The 'hate Star Trek V' bandwagon.

[Maurice]

I was there was ST V came out and NO ONE I know who saw it sung its praises; and some of these were fans who went in there wanting and expecting to like it. They didn't go in with axes to grind. Sure, some fans did pick out moments they liked, like the aforementioned McCoy scene, but the general response a "meh", even in those pre-internet days. There are people who love it, sure, but they're in the minority. Even before it got its modern reputation, most people did not like it that much.

My reaction when I saw it opening weekend: some nice set pieces and a couple of charming moments lost in a sea of lame humor, pointless subplots (Klingons), and no clear narrative spine. The script was a mess and no amount of rockmen of ILM effects could have saved it, only made it superficially prettier.

I'm not telling anyone else they have to feel that way.

And as to feeling "persecuted" over liking it...

Oh for goodness sakes, get down off that crucifix, someone needs the wood!​

Adam/Felicia
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert​

 

[2takesfrakes]

William Shatner wanted to make a movie larger than life that would impress his betters, his peers and audiences alike. I'm sure he even had fantasies about an Oscar nomination for being at the helm of such an audacious and controversial film. Captain Kirk takes on Holy Roller Fundamentalists and eventually even The Devil, himself ... and wins! Oh, I'm all acquiver! And for all of that, I do give him credit, because even though STAR TREK V seems like he's giving TREK fans The Finger, his heart was - surprisingly - in the right place. He really did have it in his head that he was going to give the world something very unique, special and quite historic. And for himself, he was going to make his directorial debut in motion pictures monumental and a watershed moment in the history of Humans.

That's all about personal ego, though. Ego based on who he was - not on what he could do. Everyone loved Shatner as a personality, not for being a competent director or playwright. In fact, the best directed scene in STAR TREK V involves the entire bridge crew standing around looking at the viewscreen at The God Planet. The camera zooms in between them, with Shatner's hot daughter strategically placed so that the focus ends up being on her until it finally rests on a monitor with a cheesey graphic of a Klingon Bird of Prey. But the camera is moving, which The Shat likes and believes generates interest in what's onscreen, as opposed to oh, say ... a good story. And it shows in the final product. An audience will happily overlook, even handsomely reward a very flawed movie, if it's made with said audience in mind. That is the problem with STAR TREK V. It was made as a Valentine to Shatner's character, because he had every reason to believe that he's what everyone watches STAR TREK for. Trekkie worship fueled this like throwing petrol on a flame. Had he been able to achieve any degree of objectivity for The Final Frontier project, he would've realised he was building this particular house on sand.

 

[Smellmet]

Well done for coming forward. I thought I was going to be alone with this. Mr Unpopular. We Star Trek V lovers are here. It's just a matter of coaxing them from the woodwork. Showing them there is nothing to be frightened of.

Well done for coming forward? It's not a police investigation. This thread is ridiculous. It feels like you're just trying to get everyone to agree to your point of view - never gonna happen. ST5 has some merit, sure, the first hour of the film is all good, the score, photography and the big three interaction are all first rate, but as soon as they get to Nimbus III it rapidly falls apart and descends into an utter farce of a movie, with stupid continuity errors (Deck 78 anyone?), and an ill conceived, poorly executed finale with truly appalling visual effects. it's still at the bottom of the pile for me. Even the McCoy father scene, whilst well done in isolation falls apart for because the whole time I was thinking 'OK so now this guy can create living hallucinations that people can actually touch now?'

Most people hate Nemesis with a passion, just as much as The Final Frontier, but I love that movie, I'm not 'scared' to admit it. The entire premise of this thread is based upon your reluctance to accept other people's point of view.

 

[Relayer1]

I'm glad some people like it.

I expected to like it. I came out of the cinema thinking it was a thoroughly lousy movie. Most people seem to agree.

I don't hate it. I found it an immense dissappointment. I also don't want to see it again.

Ever.

 

[Khan 2.0]

I dont hate Trek V but it really didnt/dosnt ‘feel’ as though it belongs in the TOS movie series. i mean neither does TMP really due to the tone and look - PJ uniforms etc but Trek V dosnt ‘belong’ in a different way. II, III and IV are all a continuing story of course and VI is like the belated 4th movie/epilogue to those, V is just sort of ‘there’ in-between them like it shouldn’t be but is.... its got a different tone/look/feel. The SFX dont look right (no ILM), a strange ‘hyper’ atmosphere, Captain Shatner instead of Captain Kirk (its like Shatner was playing Shatner in Trek V and in Generations - in the others he was playing a mature James T Kirk), and theres jokes for the sake of jokes (the humour in IV came naturally due to the Crocodile Dundee/BTTF fish out of water element - in V it was just forced - falling over, doors not working, goofy looks, McCoys constant Spock bashing)

its abit similar to how certain eps of TOS (Spocks Brain, Way to Eden) dont feel as though they belong in the same series that had stuff like City on The Edge, Balence of Terror, and all the other classics

 

[suarezguy]

Do you think a lot of people secretly love Star Trek V but are afraid to admit it publicly for fear of separating themselves from the all powerful 'Hate Star Trek V' bandwagon and risking being ostracized forever?...

No. There's no conspiracy theories here regarding this film. Either you love it, hate it, or find yourself somewhere in between, but AFAIK no one's ever been "afraid" of speaking their mind about how they feel about it.

Let alone on the Internet.

I think the movie was OK, overall better than TMP, III or IV but also with a lot of flaws.

I think it boils down to a dislike of Shatner taking the reigns - regardless of how entertaining the final result is.

That's probably an element of some people's reactions but it really manifested itself when Shatner showed that he really did dislike the other characters (having the supporting characters be reduced to comic relief, although that was somewhat motivated by Paramount, and traitors and wanting to have Spock and McCoy also betray Kirk).

I cannot quite grasp the scale of this hatred.

Feeling a film failed or that you don't want to see it again or that it is the worst of the twelve isn't hatred.

 

[Greg Cox]

I still remember Saturday Night Live's take on the movie, on Weekend Update shortly after the film came out:

"Paramount has just started production on Star Trek VI: The Apology."

So, yeah, people were pretty much griping about the movie from Day One. It's not some "herd mentality" thing that gradually built up over time.

 

[Memory Alpha]

I love Star Trek V. There, I said it. I find it immensely engaging and witty. I prefer it to Meyer's VI - which I find very dull.

Do you think a lot of people secretly love Star Trek V but are afraid to admit it publicly for fear of separating themselves from the all powerful 'Hate Star Trek V' bandwagon and risking being ostracized forever?...

To me there are a lot of problems with it, which have been mentioned in other threads. I don't hate it, but I regard it as certainly one of the lesser of the movies, and maybe the least of the first six.

It comes off to me as a draft - there are problems with the Sybok character and his powers (and a lot hinges on that), I'm surprised anyone in the story is concerned about Nimbus III at all seeing as how it is a complete dump, and there are effects issues.

However, I like the allegory of the Great Barrier, I like the faith issues that are explored, and the two Klingons are great. I don't hate it, but a more polished and tightened product would have made it a LOT better.

It's okay, though. I honestly like Insurrection, and it's usually lambasted by fans.

 

[BeatleJWOL]

I love most of it. There are definitely some things that could be done better, but the funny is funny (if occasionally OOC) and I'm not really sure what people think is missing from the plot. At worst I'd say it was a better story than it was a film, but it's always been one of my favorites.

 

[HansVerhaaden]

I love most of it. There are definitely some things that could be done better, but the funny is funny (if occasionally OOC) and I'm not really sure what people think is missing from the plot. At worst I'd say it was a better story than it was a film, but it's always been one of my favorites.

Thank you for coming forward and providing evidence that I am not alone with this.

 

[FormerLurker]

I dont hate Trek V but it really didnt/dosnt ‘feel’ as though it belongs in the TOS movie series. i mean neither does TMP really due to the tone and look - PJ uniforms etc but Trek V dosnt ‘belong’ in a different way. II, III and IV are all a continuing story of course and VI is like the belated 4th movie/epilogue to those, V is just sort of ‘there’ in-between them like it shouldn’t be but is.... its got a different tone/look/feel. The SFX dont look right (no ILM), a strange ‘hyper’ atmosphere, Captain Shatner instead of Captain Kirk (its like Shatner was playing Shatner in Trek V and in Generations - in the others he was playing a mature James T Kirk), and theres jokes for the sake of jokes (the humour in IV came naturally due to the Crocodile Dundee/BTTF fish out of water element - in V it was just forced - falling over, doors not working, goofy looks, McCoys constant Spock bashing)

its abit similar to how certain eps of TOS (Spocks Brain, Way to Eden) dont feel as though they belong in the same series that had stuff like City on The Edge, Balence of Terror, and all the other classics

This is pretty much how I feel about ST:V. The SFX are terrible, but the story and the action are all right(though not extra-special). The problem is that it doesn't feel like Star Trek. It feels more like some generic B-movie trying to capitalize on ST's popularity. Decent science fiction, decent storytelling, terrible effects=not Star Trek.

 

[HansVerhaaden]

Decent science fiction, decent storytelling, terrible effects=not Star Trek.

So, you dislike the original series?

 

[EliyahuQeoni]

Thank you for coming forward and providing evidence that I am not alone with this.

But so what if you are? I mean, I enjoy STV, though I admit that it is a deeply flawed film, but the fact that the majority of fans dislike the film to one degree or another has absolutely no effect on me or my enjoyment of the movie. You're talking about "herd mentality" of haters, but it seems that you just want your own herd of people who share your opinion. If you enjoy it, that's great, but why do you need affirmation that you are not alone?

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I thought ST V was okay. I loved the design of the Enterprise-A's bridge - that's probably my favorite part of the whole film (that, and "What does God need with a starship?").

And no, I wasn't offended by the underlying message of the film, and I didn't treat it as an insult to my religious beliefs. The film did NOT say there was no God. All it said was there was an insane alien in the center of the galaxy that claimed that *it* was God.

(Just because some alien says it's God, doesn't make it true! Anybody can say that. This is also my attitude towards The God Thing, and why I'm not offended by that either.)

Oh, and the silliest parts of the film, IMHO? That would be Klaa, aka Klingon Bon Jovi. And the lavatory jokes. And "I know this ship like the back of my hand (BONK!)."

 

[Greg Cox]

Thank you for coming forward and providing evidence that I am not alone with this.

But so what if you are? I mean, I enjoy STV, though I admit that it is a deeply flawed film, but the fact that the majority of fans dislike the film to one degree or another has absolutely no effect on me or my enjoyment of the movie. You're talking about "herd mentality" of haters, but it seems that you just want your own herd of people who share your opinion. If you enjoy it, that's great, but why do you need affirmation that you are not alone?

Exactly. We all have our guilty pleasures and unpopular opinions. Heck, I think rebooting the franchise in 2009 was a good idea, and that's practically heresy in some parts. But I don't expect everyone to agree with me on everything. And I assume that other fans are being perfectly sincere when they argue the pros and cons of the various movies.

Me, I only watch ST V when I absolutely have to, for research purposes, but if somebody else enjoys it . . . more power to them.

 

[Therin of Andor]

Decent science fiction, decent storytelling, terrible effects=not Star Trek.

So, you dislike the original series?

Of course we don't. But each new Trek production is also an artifact of its time, and TOS didn't have "terrible effects". They were state-of-the-art. But state-of-the-art in the 60s.

Nothing about ST V's effects was state-of-the-art.

 

[Warped9]

I see TFF as a noble failure. There is a lot wrong with it and yet it has some redeeming qualities. The film's music, for one thing, is wonderful.

One big regret I have with TFF is it's a kind of story I was hoping to see after TMP. I wanted the refit Enterprise "out there" again (set about a year after the events of TMP) on another deep space voyage encountering something weird and interesting in a classic Star Trek space adventure. I wanted a Master And Commander style story of the kind that TOS had often done so well.

Makes me sad...

 

[Relayer1]

I find huge amounts of the film almost unwatchably bad, but that's not down to a dislike of Shatner taking the helm. I'm a big fan !

There were some very nice character pieces with Kirk, Spock and McCoy, so it wasn't all bad...

 

[Amaris]

Oh, I've never been afraid to say I love the movie, and I don't think there's any reason to fear anything anyway. It's a movie, not a mass murderer. I love the movie for a number of reasons, but the interpersonal relationships between the Big 3 are what really holds me to it. I also love Laurence Luckinbill's performance as Sybok. The idea of an emotional, charismatic Vulcan who leads a cult is just a great idea to explore.

Also, the movie soundtrack is my favorite of all the films. Jerry Goldsmith knew how to make magic.

 

[HansVerhaaden]

Oh, I've never been afraid to say I love the movie, and I don't think there's any reason to fear anything anyway. It's a movie, not a mass murderer. I love the movie for a number of reasons, but the interpersonal relationships between the Big 3 are what really holds me to it. I also love Laurence Luckinbill's performance as Sybok. The idea of an emotional, charismatic Vulcan who leads a cult is just a great idea to explore.

Also, the movie soundtrack is my favorite of all the films. Jerry Goldsmith knew how to make magic.

Thank you for coming forward. Our numbers are indeed increasing!