Review of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991) by Darik H — 15 Jan 2011

Ever wondered what a Tom Clancy novel would be like in space? Yeah, that's this movie. Written and directed once again by Nicolas Meyer, the guy who injected new life into the franchise with The Wrath of Khan, Star Trek VI takes a unique approach to the sci-fi staple by couching it in a political thriller atmosphere, creating a conspiracy movie that serves as a paper-thin allegory to the end of the Cold War and the fall of Communism. It's also the last of the Trek films to feature the original cast, who by that time had gotten a little too old to be believably galavanting around the cosmos, yet conpensate for their lost vigor with deftly written character and a keen sense of humor; Meyer gives the final voyage of the crew of the Enterprise an energy and ultimately an optimism that gets back to the root of what Star Trek is all about, and serves as a fitting send-off for the characters and their story. Honestly, this is one of my favorite Star Trek films. The movie has its faults, sure- the script suffers a bit from contemporization (figures of speech that wouldn't make sense in the 23rd century; "The thing's gotta have a tailpipe," for instance), and there are a few too many in-jokes and self-referential meta moments- but nothing that compromises the film's integrity, or robs the story of its dramatic weight. It's a suspenseful, engaging thriller and a unique murder mystery, but beyond that, it is a thoughtful, literate, politically-conscious film that really works to make you think about topics like prejudice and peace. Star Trek VI is an example of science fiction at its best, doing what the genre has always been meant to do: examine the workings of reality through the lens of fantasy.

(more to come).