My favorite Trek film. In 1986, I was in the Army in Alaska. I was in downtown Fairbanks at McDonald's when I heard Grandma and Grandpa America at the table next to me, talking to another set of Grandparents, about this new Star Trek film with the whales. "I don't care for all that Sci-Fi stuff," said Grandpa #2. "You need to go see this one. It's wonderful," replied Grandpa #1 with a gleem in his eye. I was little setback since being a hardcore Trekker since 1966. I had yet to see the film. The sets of grandmas and grandpas were talking about going to see the movie together immediately after. This is the one and only time I've ever heard non-trekkies talking about a Star Trek film in public. I also went that night and sat through two showings. I've watched it at least 50 times since and never get bored.
My father in law was on the aircraft carrier Enterprise when this came out; he says that Leonard Nimoy and George Takei helicoptered out to the vessel during promotion and spent part of the day glad-handing with crew members. He says the Captain was so starstruck, he allowed the vessel to get stuck in the mud of SF Bay...
One of the best things about this movie, and I don’t often hear people talk about it, is the fact that Kirk and Spock finally get to have a movie adventure together. Everyone in the crew had a part, which was great as well, but giving us ample time to soak up the chemistry between those two characters was pure gold.
I'm fascinated with the way the Star Trek movie series echoes the original television series. By this I mean that you have a wide range of tones in the original three seasons; THE VOYAGE HOME feels like the funnier TOS episodes (i.e. ' I, Mudd', 'The Trouble with Tribbles', 'A Piece of the Action').
You seem to have “an edge” to your review that combines sarcasm with regret, meaning that I feel you liked the movie, but believe it could have been so much more. Personally, I liked this movie on just its face value, scene by scene, not scanning the entire arc of the film as a whole. It’s fun, humorous, keeps your interest, like a bit of cotton candy fluff that thrills at the moment, not to be thought about any deeper than that. Just enjoy that bit of fluff and move on. I was not a fan of the following movies with the original cast, so this closed out my adventure with the old crew on a good note. I mean Scotty being so excited and saying with glee in his Scottish interpreted accent that their be whales here is just glorious fun and so humorous. The special effects for their time were very good. I had no idea the whales were fake. I’m also glad the Kirk love interest angle was not played up at all, only slightly hinted at with just the right amount of “fluff”. That’s the key word for this movie, but....ya gotta love it.
I grew up on TNG and, for some reason, this was the first film with the original Trek crew that I watched as a kid (likely because it was on cable quite often) and has, thus, always been my favorite! Loved the environmental motivations and the humor....so much fun! Great video! Looking forward to checking out more of your content! :)
Nuclear Wessels, Wigs that stay put even underwater, and an alien chocolate log with only one testicle as the main villain! What's not to love about this film :)
"Star Trek IV" was my very first Star Trek movie i've seen in theater as a 12-years-old kid ...good ol' times. but my best, my most memorable trekkie-experience was the premiere of "Star Trek VI: the undiscovered country" in '91 ...i've watched it 3 times during the first release-week! :D ...definitely my favorite Star Trek movie.
It was my very first Star Trek movie as well, and I was only 6 at the time. It captured my soul and never let go, and I give it full credit for making me the life-long Trekkie that I have become. I firmly believe if I saw Wrath of Khan first, I would have hated it (specifically for the ear slug scene). Fortunately for me, I saw the films in reverse order, so I was already enamored with it after both Voyage and Search. Voyage Home remains my favorite, and for my money the most "true to Trek" film of any before or since.
If you or anyone else liked the original Star Trek series, I highly recommend watching the twelve TH-cam fan episodes of "Star Trek Continues". It perfectly captures the spirit of the original show. Great scripts, decent acting and was lovingly filmed using the exact same sets and camera work.
The complete and obvious set change for the bird of prey has been a constant continuity gripe for years! Still a fun filled adventure flick that feels like an actual Star Trek story.
Gripe or not, I love the new set, and want so very much to get some good quality visuals of its consoles and displays - easily the most hard to find Trek work of all, right next to Michael Okuda's first official production work with the Enterprise-A bridge you only see the one time (and got gloriously recreated and preserved on the Roddenberry Archive)
My first Star Trek at the cinema. A time travel caper done well I think. Some great moments and humour. Love the line about "I'm from Iowa I just work in outer space". Eddie Murphy, wow that would have been something to see in a Trek film. Love the Jane Weidlen factoid. One to remember. And again....that Bird of Prey 🤩
TOS was usually an unrealistically upbeat and engaging show, so this movie feels very much in keeping with the spirt of the show. The too-neatly resolved plot threads from the earlier movies is typical of the 60's TV show (with the exception of Klingon grievances). I did find the direct replacement for the Enterprise a step too far though. In the cinema I never guessed that any of the whale footage was not of actual whales. Given the budget, that's even more impressive. If the film is light-weight and left of field, it's still a confident and relaxed entertainment and both a nice departure for the movies, as well as an unusually strong fourth film in a franchise.
I would have preferred if the shuttle passed over the saucer of the Excelsior to see the name replaced with Enterprise (Though either keeping the 2000 registry not replaced with NCC, or unveiling NCC-2001 as the first production model of the class). And if we couldn't get that, the Excelsior should have been the ship for "The Next Generation", that way it wouldn't require the 100 year time jump, where things didn't actually change all that much. And it would have allowed TOS cast cameos without tricky (and canonically messy) contrivances. Ironically, the decision to set it 100 years in the future was specifically to avoid any mention of TOS or inclusion of TOS characters, only to (whoopsie) include McCoy in the first episode, and then directly reference "The Naked Time" in the second LOL
The opening tribute to the crew of the Challenger in this film as well as it's use of CG morphing cement it in the modern Star Trek era. It probably had the most advanced VFX of any STar Trek film up to that point and even surpassed Star Trek V, which took a considerable step backwards in terms of compositing and camera matching. Well, there's life before and after AVID. I enjoyed the production insights, but would like to have heard more of your take on the thematic development. Awesome work, nonetheless. So Escape from New York-when is?
I liked the movie's inclusion of a trip to current day earth and the emphasis on the important place that endangered species could have in distant generations. I enjoyed Catherine Hick's contribution and the upbeat feel and larger roles for the cast crew members.
Funny story: a few weeks ago, I saw William Shatner at a convention. You wouldn't believe that he's 91, the man was running circles around us (and I'm more than 50 years his junior!) He was telling a story about his performance of "Whales Weep Not" with the backing of whale sounds. Mid-sentence, a baby in the audience started crying (sidenote; who brings a baby to a Con Panel?!) Without missing a beat, Mr. Shatner said "it sounded just like that!"
Part 3 of Star Trek trilogy . Smart, fun & the franchises most “relaxed” & “comfortable “ movie with as usual for Star Trek...a bigger message. Very enjoyable. Again , love seeing movies made in San Francisco ...my home town.
5:33 And again in Season 2 of Star Trek: Picard, specifically episode 4 “Watcher”. Of course, that episode aired almost 1 1/2 years after this video was posted.
Leonard Rosenman scored the first POTA sequel. Jerry Goldsmith came back for the third film. Rosenman came back for the fifth film, Battle for the Planet of the Apes.
He was also slated to appear in a first season episode of Star Trek next generation but sadly passed away before filming could begin. In fact, he died the same month Star Trek IV was released.
There’s the scene at the end in which the Klingon Bird of Prey blocks the harpoon and then suddenly appears from cloaking- What if Kirk had made an announcement, “Henceforth, there will be no more whaling.” And Chekov could have repeated this in Russian! Would have been a fun scene in its own right. And would have set up a time warpy kind of thing, and something to think about and ponder after the film.
At the risk of dating myself as a youngster in the eyes of my primary demographic, I was only seven when it came out. We saw it at a drive-in (side note: drive-ins absolutely need to make a comeback) double-feature with Star Trek III. My brother and I were lying on top of the family’s van, and he was either sick or ate something that got the better of him, and he threw up around that point in the movie. So, how did I feel when I first saw the Enterprise-A? Disgusted and confused, if I’m honest.
My favorite Trek film. In 1986, I was in the Army in Alaska. I was in downtown Fairbanks at McDonald's when I heard Grandma and Grandpa America at the table next to me, talking to another set of Grandparents, about this new Star Trek film with the whales.
"I don't care for all that Sci-Fi stuff," said Grandpa #2.
"You need to go see this one. It's wonderful," replied Grandpa #1 with a gleem in his eye.
I was little setback since being a hardcore Trekker since 1966. I had yet to see the film. The sets of grandmas and grandpas were talking about going to see the movie together immediately after.
This is the one and only time I've ever heard non-trekkies talking about a Star Trek film in public. I also went that night and sat through two showings. I've watched it at least 50 times since and never get bored.
My father in law was on the aircraft carrier Enterprise when this came out; he says that Leonard Nimoy and George Takei helicoptered out to the vessel during promotion and spent part of the day glad-handing with crew members. He says the Captain was so starstruck, he allowed the vessel to get stuck in the mud of SF Bay...
One of the best things about this movie, and I don’t often hear people talk about it, is the fact that Kirk and Spock finally get to have a movie adventure together. Everyone in the crew had a part, which was great as well, but giving us ample time to soak up the chemistry between those two characters was pure gold.
I'm fascinated with the way the Star Trek movie series echoes the original television series. By this I mean that you have a wide range of tones in the original three seasons; THE VOYAGE HOME feels like the funnier TOS episodes (i.e. ' I, Mudd', 'The Trouble with Tribbles', 'A Piece of the Action').
You seem to have “an edge” to your review that combines sarcasm with regret, meaning that I feel you liked the movie, but believe it could have been so much more. Personally, I liked this movie on just its face value, scene by scene, not scanning the entire arc of the film as a whole. It’s fun, humorous, keeps your interest, like a bit of cotton candy fluff that thrills at the moment, not to be thought about any deeper than that. Just enjoy that bit of fluff and move on. I was not a fan of the following movies with the original cast, so this closed out my adventure with the old crew on a good note. I mean Scotty being so excited and saying with glee in his Scottish interpreted accent that their be whales here is just glorious fun and so humorous. The special effects for their time were very good. I had no idea the whales were fake. I’m also glad the Kirk love interest angle was not played up at all, only slightly hinted at with just the right amount of “fluff”. That’s the key word for this movie, but....ya gotta love it.
This was definitely the most fun Star Trek movie for me personally.
I grew up on TNG and, for some reason, this was the first film with the original Trek crew that I watched as a kid (likely because it was on cable quite often) and has, thus, always been my favorite! Loved the environmental motivations and the humor....so much fun! Great video! Looking forward to checking out more of your content! :)
Nuclear Wessels, Wigs that stay put even underwater, and an alien chocolate log with only one testicle as the main villain! What's not to love about this film :)
"Star Trek IV" was my very first Star Trek movie i've seen in theater as a 12-years-old kid ...good ol' times.
but my best, my most memorable trekkie-experience was the premiere of "Star Trek VI: the undiscovered country" in '91 ...i've watched it 3 times during the first release-week! :D ...definitely my favorite Star Trek movie.
It was my very first Star Trek movie as well, and I was only 6 at the time. It captured my soul and never let go, and I give it full credit for making me the life-long Trekkie that I have become. I firmly believe if I saw Wrath of Khan first, I would have hated it (specifically for the ear slug scene). Fortunately for me, I saw the films in reverse order, so I was already enamored with it after both Voyage and Search.
Voyage Home remains my favorite, and for my money the most "true to Trek" film of any before or since.
If you or anyone else liked the original Star Trek series, I highly recommend watching the twelve TH-cam fan episodes of "Star Trek Continues". It perfectly captures the spirit of the original show. Great scripts, decent acting and was lovingly filmed using the exact same sets and camera work.
I have seen it! Excellent recommendation.
My favourite of the original cast motion pictures. Would have been cool for Sulu to have the 'met his ancestor scene'. Great overview!
Double Dum Ass on You…..that was so funny that all the people in the theater Laughed together!
Something about being present in a theater with people that cannot be achieved elsewhere.
The complete and obvious set change for the bird of prey has been a constant continuity gripe for years! Still a fun filled adventure flick that feels like an actual Star Trek story.
Gripe or not, I love the new set, and want so very much to get some good quality visuals of its consoles and displays - easily the most hard to find Trek work of all, right next to Michael Okuda's first official production work with the Enterprise-A bridge you only see the one time (and got gloriously recreated and preserved on the Roddenberry Archive)
0:48 my absolute favorite star trek theme. if i ever got the chance to make a trek series this would be the opening credit theme.
This was the last time Chekov was beaten-up.
My first Star Trek at the cinema. A time travel caper done well I think. Some great moments and humour. Love the line about "I'm from Iowa I just work in outer space". Eddie Murphy, wow that would have been something to see in a Trek film. Love the Jane Weidlen factoid. One to remember. And again....that Bird of Prey 🤩
oh gods, I wish I got to see this at the cinema. Alas, I as only 5 when it came out. My first big screen Trek was Final Frontier... and... yeah lol.
TOS was usually an unrealistically upbeat and engaging show, so this movie feels very much in keeping with the spirt of the show. The too-neatly resolved plot threads from the earlier movies is typical of the 60's TV show (with the exception of Klingon grievances). I did find the direct replacement for the Enterprise a step too far though. In the cinema I never guessed that any of the whale footage was not of actual whales. Given the budget, that's even more impressive. If the film is light-weight and left of field, it's still a confident and relaxed entertainment and both a nice departure for the movies, as well as an unusually strong fourth film in a franchise.
I would have preferred if the shuttle passed over the saucer of the Excelsior to see the name replaced with Enterprise (Though either keeping the 2000 registry not replaced with NCC, or unveiling NCC-2001 as the first production model of the class).
And if we couldn't get that, the Excelsior should have been the ship for "The Next Generation", that way it wouldn't require the 100 year time jump, where things didn't actually change all that much. And it would have allowed TOS cast cameos without tricky (and canonically messy) contrivances. Ironically, the decision to set it 100 years in the future was specifically to avoid any mention of TOS or inclusion of TOS characters, only to (whoopsie) include McCoy in the first episode, and then directly reference "The Naked Time" in the second LOL
The opening tribute to the crew of the Challenger in this film as well as it's use of CG morphing cement it in the modern Star Trek era. It probably had the most advanced VFX of any STar Trek film up to that point and even surpassed Star Trek V, which took a considerable step backwards in terms of compositing and camera matching. Well, there's life before and after AVID. I enjoyed the production insights, but would like to have heard more of your take on the thematic development. Awesome work, nonetheless. So Escape from New York-when is?
I liked the movie's inclusion of a trip to current day earth and the emphasis on the important place that endangered species could have in distant generations. I enjoyed Catherine Hick's contribution and the upbeat feel and larger roles for the cast crew members.
love the part with Doc McCoy in the hospital! 😜
Funny story: a few weeks ago, I saw William Shatner at a convention. You wouldn't believe that he's 91, the man was running circles around us (and I'm more than 50 years his junior!) He was telling a story about his performance of "Whales Weep Not" with the backing of whale sounds. Mid-sentence, a baby in the audience started crying (sidenote; who brings a baby to a Con Panel?!) Without missing a beat, Mr. Shatner said "it sounded just like that!"
Part 3 of Star Trek trilogy . Smart, fun & the franchises most “relaxed” & “comfortable “ movie with as usual for Star Trek...a bigger message. Very enjoyable. Again , love seeing movies made in San Francisco ...my home town.
This is my favorite film in the entire Star Trek film series.
I bet the men on the Boat shit their pants when they saw the space ship! I would have….screamed
I just discovered your channel and I'm an instant fan.
Thank you!
Nice dude looking forward to the next one!
Fantastic!! One of my favorites
5:33 And again in Season 2 of Star Trek: Picard, specifically episode 4 “Watcher”. Of course, that episode aired almost 1 1/2 years after this video was posted.
Leonard Rosenman scored the first POTA sequel. Jerry Goldsmith came back for the third film. Rosenman came back for the fifth film, Battle for the Planet of the Apes.
Well done. You need more likes, my friend.
Thank you! I shall both heart and like your comment in appreciation.
New subscriber, love the work! Keep it up 👍
You're gonna love this channel! Great videos all around. Make sure to check out the back log if you haven't!
The scene whereas our heroes travel back in time, is epic!
I look forward to hearing more about N. Meyers character plans. I always said Harry Mudd should have returned.
He was also slated to appear in a first season episode of Star Trek next generation but sadly passed away before filming could begin. In fact, he died the same month Star Trek IV was released.
Great videoooo m8
Thanks m8!
2, 6, then 4. Fun and feels bigger than a 2 part episode
There’s the scene at the end in which the Klingon Bird of Prey blocks the harpoon and then suddenly appears from cloaking-
What if Kirk had made an announcement, “Henceforth, there will be no more whaling.” And Chekov could have repeated this in Russian!
Would have been a fun scene in its own right. And would have set up a time warpy kind of thing, and something to think about and ponder after the film.
How did you feel when you first saw the Enterprise A show up at the end of the movie?
At the risk of dating myself as a youngster in the eyes of my primary demographic, I was only seven when it came out. We saw it at a drive-in (side note: drive-ins absolutely need to make a comeback) double-feature with Star Trek III. My brother and I were lying on top of the family’s van, and he was either sick or ate something that got the better of him, and he threw up around that point in the movie. So, how did I feel when I first saw the Enterprise-A? Disgusted and confused, if I’m honest.
great video like always.
Why are all the movie review channels dying???
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Edit: I guess I must be new here.
this movie is interesting. the story is relaxed. the humor is fine. but this movie lacks a villain. at least i think so.
Am I the only Trekker who hated this movie...and all subsequent ones?
I’m sure you’re not the only one.