Griffin Dumeer This was the last FILM I saw with my grandpa before he passed away. So yeah, I have a lot to be mad about. This is so stupid. The plot is stupid, the acting is stupid ("What does, GOD, want with, a starship?" - Bill Shitner, 1989). You can go straight from the 4th one to the 6th and not miss a thing. I hate talking about this stupid thing. Avoid like the toxic pile it is.

alexanderdavies-99382 This "Star Trek" film from 1989, doesn't exactly show everyone at their finest hour! The plot is full of inconsistencies and is rather confusingly presented. The narrative is one of the worst I have seen and William Shatner is no director. I think his ego was getting the better of him here. The film does warm up a tad for the last 20 minutes but it can't compensate for all the rubbish beforehand.

sheepdater This is a movie only true Star Trek fans would ever endure. In fact, in order to get your official Trekkie membership card and decoder ring, you have to wear a costume, go to at least one convention, and explain why you hate Star Trek V. So here is my critique:This abortion directed by William Shatner is by far my least favorite Star Trek movie. Given the quality of The Motion Picture, that alone should attest to how truly bad this movie turned out. There are many reasons why, not all related to Shatner, but he sure didn't help either. Just like when Spock mind melded with V'Ger, I think examining why this movie is so utterly horrible gives you great insight into megalomaniac mind of William Shatner. The fact that he insisted upon directing this movie shows he has something in common with Kirk. He was jealous of the success Nimoy (his second banana on the show & in Shatners mind distant second in talent) had in directing Star Trek III and IV. Sounds a bit like Kirk marching into his boss's office during the first movie to demand the Enterprise back because would never allow anybody to steal his glory. Second, Shatner isn't as funny as he thinks he is. Big surprise, right? (It's blatantly obvious Shatner thinks not even God can do something better than he can) This movie followed the wildly successful 4th movie (yup, the one with the whales) and what was different about it from the previous movies, beside how much money it made, was that it made you laugh out loud. This was due to the whole "fish outta water" routine of refined and evolved Starfleet officers of Roddenberry's enlightened future interacting with the violently barbaric Dark Age degenerates of 1986. It was funny without trying to be funny. The characters were just being themselves, but Shatner was clearly unaware of that fact. He saw comedy as the key to box office bucks. The forced comedic elements of The Final Frontier provides clear evidence why Shatner's lounge act wasn't exactly a smashing success. Finally, and most disturbingly, being director meant he had more input on the character of Kirk than ever before. So what does Shatner make Kirk do that he has never done before? He orders Spock to murder somebody in cold blood. Spock refuses and when his logical and peaceful first officer refuses the order to execute a living being, Kirk is shocked. He acts like Spock didn't notice the fine print on the Prime Directive user agreement where he agreed to blow away any creature on demand. So how does the great Captain Kirk handle his best friend refusing to follow his order to murder? Right out of the Starfleet Academy manual, of course. When trapped in the brig of his own ship he proceeds to pout, call Spock names, then throw a temper tantrum, all while being totally ambivalent about stopping the mad man has stolen his ship. Shatner, the director, wanted to show us that Kirk earned the respect of the fleet by reacting like a spoiled toddler in times of crisis. Clearly we were seeing more the method Shatner would react than Kirk in that situation. Again, as I originally stated, it's not only Shatner's fault the movie was so poor. Don't forget the scene where the enemy runs toward, and not away screaming in fear, at Uhura's elderly nude body dancing in the moonlight. Clearly the bad ideas were coming in from all sides. In fact the entire movie was deemed to be non-cannon in the Star Trek universe. The keepers of official Star Trek mythology finally said, screw it. It was easier to disregard the entire movie than to explain why so many issues were contrary to already established facts. The Final Frontier was William Shanter's big chance to put his own personal touch on the role that made him famous. Upon seeing the results, all this movie proves is that Shatner's mind is a very scary place.

Thomas Drufke Yes, "What does god need with a Starship?" is a real line that came from this absurd mess of a film. I understand the theme of Star Trek has always been to boldly go where no man has gone before, but 'The Final Frontier' attempts to take the franchise in places it has no business going.William Shatner took the reins of directing after Leonard Nimoy helmed two enjoyable entries in the series in 'Search for Spock' and 'The Voyage Home'. While it's not entirely Shatner's fault that there were heavy production issues with a writers strike and the CGI becoming far too expensive, his direction doesn't do anything to enhance what was already on the page. Apparently according to the producers, this film nearly killed the entire franchise with poor effects, a rehashed and ridiculous plot, and a largely inconsistent tone.This time around, the crew of the enterprise were on leave and enjoying life when they are asked to investigate a hostage situation on Nimbus III. Of course, the hostages just happened to be held by Spock's half-brother, Sybok. Framing Spock as the key to getting through to his brother would have been a nice way for him to finally regain his existence and memory as the Enterprise's second in command, but it never really plays out that way. Sybok manipulates anyone in his path to discover the god in the center of the galaxy and forces the Enterprise crew to take him there. As if the film didn't already struggle to grab my attention, the scenes with 'god' are almost unbearable. The very idea that a Star Trek film would center its plot around a villain taking over the Enterprise with his goons in order to get what he wants has been done so many times before, but throw God in the mix as well? Come on.Luckily, the bond between Spock, Kirk, and Bones is still present to get you through some rough dialogue, as is Jerry Goldsmith's classic score, but 'The Final Frontier' ends up making you wish they would never make another Trek film again. Fortunately, they do get better, but I can't help but sit here in wonderment thinking about just how much the reach of this film far outweighs its grasp. Yikes.+Goldsmith's score+Bond between characters is always there-Lazy script-Absurd villain-God?4.4/10