The chemistry between the crewmembers is what made the old Trek so enjoyable.

There's long been a theory that the odd numbered Star Trek movies are inferior to the even numbered ones and for some weird reason this does seem to be true. Certainly with the movies that feature the original cast, numbers 2, 4 and 6 are better than 1,3 and 5. However, while 1 and 5 are really quite bad, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock is actually pretty good. It just had the misfortune of being sandwiched between the two best of all the Star Trek films; The Wrath of Kahn and The Voyage Home, and so can't help but suffer by comparison.

Leonard Nimoy has famously had a love/hate relationship with the character of Spock. He only returned to the part for Wrath of Kahn under the agreement that he would be killed off in it. However, following the success of that film and the much more positive experience of making that movie compared to the debacle that was the first Star Trek movie, Nimoy decided that maybe he'd made a mistake and should reconsider the death of Spock. Luckily for Harve Bennett, the writer and producer of this movie, there had been several hints in Wrath of Kahn that allowed for Spock's resurrection without it seeming too contrived.

The plot then follows Kirk and the rest of the Enterprise crew as they set out to return to the Genesis Planet to retrieve Spock's body and to take it to Vulcan where it can be reunited with Spock's mind (or Katra as the Vulcans say) which Spock had placed in the mind of Dr. McCoy before he died. To make things complicated the Klingons have gotten wind of the Genesis Device and want it for themselves to use as a weapon and it becomes a race to see who will get to the planet first.

One thing that I like about this movie is that it features darker moments than you usually see in a Star Trek film. The two most shocking events are the destruction of the USS Enterprise and the death of Kirk's son David. Shatner does some of his best acting in this movie, particularly during the latter scene when he reacts to the news that David is dead. The usual repartee and wit though is not completely gone. Dr. McCoy gets a few funny moments as he tries to cope with his Vulcan side coming out. And Scotty having to deal with his new duties aboard the USS Excelsior are also worth a few chuckles.

Star Trek's greatest strength has always been the relationships between the main characters, especially between Kirk, Bones and Spock. You really believe that Kirk would go through the hell he goes through to save Spock and this gives the movie its emotional resonance. As good as Star Trek: the Next Generation and the other spinoffs were, they never managed to quite recapture the chemistry that those three characters had. And somehow I can't imagine the new Trek film that comes out later this year, will do it either.

Did you enjoy Scott's review? +3 -0