 |
| William Shatner's T-shirt carries his response to the critics. And also a fair portion of the audience. |
Release Date: June 9, 1989. Running Time: 106 minutes. Screenplay: David Loughery. Producer: Harve Bennett. Director: William Shatner.
THE PLOT:
Nimbus III is a planet located in the Neutral Zone. It is called "the planet of galactic peace," a world which the Federation, Klingon, and Romulan governments have agreed to develop in concert. In reality, it's a planet-sized garbage dump, its colonists the dregs of all three empires, its ambassadors washed-up failures at the ends of once-promising careers. The development of the planet was forgotten almost as quickly as it began, and the entire project has become a backwater.
Which makes it all the more surprising when Sybok (Laurence Luckinbill), a renegade Vulcan, raises an army from among Nimbus III's unwashed and holds the ambassadors hostage. Kirk and the new Enterprise are dispatched on a rescue mission. But this new Enterprise is a disaster itself, a ship on which nothing seems to function properly. With Klaa (Todd Bryant), a bored Klingon captain eager to use this situation to test his combat mettle against Kirk, the challenges are already mounting.
And that's before they encounter Sybok, and realize that their rescue is playing right into his plans!
 |
| From the looks on their faces, I think they just read the script... |
CHARACTERS:
Capt. Kirk: After a near fatal accident at the beginning of the film, Kirk reveals that he knew he wasn't going to die. He tells Spock and McCoy that he has always known that he will die alone. This is echoed at the end of the film, when he tells Spock he was sure he was going to die and Spock replies that this was impossible, because Kirk was "never alone." Kirk fights for control of the ship until they breach the Galactic Barrier, but then stops fighting. Once actually faced with the unknown, he is every bit as eager to explore it as Sybok is.
Spock: His surprise at seeing Sybok on the monitor is too evident for Kirk and McCoy not to notice. Though Spock tells his shipmates the truth about the other man's background, it is obvious that he is withholding something. This comes back to haunt all of them, when Spock disobeys the order to shoot Sybok and then reveals that the renegade is his half-brother. Spock refuses Sybok's entreaties to join him, even after he removes Spock's pain, declaring that he has found his place. His loyalty to Kirk is a part of his identity, and Sybok's mental powers can't alter that.
Dr. McCoy: "Human life is far too precious to risk on crazy stunts!" Though the campfire scene is ludicrously overlong, McCoy's declaration of the value of human life is one of a handful of moments of value in it. The Razzie Awards, in their enthusiasm for damning this picture, nominated DeForest Kelly for Worst Supporting Actor... which is utterly ridiculous. Despite the script's focus being Kirk and Spock, it's McCoy who gets the best character moments. I even enjoyed his "group therapy" session with Sybok. Though the euthanasia backstory may be ham-handed, Kelly's knack for making his material seem authentic manages to make it work in a way that much of the surrounding material does not.
The Enterprise Crew: The script has little use for the supporting cast, and most of the attempts to give them small moments turn out dismally. Scotty at least gets a few decent bits, as the only supporting crew member to not instantly turn on Kirk when cured of his "pain." But even he bashes his head into a bulkhead for the sake of a (poorly choreographed) cartoon pratfall. Meanwhile, Uhura spends the film coming onto Scotty after no previous film or television episode indicated the slightest hint of romantic feeling. Even this is preferable to Sulu and Chekov, left to unconvincingly mimic a blizzard, apparently having forgotten that starships have sensors. The entire crew turns on Kirk the instant Sybok works his magic on them ... which, once it's revealed that the Vulcan isn't actually brainwashing anyone, makes no sense given that these same people were willing to throw away their careers for Kirk just two films ago (and, in universe, mere weeks earlier).
Sybok: The role of Sybok was originally intended for Sean Connery... who wisely passed on it in favor of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. I think this ended up being for the best for both films. I find Laurence Luckinbill to be better than Connery would likely have been as the film's not-quite villain. He's strong and compassionate in all of his interactions with the other characters, even as we see the hint of mania underneath. When he finally reaches his goal, we can see his drive to want to believe that he has found what he's sought dueling against his own doubts, and it's very effective.
 |
| Sybok finds "God." It doesn't go well. |
"SAY SOMETHING NICE":
Though this is far below the generally high standard of the 1980s Star Trek films, this is another Razzie winner that does not deserve the award. The first half is borderline painful... but viewers who endure will be rewarded with some fine moments in the second half. The scene in which Sybok uses his particular brand of Vulcan Voodoo on Spock and McCoy is a genuinely good one, with excellent performances from all the actors involved and backstories that feel entirely correct for the characters. It's capped by a Kirk Speech in which the captain proclaims, "I need my pain!" - and it's a good Kirk speech that has a worthy lesson at its core. More of that and less bad comedy, and this movie might even have been good.
SO... WHAT WERE THEY ON?
Midway through the Nimbus III rescue, the crew find that there are too many enemies between them and the kidnapped ambassadors. They decide they need a distraction... and so Uhura performs a "fan dance" which lures the enemy in, allowing the Enterprise crew to disarm them. It's an infamous scene, and with reason: It's unfunny and unconvincing, even in context. The enemies go from too many to sneak past to a handful who are easily disarmed. The whole bit was reportedly made up on the fly, and it shows.
 |
| The Enterprise approaches the Galactic Barrier in a rare, decent-looking effects shot. |
OTHER MUSINGS:
After two successful Star Trek movies that were helmed by Leonard Nimoy, it was William Shatner's turn to sit in the director's chair. The results were... less successful. Star Trek V became the first of the film series to be considered a failure, and the critics were even less kind to it than the box office was. Time has not granted it much respectability, with it widely regarded as the worst Trek movie with the original cast.
It should be said that Shatner's directing is entirely competent on a technical level. Despite some shoddy effects that were a result of ILM's unavailability (which really can't be blamed on Shatner or this film's producers), the movie looks fine from a visual standpoint. Unfortunately, Shatner lacks Nimoy's ability to work with actors or to balance the ensemble. With the exception of DeForest Kelly, the regulars give their weakest performances of any of the feature films. And even a veteran character actor like David Warner seems basically uninterested in his (poorly written) role.
I think Star Trek V suffers in large part from the runaway success of its immediate predecessor. Star Trek IV had connected with mainstream audiences that normally had no interest in the franchise. The film was praised for its humor; and execs, eager to repeat that formula, insisted that the newer film also needed to "Be Funny."
What the dictate failed to take into account was context. In Star Trek IV, the situation was deadly serious to the characters. Kirk and his crew weren't running around 20th century San Francisco cracking jokes; they were trying to get on with the mission as efficiently as possible, with the laughs coming from their incompatibility with the time and place in which they were stuck.
In contrast, Star Trek V's comedy arises not from situation and character, but from a need for "funny bits." The first half particularly suffers, with the story repeatedly grinding to a halt for the sake of "comedy moments" that are either irrelevant, repetitive, or ill-advised.
Tightening in general would help much of what ails this film. I already mentioned the campfire scene that runs far too long. However, that scene actually has some good exchanges in it, and a nice feeling of camaraderie among Kirk, Spock, and McCoy. With some judicious trims, I think it could have been made charming instead of tedious. Trimming away the comedy moments from the Nimbus III rescue would have greatly improved the pacing and might even have built something resembling tension. Scenes overrun, and plot progression gets diverted in a Search for Yuks - and if those issues had been addressed in the editing room, I suspect the film's reputation would have benefited.
 |
| The campfire scene: Way too long, but with moments of value. |
LATE IMPROVEMENT:
There's a reason why I think some well-judged editing might have at least somewhat salvaged the film's reputation. That reason is... well, the second half of the movie. Once Sybok takes control of the Enterprise and actually properly begins his quest, the entire film instantly becomes much, much better!
At this point, the script finally lets the characters take their situation seriously. Once the forced humor drops away, the last 45 minutes is able to establish a reasonable dramatic rhythm. There are even some fine character moments, notably Spock's declaration to Sybok of having found his place and Kirk's statement that Spock and McCoy are his family.
It is true that the climax falls a bit flat. With the budget running out, some of Shatner's plans for the finale had to be scaled back substantially. Still, if this sequence is unimpressive, it's also far from disastrous, and the story actually closes out on a reasonably engaging note.
THE OTHER NOMINEES:
1989 was apparently the year for the Razzies to recognize bad sequels. The Karate Kid, Part III was not quite the last of its series, but it was the one that ended its status as a box office hit. Speed Zone, the Burt Reynolds-less third Cannonball Run movie, was a complete flop with both audiences and critics; it's dire, but I'd still rate it as a slight improvement over Cannonball Run II (which is a very low bar to clear). I have not seen Lock Up, the widely mocked Sylvester Stallone prison drama. I have seen Road House, however, and I find it bizarre that this engaging-if-dumb formula picture could have possibly been ranked among the year's worst.
Of the nominees, both The Karate Kid, Part III and Speed Zone are not only worse than Star Trek V, but obviously worse, making this the second year in a row when the Razzies pretty clearly missed the mark.
Oh, and I have no clue how anyone could justify naming William Shatner "Worst Actor" for his performance in this movie. He might not be as good here as when Nicholas Meyer wore him down for his world-weary performance in Star Trek II, but his performance was perfectly fine and entirely in keeping with the rest of the series.
 |
| Spock interrupts Kirk's recreational mountain climbing. Amazingly, this pays off later. |
OVERALL:
I first reviewed Star Trek V back in 2014 (you can find my original review here). At the time, I found it poor-to-middling, but with some surprisingly good moments... and this remains my overall opinion. The first half is plagued by bad comedy which not only fails to provoke laughs, but which often throws off the pacing. However, the second half makes up some goodwill with a handful of strong character scenes and a strong performance by Laurence Luckinbill.
I would agree that Star Trek V is (easily) the worst of the films with the original cast. But given how good most of the other movies are, that's not too harsh of a condemnation. It's not remotely a good movie - but at the same time, I'd rank it as being very far from "Worst Picture" material.
Rating: Raspberry.
Preceded by: Star Trek IV - The Voyage Home
Followed by: Star Trek VI - The Undiscovered Country
Worst Picture: 1988 - Cocktail
Worst Picture: 1990 - Ghosts Can't Do It
- The Adventures of Ford Fairlane
Review Index
To receive new review updates, follow me:
On Twitter:
On Threads:
No comments:
Post a Comment