merelyaninnuendo Star Trek : The Final FrontierThe franchise has failed to offer the essence and spirit of the series since, but this one shatters the lower expectations of the franchise and begs the question of its existence. There isn't anything rhythmic let along be poetic in here, just a mere misguided action flick that can't even be called sci-fi for its failed attempt to go mythical back fires very poorly on itself. The script never had enough crisp or meat to make it to the screen in the first place addition to that, the execution by Leonard Nimoy seems to have gone loose rather than getting it all together or improving. The performance is decent but not something outstanding not that it could have saved the feature, for there wasn't much range or space for the actors to factor in. It is short on technical aspects like visual effects, sound department and editing. The only sequence to look forward is the conversation among Spock, Kirk and McCoy. Star Trek : The Final Frontier is accurately titled on terms of its production of the features as it brings into halt on every single aspect of it like characters, plot-line and the spark of creativity that made it's predecessor what it is.

mozillameister This movie is painful to watch for so many reasons. Some have been done to death (row row row your boat? Ffs) but what really annoys me is the direction. Everything in this film feels....cheap. The sets, locations, choreography, etc. it's all low rent feeling. The camera angles are odd and sometimes throw me off any little immersion the film has. Sybok is an awful character on so many levels, and creates a completely unnecessary plot hole in the entire series that shouldn't really exist.Oh and Shatner turned Scotty into a buffoon. Joy...There's 2 redeeming qualities of this film:The Trio: even with all the hokey scenes and dialog that makes you want to cringe, they have excellent chemistry, and a lot of the film centers around Kirk/Spock/McCoy, which is always fun despite itself.The concept: Its honestly a pretty cool idea....maybe better written in script or book than what was executed, but the idea of tackling god in Trek has always been really appealing (something TNG and DS9 would both do a lot with). It also has the ultimate Athiest quote in the world. It's so simple but amazing. Perhaps this is why Shatner is far better at writing books than screenwriting/directing. It's cool concept but ultimately really bad choices for film that require a really skilled hand to not look ultimately ridiculous.*sigh* In the end, I want to like this movie, but it's a very poor film and a chore to watch.

Matthew Kresal Star Trek V: The Final Frontier is an odd beast of a film. Coming on the back of the successful trilogy of films that re-established the series on the big screen in the wake of The Motion Picture, it could have been the biggest film of the franchise. Instead it has become seen as a failure, a film that somehow failed to live up to expectations and that nearly killed the franchise on the big screen. Is that fair though to the film itself?Short answer: not at all.Yes it's a film with problems. Perhaps the most noticeable of which is its special effects. The films had brought Star Trek a long way from it sometimes iffy TV effects but Final Frontier saw that trend sputter a bit. Compared with previous films in the series which had lower budgets, the effects here are unconvincing including the model shots that had been a point of pride for the film series. Even the film's more original sequence are a let down such as the sequence when the Enterprise enters the Great Barrier, a sequence which could have potentially rivaled the incredible imagery of V'Ger in The Motion Picture. Instead the sequence becomes a series of unconvincing model shots in which the Enterprise looks pasted onto the screen as lighting bolts and clouds swirl around. The problems with the special effects go farther as well as they ultimately robbed the film of its intended ending and instead left it with an ending that feels anti-climactic. It's a disappointment to be sure and one that makes the film feel inferior to its predecessors.The film's other big problem is in its script, or at least in its focus. Star Trek has always been an ensemble show from practically the first episode and while that can be something difficult to bring over to the big screen, the earlier Trek films had managed the transition smoothly by focusing on the core characters (Kirk, Spock and McCoy) while giving everyone their moment to shine. Final Frontier though focuses on the character of Captain Kirk while giving lip service to many of the others of the cast, something that perhaps isn't surprising given that William Shatner is not only the director but co-credited with the storyline the script is based on. Kirk is at the center of the action throughout as well as being a voice of sanity, sometimes absurdly so. Those familiar with Shatner's later Kirk-centric Star Trek novels will recognize many of the tropes here but whereas Shatner was kept in check more in those books, here he is given free reign to the detriment of the film.Which brings us to the other problem with the script: its humor. Following in the wake of the whimsical Voyage Home, it was perhaps natural to try and include that kind of humor in the next film. How it was done here though comes across largely forced from bad jokes to moments that undermine much loved characters such as Uhura or Scotty (though the infamous scene of the latter hitting his head actually works quite well in context). Once the film enters its last act, the humor goes by the wayside but it effects so much of the film that it's impossible not to notice it.Yet the film does rise above those flaws.At its heart, despite its focus on Shatner's Kirk, the film focuses on the core relationship at the heart of the series: Kirk, Spock and McCoy. Carrying on what was built in II and III, the film sees that relationship being pushed to its limits once again. This time not by a superman or by death itself but by a Vulcan seeking the answer to some of the questions we all face in our time on this planet: is there a god and where did it all start? The film features some interesting moments between the key trio that range from attempts at humor early in the film to oddly revealing as the film draws towards its finale which gives DeForest Kelly one of his strongest moments as McCoy before reaffirming it at the end. It's a film that deals with its lead characters in interesting ways when it isn't too focused on one in particular.The other thing is that its really a film about ideas. Whereas earlier films had shifted the series into more familiar action/adventure territory, Final Frontier takes it back into territory that seems like it could have been explored in the TV series potentially. The film uses the Sybok character and the quest for Sha Ka Ree raises interesting questions about the nature of belief and fundamentalism in particular that seems oddly prescient in a world dealing with religious inspired terrorism. That it also raises the question of the dangers of those beliefs while also suggesting that they are inherent part of us is also to its credit. Yet it tries to do so within the more familiar action/adventure format, something that it strives for but never quite succeeds in doing but the journey along the way is still intriguing and watchable.In the end, Star Trek V is a flawed film. It suffers from the poorest special effects of Trek's film franchise as well as a script that overplays humor and focuses too much on one central character. Yet the ideas underpinning the film from its questions about fundamentalism and about whether a god of some kind exists are intriguing more than a quarter century after its original release. It's over-ambitious to a fault but that is more easily forgivable than a film that plays it by the book while trying to claim its something greater. In a different world Star Trek V could have been an engaging sci-fi action/adventure film with heart but as it stands it remains the weakest of the Original Series based films but one still deserves to call itself a Star Trek film.

Thomas Drufke Yes, "What does god need with a Starship?" is a real line that came from this absurd mess of a film. I understand the theme of Star Trek has always been to boldly go where no man has gone before, but 'The Final Frontier' attempts to take the franchise in places it has no business going.William Shatner took the reins of directing after Leonard Nimoy helmed two enjoyable entries in the series in 'Search for Spock' and 'The Voyage Home'. While it's not entirely Shatner's fault that there were heavy production issues with a writers strike and the CGI becoming far too expensive, his direction doesn't do anything to enhance what was already on the page. Apparently according to the producers, this film nearly killed the entire franchise with poor effects, a rehashed and ridiculous plot, and a largely inconsistent tone.This time around, the crew of the enterprise were on leave and enjoying life when they are asked to investigate a hostage situation on Nimbus III. Of course, the hostages just happened to be held by Spock's half-brother, Sybok. Framing Spock as the key to getting through to his brother would have been a nice way for him to finally regain his existence and memory as the Enterprise's second in command, but it never really plays out that way. Sybok manipulates anyone in his path to discover the god in the center of the galaxy and forces the Enterprise crew to take him there. As if the film didn't already struggle to grab my attention, the scenes with 'god' are almost unbearable. The very idea that a Star Trek film would center its plot around a villain taking over the Enterprise with his goons in order to get what he wants has been done so many times before, but throw God in the mix as well? Come on.Luckily, the bond between Spock, Kirk, and Bones is still present to get you through some rough dialogue, as is Jerry Goldsmith's classic score, but 'The Final Frontier' ends up making you wish they would never make another Trek film again. Fortunately, they do get better, but I can't help but sit here in wonderment thinking about just how much the reach of this film far outweighs its grasp. Yikes.+Goldsmith's score+Bond between characters is always there-Lazy script-Absurd villain-God?4.4/10