Review of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) by Brad G — 09 Oct 2013
The genius of the fourth entry in the franchise is its nearly plotless screenplay. There's this probe from some place, it's looking for whales for some reason, and if the USS Enterprise doesn't travel back in time to steal a couple of beasties then the world will be destroyed by some crazy amount of probe energy.
Whatever. It doesn't matter. What does matter is that our favorite characters are dropped into the past (our modern day), and give us a good ribbing for all the stupidity we produce. Everyone gets something to do - Chekov & Uhura hunt for nuclear wessels, Scotty & Bones build a fish tank, Sulu snags a helicopter, and Kirk & Spock contemplate colorful metaphors.
The Voyage Home is simply a good time at the movies, for both Trekkies & the ignorant. On this millionth viewing, Deforest Kelley seems to step away as the MVP. His friendly harassment of Spock, the snarky glares towards Scotty, and the climactic hospital assault highlight the good doctor as the ultimate lovable bastard.
The Voyage Home is just a series of gags. Sure, they're saving the Earth, but it's all just an excuse for Kirk & Co to baffle their way through our absurd century. Science Fiction as Belittlement.
VF.
This review of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) was written by Brad G on 09 Oct 2013.
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home has generally received positive reviews.
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