Star Trek III - The Search for Spock (Special Edition)

Rating:
Summary: PARAMOUNT, KEEP 'EM COMIN'!
Review: The "Star Trek III-The Search for Spock Special Collector's Edition" DVD continues Paramount's two-disc DVD release for the "Star Trek" feature film series. The clean-up and 5.1 Dolby Digital Soundtrack are clearly evident. But the other Special Features, like the "Star Trek II-The Wrath of Khan: The Director's Edition" DVD, are great, but still not as compelling as the Director's Edition DVD release of "Star Trek-The Motion Picture." But boy, Robin Curtis still looks good!

Movie Grade: A (4.5 stars)
DVD Grade: B+ (4 stars)

Rating:
Summary: An overshadowed yet highly entertaining Star Trek sequel
Review: Star Trek III: The Search for Spock is constantly overshadowed by the unbridled success of its immediate predecessor Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. While Star Trek II: TWOK clearly gave the franchise the adrenaline shot it so desperately needed after the soporific Star Trek: The Motion Sickness, Star Trek III: TSFS stabilized and cemented the series for additional sequels and several spinoff series. Leonard Nimoy knew all too well that a successful Star Trek film requires more than an interesting story, it must capitalize on the well-established chemistry between the characters. Following that premise, a wonderful tale emerges with allegorical connections to the Cold War.

I will not summarize the plot since most fans will know it by heart, and for those of you who have not seen this film, I do not want to spoil it for you. What should definitely be noted are the many unspoken contributions this film makes to the future of Star Trek. We are introduced to two new classes of starships in the Federation fleet that will reappear with great frequency in the coming sequels and spinoff series: the USS Excelsior and the USS Grissom. The Klingon Bird of Prey which made its debut appearance in this film continues to be seen well into the 24 century. And we cannot forget the infamous Spacedock. Another seldom mentioned aspect of the film is the return of humor to the franchise. This sequel sports some of the funniest lines spoken in the Star Trek franchise: "up your shaft", "if my mother had wheels she'd be a wagon", "don't call me 'tiny'". This trend would perpetuate itself in the following sequels.

As for the technical aspects of the DVD. We do not get any deleted scenes/alternate endings. Echoing the words of Nicholas Meyer in relation to Star Trek II: TWOK: "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". Same goes for this movie. It works, it works just fine. We do get to see the original trailer, which is a funny flashback in time when compared to the ones of today, such as the Star Trek: Nemesis trailer tagged on to this DVD set. We also get to hear from NASA scientists how terraforming is growing into a reality, maybe not "Genesis" but something akin to it. The best is to hear the interviews with Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner, Harve Bennett, Christopher Lloyd, and Robin Curtis regarding the making of this film. Shatner tries a little "tongue in cheek" humor, while Nimoy expounds upon his first time in the director's chair.

For fans, the movie is a "must have". For non-fans, rent it first, then make it a "must have". And happily, we should soon have the Special Edition of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, an all time favorite, which completes the Genesis Planet/Spock story arc. What I am almost afraid to see is the Director's Cut or Special Edition of Star Trek V: The Final Frontier...this one is "broke" and is in dire need of being "fixed".

Rating:
Summary: An underrated odd-numbered film
Review: When it was first released in 1984, "The Search For Spock" was hailed as the best of the Star Trek movies to date--there was no "odds are bad, evens are good" rule, and instead it seemed like each new film was going to outstrip the last. However, with the passage of years and the development of the "odds/evens"
rule (no doubt helped by the release of V, "Generations" and "Insurrection"), "The Search For Spock" was retroactively downgraded as an iffy venture, with some good points but also a fair number of items that could be improved. Fans now complain about the ripping off of the "Star Wars" bar scene, Robin Curtis' portrayal of Saavik, the wimpiness and annoying nature of all the other Starfleet captains, and the contrivances surrounding the destruction of the Enterprise (all that to take out six lousy Klingons? Kirk had defeated much greater odds before).

However, whatever weak points the film may have, the strong points far outweigh them. "Star Trek III" was a successful combination of the big ideas and emotional complexities of the first film and the tight paced action of the second, wrapped around a compelling story. There are delightful references to TOS lore scattered throughout (tribbles, the self-destruct code, Rand's cameo, Sarek's spectacular reappearance and the scenes on Vulcan), and each of the supporting cast get their own special moment, far more than they had in either of the first two films.
The film's humor looks forward to "Star Trek IV" and Nimoy has a lightness in his directorial touch that feels like the soul of the series has returned. However, it is the angle on the Kirk/Spock/McCoy triad which makes this film so special. McCoy's performance as the tortured McCoy is top-notch, and that Kirk would sacrifice everything to save his best friends provides for character development and some truly epic themes (a twist on the "needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few" line from Star Trek II). The destruction of the Enterprise may be contrived, as is Spock's convenient adult age when dragged off of the Genesis planet, but in a sense these "contrivances" seem necessary to emphasize the lengths Kirk was forced to go this time, and the mystical nature of the plot. The scenes on Genesis and on Vulcan are incredibly beautiful; the DVD brings out the picture and sound in these scenes immeasurably.

The Special Edition does not change anything in the original movie (no director's cut or deleted scenes), but the special features on disc two are adequate, including a trailor for the new ST film "Nemesis" and a great "Captain's Log" documentary on the making of the film, with Shatner providing choice interview moments. OK, so no-one (sans die-hard fanatics) really cares about learning Klingon, but I feel satisfied with what I have. "The Search For Spock" does not need to be improved by new edits, SFX or added scenes; its only weak points (such as the out-of-character Starfleet captains) are faults from the original script.

Rating:
Summary: "It Was Fun"
Review: As Kirk said in Generations. But I have one question to ask. Where's the director's edition? After
all, this is a great movie, and the clean up and 5.1 sound is awsome. But why is this only a special edition? The extra features are great, but where are the deleated scenes? Espically the one where Kirk confronts Bones in the elevator. It's little scene's like this that made ST II:TWOK(directors edition) awsome.
This is a must buy for any Trek fan, but I hope Paramount give the rest of the movies a director's edition(espically ST:Generations, put back the lost opening). But all in all this is still a great movie to watch.

Rating:
Summary: STAR TREK III: THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK: THE BEST OF ALL!!!
Review: In the footsteps of "The Wrath of Khan" Director's Edition DVD comes the Special Collector's Edition of "The Search For Spock", in my opinion the best Star Trek movie of all. The writers held nothing back, giving us an ingenius way of bringing Spock back. Though definitely no among the most exciting of the series, it does the best job by far of illustrating the eternal friendship of the Enterprise crew.

It also sprouts first-rate preformances, notably Christopher Lloyd as Commander Kruge, who perfectly personifies the ultimate Klingon. Robin Curtis, replacing Kirstie Alley as Saavik, makes a more traditional Vulcan, showing hardly any emotion whatsoever (the way Vulcans are supposed to). The entire Enterprise crew is in top form. And, of course, Spock; Leonard Nimoy's screen time, no matter how limited (only a couple of minutes), makes you want to stand up and cheer.

The special effects more than match up to (and at times surpass) those of "The Wrath of Khan". And James Horner once again engorges himself, providing a haunting and incredibly beautiful score that perfectly captures the sense of Vulcan mysticism (as well as everything else in the movie). All of which is displayed very nicely on the DVD.

I've been waiting for this new two-disc DVD for well over two months, but it was worth the wait. The picture quality is nothing short of spectacular. The cast and crew interviews are once again very interesting and funny (William Shatner is utterly hillarious). I have not yet seen the "Terraforming & The Prime Directive" or "Star Trek Universe" documentaries, but you can bet your *** that I will.

Now I just can't wait for the two-disc edition of "The Voyage Home" to be released. If it's half as good as the Special Collector's Edition of "The Search For Spock", I'll gladly pay my money for it!

Rating:
Summary: Director's Edition? Ho hum....
Review: Star Trek III is definitely one of my favorite of the films. Thus, why the director's edition earned at least 2 stars with me.
Why DIDN'T it earn a good 4 or 5 stars? Simple. I felt ripped off slightly because I expected Paramount and Mr. Nimoy to give us something other than the same old thing. I felt almost the same way about Star Trek: TMP Director's Edition. It, however, had more content than this. I went and shelled another (...) to Paramount to witness these things??? :
NO improvement in the sound
NO deleted scenes
NO Special Effects enhancement or sound enhancements
Add to that same old movie I ALREADY OWNED on DVD and give me a couple of ridiculously unsatisfying features including a commentary which lasted about 25 minutes, and you have the gist of my disappointment. I could have done without the small "making of" segment, which was extremely inadequate, and the other window dressing segments that accompanied it. "How to speak Klingon." PUHHH LEASE!!! Does Paramount think that all Star Trek fans are children??
The Disappointment and the let down really drove this possible 4 or 5 down to a 2. Wake up, Paramount. Give us MORE for the hard earned money we shell out to you!

Rating:
Summary: Special Features Disc is Great!
Review: Describing this movie is pointless - every Star Trek fan in existence has seen it countless times. The reason to buy the 2-disc DVD are the Special Features that are located on it. "Captain's Log" has recent interviews with William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Christopher Lloyd, and Robin Curtis. It also offers a look back on the film from it's inception to the premiere. "Star Trek Universe" has interviews with the designers and model makers of the space dock and Bird of Prey that are seen in the film. It has Marc Okrand (a linguist) talking about how he created the Klingon and Vulcan languages. "Terraforming and The Prime Directive" features NASA scientist Dr. Louis Friedman discussing the Genesis device and the Genesis planet and how we are now in the infant stage of the real thing as plans for making Mars habitable are underway. "Archives" has many photos taken during filming of the movie, and the storyboards. There are other features on this DVD such as commentaries, the creation of Klingon and Vulcan costumes and jewelry and the theatrical trailer.

I love this movie and never get tired of watching it. My two favorite scenes both involve Enterprise; first when the ship is coming into space dock showing her battle scars and second when Enterprise is destroyed. Sometimes I think Enterprise is the real star of this movie. I already had Search For Spock but when the 2-disc DVD came out, I simply had to have it. It is a must have for the Star Trek fan! The interviews with the stars are very enlightening and entertaining and the "look back" is very interesting; I learned many things I didn't know. The designers and model makers talking about special effects and how everything was made is wonderful, and although I can't speak Klingon or Vulcan, Marc Okrand discussing the languages had me in awe. (How can anyone CREATE a language?) Dr. Friedman discussing the greenhouse effect NASA will be creating on Mars and comparing it to the Genesis planet was very educational.

If you are a true Star Trek fan, you will buy this DVD! It is a must have! As Spock would say, "Fascinating."

Rating:
Summary: Great special edition DVD, great features, great price
Review: This is an amazing collection of interviews, behind the scenes tech info, and tons of other fantastic material packed into a 2-disk set that no fan should go without. Star Trek III is one of the best of the not-so-great Trek movies, but I think that the only flaw with the film is the incredibly poor acting by some of the support cast (the Excelsior captain, the science vessel captain particularly, David, and the new Saavik). The good news is, most of the bad actors are killed off in the film and the torture is over. The regular cast are in their prime, however, and the plot and special effects are just plain brilliant.

This is a great movie to own, and the new collector's edition is nothing short of a work of art in itself. And at such a great price, why are you still sitting there reading this when you should be ordering Star Trek III: The Search for Spock Collector's Edition!!??

Rating:
Summary: Join The Search
Review: STAR TREK III-TSFS begins with a flashback to events from the previous film. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) sacrificed himself, in order to save the U.S.S. Enterprise, and her crew from destruction at the hands of Kahn (Ricardo Montalban) Limping back to earth, the ship and crew are in mourning, Admirial Kirk (William Shatner) wants to return to Spock's resting place. He is stopped from doing so by his superiors. Meanwhile, Doctor McCoy (DeForest Kelly is exhibiting strange behavior and is taken to the "Federation Funny Farm". At a somber gathering at Kirk's home, Spock's father, Sarek (Mark Lenard) visits, He and Kirk determine that the only way to save McCoy, who carrying the essence of Spock, is to bring both men to the planet Vulcan. Meanwhile, Lt. Saavik (Robin Curtis) and Kirk's son David (Merritt Butrick), are off on a mission to explore the newly formed planet called Genesis. At the same time, a Klingon ship heads to Genesis to discover its powerful secrets...Kirk and co.decide to steal the Enterprise and risk court martial to save their friends

Directed by series star, Leonard Nimoy, TSFS is a nice middle chapter in what is commonly referred to as "The Genesis Saga" by TREK fans Each member of the supporting cast is given a moment to shine. Curtis replaces Kirstie Alley as Saavik, but isn't quite as good in the role, and its a bit noticeable Christopher Lloyd as Klingon Commander Kruge is decent as the antagonist but had large footsteps to follow after Kahn. I guess the same could be said of Curtis in that sense as well. For his part Nimoy, as a then, first time film director, seems quite comfortable calling the shots Falling somewhere behind II and a bit ahead of THE MOTION PICTURE, STAR TREK III is solid and brings with it, a strong sense of family within the context of the seven regular cast members.

The new 2 disc DVD Collector's Edition breaks down this way:

DISC 1-has the original theatrical cut of the film. The better than average audio commentary by Nimoy, Writer/Producer Harve Bennett, Director of Photography Charles Correll, and Curtis has nice info from all. Although, Curtis has very little to say, and what she does add will be nothing earth shatering to those who watch her participation on the second disc The text commentary by Michael and Denise Okuda--a husband and wife team who are on staff at TREK--offer facinating tid-bits of trivia about the film and its place in the saga's history. Bravo

DISC 2-is laid out in much the same as way the extra feature disc of the TREK II set was. I have to say though that I was a bit disappointed with the featurette called "Captain's Log" In my opinion it wasn't as comprehensive for the film as it could have. I missed not hearing more about the actual filmming and post filming. Three additional features focus on different design aspects of the film. The Models, The costumes of the Klingons and Vulcans, and The Klingon Language created by Marc Okrand. There is also a featurette about the real science of terraforming and how it relates to the Genesis Device and the Genesis Planet. These feturettes are a mixed bag. Some of it can be extremely dry, while other stuff, is cool. There's also a storyboard and production photo section and one theatrical trailer. As a "bonus" the teaser trailer for the latest TREK TNG film.

Sadly, there are no deleted scenes in the set. I would have liked to have seen something from the cutting room floor. I think that would have been a plus for the set. Recommended

Rating:
Summary: The unfairest rap of all...
Review: This is the odd-numbered Trek film with the unfairest rap for being part of the odd-numbered "curse" of Trek films (the even-numbered ones are all good, the odd-numbered ones are all bad).

"The Motion Picture" was epic, but wrong for Trek. "Khan" was fun and had a lot of dazzling visuals, but it too seemed to be "off" just a hair. The fourth film was funny, but not at all what it could've (or should've) been. The fifth film had excellent bookends, with a disasterous and dopey story in between, and the sixth was good, but too far out there. While "Khan" had the Trek-style action sequences down, and is generally viewed as the best Trek movie, this one gives "Khan" a run for it's money in all other areas. Overall, like it or not, "The Search for Spock" really is the best Trek film, the film that is more in touch with Trek than any of the others.

Some of the bad rap against the movie is justified, but not all of it. After all, the film is kind of a downer, throwing some majorly bad juju at Kirk. Enterprise is to be scrapped. Kirk can't get a ship so he can help Spock and McCoy. Kirk has to go against orders and his career is finished. David. The destruction of the Enterprise. Not as much fun as the "Khan" film. Not as bland as "The Motion Picture".

Probably the biggest plot hole here is when Kruge kills off his lover because she has seen the Genesis tape, and then later he shows it to his underlings anyway. Of course, it made him look all the more ruthless, but it was also kind of dumb.

Right up there with that plot hole has to be the destruction of the Enterprise, as spectacular as it was. Even after twenty years, I've never been able to believe that Scotty couldn't fix the automation circuit, or Checkov couldn't have run down to the phaser control room to manually blast the bad guys. Still, the last moments of the famous starship are great.

Despite having the reputation for confirming the "curse" of the odd-numbered Trek films, there really are some awesome moments in this one. Saavik's berating David for using proto-matter, Kirk stumbling in grief and rising right back up again, the dead silence when Kirk and Spock meet again, with Kirk saying, "You would've done the same for me."

This is a really good film, and Nimoy handles the direction with polish and finnese. While it is true that the film was a bit darker than the preceeding two Trek movies, and not as much of a fun actioner as "Khan", they also got a lot of things right. You can tell this is true because, unlike the first two Trek releases on these collector's DVDs, "Star Trek III" has no re-editing, cut segments restored, or extended scenes in evidence. While a bit disappointing not to see extra footage or whatnot, it really is satisfying to know that this film simply didn't need reworking to make it better. I think that this is due mostly to Nimoy's input on the film. Nimoy is an "old-school" actor, versed in the classics and great literature, and his intellegence shows clearly in both his directing and his comments.

The extras on the new DVD are absolutely stellar, better that the extras on the "Khan" disc, and far better than the extras on the "Motion Picture" offering. There is a 30 minute discussion on terraforming that is very interesting. Besides going into the technical aspects of terraforming, one of the interviewees discusses the differing views of both Trek 2 and Trek 3 regarding the morality of "playing God". The commentary track, a mix of Nimoy, Bennett, Curtis and others, is intellegent and informative.

This is an excellent movie, and an excellent Trek.