight out of the 60s TV series, and that is just unacceptable.
It is nice to have Jerry Goldsmith bring back his Star Trek: The Motion Picture main theme and Klingon theme, but I was disappointed with the rest of the score. Maybe Goldsmith read the script became as unmotivated as the rest of the crew.
There is but ONE truly memorable scene in the film, and it does not at all surprise me that it involves the late DeForrest Kelley. Sybok's forcing the 'emotional pain' from McCoy's past really stood out to me, especially in a film devoid of anything else inherently interesting. Both Kelley and Laurence Luckinbill (Sybok) are great in the scene, and it was at that point in which I almost thought the film would turn around. Hmm. (I actually don't mind Laurence Luckinbill's Sybok as the main antagonist, but I think he could have been more effective if the script was kinder to the film's storyline.)
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier is a cash in. There is an interesting idea buried somewhere deep within, but the script fumbles anything that could have been. After the film was finished, I gave a long thought if I could actually give a Trek film lower than a mediocre score - and after some time - I finally decided that I could.
Oh, and as a footnote: God bless Nichelle Nichols for not quitting on the spot when she first read that seduction scene.
1. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (Director's Edition) (1982) - 8.5/10
2. Star Trek: The Motion Picture (Director's Edition) (1979) - 7.5/10
3. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) - 7/10
4. Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) - 6/10
5. Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989) - 4/10
Up next....
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
I was only 20 minutes into The Undiscovered Country when I realized how happy I was that the Star Trek filmmakers once again had their head on their shoulders. It is almost inconceivable how improved the sixth Star Trek installment is over its immediate predecessor. As a matter of fact, I was surprised to find Star Trek VI to be one of the stronger Trek films.
While The Final Frontier suffered from a frustratingly lazy and lame script, The Undiscovered Country gives us a very interesting storyline involving murder, politics and mystery. I was worried that the parallel to the Berlin Wall was to come across as dated, but I was relieved to see that the story still is nearly just as relevant as it likely was in 1991. The return of The Wrath of Khan's Nicholas Meyer as the film's director is also a welcome addition to the film, as The Undiscovered Country is (like Khan) tightly paced.
The newcomers to the cast are all welcome additions. I thought Valeris served very well as the film's Benedict Arnold and was certainly an improvement over Robin Curtis's wooden interpretation of Saavik. Also, Spock's mind meld with Valeris makes for one hell of a scene. Christopher Plummer's sniveling, Shakespeare quoting character of General Chang is the second best Trek villain to Montalban's Khan for me. The Klingon trial scene is certainly a stand out not only for Plummer but also for the film.
I was relieved to see that the visual effects were once again under the control of ILM, and were much improved over the cheap looking effects of The Final Frontier. Cliff Eidelman's haunting score fits perfectly with the film's generally darker tone and Hiro Narita's cinematography is (thus far) the best in the entire series. From a technical aspect, The Undiscovered Country gets just about the highest marks I can give it.
However, if I had to give one main gripe to film, it would be its occasional inappropriate silliness. For the most part, The Undiscovered Country is a more serious affair than The Voyage Home and The Final Frontier yet, there were occasions when TUC had some jarring tonal shifts. For example, Kirk's confrontation with the shape shifter is a little too wacky. Particularly Shatner's suddenly silly delivery of, "I can't believe I kissed you!" I understand where they were coming from, but I think the script (and Shatner) should have showed a little more restraint. Another example would be the entire bridge crew trying to translate Klingon. Wouldn't Uhura, being the ship's communication officer, be able to translate the language of the Federation's biggest threat? Finally, that scene with Valeris disintegrating the pot in the kitchen is such a mess (from a plot and tone perspective). I was almost worried that the film would lose it at that point, but I was happily proven wrong.
The final scene of the film hit all the right buttons for me. Spock's final line, while a little out of left field, is pretty great and the crew's final moments are effectively captured within the small final instant of The Undiscovered Country. It was a fulfilling ending to an occasionally flawed, yet very satisfying Star Trek entry, and very satisfying film series.
I feel I am going to miss the original series crew when I begin The Next Generation films. I have grown to love the camaraderie between the original crew of the Enterprise and it always shocks me to know that many of the actors never got along with one another in real life. Regardless, it has been a great adventure with the original members of the USS Enterprise with these six films (yes, even the lousy one).
But like all things in Hollywood, the show must (and will) go on.
1. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (Director's Edition) (1982) - 8.5/10
2. Star Trek: The Motion Picture (Director's Edition) (1979) - 7.5/10
3. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991) - 7.5/10
4. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) - 7/10
5. Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) - 6/10
6. Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989) - 4/10
Up next....
Star Trek: Generations
Star Trek: Generations
I tried to like it. I really did.
The truth of the matter is that Star Trek: Generations is more of a mess than The Final Frontier was. I was also unfortunately grounded in my fear that I would miss the original crew of the USS Enterprise. And the plot. Oh man, the plot.
First things first. I have never, up until this point, seen anything in relation to Star Trek: The Next Generation (TV show or film). This means that Generations is the first contact (heh) I have had with The Next Generation cast. With that in mind, I will tell it how I see it. Captain Picard is a strong willed character with an incredible voice and played very admirably by Sir Patrick Stewart, but I do not find him as oddly interesting as Kirk. Data is a Vulcan-wannabe babbling idiot who does not even hold a candle to Spock (I suppose I have the emotion chip to thank for that). I guess there is a doctor on board the Enterprise-D (Crusher?), but let's be honest: it wouldn't even be fair to juxtapose her to McCoy. Same goes for Riker - he seems to be a force to be reckoned with, but his interplay with Picard is not half as fun as Kirk and McCoy's interplay. There just is no competition in my eyes.
Perhaps all this negativity comes down to the fact that Star Trek: Generations has one of the sloppiest plots I have ever seen in a major motion picture. There are so many plot holes and questions that I almost don't want to list them. I'm sure I missed a few, but here I go anyway:
What exactly is the Nexus? Where did it come from? Why is it moving throughout the universe in the way that it does? How did Guinan get transported into Picard's Nexus? How did Picard travel from his Nexus to Kirk's Nexus? Kirk has been living in his Nexus for nearly 80 years if we go by the subtitle - does the film assume that he is blindingly stupid enough to believe he is living in reality when all it takes is a horse jump to convince him the Nexus is not real? How did Kirk and Picard escape the Nexus? How does the Nexus allow one to go back in time when the Nexus itself is a fake reality? If the Nexus is 'what you desire', does that mean the entire ending of the film (and subsequent TNG films) are all Picard's hallucinations and the crew of the Enterprise is actually dead? (That would be pretty interesting though.)
Generations' plot is so incomprehensibly convoluted that I just gave up. I honestly could not understand, nor did I even want to understand what the movie was about. Because after all, it ended up being about stopping a missile from blowing up a star and killing a bunch of stuff. That's what I got out of it - and it was still lame.
I actually dug the beginning of Generations perhaps only because it still felt like an Original Series film. I was not as off put as I thought I would be about Kirk, Scotty and Chekov coming back despite getting a more than proper send off in The Undiscovered Country. I didn't even mind that a more hammy than usual William Kirk was used as a plot device later in the film. What really disgusts me is how Generations treats the eventual fate of Kirk.
Kirk's death scene mentally hurt me, and it will likely haunt me into my next life if there is such a thing. I thought David's death in The Search for Spock was stale, but my God, Kirk's death in Star Trek: Generations is a flat out insult to fans of the Original Series. I just don't understand who's idea it was to portray Kirk as some old, senile cowboy inexplicably bent on having just one last hoorah. Kirk's line, "It was fun," is so damned stupid that I have to stop typing about it. I actually don't even mind Kirk's final words of, "Oh my," but everything that preceded it was so painful that I can't commend it as much as I normally would.
Star Trek: Generations is the worst Star Trek film, bar none. It has actually made me appreciate The Final Frontier a little more, as I now know how truly bad it can get.
And to think that I was happy at the end of The Undiscovered Country.
1. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (Director's Edition) (1982) - 8.5/10
2. Star Trek: The Motion Picture (Director's Edition) (1979) - 7.5/10
3. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991) - 7.5/10
4. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) - 7/10
5. Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) - 6/10
6. Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989) - 5/10*
7. Star Trek: Generations (1994) - 4/10
Up next...
Star Trek: First Contact - and it had better be as good as people say it is.
*Footnote: Upon viewing Star Trek: Generations, I have realized that despite The Final Frontier's MANY shortcomings, there were at least one or two scenes that stood out. And I miss the Original Series cast, so sue me. I've added one extra point to Star Trek V.
All Good Things was so phenomenal IMO there was no way to top it. At least, not working with the studio overseeing them.
#1 Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (Theatrical Edition ONLY) / Star Trek: The Motion Picture (Director's Edition) TIE
#2 Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (Theatrical Edition)
#3 Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
#4 Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
#5 Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
I firstly want to apologize to fans of The Next Generation who have read my Star Trek: Generations review. I am totally shocked as to how badly the film fumbled the crew camaraderie, and how strong it is in the actual television show. I still believe that the TOS cast is slightly stronger, but I was very wrong about some of the views I had. Riker is stoic, but not overly so. Data is not a babbling Spock-wannabe. Generations would have one believe otherwise, but I'm starting to believe that the film may be some tragic anomaly. Perhaps I can come to also accept the TNG crew eventually.
The story of "The Best of Both Worlds" is very engaging. Naturally, having the Borg kidnap Captain Picard and use him against his friends makes a very interesting concept indeed. I was hooked throughout both episodes.
I now believe I have at least some backstory for the next film in my line up - Star Trek: First Contact.
You're not exactly wrong. Generations was being written (and, I think, filmed) at the same time as the TNG series finale All Good Things..., which both cast and crew felt was a far better piece of Star Trek than Generations.
Best of Both Worlds, however, was awesome, and worthy of being a theatrical feature itself.