Rating: 
Summary: A letdown from Khan, but far from bad...
Review: After the perfectly self-contained shot of Trek goodness that was Star Trek II, and before the more lighthearted pure fun of Star Trek IV, Star Trek III stumbled a bit, probably because it was Nimoy's first shot at directing a Trek movie. Although FAR from a bad movie, it had some real weaknesses:-The pacing was off. As noted before, sometimes it CRAWLS along. On the other hand, Nimoy also put together some sharp, effective scenes, foreshadowing the solid job he'd do in Star Trek IV. It is hardly the nearly unwatchable creep that Star Trek I was at times.
-Although it looked good overall, the Genesis planet falling apart under the cast's feet just looked cheap. ILM did their usual good effects work in the space scenes, however.
-The plot was kind of weak, insofar as the whole movie was a contrived way to bring Spock back to life after Nicholas Meyer killed him off to great dramatic effect in Star Trek II. In fairness, however, we have to consider the very real upsides to the movie: -Most of the effects hold up very well. In some respects, they look BETTER than modern CGI, I think because so much real artistic talent went into the model-making and other techniques used. This is a good looking movie, and the new DVD transfers and sound only make it even better in this respect. -The acting was actually quite good overall, and the cast was clearly having fun playing their characters. Star Trek is usually not considered an acting tour de force, but compared to the current Star Wars prequels, this cast should have barrels of Oscars. The Special Edition 2-DVD re-releases of the original Star Trek movies are also loaded with oodles of features that make them a great value, unlike the older DVD releases that were very bare-bones.
Rating: 
Summary: Horribly underrated
Review: Dude, this film is a masterpiece. It comes in just slightly behind "Wrath of Khan" as the best Trek movie ever. Kirk and his former officers go renegade to save their friend, and the cost they end up paying is tremendous. After the under-manned Enterprise loses a battle against a Klingon Bird of Prey, the way Kirk snatches victory from the jaws of defeat is straight-up Kobayashi Maru. The musical score is the best of all the movies. Give this film some credit guys. "My God, Bones, what have I done?" "The same thing you always do, what you had to do ... turn death into a fighting chance to live."
Rating: 
Summary: The needs of the one outweighed the needs of the many
Review: There was a point in time where I really wished that this movie had not been made. The death of Spock at the end of "Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan," was a high point in the history of the "Star Trek" universe. When Spock, separated by a thick piece of plastic shielding, tells Kirk for the last time "I have been and always shall be your friend," it is a devastating moment. Kirk and Spock are one of the great "odd" friendships of all time, in or out of the realm of science fiction (they are the Aubrey and Maturin of their future time and place). The "Star Trek" franchise was served by this 1984 film, since it spawned three more outings for the original cast and inspired a quartet of television spinoffs, but I am not sure if the characters benefited as well. I still think "Wrath of Khan" is far and away the best "Star Trek" film, with "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home" coming in second. There are some nice moment with Spock on "Star Trek: The Next Generation," although there are more between Captain Picard and Sarek, Spock's father, and the death of James T. Kirk in "Star Trek: Generations" certainly pales compared to that of Spock. So making this third "Star Trek" film took something away the death of Spock, but even wishing it had never been made I still have to admit this film has its moment. The whole Vulcan "katra" bit is a deus ex machina pulled out of a hat and Spock's tube landing on the Genesis planet so that his body can be regenerated, growing at precisely the right rate so that when the download Spock's katra from McCoy's mind we are back to where we were at the end of the previous movie is just an absurd conjunction of circumstances. But at the heart of this film is the relationship between Kirk and Spock. William Shatner's performance in the key scenes, early on when he relives Spocks' death with Sarek and at the end when Spock is restored, have a weight that overcomes a lot of objections and which is clearly privileged by Harve Bennett's script and Leonard Nimoy's direction. That friendship has always been there and many of the high points of the original television series were where it was acknowledged, albeit almost always obliquely. At the end of "Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan" it was made painfully explicit, and that powerful moment is revisited at the end of "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock," as Kirk stands there before his friend, having sacrificed his only son and the ship that has been his home for what seems like his entire life, because "The needs of the one outweighed the needs of the many." This flip of Spock's motivation for going into that chamber and sacrificing his life is not glib, because it speaks to a great human paradox. Namely that we believe both positions are true and that not only do the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one but that the exact opposite is true. Each film in turn proves its thesis.
Rating:
Summary: Another exciting chapter in the "Trek" saga
Review: Wrath of Khan took Paramount by surprise. The studio expected the production to fare much worse than the first film as sequels usually do less business than the first film in a series. While it grossed less than ST:TMP, it also cost less. The revamped Enterprise sets and redressing of the Enterprise for other ships, helped save cost making it more profitable. Much more important, the fans loved the film. That inspired Paramount head Michael Eisner to give Harve Bennett the green light for a sequel. Unfortunately, a major character died at the end of Trek II. Luckily, no one really dies in science fiction films. Search For Spock starts out with a fascinating premise; when Spock died at the conclusion of Wrath of Khan, he placed his "soul" into another character for safe keeping until Kirk could return his "soul" to Vulcan. Unfortunately, Dr. McCOy the keeper of Spock's essence, has become mentally unbalanced and confused by having Spock inhabit his mind at the same time. Sarek, Spock's father, goes to Kirk and makes him aware of what's happened. Kirk plagued by guilt feels he needs to collect Spock's body and his mind and return them to Vulcan for a proper Vulcan funeral. Unfortunately, Star Fleet disagrees and won't let Kirk go back to the Genesis planet where Spock's body resides. What's more, the Enterprise is being decommissioned and headed for the scrapheap. Without a vessel or means to get to Genesis (which has been declared off limits by Star Fleet until Kirk's son Dr. David Marcus can study the planet and prove its safe to inhabit), Kirk must do what he's always done best--disregard his orders. Leonard Nimoy's directorial debut is almost as strong as Wrath of Khan and highly entertaining. Nimoy's deft hand as a director allows him to get the best possible performance from his cast and tell a story he's quite familar with as well. The optical effects by ILM look stunning on this special edition DVD. Unlike Wrath of Khan, the movie is the same as the previous versions. The transfer, though, is sharp and the colors vivid. The anamorphic transfer (which translates to higher lines of resolution=better picture and clarity)is magnificient. Paramount has packed the second disc with a number of great featurettes including one on the optical effects/models, the terraforming concept and a tribute to actor Mark Lenard (Sarek). Additionally, there's the original trailers and publicity material and interviews included as well. The middle chapter of this fine trilogy looks great and is perfect entertainment for Trek fans.
Rating:
Summary: Star Trek III: The Search For Spock - Collectors Edition
Review: This is a great film with a great story, great special effects, great acting, great action and great human emotions. You must buy this DVD!
Rating:
Summary: Adequate sequel doesn't live up to its predecessor
Review: "Star Trek: The Search for Spock" came in the middle of the golden era of Star Trek films (1979-86, when "Star Trek" ruled at the box office and got critical raves), and it's a fairly well made entry in the long series. Comparisons between it and its immediate predecessor "The Wrath of Khan" are inevitable- perhaps this is why many fans were disappointed with this entry, because it fails to live up to "The Wrath of Khan" and has many flaws. However, I have still allowed it into my DVD collection, and there's plenty here for a "Star Trek" fan to like. "The Search for Spock"'s biggest flaw is in its pacing. The first half hour of the film is very slow and not very interesting, as Kirk debates with others about Vulcan mythology and the current status of Spock's soul. Hard-core fans will undoubtedly love this stuff, but as a more casual fan I wasn't very excited with it. Likewise, the movie's final 20 minutes also are very slow and ponderous, with the final scene (I won't give it away) being the only highlight. This pacing problem is a shame, because the film's middle hour is almost on the same caliber as "The Wrath of Khan" was. There are many tense and involving scenes as the Enterprise flees from a hostile Starfleet and battles evil Klingons on the Genesis planet. Just like the last film, William Shatner's work as Kirk here is very good- he's effective at portraying Kirk's anguish over the loss of Spock, and then his resolve to save his friend no matter what. Leonard Nimoy's direction is pretty good considering that this was his first major film, and the "Star Trek" regulars show great ease with their roles here. Christopher Lloyd isn't as good as Richardo Montalban was, but is still effectively menacing as the Klingon Commander. Merritt Buttrick is improved as Kirk's son, and makes us care about his fate. Only Robin Curtis as Saavick is horribly miscast- she fails to make us care about her character at all. In conclusion, "The Search for Spock" is an adequate "Star Trek" adventure that will surely please fans, though casual sci-fi fans may not like it as much. I'd recommend it to anyone who's building a "Star Trek" collection.
Rating:
Summary: #III The Center of the Star Trek Universe! Here's PROOF! :)
Review: Gather 'round! I'm going to make a believer out of you and convince you that this is the BEST ST Movie ever made! This is the second movie of what I like to call the "Star Trek trilogy". ST II, III, IV are all one long contiuous movie. However, this one stands out, while it is not original because it is continuing from ST II, it does present a lot of new and creative ideas that have been recycled for other Trek movies!
This movie introduces us to the modern day Klingon! Without THIS MOVIE the Klingons would not be the same. The Klingon language, while not invented in this movie, is expanded upon brilliantly! The "new" Klingon and language was introduced in ST-The Motion Picture. If you own this DVD then you already know how they came up with the new look for the Klingons and the language! Just one of the many great featurettes on this DVD!
Without THIS MOVIE we would not have the coolest ship in all of Star Trek, the Klingon Bird of Prey! No question, the Bird of Prey is awesome!
Without THIS MOVIE we would not have the cloaking device! Engenious! The cloaking device sets up the entire plot of ST VI. With out THIS MOVIE there is no plot for ST VI as we know it!
As a lot of you may know, there is an actual Klingon camp that people can go to and dress up like Klingons and learn to speak the language and learn the Klingon ways! Without THIS MOVIE you have no Klingon Camps!
Christopher Loyd is absolutely magnificent as Kruge! I love his performance! He even outdoes Khan as a bad guy! No question! Yes, Khan is a great bad guy for Kirk to handle but they never even share one scene in the movie. Kruge not only outwits Kirk but he also, albeit inadvertently, kills Kirks son. Then he keeps coming at Kirk even while the Genesis planet is blowing up all around them! Can't see Khan doing that!
Again we see yet another thing THIS MOVIE brings to later movies. Without THIS MOVIE the Klingon empire would'nt be obsessed with Kirk. In Star Trek V the Klingons want to catch him for murdering Kruge and stealing the Bird of Prey and the Klingon obsession with Kirk carries over in Star Trek VI. Note: Right after this movie Christopher Loyd went to work on a little movie called Back to the Future!
Without THIS MOVIE you have no Excelsior. Again, another pivotal thing in Star Trek VI.
THIS MOVIE was one of the first to tinker with DNA. You had to be there, but in between Star Trek II and III one had to wonder and debate how are they going to bring Spock back? The guy is dead. It not only makes sense, how they bring him back, but it is the most ingenious idea of the ENTIRE ST movie franchise. It also dips into an essence ingredient of Science Fiction and that is Terra Forming. Genetically altering an environment. I saw this movie in a packed, sold out, theater and when Saavik discovers there is "life" coming from Spocks tube/casket...you could here a collective gasp from the audience. Again, you had to be there. It's completely believable in the Star Trek realm.
THIS MOVIE has the single greatest on-screen moment of ANY ST movie and that is when Kirks son, David, is murdered. Shatner is brilliant. NO OTHER ST Captain could EVER pull off such a moment. Can anyone see Picard or Janeway in a moment like that? Nope. Can you imagine Picard trying to deal with Kruge? He would want to talk his ear off rather than fight him! That brings me to the last greatest moment of this film...
Kruge has clearly KO'd Kirk. But what does Kirk do? He blows up the Enterprise! Fantastic! The shot of the Enterprise blowing up is incredible! Here is this iconic ship, a ship that in Star Trek-The Motion Picture they took great care to show you all of the detail and splendor of this new and improved Enterprise, and in ST III it is just obliterated! Awesome!
McCoy delivers the second greatest line of any ST movie and he describes Kirk to a T when they beam down to Genesis and watch fireball that was the Enterprise streak across the sky. Kirk says "My God, Bones, what have I done?" and McCoy says "What you always do...turn death into a fighting chance to live." So without THIS MOVIE the Enterprise would never have been destroyed! How many times does TNG rip that off?
THIS FILM was Nimoys first Directing job and he does a brilliant job! This DVD features tons of great stuff! Namely, the directors commentary from Nimoy. The only drawback, to Nimoys commentary, is he kind of comes off like an old grandpa telling you the same story you've heard him tell about 100 times. Example: between the featurettes and the directors commentary Leonard tells us no less than FOUR TIMES the story of how Michael Eisner was not going to let him direct the film because of a supposed claus in Nimoys contract that he would only come back if can direct the film.
Shatner, on the other hand, is great in the featurettes as he tells of how he put out a fire on the set and how he doesn't "trust" Nimoy. Funny stuff, you'll have to buy the DVD to see what I mean.
So, if you're not convinced that this is the greatest ST film ever, then you need to look at my review again and see all of the history this movie has created! Enjoy the show!
Rating:
Summary: Good movie
Review: This film is an excellent direct-sequel to The Wrath of Khan. While not quite as good, it's still worthwhile.
Rating:
Summary: Worthy follow up to Khan
Review: Trek fans everywhere were stunned by the death of Spock in "The Wrath of Khan", where at the end of the film his coffin is shot from the Enterprise to the newly forming planet Genesis. The Enterprise limps back to Earth for decomissioning with her crew nursing the wounds from their prior campaign and still dealing with the grief of their loss. Before long, McCoy is going out of his mind (courtesy of a Spock mind-meld), and after a conversation with Sarek, Kirk realizes his error in leaving his departed friend behind. Before you can say "violation of starfleet regulations", Kirk and his loyal crew have stolen the Enterprise and are racing back to Genesis in search of their departed crewman. Add to the mix Christopher Lloyd as a Klingon captain out to steal the Genesis weapon, and you've got the makings of a solid Trek movie, and definitely the strongest of the 'odd' numbered films. (always hailed as the worst) Also of note is that this is also Leonard Nimoy's first effort at directing a movie, and he really does a pretty good job considering he was on a tight budget. The effects weren't the best, but the acting is pretty decent, and it's a worthy effort to fill in the plot gaps between ST's II and IV.... after all, you can't have Star Trek without Spock, and they rewrote him into the series in as non-cheesy a manner as possible.
Rating:
Summary: The adventure continues
Review: Star Trek II made such an impact in fans it was probably a good call to make a sequel. It wasn't very good but there is still a lot of Star Trek fun in it. The Klingons have evolved in makeup and language, we say goodbye to the most famous starship of all time and the bridge crew relationships get stronger, but it is generally boring. The visual effects are not that good and the plot is very week. The story gets a lot better when you know what happens in Star Trek IV.
Anyway, it is still Star Trek (unlike Nemesis).
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