3 out of 5

Director: Leonard Nimoy

ST III is best watched as close to II possible.  Its purposeful dramaturgy serves as a good balance to the continual escalation of ‘Wrath of Khan’, and though it doesn’t as effectively pull off the post-climactic coda as the previous film, leading to quite a bit of slowdown in the last fifteen minutes or so, ‘Search for Spock’ is a satisfying addition to the series with several well written and acted sequences.  It might not fully stand on its own (without the Khan lead-in), but the comfort of the cast is in full swing, and adds an extra layer of charm onto the viewing.  Starting with an interestingly dry, duo-toned replay of Spock’s final scenes, film III gives us a morose crew returning to Starfleet where they’re told to not speak of the Genesis Planet, as its now a major political matter, and that the Enterprise will be decommissioned ’cause it’s just dang out-of-date.  This second note is an interesting addition to the theme of aging which was part of film two, and is a continual source of juxtaposition for a series (the original films at least) about the future and exploration.  But both of these plot points are a problem for Kirk, as Spock’s dad wants his boy’s body for a final ceremony, and, well, we left it on planet Genesis.  Throw in a dash of cryptic messages spoken in Spock’s voice via a discombobulated doctor McCoy, and we have a good premise for intrigue (get back our ship) and action, once running afoul of some dastardly Klingons who’ve discovered Genesis.  Ebert noted a mixture of the first two films styles and I agree – Nimoy brought back much of the quiet speculation of the first film, but it’s so much more confident here, and Horner’s thrilling score is well utilized to make these moments of quiet soberingly effective.  STIII works grandly up until its anti-climactic denouement, though this plays into the operatic structure Nimoy sought.  The effects are also a bit hit or miss, though they aren’t meant to be the focus here, and while the Genesis Planet benefits from the claustrophobic sets, the rest of the flick – Vulcan especially – never really feel like they exist outside of a stage.  But again, as was true with Khan, none of this works without the cast.  Shatner’s main dramatic outburst is a little… like he’s practicing his line, but at a high level it works, and shares time with many amusing or serious bits that are done well.  Another fairly timeless entry that keeps the series afloat and in good standing.