Ranking the STAR TREK Movies
Over the holidays in 2012, SyFy ran a STAR TREK Movie marathon. This gave me a great opportunity for me to rank the movies of the franchise. There have been 12 movies over 35 years. For every UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY, there is a FINAL FRONTIER. As the new era of STAR TREK begins to flourish, I will look back at each of the 12 previous movies.
#12 - STAR TREK V: The Final Frontier (1989)
It is given that an odd numbered movie in the franchise would be ranked at the bottom of the list. This William Shatner directed entry is boring, unexciting and not very well made. I rarely see any cable networks program this movie, even within special marathons. I personally have only watched once, which may have been one too many times.
#11 - STAR TREK: The Motion Picture (1979)
Paramounts answer to STAR WARS. Actually, when STAR WARS was released, Paramount was in the process of developing a second series, STAR TREK PHASE II, and would launch it on a newly created Paramount TV Network. But after STAR WARS hot the world, all the development was redirected for a movie franchise. As much as the original series was "very 60's," this movie was very 70's." The movie dragged and was to long for the boring story delivered. But, it allowed STAR TREK to live on.
#10 - STR TREK: Nemesis (2002)
This was the fourth and last film by the NEXT GENERATION crew. It had so much potential. The bad guys were Romulan. The effects and look of the film was great, but the writing and editing hurt the film. Plot points are missing or not expanded upon. It was an "All Style, No Substance" movie. I originally liked this movie, but after a few more viewings it quickly fell to the bottom of my list. It is unfortunate that this is how the NEXT GENERATION crew ended its run.
#9 STAR TREK III: The Search For Spock (1984)
This would end up being the middle story of a STAR TREK trilogy. Spock had died in the previous movie but was on the planet that the Genesis devise was activated on, Thus was recreated. It is a slow story, but I think I am one of the few that enjoyed seeing TAXI's Christopher lloyd as the lead Klingon villain.
#8 STAR TREK II: The Wrath of KAHN (1982)
#7 STAR TREK: Generations (1994)
Personally, it was great to see the NEXT GENERATION crew headline a movie, but the story did not match the level that the series finale had delivered just a few months earlier. The movie had a bland villain and a big stretch to bring back Kirk. But for me, it is better than most of the first six movies, with the original crew.
#6 STAR TREK: Isurrection (1998)
As much as I will get flack for ranking KAHN so low, I will get just as much for ranking INSURRECTION so high. It may feel like a story that would have been used in a weekly episode, but I think it was still a good story. The only fault I have with the movie was the anti-climatic ending. It was too simple. Not big enough for this franchise. I will watch this movie anytime and every time it is on.
#5 STAR TREK IV: The Voyage Home (1986)
The third movie of the trilogy, it is one of the most fun STAR TREK movies made. Plenty of humor and a very good plot. It is also one of the few movies from the original crew that allowed all the primary cast to have substantial roles in the story. Some find this entry as campy, but it still love by many TREK fans and non TREK fans alike.
#4 STAR TREK VI: The Undiscovered Country (1992)
A perfect way for the original crew to go out. It was a great story, mirroring the end of Soviet communism. It was very relatable to most movie goers. It is amazing, that after the low of STAR TREK V that they could come back with such a good movie. This is easily my favorite from the first six movies and perhaps by all fans too.
#3 STAR TREK: Into Darkness (1996)
INTO DARKNESS did, perhaps, what no other movie of the franchise could do. Be the back end of two great Star Trek movies in a row. Since the start of the of the franchise, back in 1979, the even numbered movies (2. 4, 6, etc.) were usually strong and entertaining. However, the odd numbered movies never matched that level of entertainment. INTO DARKNESS is not quite as good as the 2009 movie, but it is still entertaining, fun and exciting. Benedict Cumberbatch was a great villain and the rest of the regular cast was, as usual, great. The only downside of the movie, for me, was doing some of the same exact things as the previous movie. For instance, we get an almost identical space jump scene in this movie as we did in the 2009 movie. The effect was exactly the same.
#2 STAR TREK: First Contact (1996)
The eighth entry into the series has many of the best elements within it. The best plot, the best effects, the best actors outside the regular cast (James Cromwell and Alfre Woodard), The best score, the best action and the best villain (The Borg). Even fans that will always think the Original Crew is the best, believe this is the best movie within the first 10 released.
#1 STAR TREK (2009)
After the failure of STAR TREK: Nemesis in 2002, it took 7 years for a new movie. Most were unsure exactly which direction to take the franchise. The original crew was too old. The NEXT GENERATION crew peaked with FIRST CONTACT and the other three series just didn't have what it would take to build a movie around. JJ Abrams came up with the perfect way to reboot the series. Familiar characters, when they were younger, just out of the Academy, but in an alternate universe. This movie also gave us what most of the others didn't... ACTION. The battle scenes are how a STarship should look and act in battle.To paraphrase Abrahms, "We brought STAR WARS to STAR TREK." This movie had a great cast, great story and great effects. It may not have had a great villain, but it didn't need to. everything else was great.
The franchise has taken that turn that should allow it to live on for many generations. New eras will deliver new actors portraying the character we love. As we enter 2014, the 13th movie may be two or more years away. It is unknown if JJ Abrams will direct or not. All we can hope is for a great third movie from this cast and one that does not tie back to the original series.
#12 - STAR TREK V: The Final Frontier (1989)It is given that an odd numbered movie in the franchise would be ranked at the bottom of the list. This William Shatner directed entry is boring, unexciting and not very well made. I rarely see any cable networks program this movie, even within special marathons. I personally have only watched once, which may have been one too many times.
#11 - STAR TREK: The Motion Picture (1979)Paramounts answer to STAR WARS. Actually, when STAR WARS was released, Paramount was in the process of developing a second series, STAR TREK PHASE II, and would launch it on a newly created Paramount TV Network. But after STAR WARS hot the world, all the development was redirected for a movie franchise. As much as the original series was "very 60's," this movie was very 70's." The movie dragged and was to long for the boring story delivered. But, it allowed STAR TREK to live on.
#10 - STR TREK: Nemesis (2002)This was the fourth and last film by the NEXT GENERATION crew. It had so much potential. The bad guys were Romulan. The effects and look of the film was great, but the writing and editing hurt the film. Plot points are missing or not expanded upon. It was an "All Style, No Substance" movie. I originally liked this movie, but after a few more viewings it quickly fell to the bottom of my list. It is unfortunate that this is how the NEXT GENERATION crew ended its run.
#9 STAR TREK III: The Search For Spock (1984)This would end up being the middle story of a STAR TREK trilogy. Spock had died in the previous movie but was on the planet that the Genesis devise was activated on, Thus was recreated. It is a slow story, but I think I am one of the few that enjoyed seeing TAXI's Christopher lloyd as the lead Klingon villain.
#8 STAR TREK II: The Wrath of KAHN (1982)
I will catch a lot of flack for this. KHN is considered by most as perhaps one of the best in the franchise. I disagree. I watched the movie recently and did not realize, until then, how slow and boring this movie really was. Yes, it has a great villain, but the acting is not great and the pace was way too slow. So, c'mon. Bring it on. I can handle it.
#7 STAR TREK: Generations (1994)Personally, it was great to see the NEXT GENERATION crew headline a movie, but the story did not match the level that the series finale had delivered just a few months earlier. The movie had a bland villain and a big stretch to bring back Kirk. But for me, it is better than most of the first six movies, with the original crew.
#6 STAR TREK: Isurrection (1998)As much as I will get flack for ranking KAHN so low, I will get just as much for ranking INSURRECTION so high. It may feel like a story that would have been used in a weekly episode, but I think it was still a good story. The only fault I have with the movie was the anti-climatic ending. It was too simple. Not big enough for this franchise. I will watch this movie anytime and every time it is on.
#5 STAR TREK IV: The Voyage Home (1986)The third movie of the trilogy, it is one of the most fun STAR TREK movies made. Plenty of humor and a very good plot. It is also one of the few movies from the original crew that allowed all the primary cast to have substantial roles in the story. Some find this entry as campy, but it still love by many TREK fans and non TREK fans alike.
#4 STAR TREK VI: The Undiscovered Country (1992)A perfect way for the original crew to go out. It was a great story, mirroring the end of Soviet communism. It was very relatable to most movie goers. It is amazing, that after the low of STAR TREK V that they could come back with such a good movie. This is easily my favorite from the first six movies and perhaps by all fans too.
#3 STAR TREK: Into Darkness (1996)INTO DARKNESS did, perhaps, what no other movie of the franchise could do. Be the back end of two great Star Trek movies in a row. Since the start of the of the franchise, back in 1979, the even numbered movies (2. 4, 6, etc.) were usually strong and entertaining. However, the odd numbered movies never matched that level of entertainment. INTO DARKNESS is not quite as good as the 2009 movie, but it is still entertaining, fun and exciting. Benedict Cumberbatch was a great villain and the rest of the regular cast was, as usual, great. The only downside of the movie, for me, was doing some of the same exact things as the previous movie. For instance, we get an almost identical space jump scene in this movie as we did in the 2009 movie. The effect was exactly the same.
#2 STAR TREK: First Contact (1996)The eighth entry into the series has many of the best elements within it. The best plot, the best effects, the best actors outside the regular cast (James Cromwell and Alfre Woodard), The best score, the best action and the best villain (The Borg). Even fans that will always think the Original Crew is the best, believe this is the best movie within the first 10 released.
#1 STAR TREK (2009)After the failure of STAR TREK: Nemesis in 2002, it took 7 years for a new movie. Most were unsure exactly which direction to take the franchise. The original crew was too old. The NEXT GENERATION crew peaked with FIRST CONTACT and the other three series just didn't have what it would take to build a movie around. JJ Abrams came up with the perfect way to reboot the series. Familiar characters, when they were younger, just out of the Academy, but in an alternate universe. This movie also gave us what most of the others didn't... ACTION. The battle scenes are how a STarship should look and act in battle.To paraphrase Abrahms, "We brought STAR WARS to STAR TREK." This movie had a great cast, great story and great effects. It may not have had a great villain, but it didn't need to. everything else was great.
The franchise has taken that turn that should allow it to live on for many generations. New eras will deliver new actors portraying the character we love. As we enter 2014, the 13th movie may be two or more years away. It is unknown if JJ Abrams will direct or not. All we can hope is for a great third movie from this cast and one that does not tie back to the original series.
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