Could Star Trek V been saved?

[Dukhat]

In STV, Shatner was playing an idealized version of himself. In all the other movies (with perhaps the exception of his scenes in GEN), he was actually playing Kirk.

 

[DonIago]

Not as much as in TFF, but yes, I still think so. TVH was the last time, IMHO, that Shatner played Kirk. After that, he was playing William Shatner. Of the three films I mentioned, TUC is the best, but it still doesn't feel like Kirk to me the way the first four films do.

Can you provide examples?

Other than the Kirk-Martia fight, which was lampshaded as being a bit meta.

 

[suarezguy]

Not so much the case with Kirk. The previous movies had the decency of depicting Kirk as a character who actually had to deal with stuff. Failure, ego, relationships, loss, taking respoinsibility for his actions ect. Kirk was a character worth investing in from the first four movies and he only became a wish fulfillment character in Star Trek V. Shatner may try to show Kirk as awesome, but being awesome on it's own is not enough.

TMP-TVH Kirk is a complex, nuanced character. TFF-GEN Kirk is a caricature.

I think he was already wish fulfillment (action movie-hero-star) character in IV if not III, sure he did make some controversial decisions which had consequences but also with which all the viewers were supposed to, encouraged to if not pushed to agree with and cheer.

 

[ozzfloyd]

I hated TFF as a kid. So disappointed walking out of that movie theater. Did a rewatch a few years ago and found it kind of charming. Did a recut for fun a while back with the premise of: After the events of TVH, instead of producing TNG the studio rolled out a new show with our heroes in the Ent A with the events of TFF being a 2 part pilot. Cut some of the stuff I really hated, picked up the pacing. Fun project. Ha!