Sci-Fi Classic Review: STAR TREK III: THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK (1984)
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- Опубліковано 18 лип 2020
- The Search for Spock is better than its reputation as one of the odd-numbered films in the franchise, but it still has its flaws.
If you're looking for a "review" in the traditional sense, then let me just say I like this movie. This video, however, is a "review" in the literal sense (using the Miriam-Webster definition "a retrospective view or survey"), in that I'm going over the history of the film and its place in sci-fi cinema history.
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Star Trek: The Motion Picture - • Sci-Fi Classic Review:...
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan - • Sci-Fi Classic Review:... - Розваги
I was four years old the first time I saw Star Trek The Motion Picture. On VHS, the longer version that came in the white sleeve.
My second Trek experience was Star Trek 3. We rented it from a mall video store and did a dupe of it which I ran into the ground until I got my own copy. I used to reenact the movie with my Legos and K'nex.
Yes, that's right, I had TWOk spoiled for me by TSFS. TWOK is still an amazing film and definitely top tier. You really cant do much better. However, for me, Star Trek 3 holds a very strong place in my heart. I love the story of Kirk being pushed to give up his career and everything to save Spock. And that the crew of the Enterprise cared about Spock so much that they gave up their career and would go to prison to save his life.
While it does technically start to push the reset button a little, it didn't do it cleanly. Kirk and crew did give up their lives to save Spock. The Enterprise was destroyed. David is killed in a senseless way, which is the point that people often miss. Saying it feels hollow/empty. No, it's not done with a big booming score and Shatner screaming his name on the bridge. It's done like what it is... A cold blooded murder. That brutal YELP that David lets out when he is killed has stuck with me since I was 6 years old.
If you watch Shatner closely in the film, he just recedes further and further inside himself with each loss. At the beginning he's grieving, but there's still bits of the light there. With each barrier he encounters the light goes out. When we get to Kirk entering in his final destruct code, the light is all gone. He's cold. It stars to come back again when Bones tries to comfort his friend on the planet surface when Kirk laments his choices. "What you had to do. What you always do. Turn death into a fighting chance to live."
Unlike all the other times the Enterprise has been destroyed, this wasn't done for the spectacle of it. It was done for the dramatic point of it. Kirk and co will give it all up, just to save Spock. The pathos of it.
I do agree that the writing could be improved. It's a bit of a contradiction, because I think if Nick Meyer had been convinced to come back and help shore up the script it would be equal to Khan in every way, maybe even surpass it.
I love this movie almost as much as II and a little better than IV by a hair. All three are like a great mini-series of Star Trek on the big screen.
That Bird of Prey is still one of my favourite Sci fi ships of all time.
Mine too!
I would argue that Star Trek III is the best example of the personal moral code of James T. Kirk. As a character, especially when Rick Berman was running the franchise in the later-90s and early-00s, Kirk became a bit oversimplified as a rules be damned, leap without looking hothead who just somehow ended up winning. Like with the Kobayashi Maru story in the preceding film; Kirk will follow the rules... To a point. But he won't let them stand in the way of doing what's right. And he knows that there will be consequences; personal and professional. And he won't hide away from them, or act as a child who thinks the rules somehow don't apply to him. Sure, he still gets lucky (any real military would have cashiered him before he made Lieutenant Junior Grade), but the second he decided to act on swiping the Enterprise, he knew things weren't going to be "status quo" when he returned. And he paid the costs; his ship, his son, his status in Starfleet (sure, it arguably worked out to his benefit, but I think I'd rather be an admiral who can get the chair on any bridge in the fleet). Sure, it's a movie/tv series but it would be nice if more people could have the courage to do right, instead of simply what the regulations say is correct.
I love the film and saw it when it came out and was gutted when the Enterprise was destroyed it upset me for months.
Saw this theatrically on first release and bought a program in the lobby. Still have it all these years later.
my favorite pt? "We hear a clock..." "Get out! Get out of there!!" 😆
Star Trek 3 is fantastic entertainment. They really captured something special on 2, 3, 4 and 6. amazing movies
Bones is always a highlight - whenever De Kelley was given juicy writing he stole the show.
If you ever had a chance to see Ray Price sing, he also stole it like De could.
Holt shit....I never realized John Larroquette was in this movie.
This is such a fun movie -ignoring Jesus resurrection elements (although this worked for matrix 4 also) .
On the whole it's on the right side of deliberately funny and not overtly serious.
Mark lernard character Sarek's return is quite telling in his summing up of Kirk's character giving up his ship before his son's death in what Kirk sacrificed.
Always great to see James b sikking (in UK best known as Howard the somewhat gung-ho officer from hill Street blues and a massive CV.)
Excellent effects but as with most things it's a strong cast ensemble that makes it work.
A couple of complaints uhura is drastically underutilized.
And this started the terrible trend of blowing up the enterprise on alternate movies...
Great review
Uhura was always underutilized.
4:36 - No one else commented on your printed question here, and you probably are already aware of the answer anyway, but just in case... I think a lot of viewers of your generation got confused by that scene showing the Romulan commander. But older Trek fans like myself were not subjected to that confusion simply because Balance of terror aired in the season *before* Mark Lenard appeared for the first time as Sarek in Season 2; by which time most viewers may have already forgotten he was the Romulan Commander in Season 1. It was only when the show was syndicated and people could see the two episodes with only weeks separating them (and for the first time seeing Balance of Terror *after* Journey to Babel) that most people (like me) noticed that the two characters were played by the same actor. And of course once Trekkie culture became a thing no one would ever forget it! 😁
It is the movie where the caper-ish feel and chemistry started, and coming off of the high drama of two, it seems like a letdown, but it starts the rompus feel of 4, and the relationship of the three mains in 5 as older men that are friends and chief antagonists of each other.
I grew up watching all the original Star Trek TV shows and all the movies. I really enjoy them and watch them every chance I get. They are all a forever part of my life growing up. Thank you.
I JUST DISCOVERED YOUR CHANNEL AND WE LOVE IT ❤️ 😍 THANK YOU SO MUCH AND PLEASE 🙏 KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK 👍
The performances by Christopher Lloyd and DeForest Kelley are my favorite of the film too. It helped that their characters were interesting.
StarTrek III...the middle story of the three movie trilogy. This entry feels more like a two-part episode of the original Star Trek. As always thank you for your insights. Again one of the best channels on UA-cam,.
Fundamentally a very good film. Only thing it suffers from is being the film that followed Wrath of Khan
Decent stuff here. Hope you hit over9000 subscribers soon. Hails from Uzbekistan 🇺🇿
I don't know if it was an audience backlash to 'The Motion Picture' (which was a big pop culture event before people actually saw it), but I find the world wide box office for 'TWOK' and 'TSFS' really surprising. Short of $20 million! I assume Britain and Ireland (where I live) made up a large bulk of that. Mass audiences wouldn't return until 'TVH'. Lloyd was good casting, both physically and in playing a shrewd antagonist (until his final confrontation with Kirk anyway). Nimoy is a competent director. The script is the problem. It doesn't make as much of the potential of events as it needed to and it feels underwhelming. Even James Horner sounds like he's mostly going through the motions, compared to his first ST score.
For whatever reason, Star Trek just never could break out internationally after TMP. I've never quite understood why.
It's very much a high point in the movie series !!!!
It's almost as good as II. My second favorite.
I've been waiting so long! :-D
Hopefully you won’t have to wait so long for part 4, but I make no promises!
Definitely the best of the "odd-numbered" movies!!!
I was wrapped up in the fantasy and all that makes the Star Trek universe great, Search for Spock has many emotional moments for me: i dont care about Kirks thick ,make up etc.
Thoughtful! But, THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK has always been the best of the bunch.... and there's nothing wrong with "I NEED MY PAIN!!!" Best line in that underrated installment.
The thing that really sucked about this movie was not only not getting Kirstie Allie back (she nailed her part in Khan) but her replacement is one of the worst actresses i've ever seen.
"Stealing the enterprise" is THE best individual scene from all the Trek movies
The Enterprise must die that Spock can live.
Nice symmetry. I didn't think of that!
Like your videos, but your background track got too loud and distracting and I didn't finish this one. I still pressed LIKE, though.
Dale Goodyear Thanks for the feedback. I always struggle with the background music volume!
@@TheUnapologeticGeek On my laptop speakers, no problem at all - almost not noticeable. Probably their lack of fidelity doesn't reproduce it well.
David Hollman I’ve found that, too. If I listen through my laptop, I think it’s almost too quiet, but then I put it through headphones and it’s too loud. 🤷🏼♂️
@@TheUnapologeticGeek Just a humble suggestion: You might re-think the bouncy (or boppy?) music, and find something more in sync with the subject. Then it wouldn't threaten to stand out. I was listening without headphones on my laptop speakers. Anyway, it's your channel, and choice, of course! :)
Mr. Nimoy did a promo lecture tour a few months before ST III was released. In Search Of was the theme in addition to him showing slides of the production. During his Q&A he kept looking at me to ask my burning question. Regretfully my teen self chickened out. I kinda made up for it 2 years ago when I got Mr. Shatner's phone#. I still have yet to call. Too chicken.🥸