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Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

Actor(s): William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, George Takei, James Doohan
Director(s): Leonard Nimoy
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Details

MPAA Rating: PG
Content Advisory: Mild Violence, Questionable for Children, Adult Language, Sci-Fi Violence
Movie Release: 1986
DVD Release: 11/09/1999
Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV - Closed Captioned
Edition: Special Collection
Audio Tracks: English, French
SwapaDVD Credits: 1
Number of Discs: 1
Run Time: 1 hrs 58 mins
Studio: Paramount
Members Wishing: 14
Genres: Science Fiction, Space Adventure
See Also: Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home [Collector's Edition]

Synopsis

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) concludes the story arc begun with Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) and continued in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984), but on a wholly new, different, and upbeat note. As the movie opens, months have elapsed since the events in Star Trek III; Admiral Kirk (William Shatner), McCoy (DeForest Kelley), Scott (James Doohan), Sulu (George Takei), Uhura (Nichelle Nichols), and Chekhov (Walter Koenig) are marooned in self-imposed exile on Vulcan, along with the resurrected and regenerated Spock (Leonard Nimoy, who also directed). While Spock tries to sort out the Vulcan and human halves of his resurrected psyche, the others prepare to return to Earth to face a brace of charges by the Klingon Empire and Star Fleet over events on Genesis. Taking off in their commandeered, jerry-rigged Klingon ship, they head to Earth, not knowing that a new crisis could destroy their home world -- a huge, immensely powerful alien probe has entered the galaxy and established a position near Earth, disabling every vehicle and installation in its path with its energy and communication output, and has ionized the entire atmosphere and started vaporizing the oceans, leaving the planet only hours to survive.

Spock determines that the probe is sending out signals to another intelligent terrestrial life form, humpbacked whales, which no longer exist. Using the gravity slingshot time-warp effect (established early in the original series) to travel back into Earth's 20th century, Kirk and company land in 1980s San Francisco to try and bring humpbacked whales to the 23rd century, to respond to the probe. Thus starts a surprisingly breezy, light-hearted, yet serious odyssey through the past (comparable to the best work of the original series), as the crew learns to deal with exact-change buses, angry drivers, punk-rock enthusiasts and other elements of '80s life, and Kirk tries to persuade a scientist (Catherine Hicks) of his good intentions for two whales in captivity. The screenplay, co-authored by Steve Meerson, Peter Krikes, Nicholas Meyer, and Harve Bennett (from a story by Nimoy and Bennett), is the cleverest and most sophisticated of all the Star Trek movie screenplays, recalling some of the elements of Meyer's earlier time-travel movie Time After Time and also anticipating the feel and tone of the series Star Trek: The Next Generation (which would be on the air not quite a year later). Nimoy's direction offers a combination of brisk pacing and a deep love of the characters and the actors, as well as a serious appreciation of the humorous aspects of the script, and Shatner gives his best performance of any of the movies. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

Cast

William Shatner - James T. Kirk
Leonard Nimoy - Mr. Spock
DeForest Kelley - Leonard "Bones" McCoy
George Takei - Hikaru Sulu
James Doohan - Montgomery "Scotty" Scott

Awards

1986	Best Cinematography (nominee)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Donald Peterman
1986	Best Score (nominee)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Leonard Rosenman
1986	Best Sound (nominee)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	David J. Hudson
1986	Best Sound (nominee)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Mel Metcalfe
1986	Best Sound (nominee)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Gene S. Cantamessa
1986	Best Sound (nominee)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Terry Porter
1986	Best Sound Effects (nominee)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Mark Mangini
1986	Best Cinematography (nominee)	American Society of Cinematographers	Donald Peterman

Editorial Review

Paramount brings Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home to DVD in a glorious letterbox version (enhanced for 16 x 9 TVs) with Dolby Surround Sound 5.1. The only feature of note is Paramount's "Director's Series" with Leonard Nimoy, a 15-minute behind-the-scenes documentary. An affable Nimoy explains how he made the move from actor to director and how he was ready for a humorous turn after making the more dramatic Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. He also discusses the technical details of filming, from creating the humpback whales to finding a sizable water tank in Hollywood. There are also a few rehearsal clips with William Shatner and DeForest Kelley getting notes from Nimoy. Otherwise this DVD presentation includes only the bare minimum of extras (the original theatrical trailer, French language track, and English subtitles). Still, most Trekkers will be satisfied with the crisp, colorful transfer of this, the most comic of the Star Trek movies. ~ Marina Chavez, All Movie Guide