I suppose I've put this one off long
enough; my move to praise Star Trek III as being a better film than
Star Trek II. Sit back, because this is going to be a good one. I
will start my admitting that technically, in terms of direction and
the like, II is a better film. It's a big flashy space opera with
larger than life villains, deep explorations into what it is to grow
old, the dealing with life and death, all the grand, amazing themes
that resonate through, topped of with some half-decent science –
and far too often, science is only a passing acquaintance of
science-fiction films.
And yet...Star Trek III gives us some
of the greatest, most dramatic moments ever seen in a Star Trek
movie. It certainly gives us some of the best performances of any
Star Trek movie before or since, and they can be broken down into a
few key moments – because this movie, far from being a massive
crescendo, has just a few scenes that make the whole thing truly
shine.
1: The Death of David. Yes, Merritt
Butrick is not great in this role, but by then – his character is
dead, so it doesn't matter. It all boils down to one moment, and that
is simple – Kirk falling on the deck, defeated. The instinctive
reaction to collapse into his command chair, and he misses and
stumbles onto the ground. William Shatner said in interviews that it
was a glorious accident, but I don't believe that for a second. It
says everything about the vulnerability of the character, and is a
perfect metaphor for the situation.
2: Stealing the Enterprise. Eight and a
half minutes from Starfleet officers to outlaws, and they all know
exactly what they are doing and what it is going to cost them, and
they don't care because it is all worth it to save their friend. The
actors may have had their differences in real life, but none of that
shows here as they all weigh in. Not to mention Uhura's moment with
'Mr. Adventure', which is so obviously just written in to give
Nichelle Nichols something to do in this movie, but she does it so
well that no-one watching cares. The Enterprise flying off while the
new Excelsior breaks down...who isn't cheering that old ship onto one
last mission.
3: Blowing up the Enterprise. OK,
Spock's dead, so Saavik becomes Science Officer and they start some
new adventures. Blow up the Enterprise? The eighth character? And
again...there is a mourning process. That Montgomery Scott has to
blow up his own ship is an amazing moment. Yes, I know that there are
a lot of other canon ways to do this, I know that there were other
options on the table, but the scene still works as a glorious
sacrifice on Kirk's part to atone for the death of his son. That he
gets to blow up a bunch of Klingons is just a side-line... (The
novelisation has Kruge watching this, admitting that he has been
beaten by Kirk, even though he things Kirk has died...that should
have been in the movie. Good moment.)
4: Returning Spock to his body. Bye,
bye, science, but who misses it at this point! We're already deep
into metaphysics at this point, real physics long gone. But this
whole scene is a fantastic moment, well played by a good actor, and
Leonard Nimoy has an excellent scene here as well, played well.
5: The Bar Scene. There are hives of
scum and villany in the Trekiverse? Cool. (Not a great scene, but
when you watch it...it's pretty much the first time anyone's admitted
that such things exist in the Federation at all. Makes it all rather
more real.)
There are an awful lot of things wrong
with this film, and I won't deny it. On technical grounds, it works
far less well, but – Star Trek II was a great movie. Star Trek III
is a better Star Trek movie. Because you could make Star Trek II as a
'generic' military SF movie, with very different characters, and it
would still work as a movie. I find it totally impossible to see Star
Trek III as anything other than what it is. It goes deep into the
heart of the 'family', the core of what Star Trek was about. And
hell, where no man? Spock went into death
to look around. Beat that.
So,
the ratings:
1:
Star Trek III
2:
Star Trek II
3:
Star Trek I
It's
not going to remain in this order for long. (My impassioned defence
of Star Trek V as the best movie will have to wait until I get hold
of some hallucinogens, I suspect.) Then the next point...there is a
Star Trek series I have never really watched. Just the odd episode
here and there...Enterprise. I actually thought that it was a really
good concept, but the execution threw me off when I first watched it.
So here's what I'm going to do. I already have the DVDs sitting on my
shelf gathering dust, so why not break them out. One episode a night
until I'm done, and then – if I enjoyed it sufficiently – I pick
up the books and try them. (Not influenced at all by the fact that
they've got Christopher L. Bennett writing in that line now, and he's
pretty much my favourite Trek author.) My book review plans are
iffy...I've pretty much decided to review them if I have something to
say about them...but I will do reviews of each season of Enterprise,
any books I read, and any individual episodes that pique my interest.
Expect a rant tomorrow.
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