-Written by Kyle Bain.
When a familiar face to Spock (Leonard Nimoy) boards and hijacks the Enterprise, the crew of the famous ship, led by James T. Kirk (William Shatner), must take it back with authority. As the perpetrator, Sybok (Laurence Luckinbill), attempts to find God, the fate of every beloved crew member hangs in the balance.
Jumping right in: there’s far too much silly comedy strewn throughout the film–and it takes away from the potential for drama and an emotional connection from viewers. The constant digs at Spock become frustrating, even annoying–and, almost from the time Star Trek V: The Final Frontier begins, this tiresome practice seems to take over the project. It drowns out many serious moments, and, again, what could have developed into something more meaningful fails to do so.
With that, nearly every one of the characters that viewers had fallen in love with falls into blithering idiocy at some point during Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. The biggest travesty of all is what this team of filmmakers does to Uhura (Nichelle Nichols). Her purpose in this film is to be a sex symbol, to perpetuate some odd and antiquated cycle of sexism that would have existed at the time. Uhura, who has shown repeatedly in the past that she, like the rest of the crew, is a badass, has no chance to shine here. She’s ultimately useless, degraded throughout, in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, and nearly every bit of her character development up to this point within the Star Trek canon is greatly diluted. Again and again I found myself cringing at the absurdity of the comedy and the character development. This is, without a doubt, a challenging watch. Whether you’re a long-time fan or a newcomer, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier is sure to frustrate you at some point along the way.
What is up with the score? Viewers are often meant to believe that Spock, Kirk, and the others are in grave danger–but the score, developed by Jerry Goldsmith, isn’t able to convey that sentiment. Viewers often get something juvenile and far too whimsical to hold up to what the narrative of Star Trek V: The Final Frontier is meant to be. Much like the horrific comedy, the score dilutes any potential emotion that may exist somewhere in the dark depths of this film.
There are a few moments of genuine emotion, however; moments that actually have the ability to reach viewers. They are few and far between, but they do sneak in there every once in a while. Star Trek V: The Final Frontier peaks when Sybok allows McCoy (DeForest Kelley) to see his past, the exact moment in which he saw his father expire. This is truly the only opportunity viewers have to connect with these characters, to appreciate the emotion that Shatner (who acts as a writer and the director of the film) would have hoped to develop.
I felt so disconnected from nearly everything occurring on screen, and that made the viewing experience incredibly troublesome. Nearly every issue that I had with Star Trek V: The Final Frontier stemmed from the fact that almost no emotion was developed. It’s not that Shatner and the rest of the team were incapable–just that they failed to execute. By failing to create what I believe to be an integral part of any film, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier failed to appeal to me throughout the majority of its run. Is Star Trek V: The Final Frontier as bad as people say it is? Sadly, I believe the answer is “yes.”
Directed by William Shatner.
Written by Gene Roddenberry, William Shatner, Harve Bennett, & David Loughery.
Starring William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, Walter Koenig, Nichelle Nichols, George Takei, David Warner, Laurence Luckinbill, etc.
5.5/10 = WORTH THE RISK, BUT YOU’VE BEEN WARNED
