Review of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991) by Cameron J — 19 Aug 2013

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country is clearly superior to its predecessor Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, but in actuality since that isn't such a challenge it isn't.

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country's primary downfall is its poor quality special effects. Although better than that of Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, the visual effects in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country consist mostly of cheap ass attempts at 3D which may look cool if you were to view Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country in 3D during 1991, but today the sight of purple spheres of blood drifting around is all too crap for a film that was intended by director and writer Nicholas Meyer to have a serious and darker mood, because it just looks cheap and cheesy like the visual effects that would be used in a music video starring The Village People. It looks like puppets were hung from strings and then inched around to simulate movement of ships in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, so they are safely unconvincing.

The atmosphere in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country is completely empty most of the time. Save from a few moments where the intensity is present, the majority of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country is a poor attempt to rise above the cheap fun of the series into a more sophisticated and dramatic manner which doesn't work much because that leaves the atmosphere to be predominantly bereft of any musical score or sense of what the theme in the scenes are.

Also, the plot in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country is slow and full, lacking in action and the theme of adventure, or much originality either.

One scene in particular with characters arriving on a snow planet is clearly derivative of the Ice planet Hoth in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, and later the scene inside the actual mine is derivative of the Cantina Bar from Tatooine in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country is seriously lacking in creativity in many areas. Although it covers the Cold War as its theme, it doesn't make it abundantly clear underneath its many flaws that this is what's happening. And besides, 1991 was the year it ended and today it isn't a thing people in this society think much about unless they're watching something like Red Dawn or Crimson Tide which directly tied the story into the theme without being allegorical. Basically, the story isn't scripted too perfectly either because it doesn't make many characters develop it see any real progress in plot dynamics. And the final scene in the film concludes with the line "Where no man, or no one has gone before". This attempt to branch out to diversity is incongruent to the famous line that originated it all, and is like changing the famous line from Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back to "I am your father and your mother was a strong woman." That's a messed up analogy, but that's what happens when you f*ck with classic movie lines.

Nicholas Meyer's role as director of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country is significantly inferior to his role as director on Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, and the cinematography is the kind used in a crime drama with emphasis on little things instead of attempting to grasp a big picture like a good science fiction film should. Really, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country just doesn't feel like a Star Trek film or have the originality of one, so it's clearly one of the lesser entries into the series and is too political for its own good. It's long, it's boring, it's paced very slowly, it's Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.

Nicholas Meyer just didn't give it his all, and his attempt to go serious results in the fun of Star Trek being sucked out to make way for a weak attempt at serious drama which results in most of the cast acting as hollow characters, even Leonard Nimoy who fails to breath any life into Spock this time.

And Kim Cattrall is monotonous and her character has little creativity or strong script lines, and she delivers them as such. Although, damn she is attractive.

Amongst the positives of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country are that the production design and costumes look strong, and the sound effects are very strong and are edited sufficiently well.

Also, despite the musical score taking the most minor part in the film, it is good at its moments.

And as unexpected as it is, William Shatner gives a serious and strong performance. Despite moments of silliness as you'd expect from him, his performance as Captain James T. Kirk has the strength of a character who develops over time and comes to terms with issues he faces. Frankly, William Shatner toned himself down for only the second time in Star Trek film history and it works to the benefit of his characterisation.

George Takei was also good within his brief screen time.

So frankly, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country deviates too far from the structure and creativity that originated the series which doesn't give it the proper atmosphere of a good Star Trek film, but certain aspects of it are decent. Unfortunately, the visual effects are surely not one of them.