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Star Trek 4: The Voyage Home
Year Of Release
1986
Director
Leonard Nimoy
Producer
Harve Bennett, Ralph Winter, Kirk Thatcher, Brooke Breton
Writer
Gene Roddenberry, Harve Bennett, Nicholas Meyer, Leonard Nimoy, Steve Meerson, Peter Krikes
Cast
William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, Nichelle Nichols, Walter Koenig, George Takei, James Doohan and Catherine Hicks
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Year Of Release
1986
Director
Leonard Nimoy
Producer
Harve Bennett, Ralph Winter, Kirk Thatcher, Brooke Breton
Writer
Gene Roddenberry, Harve Bennett, Nicholas Meyer, Leonard Nimoy, Steve Meerson, Peter Krikes
Cast
William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, Nichelle Nichols, Walter Koenig, George Takei, James Doohan and Catherine Hicks
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While returning to stand court-martial for their actions in rescuing Spock, Kirk and crew learn that Earth is under the siege of a giant probe transmitting a destructive signal, intended for the long-extinct species of humpback whales. To save the planet, the crew must time-travel back to the 20th century to obtain a mating pair of these whales, along with a biologist to care for them.
Acting as a “Part 3” by continuing Spock's story arc that started in The Wrath Of Khan, the cast being side-tracked from their return to Earth could have been an exciting and worthwhile adventure through space.
Sadly, The Voyage Home is laden with fish-out-of-water jokes and way too much comedy replacing the mild humour of the first three movies.
It's also very cliché and cheesy to the point that it's beginning to tilt too much toward the original TV series. The Search For Spock started to do it, but Voyage is beginning to just cross that line too far.
Though in saying that, the movie as it is, is still entertaining enough for any Star Trek fan and anyone who has enjoyed the lead up will experience a relatively welcome breath of fresh air after the downbeat third movie. The humour involved makes for a very different movie altogether.
It feels like a product of its time with all the Save The Whales nonsense going on, but Voyage manages to draw the audience in without getting too mawkish and sickly in its themes.
The acting is good enough for the tone of the film and to be honest, I think the cast are in the same situation as the audience and seem to be enjoying the over-used humour.
In particular, it’s nice to see other cast members get the limelight instead of just being Kirk, Bones and Spock. We’re treated to Walter Koenig and Nichelle Nichols on their own little side mission… and James Doohan alongside DeForest Kelley and George Takei have their own mission to accomplish too.
Koenig in particular makes the most of his time in the limelight, he’s incredibly funny and cleverly draws on the humour with his natural childlike innocence.
The effects of the movie are somewhat improved again in this one. The miniature work and animation work involved is top notch for the time (1986) and still works today.
The filmmakers have also kept a recognisable essence to the effects as well that tie the highly different feel of the film to the other films in the series.
Acting as a “Part 3” by continuing Spock's story arc that started in The Wrath Of Khan, the cast being side-tracked from their return to Earth could have been an exciting and worthwhile adventure through space.
Sadly, The Voyage Home is laden with fish-out-of-water jokes and way too much comedy replacing the mild humour of the first three movies.
It's also very cliché and cheesy to the point that it's beginning to tilt too much toward the original TV series. The Search For Spock started to do it, but Voyage is beginning to just cross that line too far.
Though in saying that, the movie as it is, is still entertaining enough for any Star Trek fan and anyone who has enjoyed the lead up will experience a relatively welcome breath of fresh air after the downbeat third movie. The humour involved makes for a very different movie altogether.
It feels like a product of its time with all the Save The Whales nonsense going on, but Voyage manages to draw the audience in without getting too mawkish and sickly in its themes.
The acting is good enough for the tone of the film and to be honest, I think the cast are in the same situation as the audience and seem to be enjoying the over-used humour.
In particular, it’s nice to see other cast members get the limelight instead of just being Kirk, Bones and Spock. We’re treated to Walter Koenig and Nichelle Nichols on their own little side mission… and James Doohan alongside DeForest Kelley and George Takei have their own mission to accomplish too.
Koenig in particular makes the most of his time in the limelight, he’s incredibly funny and cleverly draws on the humour with his natural childlike innocence.
The effects of the movie are somewhat improved again in this one. The miniature work and animation work involved is top notch for the time (1986) and still works today.
The filmmakers have also kept a recognisable essence to the effects as well that tie the highly different feel of the film to the other films in the series.
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All in all, more humour oriented but does make for a nice upbeat change from the sombre predecessor. It’s just that the humour is laid on too thick in some scenes and the overly used humour does get dull at times.
Bordering product-of-its-time territory with the main plot but is handled well and never gets OTT in terms of the actual message it’s trying to send. Definitely the most fun of TOS.
My rating: 87%
All in all, more humour oriented but does make for a nice upbeat change from the sombre predecessor. It’s just that the humour is laid on too thick in some scenes and the overly used humour does get dull at times.
Bordering product-of-its-time territory with the main plot but is handled well and never gets OTT in terms of the actual message it’s trying to send. Definitely the most fun of TOS.
My rating: 87%
