Star Trek V - The Final Frontier (1989)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Tim S

  
  Ok, ok, yeah, you can see my rating, and I can't even begin to really defend it in any way. Having never seen Star Trek V: The Final Frontier before, I had been led to believe that it was an unwatchable pile of crap. Of course, the same was said of Star Trek: Generations, but I… More
  Ok, ok, yeah, you can see my rating, and I can't even begin to really defend it in any way. Having never seen Star Trek V: The Final Frontier before, I had been led to believe that it was an unwatchable pile of crap. Of course, the same was said of Star Trek: Generations, but I still managed to enjoy that... even though I know it's not a highlight of the series. I think the problem with this entry is that it can't make up its mind what its underlying theme is, and I think it throws people. I think if it had a more concrete understanding of itself, it might fare better with people. I personally enjoyed it, and liked the ideas it was brought up, but I can still understand that it's not the best of the series and enjoy it anyway.

• Chris W

  
  I agree with everyone who says that this is the worst Trek film, but I didn't end up hating it nearly as much as I was led to believe I would. Don't get me wrong, the film isn't good, but it wasn't an awful heap of poo either. It is a mediocre mess, but it is a bit… More
  I agree with everyone who says that this is the worst Trek film, but I didn't end up hating it nearly as much as I was led to believe I would. Don't get me wrong, the film isn't good, but it wasn't an awful heap of poo either. It is a mediocre mess, but it is a bit entertaining, and does have its moments. The story revolves around a renegade Vulcan who captures the Enterprise (any ship would do, but it's the one that he ends up with) and uses it to go on a quest to discover the deepest secrets of the universe, primarily the existence of God. The film actually does have some neat ideas, concepts, and themes, but the way it is handled and presented is where the film falters. I don't think Shatner had the skills as a director, and they should have gone with someone else. Also, the script is a shambling mess that's uneven, all over the place, and doesn't really present or do anything all that exciting and unique. There's humor, which is fine, but it goes overboard, and most of the jokes fall flat, and there's a ton of silly and ridiculous crap all over. DeForest Kelley actually saves it as far as the zingers go, but aside from him, all of it falls flat. I get that this film had re-writes and all sorts of issues during production, so maybe some of this could be excused, but even then, the film is just really nutty and overblown, and it felt like a lot of this was incomplete and put together poorly and hastily. The presence of David Warner helps things a bit, but sadly he's underused and barely seen, so it's more of a waste than anything. I wasn't bored, but I didn't really care. It was hard for me to take a lot of this seriously, because it was obvious that there was a lack of care and passion behind it all. Like I said though, it had some good ideas, it just comes up really, really short. The cinematograhy is nice, and the music is really good, and, like I said, Kelley is funny, but the reast just stinks. Unless you feel obligated to see this one, just skip it.

• AJ V

  
  This Star Trek sequel is directed by Shatner, who does a fine job, not great but pretty good. It's more funny than exciting, for at least the first half of the movie. The story is okay, but I'd only recommend this movie to Star Trek fans.

• xGary X

  
  The crew of the Enterprise are sent to rescue three diplomats from the neutral zone, but their captor's true motive is to steal the ship to aid his quest to find God. Star Trek films are very much like the series; the ones you thought were brilliant at the time date really,… More
  The crew of the Enterprise are sent to rescue three diplomats from the neutral zone, but their captor's true motive is to steal the ship to aid his quest to find God. Star Trek films are very much like the series; the ones you thought were brilliant at the time date really, REALLY quickly, yet the awful ones just seem to become more and more endearing! The laughable script, naive direction and iffy effects also echo the TV show, but somehow the likable cast, knockabout charm and sense of humour win through. William Shatner is clearly not an experienced director, but the pacing is fine and the enduring friendship between the central characters that forms the core of the film shines through. It does suffer for the fact that the actors are clearly refusing to grow old gracefully, the action scenes being more than a little embarrassing and watching a middle aged, portly Nichelle Nichols doing a fan dance still results in carrot chunks reappearing in my mouth. But just like Shatner himself, its sense of humour and fact that it doesn't take itself remotely seriously make for a lot of kitsch entertainment value and a few genuinely laugh out loud moments. Anyone who still laughs at "Double dumb ass on you!" cannot fail to like this too!

• Carlos M

  
  This one is considered by many to be the worst of the Star Trek films. Although it does have a few problems, The Final Frontier is rather enjoyable and presents some memorable moments that just don't raise it to a higher level only on account of a lack of better polishing.

• Anthony L

  
  Not the best of the Star Trek films but certainly the best for funny quotes! What does God want with a Starship? I NEED MY PAIN!!!!

• Jason O

  
  The classic Enterprise crew from The Original Series (Kirk, Spock, McCoy, etc.) are enjoying a fun shore leave. What could be better? Captain Kirk is off scaling mountains without protective gear, Spock is flying around with something like jet-propelled shoes, and Dr. McCoy is in a… More
  The classic Enterprise crew from The Original Series (Kirk, Spock, McCoy, etc.) are enjoying a fun shore leave. What could be better? Captain Kirk is off scaling mountains without protective gear, Spock is flying around with something like jet-propelled shoes, and Dr. McCoy is in a rather grumpy mood. But all's not bad. The three later have a nice campfire set up as they do things such as try to teach Spock "Row Row Row Your Boat" and share tastes in a secret McCoy recipe. But little do they know that Spock's half brother, a fellow Vulcan, has a goal of capturing the Enterprise ship and then going on a venture to find God. Will he be one of the crew's fiercest enemies ever? So much for shore leave! There's not much, if anything, that hasn't already been said in the many reviews for "Star Trek V - The Final Frontier." Its plot is sort of bleh, the main enemy doesn't even seem like an enemy the majority of the time, the special effects are underwhelming, and there are many other things about the movie that are a bit subpar. Yep, I agree that this is the worst Star Trek movie that includes the original members. However, there are some good times to be had. I thoroughly enjoy the shore leave scenes, especially the ones that take place around the campfire. It's this good-natured humor and reminiscing about the past (Kirk saying he misses his old chair, McCoy getting into his usual arguments with Spock, etc.) that will remind you of the Original Series episodes of Star Trek. I also thought that the character development was done fairly well. All in all, "Star Trek V - The Final Frontier" is an average movie at heart, but, like all the bad episodes of Star Trek and the other not so spectacular movies, it's worth seeing. If, for nothing else, IT'S STAR TREK. You may not want to own it, but if you're a Trekkie, you KNOW you want to see it. NOTE: That was my Amazon review from the year 2003. What can you say, not one of the better Star Trek films, but it has many classic scenes to give it some brownie points.

• Curtis L

  
  Hmmm...I got to admit, these films have some pretty outrageous plots: Saving whales from the past, resurecting Spock, fighting the Voyager probe, and now it is flying to the center of the universe to shoot God in the face with a spaceship. WTF. Stars alone for being strange.

• Red L

  
  One of the lamer Star Trek's. The Row, row, row your boat one. Sybok with his BB guns somehow captures Kirk and Spock (in all Enterprise's previous missions, has the Enterprise ever been captured before?). They wander off and find God, and when that doesn't work, the… More
  One of the lamer Star Trek's. The Row, row, row your boat one. Sybok with his BB guns somehow captures Kirk and Spock (in all Enterprise's previous missions, has the Enterprise ever been captured before?). They wander off and find God, and when that doesn't work, the movie writers bring in a rogue Klingon ship for interest.

• Chris G

  
  A Star Trek film subtitled "The Final Frontier" would have to be the most spectacular film ever produced. Well I'm here to inform you that this film is a cheap piece of garbage directed by Captain Kirk himself, who obviously couldn't handle being directed by Spock… More
  A Star Trek film subtitled "The Final Frontier" would have to be the most spectacular film ever produced. Well I'm here to inform you that this film is a cheap piece of garbage directed by Captain Kirk himself, who obviously couldn't handle being directed by Spock for another picture. The film follows Spock's half brother looking for God. Hilarity ensues as he hijacks the Enterprise and takes them on a journey to hang out with God. You know there's going to be problems from the start when this appears on the screen: Directed by William Shatner To be honest Shatner can't direct himself out of a paper bag. I've seen better direction in animal sex footage. He also had a hand in the story, which starts out ridiculous and ends up stupid. The camping scene in the beginning, which could have been pretty good, fails horribly. Horribly. Stupid dialogue, bad acting, and shoddy effects ruin this sequence and continue to hamper the film throughout. I've seen better entertainment going into a public toilet and noticing the last occupant did not know how to flush after a night of Taco Bell and vodka. The toilet has better production values, definitely.

• Cassandra M

  
  V has some of the best moments in the entire series. The camping scene is both funny, and insightful. I also love the scene in the brig. ("I oughtta knock you on your Goddam ass!"......."Want me to hold him, Jim?") The only mistake was hiring an effects crew who… More
  V has some of the best moments in the entire series. The camping scene is both funny, and insightful. I also love the scene in the brig. ("I oughtta knock you on your Goddam ass!"......."Want me to hold him, Jim?") The only mistake was hiring an effects crew who had never done motion control blue screen model effects before. And that was NOT William Shatner's fault. That was Ralph Winter's and Harve Bennet's fault. Quit blaming William Shatner. The producers hold the purse strings, and hired idiots. Watch the new DVD and you will see model test shots that were not for action blocking, but were the effects team actually trying to figure out how to do the effects. Lame Watch this movie, focus on the characters, and ignore the space shots, and it's pretty good. I think since they reworked ST:TMP with new effects based on the original story boards, they should have done the same for ST:V for the new DVD. That would have fixed the whole movie. Besides all of the exterior ship shots, the scenes I would have fixed are as follows: The turboshaft - Change the deck numbers to make sense and erase the shadow made by the boom holding them up. All viewscreens - Insert remastered footage digitally to replace the poor rear-projection versions. The new Enterprise would have an even clearer screen, not a grainy, dim one. The only one that worked was the observation windows as they approached the great barrier. The fall scene at the beginning. Inserting the closeup of Kirk and Spock ruined the entire scene.(Exactly like the parasailing scene in Die Another Day) Seeing a real stuntman is always better than seeing a fake shot of the actor.

• David L

  
  For many years, "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier" was the least commercially successful Star Trek film (that honor now belongs to "Nemesis"). It's hard to dispute that fact because the figures don't lie. The real argument begins when Star Trek fans… More
  For many years, "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier" was the least commercially successful Star Trek film (that honor now belongs to "Nemesis"). It's hard to dispute that fact because the figures don't lie. The real argument begins when Star Trek fans discuss the artistic merit of the film. Most dismiss it altogether as a William Shatner ego trip with bad special effects and a poor ending. OK, let's get all of that out of the way. The special effects could have been better (i've seen worse). ILM, which created the effects for Star Treks II-IV were busy or unavailable and the producers turned to another company. The effects would've been OK for TV, but on screen they came off pretty cheesy. The saga of how Shatner lost the budget to create the ending he envisioned for his film is legendary. The final product looked rushed because it was rushed. Finally, Shatner as director was probably as restrained as you could hope for. The supporting cast really shined. With that out of the way, let's talk about five reasons you should reconsider "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier." The acting. I would stack the acting of this movie against any of the Kirk-Spock-McCoy era. Check out the scenes when Vulcan renegade Sybok forces Spock and McCoy to "face their pain." Leonard Nimoy and DeForest Kelly are given the ability to really act here and the payoff is some truly emotional scenes. Honestly, they are great to watch. The Kirk-Spock-McCoy trio. Have these characters ever been better? Seeing them sit around a camp fire, discussing family, friends, life and death is great. It's funny, poignant and really takes advantage of the history these characters (and actors) share. How else could Spock react to the campfire song "Row, row, row your boat," other than to try and disseminate the lyrics? "Captain... life IS NOT a dream." Seeing that line pay off in the climax is brilliant. The Pace: "Star Trek V" is a fast-paced, rollicking adventure that only slows down when it needs to. It not a great movie but it's never dull. Its place in "Star Trek" history. There will never be another "Star Trek" film with the classic crew. As one of only six that were made, we should relish this film and the many good things about it. Klingons, renegade Vulcans, Jerry Goldsmith's fantastic score, Spock and McCoy arguing, Scotty fighting with the transporters, Starfleet rescue parties on horseback, Vulcan nerve pinches, phasers blasting, creatures pretending to be the almighty, great barriers, warp-speed escapes, birds of prey, mind melds and Kirk proclaiming that he "fears nothing. Overall not for non Trek fans but worth a look for the original crew in action.

• Jason S

  
  I thought this was one of the weaker of the series. It did have some good parts though and some of the character development was a nice touch.

• Lafe F

  
  The title was too grand for what they did. Our Star Trek friends had really lost it with this one. Everything felt cheaper. The script was pretty awful. Spock's half-brother hijacks the Enterprise and forces them to take it to the "Final Frontier" (aka Heaven) to meet… More
  The title was too grand for what they did. Our Star Trek friends had really lost it with this one. Everything felt cheaper. The script was pretty awful. Spock's half-brother hijacks the Enterprise and forces them to take it to the "Final Frontier" (aka Heaven) to meet God. It is framed by scenes of Kirk, Spock and McCoy singing campire songs and rock climbing in Yosemite National Park. Sulu was riding a blue horse and Uhura was doing a sexy fan dance. The Klingons they met were lower quality too. Cheesy as heck. Not a great adventure. While they were bonding around the campfire, I wanted to get off this insane movie.

• Michael G

  
  I remember really hating this movie.

• Dann M

  
  What does God need with a starship? With William Shatner at the helm, Star Trek takes an interesting turn into the Final Frontier. Once again the series seeks to explore deep metaphysical questions through an exciting space adventure: a charismatic leader hijacks the Enterprise and… More
  What does God need with a starship? With William Shatner at the helm, Star Trek takes an interesting turn into the Final Frontier. Once again the series seeks to explore deep metaphysical questions through an exciting space adventure: a charismatic leader hijacks the Enterprise and takes it into the Great Barrier at the center of the galaxy. While the story is fairly good, the special effects are horrendously awful and distract from the rest of the film. Star Trek V: The Final Frontier is often considered one of the worst original cast films, but there's still a charming campiness to it that makes it a fun and entertaining adventure.

• Dillon L

  
  Terrible special effects, a rediculous storyline with a boring climax, and few entertaining battle scenes - the only really good thing about this movie is the performances by Shatner, Nimoy and Kelley. An ideological mess.

• McCoy 9

  
  While it can be seen as the weakest of The Original Series films, it's not the worst of the whole eleven films. While some Star Trek fans may dislike The Final Frontier, I enjoyed it. Star Trek V has an underrated charm, plus some strong character moments between Kirk, Spock and… More
  While it can be seen as the weakest of The Original Series films, it's not the worst of the whole eleven films. While some Star Trek fans may dislike The Final Frontier, I enjoyed it. Star Trek V has an underrated charm, plus some strong character moments between Kirk, Spock and Dr.McCoy which echo strongly back to the Original TV Series. If only William Shatner was allowed to make Star Trek V according to his vision instead of being kicked around by the big wigs and forced to create the film with a slightly confusing and underachiving script and some dull special effects.

• Byron B

  
  Shatner gets his hand in directing and co-writing this one. It is therefore all over the top like you would expect of his personality. They take the humor way too far compared to the previous installment. It is not flattering. The effects and some melodramatic dialog take us back… More
  Shatner gets his hand in directing and co-writing this one. It is therefore all over the top like you would expect of his personality. They take the humor way too far compared to the previous installment. It is not flattering. The effects and some melodramatic dialog take us back to 60's TV in a bad way. The Paradise planet and settlement with a dusty bar full of oddball aliens is a cheap rip-off of Star Wars. The Row, Row, Row Your Boat scenes are absolutely goofy. The Enterprise hardly functioning after being rebuilt is a big set back and makes for an inexcusable plot hole when Kirk, as the only experienced Captain in the quadrant, is sent to save some hostages anyways. And where did that wooden sailing ship's steering wheel in the one room where McCoy, Spock, and Kirk meet several times come from anyways? Scotty, Chekov, Uhura, and Sulu are pushed way into the background. I must admit Shatner gave himself the best lines when in confrontations with Sybok. I appreciated his questioning. Sybok is a Vulcan who has a way of taking people's pain away and thus getting them to join his quest to find Ultimate Knowledge, Sha Ka Ree, the mythical paradise that was the beginning of creation past the great barrier, or God. A kind of cult leader. This part of the movie was a throwback to the series as well. It was a common theme for the Enterprise to encounter god-like beings, or mysterious forces that appeared to have spiritual implications, until through scientific observation and some character questioning the validity of a god who seems to be beyond and above the physical laws of the universe, it is discovered that some smoke screen has been blocking the facts. I had no problem with the exploration of this theme of a fake "God," but as seems to be the case more lately, I was not satisfied with the way it was executed.

• Cameron J

  
  More power to the film for falling into the flow of cenimatography modernization. Still, the few pros retained from the preceeding films are drowned out by the film's being underdeveloped, cheesy and slow with bad writing, bad editing, weak acting, over-used and predominantly… More
  More power to the film for falling into the flow of cenimatography modernization. Still, the few pros retained from the preceeding films are drowned out by the film's being underdeveloped, cheesy and slow with bad writing, bad editing, weak acting, over-used and predominantly improvable comic relief, unnecessary scenes, inconsistant character focus and dull action sequences. In the end, "The Final Frontier" can at least be appreciated as the first step into the future of the "Star Trek" film series, but, in the long run, dances between passable and poor until it finally falls on simply mediocre.

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