Are The Odd Numbered ‘Star Trek’ Films Really That Bad?
Image Source: IGN Nordic
It’s become something of a truism that the odd-numbered Star Trek films are bad. Everyone likes 2, 4, 6, and 8 (Ignore 10, please.). Something about 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 brings out the fans’ ire. The question is whether conventional wisdom is true. Are the odd-numbered films really that bad? Let’s go through them one by one and see if they are.
Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Image Source: IGN
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 53%, aka rotten. 53% is a generous score for a movie that doesn’t feel like Star Trek. Instead, it feels like an attempted copy of 2001: A Space Odyssey. There are long scenes of nothing but a field of stars. There are also interminable scenes of starships floating in space. It is slow-paced and too long, a deadly combination. The worst part for me is what they did with Spock. For most of the movie, he’s a caricature of himself. He acts like what McCoy always accuses him of being rather than what the character has been. It doesn’t help that the plot was stolen from the Star Trek episode “The Changeling.” Just awful. Verdict: really that bad.
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Star Trek III: The Search For Spock
Image Source: Now Very Bad. . .
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 78% aka fresh. I’d say that’s a pretty accurate score. While not in the same class as the two movies surrounding it, The Search for Spock is enjoyable. This will sound funny, but the movie’s major flaw is its premise. It’s like after The Wrath of Khan, the Star Trek team said, “Oh crap! Did we really kill Spock?” Star Trek III is nothing more than correcting that mistake. Once you get past that, though, the movie is pretty good. It balances suspense and action, and humor as all good Trek should. Verdict: not bad at all.
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
Image Source: Geek Ireland
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 22%, aka rotten. That score is a little high. However, The Final Frontier is an odd movie. This is the one where the crew of the Enterprise infamously finds God. It’s not good. Its pacing is too slow. Introducing a brother for Spock this late in Star Trek’s run is a huge and unnecessary mistake. There was no reason why Sybok had to be Spock’s brother. He could have been any Vulcan. And finding out that God is some criminal imprisoned in the center of the galaxy is plain weird. What’s so odd about this movie is how, despite all its problems, it’s still watchable. Most of the humor lands. Kirk, Spock, and McCoy are Kirk, Spock, and McCoy. I don’t know if it was nostalgia, but I had a lot of fun rewatching this one. Verdict: really that bad but strangely enjoyable.
Star Trek: Generations
Image Source: MUBI
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 48%, aka rotten. That score should be a lot higher. My only complaint about Generations is that it’s a bit slow-paced. It has a solid plot, even though the point was to get Kirk and Picard together. The acting is excellent. That’s one thing that Star Trek doesn’t get enough credit for. Everyone knows how great Patrick Stewart is, but everyone else in this movie nails it. I might have even shed a tear when Kirk died. Verdict: not really that bad.
Star Trek: Insurrection
Image Source: TMDB
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 54%, aka rotten. This score has to come from high expectations. The film preceding it, First Contact, was flat-out great. People were expecting more of the same, but they got a much different story. It had some action, but overall, it was much more low-key. In fact, it felt like an extended episode of The Next Generation. I, as a fan of TNG, consider that a good thing. If this had been a two-part episode in the series run, it would be a fan favorite. Verdict: not really that bad.
Overall, the answer to the titular question is no; the odd-number films aren’t that bad. The Motion Picture is the only unwatchable one. The Final Frontier is awful but can be enjoyed for its silliness and campiness. None of the others are bad. I’ll grant that the odd-numbered movies don’t have any all-time classics like Wrath of Khan or First Contact, but films can be good without being great. So all the Trek fans out there should give the odd numbers a second chance. Except, of course, the first one. Woof.
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Source(s): Rotten Tomatoes
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