Film #181 - Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)
I don’t have a whole lot to say about Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. It has always been my least favorite of the original crew “Star Trek” films. This is mainly because it feels to me like an obligatory film, not one that grew organically.
Wrath of Khan had proved that Star Trek on the big screen could not only be financially successful, it could be good, too. So Paramount was very interested in keeping things going and getting another film up as soon as possible. But Nimoy had only agreed to do the second film because they were killing off Spock. The experience of making Khan had been so different (i.e. better) than The Motion Picture, that Nimoy later agreed to do a shot that could open the door for Spock’s return. And so it does, leading us down the tortuous path to Spock’s return in Star Trek III.
But Nimoy needed something more than good vibrations to bring him back. He needed the director’s chair and that’s just what he got. Nimoy does a competent job, but the script by producer (and savior of the franchise) Harve Bennett just doesn’t cut it. It’s as if they felt that the best part of Khan was Spock’s death, so they ramp it up.
The cast is one bright point. By this time, they were all comfortably sttled back into their roles and they make the most of it. DeForest Kelly, in particular, has a lot to do as the “possession” of Dr. McCoy by Spock’s soul is central to the film. Everyone else gets plenty to do (especially Shatner), but since much of it is out of their normal element, they don’t excel as much as they otherwise usually did. Christopher Lloyd as Klingon Commander Kruge, the only new character of note, is woefully miscast, never conveying the danger his character requires.
My main problem with the film goes back to that dark outlook. It’s is so unrelenting; McCoy going mad, everyone putting their careers on the line, the death of Kirk’s son David, the destruction of the Enterprise and the Genesis planet. It’s all too much. The occasional moments of lightness aren’t enough to make up for it. This is the only classic Star Trek film that I hadn’t seen in years and I was easily reminded why. While there’s plenty of good things in it, it’s just too depressing for me to want to see.