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List Price: $29.99 | | Label: Paramount
Salesrank: 73887
Released: April 11, 2000 |
| Our Price: $98.00 |
| Used Price: $22.22 |
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MPAA Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
You didn't think Mr. Spock was really dead, did you? When Spock's casket landed on the surface of the Genesis planet at the end of Star Trek II, we had already been told that Genesis had the power to bring "life from lifelessness." So it's no surprise that this energetic but somewhat hokey sequel gives Spock a new lease on life, beginning with his rebirth and rapid growth as the Genesis planet literally shakes itself apart in a series of tumultuous geological spasms. As Kirk is getting to know his estranged son (Merritt Butrick), he must also do battle with the fiendish Klingon Kruge (Christopher Lloyd), who is determined to seize the power of Genesis from the Federation. Meanwhile, the regenerated Spock returns to his home planet, and Star Trek III gains considerable interest by exploring the ceremonial (and, of course, highly logical) traditions of Vulcan society. The movie's a minor disappointment compared to Star Trek II, but it's a--well, logical--sequel that successfully restores Spock (and first-time film director Leonard Nimoy) to the phenomenal Trek franchise...as if he were ever really gone. With Kirk's willful destruction of the U.S.S. Enterprise and Robin Curtis replacing the departing Kirstie Alley as Vulcan Lt. Saavik, this was clearly a transitional film in the series, clearing the way for the highly popular Star Trek IV. --Jeff Shannon
Star Trek III - The Search for Spock Reviews:
Underrated 
2009-12-20 - There is an unwritten law concerning the Star Trek movies. All the even numbered movies (2, 4, 6...) are good, and all the odd numbered movies (1, 3, 5...) are horrible. I bought into this, to a point. I completely agree with regard to Motion Picture and Final Frontier. However, I think that of the original six TOS movies, this one is exempt from the rule. I don't think it's quite as good as 4 or 6, or anywhere near as good as 2, but I thought it was pretty close. I think this movie is kind of put alongside 1 and 5 without any real thought put into it. It isn't quite as good as the even numbered ones, so it's considered horrible.
The third movie in the series starts up a few days, or maybe a week after the events of part 2. Spock is dead, having sacrificed himself to save the ship. At the end of part 2, there was a sense of optimism. Spock is dead, but there is hope that the Genesis planet could possibly heal him. And Kirk has finally come to terms with the fact that he is getting old, and it not longer bothers him. At the start of this film, however, everyone appears to be depressed over Spock's death, while in the previous film they seemed to have come to terms with it. It's like they just decided to overrule what had happened in the previous movie. On that subject, David Marcus, Kirk's son, is staying behind to study the Genesis planet. For some reason, his mother, Carol Marcus, is entirely absent from this movie. I mean, she isn't even talked about. Her name isn't mentioned once. I don't really understand why she wouldn't have wanted to stay behind and study the world she helped create. For some unexplained reason, Saavik also stays behind. Kirstie Alley did not want to reprise her role, so her actress was replaced. I don't remember the new Saavik's name, but I couldn't stand her. She just so wooden and bland, even for a Vulcan. But she doesn't have as much screen time in this film, so it's okay.
The Enterprise returns to Earth, where they find out that the Enterprise is no longer going to be used by Starfleet. Starfleet feels that Enterprise is too old and needs to make way for newer ships, like the new Excelsior. Something so one has ever pointed out, to my knowledge, is that this is roughly a week after Wrath of Khan. Why weren't they talking about dismantling the Enterprise in the last film? And why did they send Enterprise on a training cruise if they were planning on dismantling the ship anyway? Maybe they had been thinking about dismantling Enterprise for a while, and in light of the damage inflicted on the ship, they thought it would be too much trouble for them to repair the ship. Okay, fine, but it seems like a plot hole. As Kirk and his crew are mourning the death of Spock, Sarek, Spock's father arrives. He is angry at Kirk. He assumes Spock mind-melded with Kirk just before his death. It turns out that Vulcans can live on even after their body has been destroyed. They just have to transfer their brain to someone else's body. Then they have to have someone transfer their mind back to their own body, on Vulcan. It turns out that instead of Kirk, Spock actually melded with McCoy. So why didn't Spock explain that to Kirk right before he died? And why didn't McCoy start acting like Spock right away? That would have saved everyone a lot of time and energy. On the plus side though, it was pretty entertaining to see McCoy acting and talking like Spock.
Kirk realizes he has to go back to Genesis and pick up Spock's body, then bring him back to Vulcan for the ritual. If he doesn't, any chance of saving Spock will be lost and McCoy will go insane. He asks the Starfleet commander for permission to return to Genesis. Starfleet refuses his request, saying that Spock coming back makes no sense, and that Genesis is under quarantine. Kirk disobeys his orders and he and the rest of the crew steal the Enteprise. The scene where they fly the ship out of the Starfleet hangar is probably my favorite scene in all of Star Trek. And the captain of Excelsior, the pursuing ship, is such an arrogant jerk that it makes you want them to escape even more. They leave earth and head for Genesis.
They get there, only to find the ship David and Saavik and David were on has been destroyed by the Klingons. A Klingon bird of prey, captained by Doc Brown, wants Genesis. A short fight ensues between the two ships. Enterprise is crippled, and they lose power. Doc Brown has captured David and Saavik, along with a reborn Spock. However, Spock is now a young boy. He was regenerated by the planet, but brought back as a young boy. It also turns out that the planet is dying. David engineered it using proto-matter, an unstable element...or something. Spock is rapidly aging along with the planet. He is in a tremendous amount of pain. As a sign that he is serious, Doc Brown has David killed. Kirk pretends to surrenderr, and then he and his crew beam down to the planet just as most of the Klingon crew is beaming aboard Enterprise. Kirk has set the Enterprise to self-destruct, and in what is a great scene, the bulk of the Klingon crew are killed. Down on the planet, Kirk and crew kill the remaining Klingons and rescue Saavik and Spock. Kirk tricks Doc Brown into beaming down to Genesis. The two argue, Doc Brown demanding that Kirk tell him the secret of Genesis, and Kirk calling him an idiot, pointing out that the Genesis experiment is a failure. All the people who try to explain this to Doc kind of miss the point. Doc isn't interested in creating a planet from lifelessness. He wants Genesis for it's destructive power, like Khan did in the previous film. Having the planet destroy itself after Genesis changes it does not really matter to Doc. He wants Genesis as a weapon, nothing else. And whether Genesis can sustain life is irrelevent, as far as he's concerned.
I have to say, Kruge is a pretty scary villian. He would have been better if he had been played by someone else. I'm not saying Christopher Lloys is a bad actor, he just wasn't the right actor to play this role. He's better at playing comical roles than evil villianous roles. So in a throwback to the old TV show, Kirk and Doc have a fight. Doc falls off a cliff to his death. Kirk tricks the remaining Klingon into beaming him up to the Klingon ship. Man, these Klingons are dumb. They leave for Vulcan just as the planet explodes. They perform the ceremony, and Spock and Bones are both saved. It will take some time for Spock to completely heal, but he is at least on the path to recovery.
As I said before, I like this movie. I do not by into the odd-numbered Star Trek rule when it comes to this film. I don't think this is as good as most of the even-numbered movies, but I think it's pretty good and under-rated. I think too many people wanted it to be as good as Wrath of Khan, and in just about every way, it is just not as good. But I still like it.
Has to be "that movie" sequel
2009-11-07 - Right away, I will say that out of 5 stars, I expected a 4 star movie, and I got a 4 star movie.
Unfortunately, it suffers from being between two epics: An epic of comedy (The Voyage Home) and an epic of tragedy (Wrath of Khan)
I pointed out in my (NEW) Wrath of Khan review that Wrath of Khan was about Kirk, and the "maturation" he suffers by Spock's death. Spock's death shows to Kirk for the first time that he is not invincible, and he has cheated death for so long, that the inevitable came, and did what Khan intended to do: hurt him and make him go on hurting: taking his closest friend from him.
Unfortunately, you can't really continue the same Star Trek journeys without Spock. A brilliant writer/director likely could, but it would have to be a genuinely BRILLIANT writer/director, and even then some fans would still whine and complain about Spock.
So they have to bring him back.
To their credit, they did a very good job of bringing Spock back without making it seem like a cheap "I got better" asspull excuse to bring him back to life. The Genesis Planet brings Spock's body back to life, but without his mind, it is a nonsentient animal, confused and in pain, as it rapidly ages with the planet. Teen!Spock has sex with Saavik to sate his Pon Farr, and the Klingons finally return to try to steal the Genesis Project secrets from Kirk.
Christopher Lloyd is magnificent as a Klingon. And in terms of effectiveness, I have to say he's in some way better than Khan. While Khan eventually caused Kirk to suffer the death of Spock, it was only after Khan had died, and indirect. Christopher Lloyd's Klingon is cold, calculating, cunning, and brutal. Such things he does and memorable lines include killing his gunner for accidentally destroying a Federation science vessel when he wanted it disabled because he wanted prisoners, or when he has Saavik and David prisoner on the Genesis Planet, he orders one of them killed, and says "I don't care which one".
In fact, the Klingon seems to directly affect and hurt Kirk more than Khan did, at least in the short-term. While Khan swerved and screwed Kirk several times, Kirk was always smugly in control of the situation and was a step ahead of Khan.
This is the first time in the film that a villain gives pause to Kirk, and seriously hurts him while being alive to do so. First, David is killed while struggling with a Klingon. This news hits Kirk so hard, he falls to the ground in shock and anguish.
And then of course, the Klingons' attempts to take the Enterprise force him to have it self-destruct. Another hurt on him.
But ultimately, because dollars and status quo and a great character's continuing adventures demand it, Spock must return. Spock's "Remember" mind-meld with McCoy becomes central in this film, as they take Spock's body just as it conveniently ages to Nimoy's current age, and bring it to Vulcan, to "extract" his "Katra" or soul or whatever from McCoy and return it to Spock. The ending is very touchingly heartwarming.
But ultimately, because bluh bluh dee bluh mentioned above, Spock must return. And while the movie is decent enough, it loses some points for its severe mood whiplash from the previous film, and the seeming long-term "lesson" and its effects---that being Kirk is not infallible or invincible---being ended, as even though Kirk hurt with the loss of his friend, he got better, and got Spock back eventually anyway.
Respectable middle movie of the trilogy 
2009-09-22 - We already owned Star Trek II and IV and simply wanted to complete our collection of this particular trilogy by adding Star Trek III.
The movie itself wasn't necessarily the wear-with-all but was none-the-less entertaining.
The 2-disc DVD set, though purchased used, was in excellent condition and even had all the original print-material/offers, etc., on the inside.
A Friend In Need
2009-09-11 - Quickly following the events of "Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan," "Star Trek III: The Search For Spock" takes the filmgoer on a highly unusual "rescue" mission. This go-round finds Kirk, McCoy, and the rest of the crew (minus Spock, who sacrificed himself to save the others) returning to the friendly confines of the Federation for rest and, unbeknownst to them, the decommissioning of their beloved Enterprise.
Meanwhile, the Federation starship Grissom is studying the newly alive Genesis planet and discovers a lifeform on its surface. Kirk's son, David (Merritt Butrick) and Lt. Saavik (Robin Curtis) journey down to the planet's surface to investigate. What they find is a young Vulcan boy who is rapidly growing. They also find that the Genesis project isn't quite as successful as they believed. The planet is quickly deteriorating and will soon destroy itself.
Having acquired information about the Genesis project and planning to use the Genesis device as a powerful weapon, Klingon commander Kruge (Christopher Lloyd) sets a course for Genesis. Couple this with a visit to Kirk from Spock's father, Sarek (Mark Lenard), who reveals to Kirk that Spock's "katra" was placed inside one of the surviving Enterprise crewmembers and must be retrieved along with Spock's body in order to properly put him to rest back on Vulcan, and you have the stage set for an exciting space opera.
In order to make it back to Genesis, Kirk and company steal the Enterprise. It's a bold maneuver that Kirk knows will be costly, but he is determined to help his old friend. When the Enterprise arrives at Genesis, they find the Grissom destroyed and face-off against Kruge, who has Saavik, David, and the Vulcan boy held hostage on the planet's surface. Kirk realizes that the boy is Spock, and now he must try to save his son and his best friend.
From this point, the film turns into an especially emotional struggle for Kirk. Kruge gains the upperhand on the Enterprise almost immediately, and uses his hostages as pawns in a game of wits with Kirk.
Who survives the outcome? You might be a bit surprised if you haven't yet watched this third installment of the Star Trek film franchise.
While Khan was a powerful foe in "Star Trek II" (and quite possibly the greatest villain in all of Trekdom), I have to admit that Christopher Lloyd does an excellent job as Kruge. He forces Kirk's hand in ways that will shock the viewer. While it's quite hard today to see Lloyd as anybody but Doc Brown from "Back to the Future," his portrayal of Kruge is good enough that the "flux capacitor" takes a backseat while the renegade Klingon is on the screen.
William Shatner delivers one of his best performances as Admiral Kirk. Kirk goes on an emotional rollercoaster ride in this installment, but manages to keep his composure under immense pressure.
Nichelle Nichols (Uhura) is relegated to a small supporting role, but she does have one very hilarious moment that was a highlight of the film. Walter Koenig (Chekov), James Doohan (Scotty) and George Takei (Sulu) have somewhat larger roles, but their characters aren't challenged as much as Kirk or even McCoy. McCoy, by the way, shines each and every time he's on the screen in this film. DeForest Kelley is brilliant this time around, being both humorous and caring at the same time. Robin Curtis does a solid job as Saavik, as does Merritt Butrick as Kirk's son.
While it's been stated that the odd numbered Trek films have always been the worst ones, I have to say that "The Search For Spock" stands above the pack for two reasons: 1) It is one of the most emotionally tugging films in the entire series and 2) It manages to be a solid stand alone film despite acting as a bridge to the fourth film, "The Voyage Home."
Nimoy does a solid job as a director, holding together a plot that could have easily fallen apart due to its somewhat outlandish setting. The film's score, provided by James Horner, is wonderful.
The special effects are sketchy at times, but they get it right at key moments in the film, especially in the space battles.
The fight sequences aren't up to par with other hand-to-hand combat scenes in other films from the franchise, but I have to admit that Sulu does have one of the best fight scenes in all of the Trek films in "The Search for Spock."
This particualr DVD offers numerous extras. Highlights include commentary from Nimoy and an interesting (if rather dryly delivered) explanation of the development of the Klingon language for the film (and the future of the franchise). Oh, and there's an interesting Easter Egg for those Trekkers willing to hunt for it.
With exceptional highs, powerful emotion, and just a few miscues, "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock" is a fine addition to the Trek universe. It's a mandatory purchase for Trek fans, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys their space opera with plenty of emotion.
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock 
2009-09-04 - This VHS tape was in its original packaging however the sound is bad and the tape is very noisy. It must not have been stored properly.
