 |
| Kirk and Spock, trying - and failing - to blend in on 1980's Earth. |
THE PLOT
Three months have passed since Spock's unlikely resurrection. Scotty has completed repairs and modifications to the Klingon ship, and the crew of the former USS Enterprise has decided to return home to face their inevitable court martial. Spock has elected to return with them, to offer testimony on their behalf.
The trip is interrupted by the arrival of a mysterious probe broadcasting an unrecognizable signal, one which leaves every vessel and Starbase in its wake with only emergency power. Spock identifies the signal as the song of the humpback whale - a species which, by the 23rd century, is extinct. There is only one way to answer. They must use the slingshot maneuver to travel back in time to 20th century Earth.
They find what they're looking for in the San Francisco bay, where an oceanic institute is keeping two humpbacks under the supervision of Dr. Gillian Taylor (Catherine Hicks). But Kirk learns that he has only a day to complete the mission - a single day to win Gillian's confidence, recover the whales, and save all life on his future Earth!
CHARACTERS
Admiral Kirk: He explains his (very mildly) profanity-laced mode of speech to Spock by acting as an authority on 20th century culture: "No one pays any attention to you unless you swear every other word." His authorities? Trashy 20th century novels, from the likes of Jacqueline Susann and Harold Robbins, doubtless a part of his antiques collection. Kirk in the 20th century looks at first glance like an eccentric "kook," but he retains the absolute confidence of someone used to command. That makes it impossible for Gillian to fully dismiss him or his offer of help.
Spock: Spock's intellectual capacity is fully intact, but he is struggling to fully rediscover himself. He is a bit "off" for most of the movie, overly literal at several points. Interacting with Kirk seems to reawaken something that his more formal retraining on Vulcan did not, and as the film goes on, he becomes more and more like the Spock we remember. By the movie's end he is fully himself again, but we see through his struggles to interact with others that this is not an effortless process.
Dr. McCoy: Reacts to 20th century medicine much as a modern doctor would likely react to early 18th century medicine: with outrage at the primitive ignorance of our medical techniques. He can't stop being a doctor just because he's in the past. When confronted with a patient he can easily cure, he does so, purity of timelines be damned. His argument with the doctor assigned to Chekov sees DeForest Kelly really throwing himself into it as he pleads with the man: "Put away your butcher knives and let me save this patient!" Oh, and a nice background bit during the chase that follows: When a man in a cast is knocked over, McCoy pauses to help him.
Scotty: Though definitely in a supporting role, and a smaller one than in The Search for Spock, James Doohan remains one of the steadiest of the regulars. He has a way of infusing small scenes and lines with a freshness and enthusiasm that makes them stand out. Unfortunately, he is also aging the most noticeably of the main cast. His frame betrays more than any of the others that it's been far more than a few months since The Wrath of Khan. But that's an easy enough bit for suspension of disbelief to excuse - particularly when his performance is so good.
Sarek: Mark Lenard returns as Sarek, and again makes an indelible impression in just a few scenes. His interruption of the Klingon ambassador (John Schuck)'s rant is wonderfully done, his rock-like calm causing the Klingon's violent tempers to dash away to nothing. As the crisis with the probe comes to a head, Sarek is a voice of reason. He convinces the Federation president to issue the planet-wide distress call that alerts Kirk to the situation. At the end, he fully renounces his judgment against Spock having joined Starfleet, issuing the highest praise it's likely possible for him to give when he labels Kirk and his crew people of "good character."
Hot 20th Century Earth Babe of the Week: Dr. Gillian Taylor (Catherine Hicks) has bonded with the whales dubbed George and Gracie, and her attachment to them is conveniently the only relationship she appears to have. Hicks is very pretty and an adequate actress, and she manages a decent screen rapport with William Shatner that stops just short of being a romance. I don't for an instant buy that, upon being transported 300 years in the future, she would be assigned to a science vessel. At best, she'd be given a job working with the whales she's helped transport, not being assigned to a ship going offworld when she hasn't even the most rudimentary knowledge of the time period she is now part of.
THOUGHTS
The Voyage Home finishes up the trilogy begun in The Wrath of Khan. This film brings Kirk, Spock, and their shipmates home - but by the long route, allowing them a last adventure together on their way to their court martial. It's much lighter fare than the previous Trek films, with the meat of the picture amounting to a fish out of water comedy as the characters try to navigate their way around 20th century San Francisco. Kirk and his crew retain their focus on the mission throughout - but the ways in which they clash with this strange old world create opportunities for humor, and the film happily indulges as many of these as it can.
The tone is far lighter than its predecessors - but that seems to me an appropriate way to end the trilogy. The Wrath of Khan was about dealing with death. The Search for Spock heavily involved sacrifice, with Kirk giving up everything important to him to save his friend. But after this journey through darkness, it was time for the film series to emerge into the light. It was time for a Trek film that celebrated life, and a good romp was a fine way to do that.
Besides, a lot of it is quite funny. There are some cute and clever visual gags, such as the moment in which Scotty, Sulu, and McCoy wonder where to find a research lab while standing in front of a wall-length "Yellow Pages" ad. Other comedy bits are more overt, such as Chekov and Uhura trying to get directions to the "nuclear wessels." I could quibble that most of the Chekov scenes make him look like an idiot, to the point that I can't completely fault one boorish naval officer's crude assessment of him. But even he gets a moment of dignity, sending Uhura to beam out of danger while he stays behind.
Leonard Nimoy's direction is better here than it was in the previous film, particularly in visual terms. There are more wide shots and fewer scenes that just intercut closeups, making it feel less like something that belongs on a TV screen. The Klingon Bird of Prey is more visually interesting than many of the series' Starfleet ships have been, and the darker lighting lends the potentially dry shipbound scenes some atmosphere. I also love the visual of the Klingon ship decloaking directly above the whaler near the end, looking as hungry and threatening as a true, living Bird of Prey.
The plot that justifies the trip through time is not the strongest. The "save the whales" story feels a bit cloying, and the narrative frame feels cribbed from, of all things, the very solemn first Trek film: A probe, threatening the existence of Earth when it can't get a reply to its mysterious signal. Fortunately, these scenes are brushed aside within the first half hour, but it's a bit odd that the movie is at its worst when dealing with its actual "plot."
OVERALL
I'm torn between a "7" and an "8," but I'm going to go with the slightly lower score. That first half hour really isn't very engaging, creating a feeling of having to "get through" the setup before the real movie begins. But a "7" is still a good score, and this is the most purely "fun" Star Trek movie. That element - the fun - remains intact even when many of the trappings have dated, making it easy to see why this movie hit big with mainstream audiences, extending the franchise's appeal far beyond just the series faithful.
Until the next movie, in any case. But that's another story for another day...
Overall Rating: 7/10.
Three months have passed since Spock's unlikely resurrection. Scotty has completed repairs and modifications to the Klingon ship, and the crew of the former USS Enterprise has decided to return home to face their inevitable court martial. Spock has elected to return with them, to offer testimony on their behalf.
The trip is interrupted by the arrival of a mysterious probe broadcasting an unrecognizable signal, one which leaves every vessel and Starbase in its wake with only emergency power. Spock identifies the signal as the song of the humpback whale - a species which, by the 23rd century, is extinct. There is only one way to answer. They must use the slingshot maneuver to travel back in time to 20th century Earth.
They find what they're looking for in the San Francisco bay, where an oceanic institute is keeping two humpbacks under the supervision of Dr. Gillian Taylor (Catherine Hicks). But Kirk learns that he has only a day to complete the mission - a single day to win Gillian's confidence, recover the whales, and save all life on his future Earth!
 |
| A look at a humpback whale. |
CHARACTERS
Admiral Kirk: He explains his (very mildly) profanity-laced mode of speech to Spock by acting as an authority on 20th century culture: "No one pays any attention to you unless you swear every other word." His authorities? Trashy 20th century novels, from the likes of Jacqueline Susann and Harold Robbins, doubtless a part of his antiques collection. Kirk in the 20th century looks at first glance like an eccentric "kook," but he retains the absolute confidence of someone used to command. That makes it impossible for Gillian to fully dismiss him or his offer of help.
Spock: Spock's intellectual capacity is fully intact, but he is struggling to fully rediscover himself. He is a bit "off" for most of the movie, overly literal at several points. Interacting with Kirk seems to reawaken something that his more formal retraining on Vulcan did not, and as the film goes on, he becomes more and more like the Spock we remember. By the movie's end he is fully himself again, but we see through his struggles to interact with others that this is not an effortless process.
Dr. McCoy: Reacts to 20th century medicine much as a modern doctor would likely react to early 18th century medicine: with outrage at the primitive ignorance of our medical techniques. He can't stop being a doctor just because he's in the past. When confronted with a patient he can easily cure, he does so, purity of timelines be damned. His argument with the doctor assigned to Chekov sees DeForest Kelly really throwing himself into it as he pleads with the man: "Put away your butcher knives and let me save this patient!" Oh, and a nice background bit during the chase that follows: When a man in a cast is knocked over, McCoy pauses to help him.
Scotty: Though definitely in a supporting role, and a smaller one than in The Search for Spock, James Doohan remains one of the steadiest of the regulars. He has a way of infusing small scenes and lines with a freshness and enthusiasm that makes them stand out. Unfortunately, he is also aging the most noticeably of the main cast. His frame betrays more than any of the others that it's been far more than a few months since The Wrath of Khan. But that's an easy enough bit for suspension of disbelief to excuse - particularly when his performance is so good.
Sarek: Mark Lenard returns as Sarek, and again makes an indelible impression in just a few scenes. His interruption of the Klingon ambassador (John Schuck)'s rant is wonderfully done, his rock-like calm causing the Klingon's violent tempers to dash away to nothing. As the crisis with the probe comes to a head, Sarek is a voice of reason. He convinces the Federation president to issue the planet-wide distress call that alerts Kirk to the situation. At the end, he fully renounces his judgment against Spock having joined Starfleet, issuing the highest praise it's likely possible for him to give when he labels Kirk and his crew people of "good character."
Hot 20th Century Earth Babe of the Week: Dr. Gillian Taylor (Catherine Hicks) has bonded with the whales dubbed George and Gracie, and her attachment to them is conveniently the only relationship she appears to have. Hicks is very pretty and an adequate actress, and she manages a decent screen rapport with William Shatner that stops just short of being a romance. I don't for an instant buy that, upon being transported 300 years in the future, she would be assigned to a science vessel. At best, she'd be given a job working with the whales she's helped transport, not being assigned to a ship going offworld when she hasn't even the most rudimentary knowledge of the time period she is now part of.
 |
| Kirk and his loyal crew. |
THOUGHTS
The Voyage Home finishes up the trilogy begun in The Wrath of Khan. This film brings Kirk, Spock, and their shipmates home - but by the long route, allowing them a last adventure together on their way to their court martial. It's much lighter fare than the previous Trek films, with the meat of the picture amounting to a fish out of water comedy as the characters try to navigate their way around 20th century San Francisco. Kirk and his crew retain their focus on the mission throughout - but the ways in which they clash with this strange old world create opportunities for humor, and the film happily indulges as many of these as it can.
The tone is far lighter than its predecessors - but that seems to me an appropriate way to end the trilogy. The Wrath of Khan was about dealing with death. The Search for Spock heavily involved sacrifice, with Kirk giving up everything important to him to save his friend. But after this journey through darkness, it was time for the film series to emerge into the light. It was time for a Trek film that celebrated life, and a good romp was a fine way to do that.
Besides, a lot of it is quite funny. There are some cute and clever visual gags, such as the moment in which Scotty, Sulu, and McCoy wonder where to find a research lab while standing in front of a wall-length "Yellow Pages" ad. Other comedy bits are more overt, such as Chekov and Uhura trying to get directions to the "nuclear wessels." I could quibble that most of the Chekov scenes make him look like an idiot, to the point that I can't completely fault one boorish naval officer's crude assessment of him. But even he gets a moment of dignity, sending Uhura to beam out of danger while he stays behind.
Leonard Nimoy's direction is better here than it was in the previous film, particularly in visual terms. There are more wide shots and fewer scenes that just intercut closeups, making it feel less like something that belongs on a TV screen. The Klingon Bird of Prey is more visually interesting than many of the series' Starfleet ships have been, and the darker lighting lends the potentially dry shipbound scenes some atmosphere. I also love the visual of the Klingon ship decloaking directly above the whaler near the end, looking as hungry and threatening as a true, living Bird of Prey.
 |
| Some would-be whalers get a very big surprise. |
The plot that justifies the trip through time is not the strongest. The "save the whales" story feels a bit cloying, and the narrative frame feels cribbed from, of all things, the very solemn first Trek film: A probe, threatening the existence of Earth when it can't get a reply to its mysterious signal. Fortunately, these scenes are brushed aside within the first half hour, but it's a bit odd that the movie is at its worst when dealing with its actual "plot."
OVERALL
I'm torn between a "7" and an "8," but I'm going to go with the slightly lower score. That first half hour really isn't very engaging, creating a feeling of having to "get through" the setup before the real movie begins. But a "7" is still a good score, and this is the most purely "fun" Star Trek movie. That element - the fun - remains intact even when many of the trappings have dated, making it easy to see why this movie hit big with mainstream audiences, extending the franchise's appeal far beyond just the series faithful.
Until the next movie, in any case. But that's another story for another day...
Overall Rating: 7/10.
Previous Movie: Star Trek III - The Search for Spock
Next Movie: Star Trek V - The Final Frontier
