Quote from: Gazz on Apr 23, 2023, 10:01:05 PMThe latest episode is up and takes a look at Star Trek V - So Very Tired.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iVtCJnGz6Y
Ridiculing "The Final Frontiers" has become a pastime among Trekkies. And they are not wrong, it is the weakest entry in the original six movies. The nightmare that was the production of the Final Frontiers is now well-known to Trekkies. Shatner's over-inflated ego, his inexperience directing a major Hollywood production, the crew striking combined with budget cuts mandated by the studio all made the end product a bad joke.
Of course, the whole idea of "finding God" was strange for a plot to begin with. And the special effects, without ILM, just looked horrid even for 1989. Heck, even a TNG TV episode airing in the same period had better effects for a fraction of the movie budget.
But with all that said, mocking the Final Frontiers is a low-hanging fruit for me. More interesting is that despite all those flaws...I don't hate the movie. If I am in the right mood, I would even find it enjoyable to watch. I mean the movie moves at a good pace, the chemistry between Kirk, Spock and McCoy had never been better, exemplified by the campfire scenes, which I actually liked. Laurence Luckinbill also did a good job with what he was given playing Sybok.
Am I saying the Final Frontiers is actually a good movie, a masterpiece even, that has been undeservedly criticized by generations of fans? No. It is undeniably a bad movie in the conventional sense. The scorn heaped onto the film aren't misplaced. Its just that...despite all those issues, the movie is still better than the absolute nadir in the Trek film series, Nemesis. That was simply turd-quality, even Final Frontiers was better. My thoughts on Shatner's (in)famous directing job is actually closer to this fellow, who gives a nuanced take on the Final Frontiers: