For so long we thought Dr. “Bones” McCoy was supposed to be the opposite of Spock. But being a hothead just makes you the dramatic foil. The true opposite must be driven by emotion on an intellectual level. And thus, finally, we have Spock’s long-lost half-brother show up in “Star Trek V: The Final Frontier” (1989). He’s a nutjob cult leader hellbent on hijacking a starship to the center of the bad SFX universe – where God is, of course. He creates implausible mind-melds and VR memory recalls, which makes this movie just as ridiculous as every other Star Trek flick.
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Some people treat “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” (1982) like it’s some work of literature. Arguably, it’s the best “Trek” film that features the original TV cast, but only because guest star Ricardo Montalban, his heavy metal hair and his fake pecs are so awesome (and Kirstie Alley plays a Vulcan!). Otherwise, it’s a glorified TV movie with bad special effects, William Shatner’s heavy-handed acting, and a very special, TV-movie, heavy-handed moral lesson (needs of the many, needs of the few, blah, blah blah). It authentically captures the essence of the TV show, for better and for worse.
When a film series enters the “IV” stage, the sequel usually requires an IV of Ringer’s lactate just to survive to its pitiful end. No so in “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home” (1986). For non-Trekkies who endured a mediocre TV series and three equally pedestrian film reboots, the payoff here is the one thing “Trek” could always deliver when it wanted to – comedy (remember the Tribbles?). On a save-the-whales mission (there’s always a heavy-handed, moralizing theme), Kirk and the gang are fishes out of water (so to speak) in 1980s San Francisco (Spock’s a far-out dude). Time-warped hijinks ensue.
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