_**At the end of the day, it entertains**_
This 1989 entry in the Star Trek film series was an earnest and noble effort by William Shatner, who directed and plotted the film, to tackle a subject that only he and Star Trek would dare attempt. Unfortunately it's become law in Trekdom to pick apart this film as a turkey of astronomical proportions; consequently a sort of bandwagon phenomenon has developed amongst the cookie-cutter fundamentalist Trekkers who have somehow failed to evolve to the level of independent thought. (They're no doubt still mad at Shatner for telling them to "get a life"). In fact, it's become such a cliché to hate "Star Trek V" that it has become the "Spock's Brain" of the feature films.
I disagree. While "The Final Frontier" certainly has its share of flaws -- the story goes over the edge into the realm of goofy camp at times and some argue that the F/X are possibly the least of the feature films -- it remains an entertaining picture. Besides, Star Trek was never about great special effects (disregarding the triumphant "The Motion Picture"). It's about people, their joy of living and their grand spirit of exploration; this is what "The Final Frontier" is all about and it scores high marks in this regard.
No other Trek film showcases the character interplay of the Kirk/Spock/McCoy troika to the level of intimacy shown in "The Final Frontier," and only "The Voyage Home" exceeds the joyful energy of the characters displayed here. As far as the spirit of exploration goes, "Star Trek V" surpasses all other Trek adventures; after all, no exploration is greater than the quest for ultimate reality and the Creator of all. It touches on many important themes: personal pain, healing, faith, family, love, fanaticism, the desire to know ultimate reality, God, false beliefs, loyalty, repentance and forgiveness. Name another film in the series that addresses so many weighty topics and yet remains entertaining.
The film was actually doomed with critics and Trekker fundamentalists the moment it was disclosed that Shatner would direct it; the knives hit the sharpening stones well before it was ever released and once the buzz got out that it was a bad film a feeding frenzy ensued. It would have been better received if Shatner had directed the film anonymously and if it were released after "Star Trek III." As it was, it came out on the heels of "Star Trek IV," arguably the pinnacle of the feature films. If "The Wrath of Khan" had come out after The Voyage Home it would have been deemed a mediocre affair.
The bottom line is that "Star Trek V" is a solid and extremely original Trek outing, equal parts amusing, thought-provoking, wonder-inducing and heart-warming; it possesses a wealth of quality scenes and has an interesting assortment of colorful characters who unite together for the ultimate discovery.
Its best character is Sybok, played excellently by Laurence Luckinbill. Sybok isn't really a villain at all, but rather a rebel Vulcan who rejects Stoicism and develops a compulsion to heal people and find ultimate knowledge. His mistake is allowing this compulsion to assume the creature beyond the Great Barrier is God, which it obviously isn't. Of course the film would have been more successful if the studio hadn't repeatedly cut the budget the closer the it came to completion, thus robbing Shatner (and us) of his original vision. As it is, the climax is serviceable, but also missing something.
Regardless, "The Final Frontier" is an entertaining Trek romp, if nothing else. Thankfully it offers much more. Personally, I'd view it in any day before "The Wrath of Khan." By all means, watch it again for the first time.
The film runs 1 hour, 46 minutes.
GRADE: B
