Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)

Sorry, this movie sucks

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

The acting in this movie is really good.

I have to declare an interest in that I've been semi-addicted to 'Star Trek' since it was first broadcast in the UK. Nonetheless, I still watch the original episodes and the films (yes, it's very sad) and, without doubt, 'The Whales' is the very best of Star Trek.I say 'The Whales' because that's how everyone remembers this film; 'The Voyage Home' seems a little less than revealing of the story line. Having decided to return to earth to face the authorities after their dramatic rescue of the resurrected Spock, Kirk and Co. discover that Earth is under threat from an alien object which is emitting tonal messages which cannot be understood. Spock identifies the necessary response as being that of a hump back whale, a species long extinct in the 23rd century. Of necessity, Kirk decides to try to travel back to the present day to see if he can find some hump back whales to save the day. What a plan ! It's a great Sci-Fi film without that much Sci-Fi, but with a lot of enjoyment. The script is unusually good, filled with odd references that raise a smile. The contrast between the imagined 23rd century and the reality of the 20th allows for a mass of amusing moments and Spock's attempts at imitating 20th century 'colourful' language are often hilarious. There are many opportunities for the star cast to have their moments too, Scotty's difficulties with using a 20th century computer being one of the best, but Kirk's "I'm from Iowa, I only work in Outer Space" is a real corker.McCoy can't believe the deficiencies of 20th century medicine and Spock, still recovering from being dead, is full of little comments that make one smile. Catherine Hicks as the rather dishy Doctor Gillian makes the most of meeting a group of visitors from the future and has her own great lines. Given the opportunity, who wouldn't want to travel to the future ? No doubt purists can dig mile wide holes in the plot, filming, acting and all the rest, but none of that matters. It's a terrifically fun film with a genuine message about the harm that 20th, and 21st, century humans are doing to our planet and the potential consequences of that. It has plenty of drama and action, plus bits of comedy and, even, potential romance. The ending might be a bit predictable but who cares ? I've probably seen this film a dozen times over the years and I'll undoubtedly watch it again. It may not be a 'Great' film but it is great fun and great cinema. it's worth every bit of an 8/10.

This is the hardest Star Trek movie for me to review, so bear with me.On the one hand, it is forced in its social-message earnestness. The apocalyptic set-up takes too long and is rather lame besides. The hug-it-out ending is the kind of thing earnest old Gene Roddenberry might have rejected as too cloying by half.On the other, it's the most enjoyably comic entry in the "Star Trek" canon barring "A Piece Of The Action" and maybe "Galaxy Quest," showcasing some of the best cast chemistry among The Original Series regulars.In short, I find it somewhat tedious on the whole and very entertaining in much of its parts, especially the 65-minute middle section which brings James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and his crew to San Francisco in 1986.I'd rather not waste time setting the film up. The film itself does too much of that, and it only falters in the explanation. Something about a mysterious craft that has the power of shutting down all power in and around the planet Earth. It's sending out unrecognizable lines of communication; Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) recognizes humpback whalesong. Since humpbacks are extinct in the 23rd century, Spock determines the best way to handle this is find some whales in Earth's past that can respond and send the craft back from whence it came.It's a weak device, throwing up a lot of unanswered questions (what became of all those unfortunate crewpeople on ships that we see in the opening drifting powerless into space's vaccuum?) All you are supposed to care about are the usual suspects, Kirk and the gang of the late U. S. S. Enterprise, now aboard a stolen Klingon bird-of- prey. If you can, good for you.Give Nimoy a lot of credit. I don't like the script he helped write, but as director he makes it work by building up his fellow actors from the TV show. Anyone notice how Spock never gets the last word this time in his exchanges with Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley)? Instead, he's the butt of much of the humor, as when he strains futilely to inject profanity in his exchanges in order to fit in on 20th-century Earth."He's not exactly working on all thrusters," McCoy reminds Kirk.A silly-looking Spock is not what you expect, but watching him try to drop "hells" and "damns" with unbecoming Vulcan gravity is a joy of repeated viewings.I can do without the save-the-whales message being troweled on like mortar. Kirk's female contact on 20th century Earth has a "I Heart Whales" bumper sticker, and there's a long section showcasing whale slaughter in gory detail. I don't need the violins as I tuck into my whale steak and heat my cottage with blubber oil.Yet "Star Trek" did inject social commentary a lot in its TV period, along with some fairly comic outings. In both cases, "Star Trek IV" serves as a pleasant return to the well, reminding us why it was so enjoyable for so long. Humor comes across to some degree in other outings, but here it becomes more central than usual. Not all the jokes are great, but the delivery is solid. Even Chekov (Walter Koenig) gets some overdue attention as an object of last-minute rescue.Who doesn't get a kick out of watching Kirk and Spock negotiate mass transit? Non-fans will enjoy the digs, while fans who balance their loyalty to the franchise with an appreciation for popular-if-dated entertainment tropes will find this a worthwhile if minor addition to the mythos that is Trek.

Having been one of the shows that was part of my childhood and growing up, the original 'Star Trek' still holds up as great and ground-breaking, even if not perfect.The feature films based on the original series has been a mixed bag. 'The Motion Picture', 'The Search for Spock' and 'Final Frontier' were disappointing, but there were also some gems and 'The Voyage Home' is one of them. The overall best of the films? Not quite, to me the biggest contender for that title is 'The Wrath of Khan'. 'The Voyage Home' is easily the most entertaining.It may not be the 'Star Trek' film if you are looking for sense, a few parts are absurd and a little all over the place, or the one to see if one is wanting traditional sci-fi spectacle (though the film is not devoid of that).Very little of that matters however, when you are so engrossed in the characters and their relationships and conflicts, the humour, captivated by the production values and basically enjoying yourself so much.'The Voyage Home' is a visual treat, the production values of the film are significantly improved generally over those for the original show. It's beautifully shot, very elaborate in setting and the special effects are pretty amazing. Leonard Rosenman proves himself a worthy successor to Jerry Goldsmith and James Horner, rousing without feeling over-scored and with sensitive moments too, if not quite as clever as Horner's scoring.Leonard Nimoy's directing is so much more relaxed here than it was in 'The Search for Spock', more expansive and far more suited to feature film. 'The Voyage Home' is full of witty humour, in how it pokes fun at the idiosyncrasies of modern California life, romantic intrigue and intelligent thought. Shatner's romance is nicely done but the comic double act with Nimoy is far more interesting.The story is enormous fun, tightly paced and the characters are true to character and fascinatingly developed. The save the whales message is not exactly a subtle one, but it is direct, makes its point and doesn't feel too preachy.William Shatner's performance here is one of his better performances in the series, not overacting as much. Nimoy demonstrates why Spock is such an interesting and impossible to forget character, and DeForest Kelley's material is some of his meatiest which he relishes. Catherine Hicks is a nice presence. The team really let their hair down and clearly have fun while still feeling like the 'Star Trek' characters we know and love.In conclusion, great, a voyage well worth taking and one of the better films based on the original series. 9/10 Bethany Cox

10/10 This is very much a personal rating and not a critical rating. I love this film! It's fun and silly, and it's my favorite Star Trek film. The whole premise of going back in time to save the world by saving the whales, ridiculously fun!! :) It may not be the most serious Star Trek or be the one that makes you look into yourself and challenges you, but not all movies have to do that. I grew up watching this film with my family and I guess my dads love for the film rubbed off on me.