I recently watched Star Trek V, and thought it was a lot of fun. It's one of my favorite Star Trek movies so far. What did you think?
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Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
- Thread starter Tribble Threat
- Start date
Most will disagree with you, for certain.
Not me, though. I love it. Big ideas, big heart, awesome character moments. It has some major warts, and it doesn’t quite come through on its potential....but it’s a hell of a lot of fun and it makes me feel great...so I love it, flaws and all.
It has some wonderful wit and interplay for the minor characters, and I also think Sybok is a great character and we get a great performance out of Luckinbill as well.
I’m glad you enjoyed it too!
Not me, though. I love it. Big ideas, big heart, awesome character moments. It has some major warts, and it doesn’t quite come through on its potential....but it’s a hell of a lot of fun and it makes me feel great...so I love it, flaws and all.
It has some wonderful wit and interplay for the minor characters, and I also think Sybok is a great character and we get a great performance out of Luckinbill as well.
I’m glad you enjoyed it too!
I saw it in the theater in 1989, before I was a fan, then saw it again on video in 1991, after I became one. I liked it (and never disliked it)... then I found out how it was regarded and I thought, "I was supposed to hate this?!" And *boom* my first disagreement with Fandom-At-Large happened.
I liked seeing the crew on shore leave, Klaa and Vixis look like they should be in a Metal Band (definitely a plus), and Sybok was a good antagonist. I also like the updating of the Enterprise bridge. Kirk's at his most daring. I love the mountain-climbing. And a powerful scene when Sybok (tries) to force Kirk, Spock, and McCoy to face their pain.
The only things I don't like are that I think the crew turns on The Big Three too easily. And no one in the main cast should've turned on them and followed Sybok at all. I'd prefer to think Sybok did use telepathy to control them, but that's strictly headcanon on my part. And the Scotty/Uhura thing is weird.
I don't get mock-outraged about 78 decks or the Enterprise traveling to the center of the Galaxy. I don't get mock-outraged about the Enterprise being hijacked to find God, because I knew they wouldn't find God, even as a kid. And it's not as if the film sides with any particular religion. That's where I would've had an issue, if they'd have done that.
One thing I didn't know when I was younger, but think was a brilliant idea, was them basing a villain off of a televangelist. These people of "faith" are some of the slimiest people ever. Ripping people off and making money off of their audience's genuine faith. People who don't know the degree to which they're being taken advantage of. In retrospect, I would've liked if any of Sybok's followers, especially the bald miner from the beginning, started to realize something was up.
I liked seeing the crew on shore leave, Klaa and Vixis look like they should be in a Metal Band (definitely a plus), and Sybok was a good antagonist. I also like the updating of the Enterprise bridge. Kirk's at his most daring. I love the mountain-climbing. And a powerful scene when Sybok (tries) to force Kirk, Spock, and McCoy to face their pain.
The only things I don't like are that I think the crew turns on The Big Three too easily. And no one in the main cast should've turned on them and followed Sybok at all. I'd prefer to think Sybok did use telepathy to control them, but that's strictly headcanon on my part. And the Scotty/Uhura thing is weird.
I don't get mock-outraged about 78 decks or the Enterprise traveling to the center of the Galaxy. I don't get mock-outraged about the Enterprise being hijacked to find God, because I knew they wouldn't find God, even as a kid. And it's not as if the film sides with any particular religion. That's where I would've had an issue, if they'd have done that.
One thing I didn't know when I was younger, but think was a brilliant idea, was them basing a villain off of a televangelist. These people of "faith" are some of the slimiest people ever. Ripping people off and making money off of their audience's genuine faith. People who don't know the degree to which they're being taken advantage of. In retrospect, I would've liked if any of Sybok's followers, especially the bald miner from the beginning, started to realize something was up.
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I personally enjoyed TFF. Still do. And honestly, the deck bit and Captain Kirk appearing to change his clothes in mid-air is pretty funny, as is the "this is my first time doing Emergency Landing Plan B."
I was left wanting of better shooting angles and better VFX (the cast is older - certain whole-body shots would work much better in close-up and vice versa) - but first and foremost of better editing. The campfire thing is great, but the timing is all off: you don't move the adventure from introduction phase to action phase by having the heroes fall asleep!
...Unless, of course, you want to subtly suggest that Life Is But A Dream. But then you don't introduce the villains and the setting separately and beforehand, out there in "objective reality".
Timo Saloniemi
...Unless, of course, you want to subtly suggest that Life Is But A Dream. But then you don't introduce the villains and the setting separately and beforehand, out there in "objective reality".
Timo Saloniemi
Having heard about the negative reputation of this movie, I admittedly was hesitant to even give it a go. Even though I loved the first one and didn't really care much for the second, the fans opinions of The Final Frontier somehow got to me. Boy was that a mistake.
Storywise, the film falls short. It doesn't really have a villain and the plot kind of gets lost mid way. The evil entity at the end was just as much a dissapointment to me as it was for anybody else. But be that as it may, this movie has a helluva lot going for it.
Because it isn't about the story. It's about the characters we have all come to know and love for so long now. They have aged, they have become dependent of each other, not as mere working colleagues, but as family.
So when the big Three sits down at a camp fire on a purely recreational weekend in the wilderness it feels not only legit but even most appropriate that they sing a song or two. Preferably an easy one, so that Spock can adapt. Yes, it feels a bit cheap when Scotty walks into a beam and passes out, but why focus on that particular moment when the rest is at least satisfactory?
The relationship between him and Uhura might not be the most believable, but it isn't out of the question, and besides it serves as the perfect excuse to show the viewers that they too, have a human side. It was a bit of shock to see Uhura's seductive dance, but it was just as much fun as Nichols probably had doing it.
I have three more points which I can't tie up in an eloquent way, so let me just list them:
The scene where McCoy and Spock encounters their most traumatic moments is nothing but Trek gold.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't this the first time we saw Klingos speaking only klingon in their own company?
And honestly, who didn't enjoy Chekov in the captain seat?
All in all a great movie, which I would take over Wrath of Khan any day (feel free to shoot me).
Storywise, the film falls short. It doesn't really have a villain and the plot kind of gets lost mid way. The evil entity at the end was just as much a dissapointment to me as it was for anybody else. But be that as it may, this movie has a helluva lot going for it.
Because it isn't about the story. It's about the characters we have all come to know and love for so long now. They have aged, they have become dependent of each other, not as mere working colleagues, but as family.
So when the big Three sits down at a camp fire on a purely recreational weekend in the wilderness it feels not only legit but even most appropriate that they sing a song or two. Preferably an easy one, so that Spock can adapt. Yes, it feels a bit cheap when Scotty walks into a beam and passes out, but why focus on that particular moment when the rest is at least satisfactory?
The relationship between him and Uhura might not be the most believable, but it isn't out of the question, and besides it serves as the perfect excuse to show the viewers that they too, have a human side. It was a bit of shock to see Uhura's seductive dance, but it was just as much fun as Nichols probably had doing it.
I have three more points which I can't tie up in an eloquent way, so let me just list them:
The scene where McCoy and Spock encounters their most traumatic moments is nothing but Trek gold.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't this the first time we saw Klingos speaking only klingon in their own company?
And honestly, who didn't enjoy Chekov in the captain seat?
All in all a great movie, which I would take over Wrath of Khan any day (feel free to shoot me).
This movie was far superior to Wrath of Khan. Of the 5 Kirk movies I've seen, It's the only one that explores the characters in depth, and it has a good balance of humor, action, and thinking. And it does so in a seamless manner that you don't see in most fiction, Star Trek or otherwise. If the fake god at the end was better developed, and the intriguing Sybok character were slightly tweaked, it'd be a nearly perfect movie.
No. The Klingons in TMP only speak Klingon, and Kruge and crew speak Klingon.
Certainly not one of the stronger Trek films, but saved by the entire "I need my pain" scene.
I've seen all the Trek movies in the theater and I never disliked this one. As I have reflected on it, this film does the best job of capturing the fell of the series. It feels like it fits. It has the humanity, humor, drama, and the stretched realism that fill the series. I think TMP was the next closest, but was done on a big scale. 2, 3, 4, and 6 are pure theatrical productions. They are bigger and better, and many let their enjoyment of 1 and 5 diminish because of that. I don't. 1 is slow, yes, but so well done. It needs a proper edit though. It needs the personal scenes put back and some of the FX shots cut. 5 could have had better FX, but they were pretty good and enjoyable in the theater. They quality doesn't hinder the story and they were used sparingly like in the series. The opposite of 1. It has so much to enjoy.
The one thing I notice on my re-watch of TFF is that it is (aside from the visual effects) probably the Trek movie that has aged the best.
The visual style, humor, pacing, editing, scoring etc are all far more reminiscent of the style of recent summer blockbusters than any of the other films. In fact, it feels a lot like a Kelvinverse film in that it has big heart, good action pieces, lots of humor (some of which was ill-advised...again, just like the Kelvin films) and a somewhat wonky story. It's one of the reasons I loved it as an 8th grader when it came out...it was the Star Trek movie I really wanted to see at that time. It had energy and gritty realism in the sets and locations, and I loved the action pieces like the raid on Paradise City and the shuttle crash sequence. But, I also loved the character moments and all the mystery and wonder surrounding Sybok and this quest to go beyond the Great Barrier.
I love Star Trek V far more than most...but I'm not sure I would agree that it blows TWOK away. That is a step or two too far, even for me! However, in the same breath, I'd tell you I like TFF far better than TVH, TUC or FC....so I'm just as guilty I suppose!
The visual style, humor, pacing, editing, scoring etc are all far more reminiscent of the style of recent summer blockbusters than any of the other films. In fact, it feels a lot like a Kelvinverse film in that it has big heart, good action pieces, lots of humor (some of which was ill-advised...again, just like the Kelvin films) and a somewhat wonky story. It's one of the reasons I loved it as an 8th grader when it came out...it was the Star Trek movie I really wanted to see at that time. It had energy and gritty realism in the sets and locations, and I loved the action pieces like the raid on Paradise City and the shuttle crash sequence. But, I also loved the character moments and all the mystery and wonder surrounding Sybok and this quest to go beyond the Great Barrier.
I love Star Trek V far more than most...but I'm not sure I would agree that it blows TWOK away. That is a step or two too far, even for me! However, in the same breath, I'd tell you I like TFF far better than TVH, TUC or FC....so I'm just as guilty I suppose!
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Yeah I know they spoke Klingon, but Kruge and his ship mates switched to english all the time. In TFF the Klingons spoke it exclusively, when in their own company.
Ok, then TMP, if that is the requirement.
I always loved this film in spire of some of the really contrived bits. I love the character emphasis and it really is the first Trek movie to be an action picture. The failed Nimbus III rescue is a nicely energetic sequence, but overall the editing is sluggish. And as much as I appreciate the campfire sequence, it goes on far too long. Cutting it one scene earlier would be fine. Kirk saying he has "always known" he'd die alone is just weird. He never mentioned it before and since he never gave any indication of fortune telling powers, there's know way he'd know that. A lot of things seem to be set up just so there's a payoff later, even if those things don't make any legitimate sense. And having Kirk doing in for a smooch with Spock at the end is cringey but overall I like it better than The Voyage Home. And the music is to die for.
Thats interesting, because I thought the editing and pacing was pretty crisp.
I agree that it makes for a better action/adventure movie than most others in the franchise.
This movie comes up in discussion every so often, and I'll respond to you the same way I always respond about it:
If you loved the movie, great. I'm happy for you, and I have no intention of trying to change your mind. Now with that said, Star Trek V was probably one of the worst Trek films ever made, and I could go into great detail about its many flaws. And I'm not even going to qualify my statement with 'in my opinion,' because the film has been universally panned by critics and fans alike. But I'm going under the assumption that you're not interested in a discussion about the movie's inherent problems, so I'll gracefully bow out now.
The better question is why do people like films that has been largely panned? That's why conversations like this are so fun. Yes, V is a largely flawed film, and struggles with much of the story logic. That said, it still gets people to enjoy it. That's more the interesting part.
In the case of STV, I've noticed that it usually comes down to such things as "great character moments." Well, ok, I suppose that's as valid a reason as any to like the film. But honestly, I don't think it had any more character moments than any of the other movies. I think it's more that because there were so many other things wrong with the film, the 'character moments' become more noticeable than in a film that was better made.
I like it. A whole lot. And I don’t need to rationalize why. I don’t even need to understand why. None of that is important. I’ve been listening to overwhelming criticism of the film since June 1989...it hasn’t affected my views or enjoyment one iota. In fact, all it’s really done is teach me how little other people’s opinions (fandom, critics, my cousin Beth) on entertainment really matter to me.
But I also enjoy TOS S3, DSC, the last two episodes of PIC, NEM and any number of other things the “fans” and “experts” say is subpar. At the same time, universal darlings like TVH I couldn’t care less about.
Is it fun to debate? Sure, sometimes I guess. Do I care about your extremely well-constructed and passionate argument about how I’m “wrong?” No, not really...it might be amusing, but it certainly won’t sway me off my position.
But I also enjoy TOS S3, DSC, the last two episodes of PIC, NEM and any number of other things the “fans” and “experts” say is subpar. At the same time, universal darlings like TVH I couldn’t care less about.
Is it fun to debate? Sure, sometimes I guess. Do I care about your extremely well-constructed and passionate argument about how I’m “wrong?” No, not really...it might be amusing, but it certainly won’t sway me off my position.
I just like to understand. I am not here to change anyone's mind. If I started from that position I would be miserable.
