I finally watched all the "Star Trek" movies over the last few months, and I'd like to share some thoughts. I figured the best way to do that was with a "Rank 'Em" list. Since there are currently thirteen "Star Trek" films, split up into very distinct eras, this post will only cover the early ones featuring the cast of the original "Star Trek" television series. Keep in mind that I've never actually watched the original "Star Trek" television series.
Spoilers ahead!
"The Wrath of Khan" - Ricardo Montalban is having a ball playing the evil Khan Noonien Singh, and he is so much fun to watch here. I grew up with the more cerebral "Next Generation," so it took me a while to appreciate that the original series was a much more action-adventure affair. I think it really clicked with "Wrath of Khan," which is really a naval thriller set in space. Sure, the Genesis terraforming technology is cool, and allows for some early CGI effects, but the real fun is in the Kirk v. Khan theatrics, and of course the legendary goodbye for Mr. Spock traumatized an entire generation of sci-fi fans.
"The Motion Picture" - To call the movie indulgent is being nice, but I honestly love the amount of sci-fi spectacle that this movie commits to. The "2001: A Space Odyssey" style space imagery is trippy and unique. Everyone's made fun of the beauty shots of the Enterprise, including "Lower Decks," but the ship never looked so good. And of course, there's the iconic Jerry Goldsmith score. This "Star Trek" voyage was before so many of the franchise's familiar rules were cemented, so scenes like the transporter accident are legitimately shocking. However, I also enjoy that the first "Star Trek" movie manages to evoke a legitimate sense of wonder in a way that none of the others have.
"The Voyage Home" - The one with the time travel trip to modern day San Francisco. This is the "Star Trek" movie best remembered for making a killing at the box office, because it's the most lighthearted and fun. You've got the crew on a wonderfully weird fetch quest to bring humpback whales to the future, doing comedy bits about twentieth century life, and generally getting themselves into amusing hijinks. I'll also admit that a lot of my fondness for the film is due to the nostalgia of seeing locations like the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Golden Gate Park the way they were in the '80s. While I enjoy the more serious "Star Trek" outings, its nice to have the more casual, funny ones too.
"The Final Frontier" - The one William Shatner directed. While I totally understand why this movie has its detractors, as the last act is a lot of inscrutable nonsense, I honestly enjoyed watching this one all the way through. A big part of it has to do with the fact that it's so firmly fixed on the male bonding going on with Captain Kirk, Doctor McCoy, and Mr. Spock. The three of them get to banter, gripe at each other, and behave like dear friends in a way that's terribly endearing. I also like Laurence Luckinbill very much as Sarek, and the story up to the silly climax is very good. However, this is also the "Star Trek" installment with Uhura's, uh, diversion - one of the oddest moments of the franchise.
"The Undiscovered Country" - Director Nicholas Meyer from "The Wrath of Khan" returns, and the results are honestly a little lackluster. This is the most recent of these films that I've seen, and I was really looking forward to it, but nothing really impressed or stuck with me. I love the whole setup of the Federation and the Klingon empire finally burying the hatchet, but the whole business with Kirk and McCoy being framed for an assassination and having to escape a mining colony took forever, and the big finale really was too reminiscent of far too many other "Star Trek" outings. Still, I appreciated that we got a chance to have a proper goodbye to the original crew.
"The Search for Spock" - It's not a badly made film, and it's got some nice moments, but at the same time it fundamentally takes away from "Wrath of Khan" by walking back Spock's death. The decision was so controversial, the studio let Leonard Nimoy direct the film - and the subsequent one - just to get him onboard. Ultimately I think it was worth it to get Spock back, but I still don't like the way the franchise went about it. And all the hostilities culminating with a William Shatner and Christopher Lloyd fistfight is just hilarious.
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