Recently, I decided to rewatch the last two Star Trek films made with the original cast (Star Trek V: The Final Frontier and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. I remembered the first four very well and had seen each of them multiple times, but not these two. My only conclusion was that I hadn’t liked them very much, or I would have seen them more than once (or at least remembered them.) However, I realized that I hadn’t liked the third movie the first time I had seen it either (The Search for Spock), but after a second viewing, I liked it much more.
So I decided to give V and VI another chance. Full of hope, I put Star Trek V in the DVD player and fired it up. As it turned out, I had no reason for any hope at all. It was bad, just bad. There were a few funny spots, but not enough to rescue the movie for me. And some of the attempts at humor were just wrong, like Scotty knocking himself unconscious by hitting his head on a beam on the Enterprise. The Enterprise! Scotty’s pride and joy, which he knew better than the back of his hand. I realize that was supposed to be part of the joke, but it just didn’t work. This was William Shatner’s first attempt at directing a Star Trek film, and thankfully, his last. Stick to acting, Mr. Shatner. We love you as Kirk.
Now on to Star Trek VI. After my experience with Star Trek V, I had no hope. Again, I was surprised, but this time, pleasantly. How could I have forgotten how good this movie was and let it gather dust in the back of my video cabinet? It was an excellent film, with tension from beginning to end and a lot of humor (good humor, this time) sprinkled throughout. Plus, Christopher Plummer was amazing as the Klingon villain, right up there with Khan.
But there was more. I truly believe that director Nicholas Myer captured the personalities and relationships of the crew, along with Gene Roddenbery’s original vision. Without question, this movie has moved up in my personal ranking to #3.
Frankly, I might have rated it even higher if it had not been pushed to the back of my mind all these years. Star Trek II: The Revenge of Khan is of course #1, as it is with most trekies because (a) it brought back a popular TOS villain and (b) had all the elements which had been lacking in Star Trek: The Motion Picture. It was like Universal Studios had redeemed itself in the eyes of Star Trek fans. Second is Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. This movie was enjoyed even by non-Trek fans for its humor and topical theme.
So, my ratings of the first six Star Trek films are as follows:
Star Trek II: The Revenge of Khan
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
Some fans may disagree with me and put Star Trek: The Motion Picture last because everyone remembers their disappointment with it. My word to them is to watch the first and fifth movies side by side. Disappointments aside, TMP wasn’t that bad a film. Star Trek V? Bad, bad, bad!