Product Description: The crew of the Enterprise truly goes where no man has gone before, after a Vulcan takes over the ship and steers it to the center of the universe. Genre: Science Fiction Rating: PG Release Date: 10-APR-2007 Media Type: DVD
Amazon.com: Movie critic Roger Ebert summed it up very succinctly: "Of all of the Star Trek movies, this is the worst." Subsequent films in the popular series have done nothing to disprove this opinion; we can be grateful that they've all been significantly better since this film was released in 1989. After Leonard Nimoy scored hits with Star Trek III and IV, William Shatner used his contractual clout (and bruised ego) to assume directorial duties on this mission, in which a rebellious Vulcan (Laurence Luckinbill) kidnaps Federation officials in his overzealous quest for the supreme source of creation. That's right, you heard it correctly: Star Trek V is about a crazy Vulcan's search for God. By the time Kirk, Spock, and their Federation cohorts are taken to the Great Barrier of the galaxy, this journey to "the final future" has gone from an embarrassing prologue to an absurd conclusion, with a lot of creaky plotting in between. Of course, die-hard Trekkies will still allow this movie into their video collections; but they'll only watch it when nobody else is looking. After this humbling experience, Shatner wisely relinquished the director's chair to Star Trek II's Nicholas Meyer. --Jeff Shannon
Let's See What's Out There The Good Things *A lot of good special effects and action scenes (albiet the quality is noticably different). *Filming style is good. *Characters are good and deep. Good acting, once agian. *Writing is not bad. Some good comedy, some good drama. *Good music.
The Bad Things *Pretty iffy storyline. I liked the idea and the fact that it is so grand. But most people seem to have a problem with it and other aspects (such as Spock having a half-brother who is so compassionate).
The Questionable Things *It looks as though they tried to make it grittier, edgier, and more sleazy. It kind of works, but in a way, it may be too different. *Despite the quality of the effects, some of them are totally weird at the end.
Bigger is not always better. This film is a great departure from the previous ones, bumping up the scale of the story, adding even more to the characters, and making everything a little scummier. I think it's pretty fun, but it really is the weakest of the "Star Trek" films.
The one-disc version had okay video and sound quality. The two-disc version has similarly okay quality and a number of featurettes and trailers.
The Enterprise Finds God? Many people write off "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier" as the worst film in the Trek franchise. However, it's like the old saying goes, "A bad day fishing is still better than a good day at work." "Frontier" has its downfalls but it still manages to be a solid science fiction film.
In this tale, we are introduced to a renegade Vulcan named Sybok (Laurence Luckinbill) who has embraced the ways of the ancient Vulcans who deemed emotion more important than logic. He has plans to find God (or at least the Vulcan version of Him) on Sha Ka Ree, a planet that is supposedly the Vulcan equivalent of Eden. How's a religious zealot to do this? By simply kidnapping Federation, Romulan and Klingon officials on Nimbus III, the planet of galactic peace. Sybok determines that by doing this, the Federation will send a Starfleet ship to rescue the hostages. When this occurs, he and his small band of followers will overtake the vessel and fly it to the center of the galaxy which is where Sha Ka Ree is supposed to be located.
Kirk and the gang are called away from shoreleave to take an undermanned and malfunctioning Enterprise to Nimbus III to save the hostages and find out what's really going on. Also en route is a Klingon Bird of Prey guided by the eager and cocky Captain Klaa and his right-hand man, er, woman, Vixis. Klaa longs to fight a Federation ship. When he learns that it's Kirk's ship on the way to Nimbus III, his hunger grows stronger. Vixis also longs for power, and uses Klaa as a means to gain it.
Of course, Sybok manages to overtake the Enterprise and gains the trust of most of the crew by allowing them to "show him their fears." Kirk doesn't fall for this so easily and Spock is more familiar with Sybok than even his longtime shipmates know but, in the end the Enterprise does make it to Sha Ka Ree. Do they meet God? Have they really discovered the final frontier? What happens when Klaa decides to give cloaked chase to the Enterprise on its way to the center of the galaxy? I'm sure most of you already know, but I won't spoil it for anyone.
What is good about this film is the fact that it doesn't make light of Sybok's religious beliefs. Sure, he's a bit "out there," but he has true feelings for his god and for his followers. I also like the fact that he isn't seen as a tyrant. While Kirk questions the "god" creature in the film, he doesn't necessarily eliminate the possibility of there being an actual God somewhere out there.
The beautiful shots of Yosemite National Park are also welcome to this film. In a future cluttered with starships and technical jargon, it's nice to see some green for a change.
Jerry Goldsmith's music is spot on as usual, and is one of the highlights of the film.
The downside to this film is the fact that it has a rather cheap feel to it. The special effects are poor even when compared to other films released at the same time. Paradise City looks like it was built from the scraps of "The Road Warrior" film. Also, in the reveal of the god creature, I felt that this all powerful being was just too hokey to be feared.
This DVD release does up the ante for those who are on the fence about purchasing this film. Highlights include an interview with William Shatner, a conference on the bridge of the Enterprise, a few deleted scenes that are worth looking at, Rockman test shots and a very lively interview with "That Klingon Couple," Klaa (Todd Bryant) and Vixis (Spice Williams-Crosby, billed as Spice Williams in the film). An Easter egg awaits those who take the time to search for it as well.
Overall, the Enterprise and her crew took a hard blow from this film. While I enjoyed the added humor and even the storyline, most were turned off by it. This DVD is a must-have for Trek completionists, but casual fans may want to skip this entry into the Star Trek universe. For those who tire of watching films based in a bleak future, the breathtaking shots of Yosemite are more than enough reason to check this film out. Is this a terrible Trek film? Maybe, but I like it just fine.
Rest In Peace Star Trek: Harve Bennett and Nicholas Meyer Have "Killed" You Good--They Even Twisted The Instrument of Death! In my attempts to reconcile myself with the Star Trek movies, I recently purchased "Star Trek V - The Final Frontier (Two-Disc Special Collector's Edition)" and have watched it three times trying to find any value in the film beyond the brief filming in Yosemite National Park (and the conclusion that John Muir's park will somehow rediscover it's pristine nature in the far future). Try as I have, I have found NO redeeming qualities, no moments of greatness, no scenes of nostalgia, no flicker of what Star Trek is all about.
"Star Trek V: The Final Frontier" is the culmination of Paramount's, Harve Bennett's, and Nicholas Meyer's total incomprehension of Star Trek and their malign endeavors to "recreate" Star Trek into something it is not (their version of "Star Wars?"). While I could repeat all the problems of the movie, I feel no need to do so. Rather, I wish to express my feelings of deep regret that "Star Trek V: The Last Frontier" was pure hogwash, and forever "tarnished" the brilliance of Gene Roddenberry's world of Star Trek. It was nothing less than a collector's pride that led me to purchase this film; to say that I followed the "original" Star Trek crew to their "Final Frontier;" albeit, Bennett and Meyer somehow convinced Paramount to make another movie! I am confident that it was only the actors pride in their characters (except for the egotistical Shatner) that coaxed them into doing this film.
Regardless, it is very sad to see Star Trek caught in the throes of death so badly. But that is what happened with "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier."
Update--1 July 2008: If this review was not helpful to you, I would appreciate learning the reason(s) so I can improve my reviews. My goal is to provide help to potential buyers, not get into any arguments. So, if you only disagree with my opinion, could you please say so in the comments and not indicate that the review was not helpful. Thanks.
Why Does God Need A Spaceship?! With the Star Trek II-IV movie "trilogy" (one long plotline) finished, the fifth film of the series is a self-contained story about growing old, friendship, and religion. Sadly, the film fails on all those accounts.
The gist of the film is that Spock's half-brother, Sybok (who has rejected his Vulcan heritage), hijacks the Enterprise in search of God in the outer reaches of the universe. Once found, "God" turns out to be a rather tempermental being who becomes angry when his escape from beyond the galaxy (the Enterprise) is taken from him. When Kirk utters the phrase "why would God need a spaceship?", the major plot point of the film turns to shambles. The entire mission (which wasn't all that compelling to begin with) turns into a sham, and ultimately a waste of time.
Perhaps the largest downfall of the film, however, is the inability of the writers/producers to create dramatic tension between Spock and Sybok. It is too much of a stretch to believe that the emotionless Spock will succomb to the rash tendencies of a character only just introduced to him.
Yet, despite failing on nearly all accounts, a few scenes are inspiring for their place in the Star Trek cannon. Kirk, Spock, and McCoy's vacation at Yosemite National Park is awe-insipring, heartfelt, and funny (Spock's marshmallow roasting machine is classic!), while the scene where Sybok diagnoses McCoy's and Spock's greatest pain is classic Star Trek fare (even down to Kirk's defiant refusal to be given the same treatment).
To conclude, this fifth installment in the Star Trek movie franchise is a forgettable romp through the deepest galaxy. Besides a few interesting scenes, the majority of the movie is unemotional, bland, and even hokey. Hard-care Star Trek fans will enjoy the moments (however slight) of character development this movie brings to the table, but I would advise less dedicated viewers to skip over this installment entirely.
top off with RIFFTRAX! this movie has its charms, especially (and obviously) for fans of the original series like myself. but it really is a pretty crappy movie overall. the perofrmances seem to almost border self parody, especially with scotty. the crew has a sort of 3 stooges routine going on, acting like bumbling fools. there's even two scenes featuring kirk, bones and spock camping in what are suppose to be 'futuristic sleeping bags'. in actuallity the aging sci-fi icons look like potatoes wrapped in foil. while acting like average joes in the woods dressed with flanels tucked into tight wrangler jeans, spock treats himself to a "marsh-mellon" and they make sad attempts to sing one of the easiest and also dumbest sing alongs ever.......row row your boat. ya no joke. other highlights, or lowlights, depending on where you stand with sort of thing, include what is supposed to pass as a sexy kinked up dance by uhura wearing some kind of feathered wings. close ups of "her legs" just seem to wriggle and dig her feet into the sand. back in the day of the original series this would have been pretty sweet but now this kind of exploitation is just awkward and straight up bizarre. as are the sexual overtones between her and scotty. with soft caresses n all that seem to come out of know where. this could really go on and on but rather than spoil all the surprises i simply suggest downloading the mike nelson and kevin murphy (mst3k) from rifftrax.com to properly view this surreal trek. 4 stars with the commentary!
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
Tailipoe
Trevor
