Amazon.com: Movie critic Roger Ebert summed it up very succinctly: "Of all of the Star Trek movies, this is the worst." Subsequent films in the popular series have done nothing to disprove this opinion; we can be grateful that they've all been significantly better since this film was released in 1989. After Leonard Nimoy scored hits with Star Trek III and IV, William Shatner used his contractual clout (and bruised ego) to assume directorial duties on this mission, in which a rebellious Vulcan (Laurence Luckinbill) kidnaps Federation officials in his overzealous quest for the supreme source of creation. That's right, you heard it correctly: Star Trek V is about a crazy Vulcan's search for God. By the time Kirk, Spock, and their Federation cohorts are taken to the Great Barrier of the galaxy, this journey to "the final future" has gone from an embarrassing prologue to an absurd conclusion, with a lot of creaky plotting in between. Of course, die-hard Trekkies will still allow this movie into their video collections; but they'll only watch it when nobody else is looking. After this humbling experience, Shatner wisely relinquished the director's chair to Star Trek II's Nicholas Meyer. --Jeff Shannon
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - Let's See What's Out There
The Good Things
*A lot of good special effects and action scenes (albiet the quality is noticably different).
*Filming style is good.
*Characters are good and deep. Good acting, once agian.
*Writing is not bad. Some good comedy, some good drama.
*Good music.
The Bad Things
*Pretty iffy storyline. I liked the idea and the fact that it is so grand. But most people seem to have a problem with it and other aspects (such as Spock having a half-brother who is so compassionate).
The Questionable Things
*It looks as though they tried ... Read More
Rating: - The Enterprise Finds God?
Many people write off "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier" as the worst film in the Trek franchise. However, it's like the old saying goes, "A bad day fishing is still better than a good day at work." "Frontier" has its downfalls but it still manages to be a solid science fiction film.
In this tale, we are introduced to a renegade Vulcan named Sybok (Laurence Luckinbill) who has embraced the ways of the ancient Vulcans who deemed emotion more important than logic. He has plans to find God (or at least the Vulcan version of Him) on Sha Ka Ree, a planet that is supposedly the Vulcan ... Read More
Rating: - Rest In Peace Star Trek: Harve Bennett and Nicholas Meyer Have "Killed" You Good--They Even Twisted The Instrument of Death!
In my attempts to reconcile myself with the Star Trek movies, I recently purchased "Star Trek V - The Final Frontier (Two-Disc Special Collector's Edition)" and have watched it three times trying to find any value in the film beyond the brief filming in Yosemite National Park (and the conclusion that John Muir's park will somehow rediscover it's pristine nature in the far future). Try as I have, I have found NO redeeming qualities, no moments of greatness, no scenes of nostalgia, no flicker of what Star Trek is all about.
"Star Trek V: The Final Frontier" is the culmination of Paramount's, ... Read More
Rating: - Why Does God Need A Spaceship?!
With the Star Trek II-IV movie "trilogy" (one long plotline) finished, the fifth film of the series is a self-contained story about growing old, friendship, and religion. Sadly, the film fails on all those accounts.
The gist of the film is that Spock's half-brother, Sybok (who has rejected his Vulcan heritage), hijacks the Enterprise in search of God in the outer reaches of the universe. Once found, "God" turns out to be a rather tempermental being who becomes angry when his escape from beyond the galaxy (the Enterprise) is taken from him. When Kirk utters the phrase "why would God need a ... Read More
Rating: - top off with RIFFTRAX!
this movie has its charms, especially (and obviously) for fans of the original series like myself. but it really is a pretty crappy movie overall. the perofrmances seem to almost border self parody, especially with scotty. the crew has a sort of 3 stooges routine going on, acting like bumbling fools. there's even two scenes featuring kirk, bones and spock camping in what are suppose to be 'futuristic sleeping bags'. in actuallity the aging sci-fi icons look like potatoes wrapped in foil. while acting like average joes in the woods dressed with flanels tucked into tight wrangler jeans, spock treats himself ... Read More
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