Star Trek V and VI

Of the pairings of Star Trek movies I've reviewed thus far, I would have to say that this is easily the strongest. Sure, I know that people generally disliked Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, but I've always kinda liked it. Yeah, the search for god is kinda stupid, but nothing else people usually complain about in this movie bothers me. Plus, it's easy to tell that the look of this film was more modern than those that came before it, and that's generally a plus in my book. It's not my favorite Star Trek movie, but I like it better than I and III, so that's saying something, I think.

And then there's Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. What a great way to end the original cast's series of films! Some people complain about the whole allegory to the Cold War, but I think it actually adds to the film's weight. Plus, while the fifth film was evidence of the franchise getting progressively more sleek-looking, this installment takes it to the next level...it just really looks like a well-polished movie. The story's great, the special effects are good for the time, and the cast does as good a job as they've ever done (plus, Kim Cattrall as a Vulcan is super hot in a weird nerdy way).

So, in summary, I would agree that the even-numbered films in the series do truly stand out from the rest, most largely due to the fact that they were the three films directed by Nicholas Meyer, who seemed to really understand the franchise. If I had to rank them, I think it would look as follows (from best to worst): VI, II, IV, V, III, I. It's tough deciding between the first three, but I really like VI, and although IV is super-funny, II just seems to be a bit more substantial. Overall, I'm glad I rewatched these films before seeing the new one, both to get me back into Star Trek and because it had been too long since I had seen any of these films. Good times. =)