STAR TREK V: THE FINAL FRONTIER (1989)
Sequel to: Directly STAR TREK IV: THE VOYAGE HOME (1986) and softly to STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE (1979) and of course the 1960s TV show.
Why the Original Rocked: Fluid organic pulp storytelling, good plots, Shatner restrained
Why the Sequel Sucks: Shatner NOT restrained, Shatner as Director, bad plot, bad luck.
Ok, Trekkies here know about the 1960s series, and how the first 4 STAR TREK movies made a damn good profit for Paramount from 1979 to 1986, but VOYAGE HOME was, and still is, the highest-grossing TREK movie yet (hell, the only one to penetrate $100 million) because it appealed to an audience outside of TREK fan corps.
Paramount used this opportunity to do two thing: (1) Launch a new TREK tv show to capatilize on this potential money-making marketplace, and thus we get STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION. (2) Make a fifth TREK flick that would make as much money as TREK IV.
Considering that the first four TREK movies were good, it seemed a clinch, RIGHT?
Not so Scotty.
Long story short and sweet, William Shatner wanted more money to do TREK 5, and he wanted to direct it ("Spock" Leonard Nimoy had helmed TREK 3 and 4) and a hand in cooking up the story. Paramount caved in, and we get THE FINAL FRONTIER.
OK, so what the hell happened?
Paramount basically cut the movie's funding during shooting, which famously cut an elaborate finale involving Kirk duking it out with a rock monster.
But its screwed not just because the ending sucks. The whole movie sucks. The movie tried to be "funny" and you know what movie is worse than a bad adventure movie?
A comedy that isn't funny.
Then there was the Yuck factor. Like Roger Moore in A VIEW TO A KILL, we see old people getting their freak on, and I lost my breakfast. Trek fans know what I'm talking about.
Thing is, the basic plot idea of TREK V isn't a bad idea....but how could one make it work as a decent enough plot? I mean, the idea of the Enterprise finding God is sorta silly like Third Season The Original Series Silly....
Then again, thats what Germans said about fascism, another one of those good ideas sorta "botched"....
No, maybe the biggest problem of TREK V was Shatner's control of the movie. We see Kirk in his 50s being this Rambo of an action hero, and its goofy. You know how FUTURAMA made fun of Shatner always screwing the alien chick and getting his shirt torn in the same fight?
Well, this is the ugly stereotype come to life, and its not funny at all. Its just pathetic.
Still, TREK V was a dud and Paramount panicked enough to hire back Nicholas Meyer (WRATH OF KAHN) to helm TREK VI, and give a satisfying capper to the TOS crew.
