Intimacy where it has not gone before

 STAR TREK III: THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK (1984)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

The summer of 1984 had some blockbusters that went beyond the call of entertainment duty such as "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" and "Gremlins" yet "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock" chose to underplay, to let us breathe and take in character details and exposition. It is just as good as "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" and it is a fitting, infrequently somber yet excellent conclusion to part II's open-endedness with regards to Spock's death.

The Enterprise crew is all back, and they are all shaken up by Spock's sacrificial death. The distraught Admiral Kirk (William Shatner) wants to head back to Genesis, a planet terraformed in the previous installment that happens to house Spock's coffin. Top Federation officials say returning to Genesis would be hazardous, politically of course, and declare that the Enterprise is not to exit the Spacedock. Naturally this is not to be as the determined Kirk; Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley) who harbors Spock's spirit transferred by Spock; Scottie (James Doohan) who factors engineering problems by a factor of four; Sulu, the lieutenant commander, who doesn't like being called Tiny; Walter Koenig's Chekov who navigates the Enterprise and, of course, Nichelle Nichols as Lt. Uhura, chief communications officer (instrumental in beaming up the crew to the Enterprise), are intent on getting to Genesis in warp speed time.

"Star Trek III" is chock full of the usual Trek specifics, including the Klingons as villains. This time, it is the nasty Klingon named Kruge (Christopher Lloyd, who plays him to the hilt), who wants the Genesis device and is ruthless in killing his own species and a girlfriend of his! We also get the slow rebirth of Spock, played by a variety of actors at different ages, as the adjustment to the surroundings is monitored by another Vulcan, Office Saavik (Robin Curtis skillfully replacing Kirstie Alley), and the inventor of the Genesis device, Kirk's son Marcus (the late Merritt Butrick). It is typically a race against time since Genesis is a dying planet.

Last minute rescues, last minute beam-me-ups, a jubilant score by James Horner, astute direction by debuting director Leonard Nimoy, extraordinarily restrained performances, a completely convincing new ship called the Bird of Prey and there is even a fistfight on an imploding Genesis that is short and sweet. Most significantly, "Star Trek III" is that rare sequel that is even more intimate with its characters than ever before.