Review of Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989) by Drew O — 20 Aug 2013

This movie was on the cusp of something brilliant, however it only ends up stumbling over its own ambition. It raises excellent questions and sparks superb themes, but the execution of it all is a real let down.

Generally considered the weakest Star Trek film in the franchise, the Final Frontier is directed by William Shatner, who's inexperience in such a large director's chair is on full display. There are some good shots and production design, but for the most part, it's mishandled. Shatner does, however, still give an excellent performance as Captain Kirk. The rest of the cast is still great as well, as is the typical Trek fun and humor that the series is known for.

The film actually is, believe it or not, not that horrible or unwatchable up until the climax on Sha Ka Ree. There's some good banter between Kirk, McCoy, and Spock, an intriguing sequence on the "Mad Max"-like planet Nimbus III, and the story moves along quite well and holds your attention. Once Kirk and co. get past the Great Barrier, however, everything breaks apart. The visuals grow weak, the story that's been developing the whole movie gets a hugely disappointing resolution, Sybok goes from strong in his beliefs to "oops, I was wrong", and the action gets boring.

The big reveal of the film is when Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and villain Sybok get on Sha Ka Ree and encounter who they believe to be God. Kirk gets annoying, questions God, and they find out that it's just some alien posing as God. How'd it get there? How did it communicate with Sybok to make him come here? The movie never explains, and just goes "Oh, it's not God, Sybok dies, Kirk is saved, movie over." Disappointing is not a strong enough word to describe it all.

They had potential with this story, and it was playing out decently until you get to what is supposed to be the most exciting point of the film. Shatner drops the ball as director, visuals are subpar, and when it's over, you feel little more than "that's it?".

It is not the train wreck that everyone will lead you to believe, but it definitely is a lot weaker than most Star Trek films you can find and is quite an underwhelming experience.