Pop Culture Movies and More: Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)

When the newly-christened starship Enterprise's shakedown cruise goes poorly, Captain Kirk and crew put her into Spacedock for repairs. But an urgent mission interrupts their Earth-bound shore leave. A renegade Vulcan named Sybok has taken three ambassadors hostage on Nimbus III, the Planet of Galactic Peace. This event also attracts the attention of a Klingon captain who wants to make a name for himself and sets out to pursue the Enterprise. Sybok's ragtag army captures the Enterprise and takes her on a journey to the centre of the galaxy in search of the Supreme Being. Following the crowd-pleasing Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986), we come to the one that seems to get the most hate of all the movies. There has been a law/curse that people associate with these films that the odd number films (1, 3 and 5) are bad whereas the even number ones (2, 4 and 6) are amazing. I can understand it and see why, but personally, I have enjoyed every single one. I can overlook all the flaws in each production and always have a great time with them, including this one, which unfortunately has quite a few. The Final Frontier did suffer from many production issues most notably having a low budget and not being able to hire ILM for their special effects due to them being in high demand. The special effects can be quite distracting, and feel cheap, especially compared to the standard of the previous ones. The plot is extremely ambitious and, Shatner (who directed this one), had some interesting ideas but ultimately were unable to be made to their fullest with all the problems that arose. Moving on from the negative points, I like this movie. Yeah, I may be in the minority but I am hearing more people saying they don't mind it. So clearly it isn't as hated as it once was, and, yes, it may not be perfect but even when at their weakest, these Trek movies are still perfect entertainment. I was so happy to see the return of the Enterprise in the last film after it was rebuilt although it is slightly disappointing to have it in constant need of repair. It did lead to some funny moments, however, like Kirk's dissatisfaction in the line, "I miss my old chair." and Scotty's line, "I know this ship like the back of my hand." before knocking himself out on a low-hanging beam. There are some amazing comedic moments throughout that were hilarious and had me laughing so that is a plus. Also, the character development is exceptional. We spend a lot of time with Kirk, Spock and McCoy and the three of them have so many fantastic memorable scenes together. Their scenes during shore leaves are beautiful from Kirk's mountain climbing irritating the Dr. who thinks he is playing games with life and Mr Spock using jet boots to hover beside Kirk. Distracting him, Kirk slips causing Spock to shoot down after him catching him at the last moment as Kirk sees McCoy running over saying, "Hi, Bones! Mind if we drop in for dinner?" I further love the campfire scene where they simply talk among themselves dropping some heartfelt dialogue and also try to get Spock to sing 'Row Row Row Your Boat'. Our main antagonist is the mysterious Sybok, a formidable adversary who wishes no harm to anyone, wanting no bloodshed only wanting to fulfil his mission. His Vulcan powers allow him to help people confront their pain and release them in some powerful scenes, especially with McCoy, who has a heartbreaking vision. But as Kirk points out, pain is what makes us who we are and is part of us, which is a great message. He also has a shocking revelation that comes into play later on. The action elements are pretty cool too, particularly during the raid on the fortress at night on Nimbus III. From explosions to phaser blasts and even a brilliant use of Spock's Vulcan nerve pinch. Overall, I don't think this film is deserving of the hate it gets. It's not without its flaws, but I found so much to enjoy in this intriguing story. The comedy is fabulous and the cast keeps delivering on their superb performances. Certainly worth a watch for some moments, if anything, but it is an underrated adventure. Also, see the final movie of the series Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991).