I've really grown to genuinely love "The Search for Spock."

Even nice new props. New phasers instead of reusing the TMP props like TWOK did, and the communicators looked better than those clunky things from TWOK.

Kor

 

It really was a standout performance. Very subdued, and contemplative. This was a man who by his own words had spent his entire life "cheating death, and patting myself on the back for my own ingenuity", only to lose arguably the best part of himself (Spock) and be forced to sacrifice everything he had ever known or cared about just for the chance to get back that missing part. Kirk's character went through some serious growth in movies 2-4, and Shatner knocked it out of the ballpark.

 

I think by TVH he was starting to play himself more, but TWOK and TSFS are in my view the best work of his career (that I've seen).

 

@Vger23 - great post about world-building. Yours and others comments have also reminded me of other things I do like about the film despite it not being among my favourites. The opening segue of Kirk on the bridge from the end of TWOK I think is really well staged and handled.


And the Kirk apartment get-together leading into the Sarek mind-meld is also really well done. Nimoy's decision to use extreme close-ups was really brave and different but I think worked...


Now I think of it, it's the first third or so of the film I really like. What lowers it in ranking for me is the second half, and the David/Saavik scenes which seem to slow the momentum down and lack chemistry. But in total, it's not as bad as I recall

 

I think this Star Trek movie could've honestly served as the last one, too. The goal for Kirk and crew was to get to Genesis and to find and help Spock. The premise of the film was fulfilled and the most important thing coming out of it was that Spock was alive and reunited with his crew.

The Search for Spock is a movie about a family and what that family was willing to sacrifice in order to help a member of it. As far as the audience in 1984 may have been concerned, and Sarek as much as said it, "At what cost? Your ship? Your son? (and their careers in Starfleet), they scarified everything in order to save Spock.

 

Agree with your analysis. I think everything up to the enterprise v bird of pray is outstanding. It's the bits on genesis and the vulcan ceremony that make this film unravel slightly, the pacing and the crappy sets (the vulcan sets were good though) undermine the film a little for me but, bar the ridiculous premise of this film I absolutely love everything else about it. Most of the FX are on point, the score is outstanding, kruge makes for a great villain (especially following Khan) and as mentioned earlier, Shatner is peak kirk here. I think this one of the most overlooked, underrated trek films.

 

In many ways, STFS is a good trilogy finale. I'm far less of a fan of TVH vs TSFS. TVH just felt like reductive fan-humour & satisfaction. Not saying that's bad, but in ST storytelling it just felt personal stakes were put to one side. Sure, save whales to save the future, but none of the OG characters gave anything up. Everything was reset for STV, which is still one of my (flawed) favourites

 

Agreed and I think if The Voyage Home (my personal favorite) had one flaw, is that it undoes everything that happened over the last two movies. I love The Voyage Home because I think it's a welcome change in tone after everything that happened. Plus, it shows the strengths and likability of the characters to the point where you don't have to set it in space in order for it to be enjoyable.

 

If one wanted to believe there was an "odd-number curse" at this point, you'd have:
TMP
TSFS
TFF
GEN
INS
'09
BEY

I'm not sure there's anyone who'd believe that all of those are sub-par outings.

 

And despite the notion of this odd-numbered curse, yes, some Star Trek films are weaker than others, but, I find each one in the series, except for Into Darkness, 100% watchable in spite of their flaws.

 

The only movie on that list I struggle re-watching is INS.

On the "even" side, I'm not as huge a fan of TVH, TUC or ID.

So I'm not a believer in the curse.

 

I really enjoyed seeing TMP on the big screen earlier this year, but watching it at home I can't quite bring myself to do. I haven't watched TFF in a very long time. The others I'm pretty okay with.

 

I never believed in the "odd numbered curse" either.

I always liked III, find V better than VI in every way (because I don't care much about special effects... I grew up on TOS re-runs after all). INS and NEM were two duds in a row for me with NEM being the worst of the original 10.

I saw '09, enjoyed it as a mindless popcorn munching action flick while wondering why they didn't just reboot Starship Troopers and after it ended and I walked out into the sunlight I thought... Well, nothing there holds up to much scrutiny and saved my money when then next two came out.

 

Great films: 4, 9, 11, 13
OK films: 5, 7, 8
Bad films: 1, 2, 3, 6, 10, 12

 

Watching this on epix right now. Shatner really sells it when David dies. And Lloyd is a very underrated Klingon.

Stealing the Enterprise might be one of my favorite scenes in all the movies. The detail you can see in the model making is astounding in HD.

 

Also, gotta love that the Enterprise transporter pad has a no smoking sign.

 

I never noticed that!

 

At the time, I remember our local newspaper thinking that TSFS was the best Trek movie to date.

As you say, the "odd-number" curse wasn't a thing yet.

 

Yeah, I have to agree. TSFS is a middle of the road Trek film for me. It always has me engaged pretty well up until the destruction of the Enterprise. After that it fades just a bit for me. I do like Kirk's fight scene with Kruge on Genesis, but some of the Genesis scenes seem to drag a bit ("I....have had.....just about enough......of YOUUUUUUUUUU"). And the finale on Vulcan probably could have done with a bit of editing IMO.

Christopher Lloyd is a great actor though (and sometimes underrated IMO). I mean, this is the same guy that played Doc Brown in Back to the Future not long after (among his many other roles). You almost can't believe it's the same guy, except the voice. Kruge was a great Klingon and he played it perfectly.