Star Trek V - The Final Frontier (1989)

Movie critic Roger Ebert summed it up very succinctly: "Of all of the Star Trek movies, this is the worst." Subsequent films in the popular series have done nothing to disprove this opinion; we can be grateful that they've all been significantly better since this film was released in 1989. After Leonard Nimoy scored hits with Star Trek III and IV, William Shatner used his contractual clout (and bruised ego) to assume directorial duties on this mission, in which a rebellious Vulcan (Laurence Luckinbill) kidnaps Federation officials in his overzealous quest for the supreme source of creation. That's right, you heard it correctly: Star Trek V is about a crazy Vulcan's search for God. By the time Kirk, Spock, and their Federation cohorts are taken to the Great Barrier of the galaxy, this journey to "the final future" has gone from an embarrassing prologue to an absurd conclusion, with a lot of creaky plotting in between. Of course, die-hard Trekkies will still allow this movie into their video collections; but they'll only watch it when nobody else is looking. After this humbling experience, Shatner wisely relinquished the director's chair to Star Trek II's Nicholas Meyer. --Jeff Shannon Amazon.com

 top off with RIFFTRAX!
this movie has its charms, especially (and obviously) for fans of the original series like myself. but it really is a pretty crappy movie overall. the perofrmances seem to almost border self parody, especially with scotty. the crew has a sort of 3 stooges routine going on, acting like bumbling fools. there's even two scenes featuring kirk, bones and spock camping in what are suppose to be 'futuristic sleeping bags'. in actuallity the aging sci-fi icons look like potatoes wrapped in foil. while acting like average joes in the woods dressed with flanels tucked into tight wrangler jeans, spock treats himself to a "marsh-mellon" and they make sad attempts to sing one of the easiest and also dumbest sing alongs ever.......row row your boat. ya no joke.
other highlights, or lowlights, depending on where you stand with sort of thing, include what is supposed to pass as a sexy kinked up dance by uhura wearing some kind of feathered wings. close ups of "her legs" just seem to wriggle and dig her feet into the sand. back in the day of the original series this would have been pretty sweet but now this kind of exploitation is just awkward and straight up bizarre. as are the sexual overtones between her and scotty. with soft caresses n all that seem to come out of know where. this could really go on and on but rather than spoil all the surprises i simply suggest downloading the mike nelson and kevin murphy (mst3k) from rifftrax.com to properly view this surreal trek.
4 stars with the commentary! February 28, 2008

 What Can I Say
This movie is horrible. I simply cannot understand viewers who give it more than the lowest rating of one star. This movie was bad in every conceivable way. At least STTMP was trying to be operatic, without understanding that most people (I am not one of them) find opera too long and boring, so it became all that it was trying not to be. I loved #2 with Khan, really liked #3 because it was a transitional film to explain Nimoy being back as Spock, I loved #4 with the Whales because of it's message and its role in Spock fully realizing himself. This however was dreck so bad that I prayed that William Shatner stay in front of the camera (a major miracle given that even though I loved the series, I think Shatner's acting blows chunks). Luckily the studio allowed them to do #6, which was excellent -- Christopher Plummer still rocks, and set the stage for the Klingons' new position as friend.

See this movie only if you must see all of the Star Trek films. DO NOT HOWEVER BUY THIS AS YOUR MONEY WILL BE BETTER SPENT ELSEWHERE! February 17, 2008

 The worst movie of the series but not the worst movie ever!
As Captain Admirel James Kirk (William Shatner) with Spock (Leonard Nimoy) and the rest of the crew (DeForrest Kelly, George Takai, James Doohan, Walter Koenig and Nichelle Nichols) are having a nice pleasant camping trip since their newly christened U.S.S. Enterprise are having it at spacedock for repairs. They get called on a urgent mission to head to planet Nimbus III where a renegade Vulcan named Sybok (Laurence Luckinbill) has taken some people there hostage as he wants the Enterprise to find the universe's most supreme being.

Considered by fans and critics alike as the worst movie in the franchise! William Shatner who directed and wrote the story for this movie. One of the biggest problems in this movie is too much lighthearted humor unlike "Star Trek 4" which worked like a charm but this movie overdoses on it too much especially on Scotty and Uhra who feel romantically involved and of course the infamous teaching Spock how to sing campfire songs. The special effects themselves are quite bad without the help of Industrial Light and Magic as they come off as laughable and the characterization is thin as a pencil but at least Shatner got to give this movie a try at directing and co-storying the film but he failed at that.

This 2-Disc DVD contains good picture and sound with great extras such audio commentary from William Shatner with Liz Shatner and Text commentary by Michael Okuda co-author of the Star Trek Encyclopedia. Featurettes, deleted scenes, production gallery, trailers and TV Spots. February 5, 2008

 Ah, yes, I was disappointed, BUT, there are some great aspects about this outing..
Like most folks, I had very high hopes for this film, definitely after the loosely connected 3-movie story arc preceeding it. This movie didn't have the punch nor leave the audience with the typical satisfactory feeling afterwards. I despised the use of an otherwise talented and beloved supporting cast for comical relief. Instead of allowing the secondary characters a real chance to run, it resorted to sight gags and pretty much made them look like buffoons, and Shatner clearly didn't rectify the more-embarrassing moments. However, that being said, the film show several wonderful moments..:

1) LOVED the campfire scenes both at the beginning and end, effectively bracketing the film's story in a poignant way. Why couldn't you have had moments like these for the secondary characters??? ~ They are seasoned ACTORS for heaven's sake..! After how many movies and episodes, not only are they relegated to remain as secondaries, but treated with even less respectful screentime. Again, warm moments you WISHED they did more on the big screen ~ Taking time out to EXPLORE these characters and what makes them tick together, after all these voyages. Without families, who have they really become..?

2) Loved the horseback and wilderness scene's overall. Gave the normally 'sterile' starship crew a more beneficial and agreeable backdrop to work against.

3) Despite the lack of good effects, the Kirk/Spock interplay at the end was excellent ('Spock, not in front of the Klingons...'). It helps to make up for the heavy-handed 'I-need-my-pain' message you had to slog through.

The Sybok character was entirely miscast and misdirected.. Who would believe he would be a Vulcan, even Spock's half-brother, raised by Surak...? Terribly chemistry between him and the stars. Granted he was no Khan, but a more cerebral and reserved, less jovial approach would have made for better and conflict with depth. Instead we're treated to some painfully embarrassing exchanges.

All in all, some excellent, warm screen moments found nowhere else in this franchise, but try not to wear out your fast-forward button. December 21, 2007

 The Final Frontier? We hope so...
"Star Trek V" stands as the one&only ST movie directed by William Shatner himself. It's a dubious honor,since Roger "Easily Entertained" Ebert dubbed this "the worst Star Trek movie ever made." "Final Frontier" brings up important questions about God's existence,religious fanaticism and fundamentalism...and bungles the whole enterprise.

"Final Frontier" begins on a desert planet, in Paradise City,of all places. Spock's half-brother, Sybok, takes the Nimbus III hostage to go to the "Great Barrier" (not the reef off of Australia,unfortunately) to meet his Creator. In the meantime, Kirk, Spock, and McCoy are climbing fake rocks in Yosemite (supposedly they're ascending Half Dome,but it looks like papier mache to me) They sing "row,row,row your boat" around the campfire when they find out about the Nimbus III situation. The Enterprise comes to the rescue-complete with a paunchy Lt. Uhura doing a slinky catwoman dance. Yes,that requires a suspension of disbelief! You must have faith...as Sybok would say.

Sybok's a smooth-talking outer space preacher. His charisma hooks everyone except Kirk, McCoy,and his skeptical half-brother Spock. One expects Sybok to ask for "love gifts" and give away cheesy gifts that look like they came from the Intergalactic TBN. But no. It turns out he's a result of Sarek's first marriage to a Vulcan princess. Darn pon farr. Sex DOES make people- and Vulcans- stupid. Or Sybok has father issues because dear ol' Dad remarried to an Earthling,and lavished all his favors on the younger. It's Oedipus Wrecks. Star Trek-style.

The Enterprise comes to Sha-Ka-Ree,the cheesy home of the Creator. It looks like a desert matte painting,but Sybok is impressed and has a mystical experience. But the Creator is not so pleased. Sybok does meet his Maker- literally- and the movie ends with Kirk pointing at his paunchy belly, saying that's where God is.

"Final Frontier" is compelling in its badness. At several points it's long-winded and boring. For Shatner,this movie was the final frontier. He never directed another Star Trek movie. November 17, 2007

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