No love for Star Trek V?

[Damian]

I'd have to disagree. Great films can have low budgets or subpar special effects and still be great films. Conversely, a lousy film with a big budget and fantastic special effects is still a lousy film...with a big budget and fantastic special effects. (I'm talking to you, The Phantom Menace...)

What would a bigger budget have done for this film? More rockmen? New corridors that weren't just redresses of the Enteprise-D's? A Klingon ship that wasn't another reuse of the BoP? The Galactic Barrier being shinier? And alien fake-God who's more than just a floating head? None of these things enhance the plot of the movie or make the story any better.

True. TWOK was made on a much reduced budget from TMP. If the story is good enough and the director and production staff creative enough, they could make a good movie.

I do remember reading some of the reusing of TNG sets was not just budgeting reasons, though that was part of it. Some of it was Shatner wanted to show a link to TNG--in an ancestor sort of way. So that you could see the beginnings of what would become TNG. That was one of the reasons he hired Herman Zimmerman as the production designer along with the Okudas. That would be one of the few things carried over into TUC, with Meyer retaining Zimmerman as PD--again for some of the same reasons, budgeting partly and showing some transition to TNG.

On the other hand, budget or not, the special effects in TFF are just plain bad, and unworthy of any Star Trek film (or any non B-film for that matter). I don't care how much the budget was, the effects are just embarrassing.

 

[Haggis and tatties]

I love STV, i think out of all the movies it captures the charactors interactions with each other the best, plus it feels to me like one big original TV episode, which in my view is a win, cat woman and all. lol

 

[fireproof78]

showing some transition to TNG.

TUC was designed as a huge showcase of a TNG episode that would feature Spock's return. So, those connections were very intentional.

 

[Khan 2.0]

Connery's star power during that period can be overestimated.
A few years before during the Battle of the Bonds, his film Never Say Never Again did slightly worse in the box office against Octopussy, despite that one starring the slightly less iconic Roger Moore and well.. the embarrassment of telling people you were going to view Octopussy.

Connery might have given a more memorable performance as Sybok, or he might have realized the script was crap and slept-walked through it. He's done that before.

well if he agreed to Highlander 2 then chances are hed have done TFF (just unlucky for Shatner that Indy was the same time)

 

[JonnyQuest037]

As I recall Deforest Kelley said this same story off the cuff in a Tom Snyder interview with some of the rest of the cast, as an aside. He said wouldn't it be something if the crew meets God and he turns out to be the devil.

Sounds like he was aware of Roddenberry's long-proposed story The God Thing.

 

[Jetboogieman]

As I've said many times over the years Star Trek V gets a lot of shit and not entirely undeservedly.

There are massive problems with the film it cannot be denied.

However, I have a soft spot for it, I... Like it in fact.

If you can get past some of the more immediate issues with the film there's a lot to like in it.

There's one thing I do find a little unforgivable and weird in this film that I thought never quite fit and that was the whole romance subplot that was implied between Uhura and Scotty... Yeah that, that right there was unnecessary.

 

[Lance]

There's one thing I do find a little unforgivable and weird in this film that I thought never quite fit and that was the whole romance subplot that was implied between Uhura and Scotty... Yeah that, that right there was unnecessary.

She got tired of waiting all those years for Spock to finally notice her!

 

[Roundabout]

And the ill placed humor. Some of it was simply ridiculous, like Scotty walking into a bulkhead. The only good humor IMO was by McCoy. The rest of it was an obvious attempt by the studio to try to cash in on TVH’s popularity, but there where it was more natural and fit the narrative, here it appeared to most people I talked to as forced and a blatant copycat of TVH, and much of it fell flat.

It was hard to watch some of Scotty's scenes in the movie. It was a shame that Scotty was basically reduced to comic relief. Scotty's rambling on like a moron then walking into the bulkhead resembled slapstick comedy. It was so un-Star Trek like. And Kirk's "Go Climb a Rock" sweatshirt was him trying too hard to be funny.

As bad as the movie was, it did have maybe the best combat scene (not ship to ship, but people to people) in all of the TOS movies. The assault on Paradise City by Kirk and his troops on horseback was well done. The action was fun to watch. The shootout was exciting.

It was also great how the shuttle crafts were highly featured in the movie. I liked the crash landing scene in the Enterprise's shuttle bay. And those combat uniforms, the tan olive sweaters, were a nice look.

It didn't surprise me that it was Shatner who directed this pitiful Trek film.

 

[Vger23]

It was hard to watch some of Scotty's scenes in the movie. It was a shame that Scotty was basically reduced to comic relief. Scotty's rambling on like a moron then walking into the bulkhead resembled slapstick comedy. It was so un-Star Trek like. And Kirk's "Go Climb a Rock" sweatshirt was him trying too hard to be funny.

As bad as the movie was, it did have maybe the best combat scene (not ship to ship, but people to people) in all of the TOS movies. The assault on Paradise City by Kirk and his troops on horseback was well done. The action was fun to watch. The shootout was exciting.

It was also great how the shuttle crafts were highly featured in the movie. I liked the crash landing scene in the Enterprise's shuttle bay. And those combat uniforms, the tan olive sweaters, were a nice look.

It didn't surprise me that it was Shatner who directed this pitiful Trek film.

This was a relatively reasonable post until the unnecessarily asinine last sentence you typed.

 

[Gavin70]

Star Trek V had some interesting concepts but could have done with a couple more rewrites of the screenplay before filming began. And better special effects. And less forced humour (which I suspect was a studio mandate). Given the issues they had - poor special effects, screenwriters strike, they really should have pushed back the release date but the studio didn't want to so they ended up releasing a movie that was only about half cooked.

 

[Khan 2.0]

interesting Trek V article from yesterday
http://www.denofgeek.com/us/movies/...ical-themes-of-star-trek-v-the-final-frontier

 

[Vger23]

interesting Trek V article from yesterday
http://www.denofgeek.com/us/movies/...ical-themes-of-star-trek-v-the-final-frontier

This is a repost of an article from about a year or so ago. I've read it twice now and can't decide whether the author was serious, high, or simply lost a bet.

And I love Star Trek V....

...but this seems waaaaaay over the top!

 

[Khan 2.0]

This is a repost of an article from about a year or so ago. I've read it twice now and can't decide whether the author was serious, high, or simply lost a bet.

And I love Star Trek V....

...but this seems waaaaaay over the top!

they mustve reposted it as today.. is Star Trek V day!

 

[STEPhon IT]

Sounds like he was aware of Roddenberry's long-proposed story The God Thing.

This is what I had a problem with V is the generic plot of mistakenly meeting God and it turned out it's the devil. I thought if the crew is going to meet God then they should do so. The Indiana Jones Trilogy was good at going THERE and never disappointing because the characters were more important than the plot.

It would've been interesting if the Klingons knew of this possible quest and wanted it as well because according to Sybok many alien species has some form of the Supreme Being. For me, I thought a competition on who ended up in Shangri la first would be something to see. The journey with friends is always more interesting than the prize. I wanted some enlightenment from our heroes; a pre-perception of what they thought of God and by the end share something special. The potential was there, I love the scenery, the production design, the aspect of seeing a Vulcanian who was different from the mold. I love Sybok as a character and I wish his mission was fulfilled because he truly believed in the myth.

 

[Vger23]

they mustve reposted it as today.. is Star Trek V day!

June 9th 1989! Saw it opening night with my dad...one of my favorite movie-going memories as a kid!

 

[Qonundrum]

I always find it odd that people object to the character of Sybok. I put Sybok as one of the most well-developed and well-acted antagonists in the entire film series. Lightyears ahead of Chang, Ru'afo, Shinzon, Nero, The Borg Queen and (as much as I like watching him) Kruge. Sybok was unique, had an interesting personality, and very different motivations (from the usual "crazed revenge angry mean bad guy")

A lot of fans were stung by the notion that Spock would have a half-brother nobody would know about. I always wonder if these folks ever watched Star Trek. One of Spock's PRIMARY character traits is he is an extremely private and (logically of course) prideful person about his past and his culture.

Sybok was fantastic and an underated diamond in the rough known as STV:TFF. Laurence Luckinbill was fantastic, though if Shatner wanted Sean Connery, one has to imagine how Sean would have done it. (But he got in as Indy's dad so that's pretty cool too.)

This is the guy who was a surprise a minute:

1. Oh yeah, my inner eyelid! Not blind!!
2. Uuuhhhh....it has to do with ummmmmm.....biology.....
3. Oh, I forgot to mention...Vulcan's Ambassador to the Federation and his wife are my parents.
4. Perhaps I can figure out what's wrong with Van Geldar using this telepathic technique you've never heard of
5. Don't worry...I can mind-meld my soul into you before I die
6. I'm married.
7. No worries, gentlemen. My blood is based on copper.

I mean...really? It came as an off putting surprise to fans that Spock would never have discussed that he had a blood relative who had been such a disgrace and embarrassment that he was banished from his home planet?

I find that to be completely in Spock's character and completely appropriate.

and, of course, 7B:

"Well we need to do a ton of transfusions, but the drug to accelerate blood production will kill the guy who needs it so let's get the guy with as massive amount of impurities that need to be screened out take it so he can pump out even more blood for an even bigger risk." ("Journey to Babel" is rightly a classic, but that one subplot does start to stretch things. But the episode hangs together spectacularly so it's easily forgivable as far as nitpicks go.)

 

[Roundabout]

This was a relatively reasonable post until the unnecessarily asinine last sentence you typed.

The first part of your sentence was reasonable.

I am a fan of Shatner. I enjoyed watching his performances in ST, The Twilight Zone, TJ Hooker. I wish I could, but I can't say the same about the Trek movie that he directed.

For example, the two comic scenes in TFF that I had mentioned (Scotty walking into the bulkhead, the "Go Climb a Rock" sweatshirt) and another one that comes to mind -- the scene where Chekov and Sulu acted like horny boys by following after the Klingon babe then doing an about face when they encountered the alpha Klingon male -- were going for cheap laughs.

From what I know of Shatner's persona, those scenes struck me as the kind of comedy that reflects Shatner's style. It didn't surprise me that Shatner directed this. That kind of humor was sophomoric and not particularly clever, unlike the humor in the Trek movies that Nimoy directed.

The humor in TSFS and TVH was witty and it lent itself well within the context of the scenes that they were in.

 

[2takesfrakes]

I've oft badmouthed TFF, but I do appreciate certain aspects of it ... chiefly, the casting. Exceptional job, there! Everyone is top shelf. Much of the location shooting was pretty decent. I also liked that the movie offers us a unique glimpse into how The Shat sees STAR TREK outside of his usual "... oh, well, it was just a job." He made this movie honestly believing that it was going to swing the doors open wide to his future as a movie director. Obviously, this was not to be. But he was, in his own way, trying to give fans and audiences in general a Vulcan salute, as it were ... and not the middle finger the movie can unintentionally appear to be, at times. No, TFF is not a favourite of mine, but there are aspects and moments that are interesting. Moments like when Sybok starts screwing with Bones' mind so that his memories of his father start to surface. McCoy doesn't recognise it, at first, he seems slightly confused by the scene.

Then he hears this gravelly voice croaking "... Leonard" and instantly, Bones is shocked to shit that its his father on his deathbed. I liked how we're witness to it all coming into focus, along with McCoy, rather than him being immediately aware of what was going on. It also seems to suggest Sybok's control over this scene, very effectively. It was a nice touch. I don't know why, but DeForest Kelley's acting in most of this movie kind of sucks, actually. But for this scene, he plays up the melodrama quite well. The major problem I have with TFF is the obvious thing of Sybok (whom Spock proclaims as having "the keenest intellect [he's] ever known") is so friggin' stupid as to believe God needs Sybok to hijack some transportation to his hangout to give him a ride somewhere. It's frustrating having this in the movie, when you're trying to give it a chance and get into it ... but it just won't let it, because of this. The whole movie is a valentine to Captain Kirk and, I suppose ... why not? You know? Why not? He's an icon. It's not like he hasn't squeezed enough love out of TOS, already, but at least it succeeds on that level. "Captain Kirk's awesome" is the nugget of truth in this movie that nobody can deny. Not even TFF haters ...

 

[Vger23]

I've oft badmouthed TFF, but I do appreciate certain aspects of it ... chiefly, the casting. Exceptional job, there! Everyone is top shelf. Much of the location shooting was pretty decent. I also liked that the movie offers us a unique glimpse into how The Shat sees STAR TREK outside of his usual "... oh, well, it was just a job." He made this movie honestly believing that it was going to swing the doors open wide to his future as a movie director. Obviously, this was not to be. But he was, in his own way, trying to give fans and audiences in general a Vulcan salute, as it were ... and not the middle finger the movie can unintentionally appear to be, at times. No, TFF is not a favourite of mine, but there are aspects and moments that are interesting. Moments like when Sybok starts screwing with Bones' mind so that his memories of his father start to surface. McCoy doesn't recognise it, at first, he seems slightly confused by the scene.

Then he hears this gravelly voice croaking "... Leonard" and instantly, Bones is shocked to shit that its his father on his deathbed. I liked how we're witness to it all coming into focus, along with McCoy, rather than him being immediately aware of what was going on. It also seems to suggest Sybok's control over this scene, very effectively. It was a nice touch. I don't know why, but DeForest Kelley's acting in most of this movie kind of sucks, actually. But for this scene, he plays up the melodrama quite well. The major problem I have with TFF is the obvious thing of Sybok (whom Spock proclaims as having "the keenest intellect [he's] ever known") is so friggin' stupid as to believe God needs Sybok to hijack some transportation to his hangout to give him a ride somewhere. It's frustrating having this in the movie, when you're trying to give it a chance and get into it ... but it just won't let it, because of this. The whole movie is a valentine to Captain Kirk and, I suppose ... why not? You know? Why not? He's an icon. It's not like he hasn't squeezed enough love out of TOS, already, but at least it succeeds on that level. "Captain Kirk's awesome" is the nugget of truth in this movie that nobody can deny. Not even TFF haters ...

I don't necessarily believe Sybok thought he was hijacking a ship to give to God. Sybok makes it pretty clear that he expects to have some form of interface with God on the other side of the barrier, but his motivations are more about answering questions of existence and other such enlightening things. I think he believes the barrier exists as a challenge of faith and capability to pilgrims such as himself, not as a wall keeping God from the Galaxy.

 

[2takesfrakes]

What do you think of Sybok's eventual encounter with the god-creature? His discussion with him is kind of limited to the point that Kirk's going to be making, the very thing that sets the creature off, revealing himself to be something else. As you say, Sybok's quite taken by these questions of existence, but he never quite gets around to having that discussion. Do you think some of that could've been included in their encounter, without holding up progress, or it starting to lose the audience, by waxing philosophical? It just would've been nice to see the creature start to faulter, or even just putting his own spin on these questions and maybe even having Sybok taken by surprise, like ... "wait. That doesn't sound right ..." and then have Kirk interrupt with the, "... excuse me, I have a question."