Star Trek Movie Musings - The Search for Spock

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock had a tough act to follow. The Wrath of Khan was one of the greatest science fiction films of all time (although I am not sure it was such an immediate success), but it had set up the possibility of a sequel by closing on an image of the photon tube soft landed on the surface of the Genesis planet which formed from the Mutara Nebula. Given that impetus, could the third film be even better?

Well, no; but it's not bad. It is widely held to be the best of the odd numbers, and that's probably fair.

It has the advantage of being very different. The Enterprise is crewed solely by the main cast, and in the films central space battle is at a massive disadvantage as a result. Broad comedy is mingled with tragedy, as Kirk is left helpless to prevent the loss of his son and his ship, and indeed is obliged to participate in the destruction of the Enterprise. This is also the film that does most of the legwork for the personal relationships between the crew.

Perhaps the toughest act to follow is for Christopher Lloyd, who has to fill Ricardo Montalban's shoes as Kruge, the Klingon villain of the piece. It's a lot to do, but Lloyd nails it, turning in a barnstorming performance as a noble and magnificent bastard, and essentially defining the Klingon race for the remainder of the OS film run.

Is it awesome? No. Is it terrible? Lord, no. Just wait and see what we're going to get with number five.