STAR TREK III: THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK. Directed by Leonard Nimoy; written and produced by Harve Bennett for Paramount. Starring William Shatner, DeForest Kelley and Christopher Lloyd. Rated PG (some violence).
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Trekkies of the world, unite! You have nothing to lose but your anxiety about the fate of Mr. Spock!
Don't worry, I don't believe in giving away the endings to movies. But rest assured that your curiosity will be satisfied with Star Trek III. And more than that, you'll get a whopping dose of Star Trek humor, a good bit of excitement, and some nice visual effects.
More than either of the previous Star Trek movies, this one was made with the true believers in mind. I suppose that someone unfamiliar with the TV series' characters and situations could still enjoy Star Trek III. But there are a lot of inside jokes here that will be lost on the uninitiated.
Like its immediate predecessor, this movie is successful because it uses the strengths of the series, rather than trying to get by on special effects alone (as the first movie did). The humorous interchanges among the old familiar characters are here in abundance. And the plot sports the same daffily plausible implausibilities we loved on TV.
Captain (excuse me, I just can't get used to calling him Admiral) Kirk (Shatner) even gets to have one of his patented fistfights. And his opponent is a Klingon named Druge (Lloyd), a villain almost as deliciously hateful as Khan in the previous "episode."
The story picks up right where Star Trek II left off, with beloved Mr. Spock dead and buried on the curious new planet Genesis. Spock's father Sarek (Mark Lenard, from the series) asks Kirk to bring his son's body to Vulcan for a mysterious rite.
So what can the supremely illogical Kirk do but steal the Enterprise (the legendary starship had actually been consigned to mothballs!) and take off for the interdicted Genesis. Kruge is also headed in the same direction, to discover the secret of the powerful Genesis effect. For no noble purpose, you can be sure.
Not as provocative or original as the plot of Star Trek II, this story still provides some nice suspense and excitement. But is the affection the audience has for the characters which really keeps up the interest.
The special effects are well-conceived and don't overwhelm the action or the characters. But they lack the punch of the Star Wars visuals, even though they were done by George Lucas' Industrial Light and Magic shop. Where the Enterprise glides majestically from its docking bay, the Millennium Falcon zips away.
Now some Trekkies would argue that is precisely the point. Star Trek aspires to a higher level of science fiction than the space opera of Star Wars . Still, I would like to see a fruitful combination of the two styles. A movie with Star Trek 's character depth and narrative sophistication, coupled with Star Wars' verve and energy shouldn't be impossible to make. And wouldn't it be fun to watch!
June 13, 1984
I have written reviews of these other Star Trek movies: