Latest excursion is warmer, wittier, more socially relevant and truer to its TV origins than prior odysseys.
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)
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Reviews Counted:37
Fresh:31
Rotten:6
Average Rating:6.8/10
Consensus: Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home is perhaps the lightest and most purely enjoyable entry of the long-running series, emphasizing the eccentricities of the Enterprise's crew.
Runtime: 2 hrs 16 mins
Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy
Synopsis: While back on Earth, standing trial for their hijacking of the starship Enterprise (see STAR TREK III), Kirk and his crew are thrust into a new adventure. A space probe threatens to destroy the... While back on Earth, standing trial for their hijacking of the starship Enterprise (see STAR TREK III), Kirk and his crew are thrust into a new adventure. A space probe threatens to destroy the planet if it is not allowed to continue its longstanding communications with a certain species of Earth mammal -- humpback whales. Unfortunately, there is an obstacle to their simple demand; the whales are extinct in the 23rd Century. So Kirk, Spock and the gang travel back in time to San Fransisco, circa 1986, where they battle culture shock, as well as the clock, while trying to corral a few friendly whales to bring back to the future. Academy Award Nominations: 4, including Best Cinematography, Best Original Score. [More]
Starring: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, Catherine Hicks
Starring: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, Catherine Hicks, James Doohan, George Takei, Walter Koenig, Nichelle Nichols
Director: Leonard Nimoy
Director: Leonard Nimoy
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Reviews for Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
It's a lightweight, entertaining, relentlessly mainstream action-farce. A high old time, no question. Too bad it's such lousy Star Trek. Here's where the series 'jumped the shark' -- and found that it was a whale.
The eco-themes are writ large, but are saved from smacking of cringe-worthy earnestness by the good humour of the whole endeavour.
The Voyage Home isn’t as dramatically powerful as the two previous Trek films, but it gives the characters plenty of time to show off their lighter sides.
Funny back-to-the-future adventure spiced with a save-the-whales theme.
An effective and enjoyable sample of entertainment -- not good science fiction, but a lightweight piece of comic fantasy utilizing characters so familiar that they feel like old friends.
Star Trek IV has all the elements people love about this series, and it earns its reputation as one of the long-running franchise's standout entries.
Mr. Nimoy directed this Star Trek installment, and indeed he should probably direct all of them. His technical expertise leaves much to be desired. But his sincerity is unmistakable, and it counts for a lot.
...Kirk has finally reached his full lounge lizard potential (it's as if the comedy has freed him from his remaining inhibitions).
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February 28, 2007:
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January 11, 2007:
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