A nice touch is in the opening credits, with a very long pause where Nimoy's name should be between Shatner and Kelley.
so many precious lines: "The answer is no. Therefore I'm going anyway"- Kirk "Sir, someone is stealing the Enterprise!" (intercom) "Shit." - Cap. Styles
Yeah, for whatever reason, the music in III seems more..."integrated" with the visuals than II. It's something I can't really explain...
Totally agree, forgot to cover the score in my earlier post, it is outstanding, at least as good as TWOK, but just short of TMP for me, still probably the second best score in all 12 movies
I love III almost as much as II. So many great scenes and moments, but 'Stealing the Enterprise' is the highlight for me. Styles: "Kirk ... you do this, you'll never sit in the captain's chair again." Kirk: "Warp speed." Sad but true: I always punch the air when Kirk says that line. My favourite Kirk moment ever, it takes me back to seeing the film as a little kid.
It's a good film - a few days late but I watched it with the RDM and Michael Taylor commentary this morning.
My favorite Trek film of all. Great performances, dark story, some genuine sadness, but really heartwarming scenes as well. It really cemented what they all meant to each other. Shatner does some of his best work as Kirk, probably the last time he’d put that much effort into it (he’s far too “Shatner” in later movies for me). Everyone is one their game. Nimoy’s direction is fine, he understood the series. James Horner’s score is gorgeous, easily my favorite of his work (and I also feel it’s superior to but still an extension of the Trek II score). I’ve said this before, but at the time of its release, many papers in the NY area gave TSFS better reviews than TWOK. It was considered an upswing in the series that was said to get “better with each film.” They praised Nimoy’s handling of the material, which was echoed in TVH’s reviews (when I stopped agreeing with the critics – ha). The “odd numbered films curse” was – as said – bullshit. It didn’t exist at this point. TSFS got the “guilt by association” stigma when TFF was so badly received. Even without my prejudice, this is a solid entry in the series and a necessary bridge between II and IV. But it also moved the story forward and brought Spock back without making it easy. Give them credit for not finding a reason to revivie Spock in the first act and then go on to something else entirely. No, Harve Bennett (let’s give credit to the author please) made it difficult for Kirk to get his brother back. In order to do so, he had to pay a much higher price: his career, his ship, and his son were sacrificed in the process. I understand folks who feel TSFS cancelled out the ending of TWOK to a degree, but jeez, TVH hit the reset button so hard, I’m surprised David didn’t come waltzing back in at the end. “Hey, father! Genesis revived me too!”
Despite some very bad dialogue... Saavik: How many have paid the price for your ambition? How many have died? (Uh, none. And by the way, that child you're holding was for all intents and purposes DEAD before David's "ambition" brought him back to life.) .. I will admit that Star Trek 3 is a personal favorite. It puts our crew out of their element and shows both the benefits and hazards of such circumstances. Spock may be gone, but the crew's loyalty couldn't be stronger and they're able to do some pretty awesome stuff together. With everything being a "The story is about Kirk and Spock being friends" nowadays, this was certainly refreshing. I also liked how they handled the theft of the Enterprise. Normally you should not be able to commandeer a ship like the Enterprise with only five people, but the film does two things to show that it's aware of that. Establishing an automative system that can give a small crew enough systems to run the ship and having it break down when more systems are required. You gotta appreciate a film for cheating on something but having it come back and bite the characters in the rear later on. Scotty: "The automation system is overloaded. I didn't expect to take us into combat you know." I also liked the build up between the confrontation of Kirk and Kruge. These are two guys who have no history with one another and have their own personal agenda with the Genesis planet. When the two finally meet, wow.
Although, any halfway not braindead Starfleet would have had any number of systems to prevent the Enterprise from leaving. Ranging from automated tractor beams locking onto a ship not cleared for departure, small objects fired onto the hull to disable the impulse engines and thrusters, a remote access to the automation center to prevent just that kind of thing. They stole it, because the script needed them to steal it. If that meant deliberate sabotage of the Federations much needed next generation of defensive long range starship, breaking more than a dozen serious laws, making SF in general look weak and stupid, they were still going to do it. Trek 3 is an utter snore fest with some utterly head scratching "logic" which was made just to bring one character back for the sake of it and nothing else. Terrible film.
Probably they implemented all that afterwards, because up until then, nobody expected anyone (much less an Admiral) to try and steal a giant spaceship from inside their home base in orbit of their home planet. They did lock the space doors, though, and sent another starship after them.