Star Trek III: The Search For Spock is Seriously Underrated
Vložit
- čas přidán 9. 12. 2023
- Support my work on Subscribe Star: www.subscribestar.com/dave-cu...
Follow me on Bitchute: www.bitchute.com/channel/hybM...
KEEP UP ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
Gab: gab.ai/DaveCullen
Subscribe on Gab TV: tv.gab.com/channel/DaveCullen
Minds.com: www.minds.com/davecullen
Subscribe on Odysee: odysee.com/@TheDaveCullenShow:7 - Zábava
Sorry, meant to say Robin Curtis lol
Have to admit I was wondering who this Robert Curtis bloke was.
I chuckled a bit at that. Thanks for the Sunday morning moment of mirth.
Had a good chuckle at that haha.
I always felt that Cristie Alley was the better Saavik.. too bad paramount would not/did not make her a better offer.. so sad.
the Star Trek films with the original cast are like children to me - I won't claim one as a favorite over the others
"My God, Bones, what have I done?" "What you had to do. What you always do. Turned death into a fighting chance to live" Best interaction of the entire film for me.
I love that moment too. Such a powerful moment with perfect delivery.
"My God, Jim. I'm a doctor, not a fucking therapist. Now, where did I put my golf clubs?"
Saavik was played by _Robin_ Curtis, btw.
"I have... enough... of you!" Basic racism towards Klingons.
I have had enough of you. I often reimagined that scene.....with certain politicians replacing the Klingon captain.
We used to take quality scripts for granted. This was the case here. Great writing and, as a consequence, great characters. How things have changed.
True. By comparison to the schlock coming out of Hollyweird these days, Star Trek III is the equivalent of The Godfather, Part 2.
Don't it always seem to go, you don't know what you've got til it's gone. Joni Mitchell never lies.
Today's scripts are rubbish in many movies. We took for granted back in the day, a good story is hard to find now.
@@Vaultboy101 EXcept when it comes to the clot shot.
They have. And no one is watching ...or at least not enough to make a profit (with few exceptions). I'm good with re-watching these and I'm fortunate to held on to the physical media (mostly DVDs).
Stealing the Enrerprise is one of the best moments in Star Trek history
"The word sir?", "The word is no, I am therfore going anyway "
Best scene of the movie, and as you said one of the top of Star Trek all time...
The scene with Uhura and Mr Adventure is brilliant.
That scene had it all! Great VFX, Fantastic Music, Drama & Comedy, What else could you ask for?😁👍
When watching this I expected the Excelsior to put on a big show when going to trans warp, instead it just drifts.
One of my favorite moments is when the Vulcan high priestess tells Sarek that what he has asked for is illogical. His reply is so touching, "Forgive me, T'layr. My logic is...uncertain where my son is concerned." Mark Lenard was always so believable in his role as an eminent scientist and serious statesman, who is also fiercely dedicated to the principles of his civilization's precepts and culture. He had a real gravitas which always impressed me. I have always felt that the Vulcans, especially Spock with his half human heritage, were not so much emotionless as they were able to keep their feelings under strict control through enormous discipline and their devotion to logic as a means to peacefully advance their society. It makes me happy to know that I'm not the only one who finds _Star Trek III_ really enjoyable. Thanks Dave!
That scene and the scene between Kirk and Sarek show that the Vulcan's still have emotion.
I remember Tuvok's training on Vulcan the priest telling him that they felt emotions _stronger_ than other species which is why they trained to control their emotions, not get rid of them. The dialogue was something along the line of "I feel sad that you don't want training. Does that surprise you? Being able to control one's emotion does not me we have lost them."
@@Serahpin Even back in Journey to Babel, Sarek was much more relaxed than Spock, especially with Amanda (the little finger touch thing). It's arguable that Spock overcompensated, much as Worf did, and didn't represent a "typical" Vulcan. That's why he would say he was "incapable" of those emotions, which really wasn't true. It also can give a less racist edge to McCoy's needling and outright insulting of him. As a Starfleet doctor, he's probably encountered many full blooded Vulcans and knows they aren't as extreme as Spock and knows he has to ease up a bit for his health.
@@carlrood4457 That's a good take, I've never thought about it that way.
Mark Lenard gave any scene he was in certain gravitas. What a great actor. What a great character.
The death of the Enterprise to me was a bigger gut punch than Spock's death. She was as much a star of the show as the crew!
Aye, seeing it as a teen having to come and love the Enterprise through endless reruns, it was a massive gut punch. She was a real character and seeing her get destroyed had me depressed for months.
My eyes got a bit moist when Spock was dying.
I was struggling to keep down the wails and buckets of tears when the Enterprise was blown apart. That was Scotty's bairn! And so soon after losing his nephew.
Agreed! The first time it happened was a real shock . Now modern trek movies destroy enterprises with the regularity of changing the curtains. "Shall we wipe down these blinds in the mess room? No initiate the self destruct - the replacement enterprise G will have cleaner blinds..."
There are plenty of letters in the alphabet.
@@akinsamuel2007 Once Enterprises become disposable they become meaningless. Seeing the original E going down in STIII was gutwrenching, but it made sense in the story. And that Kirk used it as a weapon to snatch defeat from victory. Seeing the E-D go down meant nothing because it happened for the dumbest of reasons with the dumbest 1st officer in Starfleet in charge.
Thank you, Dave. I was on the writing staff of Star Trek 3. It was a labor of love for me. I agree that she is not given enough appreciation.
Hey Eric! Was there anything specific you contributed to the finished film?
Eric, Dave made the observation about ST3 being an odd reverent reversal of Star Trek 2's plot. Could you tell us if that was a point of discussion in the writing room?
You should be proud. This was definitely the high point of Star Trek for me.
Man! I didn't LOVE this, when it came out, but multiple rewatches changed that. The writing really is much better than teenage me realized.
It was something I grew up with and I'll always have Fond memories of popping this movie in on a Saturday afternoon and watching it... after cartoons, naturally. Lol
"Stealing the Enterprise" is the best musical queue in the entire film series. Bravo, James Horner!
The music is terrific in this movie.
@@jamesabernethy7896 It really is. I know people rightfully praise the music from TMP and WOK the most, but my favorite scores are TSFS and FC. I love the quieter, less bombastic moments, and Horner and Goldsmith brought it with those scores.
It all starts with a classic kirk right hook to the security guard and we're off! I love it every time I hear it
He would reuse some of the musical phrases in Aliens.
Star Trek III - When Enterprise flies under the rim of space dock after clearing the doors
Aliens - When Bishop drops Ripley off to search for Newt (the music when Bishop approaches the platform, after Ripley tapes her rifles together and Hick injects himself with a pain reliever).
I always thought it was a bold decision to have Kruge played by Christopher Lloyd and Maltz by John Laroquette...two well known and brilliant comedic actors. And they managed to play it straight--no corny jokes or lines, no slapstick. Really brilliant.
True. But there are some really good dramatic acting from some great comedians. Richard Pryor is one
Kirk's decision to go against orders has since been retconned into a character trait, as if he's just a maverick, but Kirk was a by-the-book professional since he first appeared on screen. This only underscores the significance of his actions in Star Trek 3, that a by-the-book professional like him would be willing to break all protocols for his friends.
Anything following Wrath of Khan would have been hard to follow up, but star trek 3 was excellent! This is how to build a universe!
When they steal the Enterprise it's goosebumps every single time.
Let's not forget that the rest of the crew also demonstrated their loyalty to one another. There's barely any hesitation when Kirk tells them what he's planning to do and they join in even though their own court martials are guaranteed. Leading to one of the best sequences in the movie.
"... dont' call me tiny..."
@@akinsamuel2007 Karate Chop!
Admiral, we're losing precious time.
Uhura's scene, where she orders the young guy into the closet at phaser-point, was just fantastic.
McCoy: "I'm glad you're on *our* side."
And then a few minutes later,
"Oh, don't worry, Captain, I'll have 'Mr. Adventure' eating out of my hand."
"The word gentlemen, is no. I am therefore, going anyway" - My favourite line :)
It's amazing how well 2, 3, 4 and 6 all lean into and support each other.
star trek 5 makes me shudder every time i think of it .
Spock saying "I've been dead before" in #6 is a great callback.
I like 1 and 5... but yeah, I agree with this point!
I’ve always felt these three films need to be viewed in a sitting- an all day sitting. It’s a wonderful trilogy that doesn’t get as much paradise as it deserves.
Beginning with Space Seed after STMP.
@@KingCrab85 "The Spock Trilogy", what an excellent moniker for them. I've never heard them called that before. I wonder of you just coined a term.
@@KingCrab85 Fair enough, very interesting.
How much paradise does the trilogy deserve?
One of the best trilogies ever made. Kirk's character arc over the three is amazing.
William Shatners scene upon hearing of the death of his son is the best of his portrayal of Captain Kirk. ❤
100% agree. This film was my entry point to the Trek franchise. It showed me what true friendship is and the lengths to which a true friend should go to do right by you, and to which you should do right by them.
Kirk’s like to Sarek of “If I hadn’t tried, the cost would have been my soul.” sums up the film in my opinion.
You said it. Sometimes we have to realize that rules created by ourselves are just bits of ink scribbled on paper in an attempt to deal with a chaotic universe. They can often be helpful, but they can't cover every possible eventuality. That is why we all cheered when they broke the rules for all the right reasons.
ST: TOS: The City on the Edge of Forever is where the Kirk/Spock dynamic and friendship is at its most apparent and poignant. If you haven't, do so. You'll then understand Kirk's singular focus on finding Spock.
100% agree, I've never understood why this movie gets swept under the rug.
Because it is book ended by better films and it does nothing but undo the events of the previous movie. Being "earned" is a serious stretch.
I completely agree, probably the best of the odd number trek movies
I always loved the dialogue in this movie between Kirk, Spock and McCoy. It's the kind of dialogue that movie writers today find difficult to replicate
Whole-heartedly agree.
The “stealing the Enterprise “ sequence is probably one of my favorite parts of the original Trek movies. Not to mention the Earth space dock model.
Scotty sabotaging the experimental Excelsior which would be seen later in the franchise.
Only downside Kirstie Alley not returning as Saavik. Robin Curtis is ok , but not as good.
Although I didn't have a problem with Alley, I think Curtis made Saavik more Vulcan in her personality.@@Pwj579
How can you have a yellow alert in spacedock?
@@JohnSmith-bk9iz I presume SF Academy quickly developed some suggestions regarding a yellow alert in spacedock!
More like a "Kirk Alert!" @@dennisanderson3895
It will always be my favourite. Stealing the Enterprise is an incredibly powerful scene.
Well over 20 years old, in fact she was closer to 40 years since launched and major rfit in close to 20 year beforehand. It is also where Klingon as a language was formally created.
The search for Spock was indeed an awesome movie.
Rest in peace Leonard Nimoy you are being missed.
I really miss the Star Trek of old back when it was an awesome franchise RIP Star Trek.
Other than that a great video/review Dave Cullen keep up the great work👍
And greetings from the Netherlands🇳🇱
I AGREE. I LOVE THIS ONE. ESPECIALLY CHRISTOPHER LLOYD.
It's the best one. It starts with a Breakout and a Heist, then turns to a road trip and ends as an action movie. It is amazing! and don't call me Tiny!
A little piece of trivia:
The security guard who called Sulu 'tiny' (then gets beaten-up by Sulu😊) is the same guy that Spock nerve-pinches, when he steals the thruster suit, in STMP.
Star Trek 3 has great music. Solid acting. And it shows a fallible Kirk, and Shatner performs great when on screen.
Nimoy did a solid job of directing. And the script, plus special effects are all pretty solid.
I would rate Star Trek 3, over number 4.
The highlight for me is when the Enterprise is stolen, still makes me tingle. It is just so well done.
"you Klingon bastard you killed my son" that scene is so well done, Kirk misses the chair, Scott and Sulu's reaction shots the way Kirk gently brushes McCoy away Kruge speaking in reserved tones thinking he has victory secure. Incredible scene
@@johntabler349 Kruge thinks he's administered the coup de grace to his nemesis, not even realizing he's just sent his own men to their deaths and completely failed thanks to his own pride.
@@RogueDragon05 he was the only adversary who called Kirk's bluff
michael giacchino is a good composer too
I remember being in the theater and tears running down my face when the Enterprise self-destructed. It was like losing friend. Kirk deciding to steal the Enterprise was incredible.
I was what.. 33? I'd been a fan since I was 16.
The hijacking of the Enterprise was brilliant. loved that scene .
Star Trek III will always be special to me because it was the first movie I ever saw in theaters.
I love it to saw it at the cinema back in 1984, shed a tear i must admit when the Enterprise was lost. I do wish Kirsty Ally and Bibi Besch had reprised their rolls.
Decades later and it _still_ punches me in the gut when the computer counts down to One and seeing her in her death throes.
@@danielseelye6005 Me as well :(
Kirstie Alley would have reprised her role as Saavik in The Undiscovered Country, but of course Roddenberry hated it and went behind Nick Meyer's back to complain about it to Paramount brass and idea was nixed. Valeris was originally Saavik and her betrayal would have been much more powerful dramatically in otherwise excellent movie. Needless to say Meyer was pissed.
@@mikavirtanen7029 Roddenberry really hated giving us nice things sometimes, huh ... instead we got Wesley Crusher. I suppose had he lived longer, DS9 would have never happened, either.
@@givmi_more_w9251 At least Roddenberry would have fought tooth and nail against DS9, that's for sure. Gene never forgave that Paramount gave TOS movie franchise to Harve Bennett and while Bennett had left after ST V he just had to give one last FU to Meyer while having one foot in the grave already.
I loved seeing this at the cinema.The sacrifice of both Enterprise and David hit you because of the high stakes involved.When i watched the JJprise get destroyed,i felt bored.
Ditto.
It's like killing Henry Cavills Superman after 2 appearances, they assumed because you were connected emotionally to older better versions that emotion would automatically transfer to the new version, they didn't think they had to earn it
@@johntabler349 good point
@@johntabler349 Yes this!! Though the fault dosen't lie with Cavill rather Synder and WB. Even in Man of Steel, Lois and Sup's just start making doe eyes at each other for no reason other then the audience already knows that these two get together so why waste time actually showing them fall in love.
JJ's 'Prise was a setpiece to be thrown around and blow up for kicks. 1701-A was a ship of the imagination created to be our friendly ambassador of hope to the future. We loved her as much as Jim.
Dave, I always thought Star Trek III was underrated and happy to see others think so as well. I thought Christopher Lloyds turn as the Klingon Commander is also overlooked as one of his better roles. Thanks for revisiting this and reminding me I need to go rewatch it.
I concur, dude was born to play that role.
They should have thrown a line in there that he says "When this Bird Of Prey gets up to Warp 8.8, you're going to see some serious shit".... LOL
I love Christopher Lloyd as Commander Kruge, and I love his line (and his delivery) “Because you wish it!” What a great line for a movie villain.
FWIW: One of the most moving bits of dialog in this movie -- to me at least -- is this brief exchange between *Sarek* and *Kirk:*
*Sarek: **_"But at what cost? Your ship. Your son."_*
*Kirk: **_"If I hadn't tried, the cost would have been my soul."_*
This is ALWAYS overlooked, and I'm so glad that you took the time to focus on it. The friendship of WOK is undeniable, but - the tether here pays incredible respect to the friendship and makes the heart FULL, in a perfect ramp of course - to STAR TREK iV. A tremendous film, with an undeniably cantankerous villain (brilliantly portrayed by Doc Brown, snort), that features sacrifice and rebuilding on a variety of levels that are deeply heartfelt.
One of my favourites. The stealing the Enterprise scene alone, with the music building to a crescendo as she leaves Excelsior for dust, is iconic. But there are so many great moments.
A great trilogy with two and four. It is a completely necessary story to tell if you're gonna have Spock around still. And it did it fantastically.
David's death in this movie was incredibly well done. Saavik informing Kirk that David is dead was characteristically emotionless and matter of fact. Followed by Kirk taking an emotional gut punch , staggering back into his command chair and saying "You Klingon bastards. You killed my son." Great scene that Shatner nailed perfectly.
He's a better actor than he gets credit for
The first Star Trek film I saw in the cinema, the "Jim, your name, is Jim" ending is incredible, still gives me goosebumps.
The moment Spock raised his eyebrow at the smiling Kirk confirmed for me that he was truly back. 🖖😎👍
Thank you! I’ve been saying that since I was a kid and it’s my favorite of the Star Trek movies. So many iconic moments in this one movie. The first appearance of the Bird of Prey, stealing the Enterprise, destruction of the Enterprise, badass Klingon dog that freaked me out as a kid, the return to Vulcan, Spock’s crew mates sacrificing everything to save him. It’s probably my second most watched movie ever after The Empire Strikes Back.
Nimoy is the one who came up with the mind meld scene... Half way through filming he started having second thoughts on retiring the character so he asked the writers, director to put the scene in if he changed his mind. Also, the enterprise is actually about forty years old at this point , not 20 . The scene in wrath of kahn was a mistake. In TOS, Spock was on Pikes command 13 years earlier than kirk from the menagerie episode and from TAS, Robert April was the captain before Pike which would make the Enterprise at least 40 years old. There was a refit twenty years earlier between Pikes ship and Kirks ship... so you could say he was referring to that?...
Canonically, Robert April took command of the _Enterprise_ in 2245. By the time of _The Search for Spock,_ it was, in fact 40 years old. The Admiral may have been referring to the (movie) refit version, but, even then, seeing as _The Motion Picture,_ while not dated exactly, takes place between 2271 and 2278, the ship couldn't be more than twelve to fourteen years old. I can see the Admiral rounding up to twenty, but, even in a post-scarcity universe, I can't see any good reason to retire a functioning starship.
It's really one of the great turnarounds in actor/character relations. He'd come to resent the character (even wrote a book title d I Am Not Spock). He didn't enjoy doing TMP. He apparently really enjoyed the experience WoK and the combined with the opportunity to direct got him back. Unfortunately, it meant Saavik wasn't really needed anymore.
@@MKDumas1981 This is interesting. If you ask me, The star trek universe was never shown to be "post scarcity" for other than menial items and energy levels. Not incredibly far fetched in many ways from todays society.
However, when it comes to larger structures such as starships and the energy to power them, it is shown its very limited indeed for all but the "god like aliens".
It is shown to take considerable time to build starships (similar to real world navy ships), and starfleet also has a relatively limited number of them, and cant immediately produce more than what they got. Same for every other species, except the "omnipotent" ones as mentioned above.
As for the reason to decommision a starship that works, well in the real world you got 2 things (and others but I will focus on 2) that often happens in the military to functional equipment:
The fact they wear out and the structural integrity can become compromised. This happens to pretty much every plane. They are grounded and decommissioned before they have a catastrophic failure in flight.
Also, the fact they are so out of date they consume more resources to crew and fuel than they are worth strategically. If the Enterprise as seen in these movies are about to be outsped by the excelsior by a factor of several times over, that would mean its almost effectively useless as some kind of military machine. But it is a big one, that takes a lot of fuel and crew compared to a smaller one or one specialized for science mission, so it makes sense to retire it. This is what happened in the real world to almost every battle surviving warship since time immemorial, it was too outdated and worthless strategically to justify its running costs. There are perfectly shiny and "as new" battleships just off the line that never got to even fire a shot in anger, that got scrapped and smelted down because of this. Very common.
I always took it that the admiral within the story narrative was referring to the refit that took place just before the motion picture which was supposedly about a year and a half after the 5 year mission of the TV show within the story narrative
@@MKDumas1981 I was talking about the Pike to Kirk refit not the motion picture refit
Rewatched Star Trek 3 a few months ago, and was amazed at the level of brotherly love portrayed on screen. Amazing to think we use to make films like this. The concept of sincerity is dead in our modern society, and they could all learn something from these old trek films.
It was the Empire Strikes Back of the Star Trek movie franchise imho. It was serious, had stakes, didn't let the heroes easily win.
It's pretty good and it has Christopher Lloyd in it who's amazing as Kruge.
David sacrificed himself to save Saavik and Spock, in an act of redemption for using protomatter in the Genesis matrix.
When I was growing up we had Star Trek III on Betamax. It was my first introduction to Star Trek. While not my all time favorite I agree it is severely underrated. It is an exceptional film and vitally important to the franchise as you so eloquently pointed out.
Love your content Dave. Keep up the good work.
Ah betamax. Not seen or heard of those in a very long time.
I was 9 when I saw it in theaters. Watched TOS episodes since I was six and wanted them to find a way to bring back Spock, loved the `Stealing the Enterprise' scene, and even tried to work out ways they could've saved the Enterprise after the movie. In the end, though I loved the Connie Enterprise, I thought it was good exchange to get Spock back.
Now, when I'm at the age where I go to more funerals than weddings, what resonates most is Kirk's monologue in the beginning, the way he drops the mask of control in the turbolift, the forlorn way he stares at the Enterprise burning up, and finally the line "If I hadn't tried, the cost would've been my soul." And McCoy's "Don't know if I could stand to loose you again."
"Your name is Jim". It offers the hope that one can, in a way, go home again. And I will never forget the cheer in the theaters during Star Trek IV with the line "My friends, we've come home." Causes the waterworks these days, but of the happy variety.
Best Trek movie in my opinion. Kirk does it all in this movie including sacrificing the Enterprise to save the crew after his son is murdered.
Very underrated & an excellent Star Trek movie! It has a great plot & gives us action, emotions & great visual effects for the time that almost hold up to today standards. It just feels right. Thanks Dave
When Shatner misses the chair after learning of David's death....subtle but brilliant...better than anything that comes after
I know it's not the BEST Star Trek movie, but it is my favorite. Rich with feeling, themes of loyalty and friendship. And Shatner's best moment as Kirk (reacting to David's death). And that ending is wonderful. Just absolutely uplifting and full of possibility - the essence of Star Trek.
"You Klingon Bastards! You killed my son!"
He hit hearing of his son's death right on the nail. And also the rest of the cast as they watched their captain get gut punched and know nothing they say will make a difference at that point.
Yeah, really tore up over the son he never new existed for 30 years and had only found out about and met literally just days before... That's some deep hitting realism there.
Shattner sold it though, he was seriously underrated as actor.
Cynicism aside, he DID know David existed. He told Carol in Trek 2, "I did what you wanted. I stayed away." But he was heartbroken THEN when learning she had never told David anything about his father. Separately, from a 'deep hitting realism" perspective - it might not seem realistic if you haven't lived a lot of life, but part of what carves space in your heart is REGRET. And if Kirk has lived with only the notions, his imagination, of what having a son in his life could be like, then yes, that's VERY real. That occupies part of your own heartaches and dreams, and it has substance and weight. You can't understand that if you have not been denied a son of your own and had to suck that up. I personally have wanted to be a dad since my early twenties, but I made choices that cost me this, and now it's decades later, and it serves as a source of pain. So yes, if, after 30 years of longing to meet my son, then meeting my son and hearing him say he's "proud to be" my son - a path toward a new, special relationship - if that new relationship is suddenly SEVERED, I'm going to be devastated. So it's very real, it's very believable. If you've lived with any perspective on the matter. And some haven't. That's not your fault. But just letting you know - there's weight and pathos because those choices Kirk made and had to live with - those are choices some people make and live with, and it comes with pain.
Klingon bastard, you killed my son!
Such emotion!!
The destruction of the Enterprise was a great dramatic moment.
They got the visuals and the story beats of the destruction perfect.
Mom had to drop a friend and I off at the theater to see this. One of those wonderful summer days when you exit a movie and the heat hits you like a wall, but you love it. The demise of the Enterprise is handled perfectly and the special effects are awesome. I wore out a VCR tape rewinding and re-watching that scene over and over. It's a great film and one of my favorites. Thank you for the video.
Star Trek III was my favorite movie as a kid, for reasons I couldn't understand back then. Aside from my fascination with retrofuturism and the awesome starship scenes. But as I grew up, I realized it was the general tone of the film that I loved. Which included the visual designs but especially the music. Still my favorite music in the whole franchise. And also because it comes the closest to capturing the feel of an extended TV episode of Star Trek. It also succeeds at taking on a serious tone without becoming melodramatic or campy. In many ways, it's what Star Trek V should have been.
I also think it's really telling that the movie is all about getting Spock back and directed by the guy who plays Spock. Yet he barely shows up in the film. It really takes a lot for an actor to step back and avoid the spotlight. If this kind of film was made today, every single scene would have had Spock in it, with tons of trailer and merchandise bait. But Nimoy rightly pointed out that it wouldn't help the story of the movie. And he was completely right. The irony that the thing that helped the series most was killing the most popular character, drawing out the best of the rest of the cast.
I am in complete agreement with you regarding this movie ! It is severely undervalued and does a great job continuing the story from Star Trek II . The Star Trek curse of the odd number curse to me is a joke because I enjoyed Star Trek v . 3 is one of my favorites and no matter what people say about it I will continue to love it
Thanks for this. I agree that Search for Spock is way underrated. Stealing the Enterprise is one of the best sequences in any Trek film or show, the perfect blend of fun, tension, and humor.
One of my favorite lines, that I use often:
"No"
"Why not?"
"Because you wish it".
Search for Spock is the “empire strikes back” of the ST franchise. It needed to happen and moved things to a totally new footing. It introduces a whole new dynamic and re-orientates the whole style of the movies
I’m not crying
YOU’RE CRYING!
You know, I’ve never noticed how it undid Star Trek 2 until you brought it up, but yes they did an amazing job honoring both movies
"That green blooded son of a bitch , its his revenge for all those arguments he lost"
the most poetic moment in Star Trek III was explaining the Human notion that "The needs of the one, outweigh the needs of the many". because this is the true grit of emotion and brevity. it's all relative.
The word..? is no. I therefore am going to go anyway.
I watched Star Trek 3 first back in my early teens. It took a couple of years before i found the wrath of khan in a VHS rental shop ( yep i'm THAT old) but i still understood all the references to the earlier movie from watching this one. Star Trek 2 and 3 are the first and second act of a great story. They also share a lot of the music...the best of the Star Trek movies in my opinion. If i were to introduce new viewers to Star Trek i would start with these 2 movies... absolute masterpieces 😊
You know you've got gold when a movie makes slowly backing out of the garage exciting.
Another often overlooked aspect of this movie is that it's the first time we get any kind of close up look at the Klingons and their culture. Pretty much every aspect that would become recognizable for their people originated in this movie.
I also agree with you about the odd number curse being unfounded. Other than Undiscovered Country, Star Trek 1 and 3 are also my favorite TOS films.
That mushroom station is legendary for a reason.
I agree with all you shared. In fact, my only regret is that Star Trek V was a narrative let-down. When I think of the Saavik character, and Valeris in the sixth film, I feel that a potential Saavik catalyst story, perhaps with her interactions with Spock leading to a fresh conflict with the Romulans in a re-imagined fifth film, a serious opportunity to develop her back story was dismissed in order to search for God. This could have led to her being the logical successor to Spock in Star Trek VI, making her betrayal of the Federation all the more poignant. I have always loved the trilogy of 2, 3, and 4. And 6 felt like a reasonable conclusion to both the elements of the trilogy and the series overall. Were Final Frontier composed with a different but reasonable narrative structure to follow the classic trilogy, we would have had a classic 'saga' model with five solid chapters. But as it stands, the trilogy is meant to be respected as a full narrative arc, and I miss that kind of story-telling today.
You know maybe Saavik was turned by Sybock and her "pain" that she overcame turned her to the person she would've been in STVI.
Interesting to consider...@@neohermitist
good set of movies, they tied them together nicely
The other memory I have in relation to.this movie is being a teen when it was released. I was a faithful reader of DC Comics' monthly Star Trek comic set in the same continuity as the movies, but it created a massive discontintinuity because the movies didn't leave time for the three years of comics stories set in between each movie. They somehow made it all fit with some very clever writing and mostly seamless story contortions in the monthly comic. It makes me miss the shared multimedia continuity we used to get in entertainment. Now everything is just set in its own isolated universe from other media using the same license.
Yes...110 percent correct...it absolutely is underrated. 👍
Anyone who thinks that William Shatner is a crappy actor needs to see the mindmeld scene with Mark Leonard in this move. The emotions are incredibly powerful.
Shatner had a unique style of acting, but there is a lot of subtleties in some intense moments.
I certainly don't think he's a crappy actor. But in many of his roles, he maintains his distinct. In a way, he is his own brand. Vin Diesel is sort of like that with many similar characters. Actor like Daniel Day Lewis and the late Philip Seymor Hoffman, they have a recognisable name but could physically transform for their roles. Changing tier appearance, physicality and vocal qualities that is more than just accent.@@GarretGrayCamera
These are very good observations. You are quite right about how good this film is. Star Trek III is a very solid film and is like watching an elongated and really good episode in the TV series.
Reverend Jim playing a Klingon....that was inspired casting!
Nice to see STIII getting some love, it's long been one of my favourites in the series.
Effects also still look great to this day.
I agree. It has been like forty years and those VFX really hold up.
Star Trek II, III and IV make up one of the best cinematic trilogies. Great characters, stories, action, music, and Kirk's character arc is excellent.
Mark Lenard is so good as Sarek. A very underrated performance, in an underrated movie.
"Now, Mr Scott." "Aye Sir, I'm working on it." Brilliant.
"...Don't call me tiny..."
"...recommend you all for commendation, in whatever fleet we end up serving..."
"...the more they overthink the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain..."
"...this is the hind end of space..."
"...how can you be deaf with ears like that?"
and:
"...I have always been, and ever shall be, your friend..."
So many good, solid, lines, and emotional scenes, too: the losses of David, the Enterprise, and the bringing back of Spock. The cinematography - especially the scene with Sulu landing the Bird of Prey on Vulcan - with the lights shining on the ship, the music swelling, and Sarek the father watching from the side in contemplative expectation; And then, to cap it all, the values throughout placed on loyalty, friendship and sacrifice by the crew and the Captain for a missing man. A very well done film. Nimoy and the rest nailed it.
This was my favorite film as a kid, i remember we had it recorded on vhs and I watched it over and over on the mornings of my summer holidays. I dont agree with the odd/even number's, I have a soft spot (ducking down here) for ST V the final frontier.
ST V certainly isn't the best movie but I do have a fondness for it too. It's certainly much better than anything made since 2009.
It's not the best, but certainly watchable.
The biggest problem with The Search For Spock, is that it's sandwich between the two most popular Star Trek films.
It is the link that connects those two movies together in the three movie arc. It's a great movie, we get good characters, a good villain, quotable lines, great action scenes. The escape from spacedock is one of the greatest Trek movie scenes of all time, and it has no violence at all. Just shots of the ships moving, the bridge crews, will they or won't they make it through the doors and James Horner's music. Which makes it as close to the iconic scenes of Sergio Leone's spaghetti western movies. Which were often long close ups and Ennio Morricone's music building up tension. This is a good movie. Not the best, and seeing the Big E get destroyed really hurt when I saw it the 1st time around. But certainly the best of the odd numbered Trek movies.
In hindsight , I find ST: IV very dated and silly.
I used to feel same about ST:III just being the bridge between II and IV.
Now I appreciate it more for the importance it has in advancing the drama…..death of David , the Enterprise destruction, the crew’s dedication to Kirk ( and Spock) and ultimately Spock’s rebirth.
@@Pwj579 STIV is the most dated of the TOS movies, by virtue of being said in San Francisco in the 80's, with the movie having a very cheesy 80's feel. On the flipside, it's got a very cheesy 80's feel to it, and I for one think we could do with some of that today.
"AWAITING FINAL CODE FOR ONE-MINUTE COUNTDOWN."
"Zero Zero Zero. Destruct. Zero."
I've been into the old Star Trek from the late 2000s early 2010s when the old show had a rerun. I have not watched any of the movies apart from Wrath of Khan and recently I saw the motion picture. It may be because I'm 30 now, but I have a whole new appreciatation for Star Trek and this first film being while agnosingly slow at times it did have a premise. CZcams has also been recommending clips of TNG which I never saw and I'm happy to be a exploring a familiar franchise in new ways
Thanks Dave. Beautiful review!
My pleasure!
I wouldn't say it's underrated, most people I know who watched this movie like or love it, it is however overlooked compared to more popular or notorious trek films.
I always took the "Even numbered Star Trek films don't suck" as meaning the odd numbered ones were hit or miss.
I always loved how the self-destruct sequence was exactly the same as that from the episode "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield." I love it when they throw in subtle things like that.
Hmmm....not sure why you would title this video "Underrated." Every ST fan I know LOVES this movie.
Star Trek V is also underrated. Especially compared to NuTrek.
I also have a soft spot for V. I love the emotional journey they go on.
@@jamesabernethy7896 In addition to the music, I always liked the Klingon language scenes with Klaa and the rest.
I'm with you, Dave. My two favorite original cast movies are The Motion Picture and The Search for Spock.
So many memorable moments in The Search for Spock, covered well in the comments here. The hardest scene for me to watch is when Kirk is told his son, David, is dead. It's all the more painful because they had just reconciled. In his memoirs, Shatner describes coming up with the right way to play this scene - with just a touch of physical vulnerability - and IMO it's perfect.
The fight at the end with Kruge is also well done. So many movies drag out the final confrontation between the hero and the villain, or amp it up to ridiculous, but this fight was right on the money: short, savage, and realistic. It also concluded in a satisfying way.
I love your reviews of these classic sci-fi films, Dave. It's a lot of nostalgia for us 80s kids, but also a reminder that we're not crazy for thinking today's movies mostly don't hold a candle to this stuff.
The duality of the Enterprise in 2 and 3 is that in 2, Kirk had to save the Enterprise, but in 3 he had to destroy it. Good movie all around with the best Klingon (in Christopher Lloyd) who really set the standard for how the Klingons should be going forward.
Almost like how in Lawrence of Arabia, Lawrence was able to save Gasim out from the desert against the odds, only to execute him later to keep the peace between the Arab tribes en route to Aqaba.
Well, actually in 2 Spock saved the ship, but in 3 Kirk destroyed it to get Spock back, so to speak. Which of coursed flummoxed Spock, who was now even less capable of understanding such an emotional decision.
No mention of the return of Janice Rand in a nice cameo?
Anyways, it's not a bad movie, it's just not as satisfying as it's bookends. The change of Saavik always sticks out badly as well. Not that Robin Curtis was bad, she certainly played a Vulcan well, but her Saavik feels so different than Kirstie's. She is more Spock-like in demeanor - not sure that change was altogether welcome though.
That is how Nimoy directed her. What got left behind is the character is actually half Romulan.
Haven't clicked so fast on a video in my life! I saw this in theaters as a little one. Now, growing up, I was a fan of Voyage Home because it was light-hearted and goofy and funny, but as I aged, Search For Spock became my absolute favorite ( though barely over Wrath of Khan ). The "Stealing the Enterprise" score by James Horner is amazing and so full of tension. If you've watched the movie enough and just listen to the score without visuals, you can feel what's happening, especially the urgency of Scotty trying to hack those darn space dock doors!
Well, time to go watch it again for the... I've lost count, but it doesn't matter. It's an amazing ST classic to me that makes me think of better times - especially with my late dad. Thank you, Mr. Cullen. Wonderful breakdown of a timeless movie.
I admit it, it bugs me the way they revert somethings from Star Trek 2 to 3, especially the dead of Kirk's son, but oddly enough, I do like the way they get back spock. And the Kilngon's bird of prey ship, really awesome design.
Thank you for the video.
As a kid I had this on video and watched it over and over again !
"I, HAVE HAD, ENOUGH, OF YOU!!!"
You've done it again Dave. You and I should be drinking buddies. I've always had more appreciation for STIII than most others give it. I am in the camp that puts The Wrath of Khan in the #1 spot, but I've always held The Motion Picture and The Search for Spock nearly tied for second, then followed by IV The Voyage Home.
II through IV created a wonderfully entertaining trilogy, with III providing its own strong, original story, and as you point out, contributing not only to the trilogy but to the entire franchise as well. I saw them all in their original theatrical releases, and 44 years later, the refit Enterprise reveal scene in TMP still gets me the way it so magically did when I was nine years old, and watching the crew in III react to the Enterprise burning up in the atmosphere still gives me a lump in my throat every time.
As for the "odd numbered" curse, I have always thought that of the Original Series movies, the only weak one was V.
And, the created the Klingon language for the movie (Dr. Okrand), expanding on the few gibberish words they created in Star Trek TMP. This would reverberated through all the movies and shows and give depth to the Klingons.
I'm right there with you on "seriously underrated". This is a solid, well-crafted movie.
One thing you didn't mention, but I'm a fan of how the second-tier characters get a moment in the sun in this movie. Sulu's role in rescuing McCoy, Uhura's moments with "Mister Adventure", and of course Scotty was indispensable in successfully stealing the Enterprise.
I remember telling people I was a fan of Christopher Lloyd's portrayal of a Klingon, and people said "eh, to me he's just that crazy guy from _Taxi_ ..."
And all the quotable dialog. "They outnumber us, my lord." "We are klingons!"
Or: Kirk, about stealing the Enterprise: "Gentlemen, your work today has been outstanding and I intend to recommend you all for promotion... in whatever fleet we end up serving." Or, Spock's father: "My logic has always been uncertain where my son was concerned."
It's a good time at the movies.