Then why is it that McCoy said "I am a doctor, not a bricklayer"? If not that to him the Horta kinda looked like it was made of stone?
McCoy said the "bricklayer" remark, because he was cantankerously reminding Kirk with hyperbole that he was not trained as a doctor to operate on a silicon-based lifeform. I have no idea why you would connect McCoy's "bricklayer" remark with the fact that there is nothing in the episode that would imply that the Horta is telekinetic. This is too off-topic to continue, and I'm afraid I can't help you anyway.
1. TUC 2. TWOK 3. TSFS TSFS has a number of plot issues that didn't need to be, but there's so much more in its favor that it's hard to dislike. Saavik's quick to damn David about protomatter is all for nought considering Genesis was tested using lifeless planetoids and not a teeny tiny starship loaded with energy-producing dilithium, antimatter, and other goodies that would NEVER have been taken into account. TWOK is indeed excellent, especially for its time. It too has plot issues, some more easily addressed than others. But a movie that has such an awesome villain, well-played by Ricardo Montalban no less, and the story has the guts to never put them in a room face-to-face and yet the tension remains so palpable... TUC - Maybe I saw it in a way others hadn't at the time. I dunno. As far as swansongs go, this one is strong - even though they forgot that Excelsior had the equipment to detect gaseous anomalies. (Never mind the bizarre tailpipe reference, unless she was so enamored while wandering around 20trh century Earth before finding Chekov's noocooluhr wessols that she'd utter such an arcane term and hoping everyone else would. Granted, it's the same movie that makes her the butt of a joke because she's the linguist who can't get Klingon right, har har, but I digress.) Add in General Chang, ably played by Christopher Plummer (who embraced the role and created dialogue for Chang as well), and not since Khan has there been such an impressive and compelling enemy. That's a HUGE feat, especially since Trek - to this day - still hasn't created a villain that comes close to either Chang or Khan (TWOK). Best dogfight in the franchise as well in a scene to be savored. Over and over and over again. Seriously - all that tailpipe stuff just wooshes over at warp speed, given how tight the battle scene is. Ditto for the TNG Engineering set being used in place of the TMP original. And the soundtrack was magnificent. The original release disappointed me because it was incomplete, but the re-release a couple decades later with all the tracks more than made up for it.
There are plenty of things that they forgot in TUC, like the fact that they can just beam down the conference room!!! You'd think they'd be heavily shielded against that kind of intrusion!!!
Star Trek IV - The Voyage Home -- This is like the 3rd Harry Potter film; you can just tell everyone loved making this one. Star Trek II - The Wrath of Khan -- Too obvious a picture to call at number one. It had been tied in that placed with IV for almost a decade; after the 2016 Cinemark Classic Movies run, the 2017 Fathom Events run and the 2018 Flashback Cinema run, I can no longer ignore Shatner is out of focus in most of his shots - apparently at the actor's own insistence. Star Trek the-the Star Trek -- Could've picked The Motion Picture or The Undiscovered Country here, but I still haven't technically revisited or questioned JJ Abrams' having earned this spot at number 3 for his first ST.
One would think they would give the clearance codes only to people that are supposed to be there... Or are we supposed to think that Starfleet is run by incompetents? Well, I guess we are...
This may surprise you but growing up on TOS and the TOS films TNG actually edged it out as my favorite Trek BUT I stand that these are the best of the Trek films if you are only asking for 3 - to me. And my favorites. 1. The Wrath of Khan 2. The Search For Spock 3. The Voyage Home FOURTH would be First Contact
As at least one other person said, the Spock trilogy. Wrath of Khan at no. 1 and I can't decide between III and IV. It's just such a rewarding experience to watch all three of them. I know some people crap on III and I will acknowledge the end bit on Vulcan drags a bit but the middle act of them stealing the ship through the final fight with Kruge is some of the best stuff in the franchise up there with anything in Khan.
You have listed most of my issues with 3. And I still agree with you on the rest of your analysis. 3 has some simply epic stuff in it.
1) TWOK 2) TMP 3) TSFS JJ Trek is, in my opinion, nasty. Confirms my suspicions that he ruins pretty much everything he touches, Star Wars being a case in point. Star Trek has to be shot at a certain pace, it isn’t Star Wars and the Enterprise isn’t an X-Wing. Pine and Quinto aren’t great, and there’s zero chemistry. Urban was the only actor that came out of this as credible Never connected with the TNG movies, they felt like TV movies with no cinematic production values. Data this, Data that was dreary. Could’ve have been so much more interesting.