Home Video Picks & Passes 10.15.17

A look at Star Trek flicks.

William Shatner (l) and Leonard Nimoy appear in Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan (1982).
William Shatner (l) and Leonard Nimoy appear in Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan (1982). (photo: Paramount Pictures)

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) — PICK

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) — PICK

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) — PICK


It’s often said that the even-numbered Star Trek films are good and the odd ones are bad. The key problem with that theory is Star Trek III: The Search for Spock.

The Wrath of Khan is a masterpiece with everything you could ask for in a good sci-fi action-adventure film. The Voyage Home is the most widely apapealing and idiosyncratic Trek film.

The Search for Spock is the necessary bridge between them — and the heart of the “Spock Trilogy.” Watch them all!

 

Caveat Spectator: Star Trek films generally include stylized sci-fi violence and menace. The Wrath of Khan includes references to a character’s out-of-wedlock origins. The Voyage Home includes mostly humorous (mis)use of crude language and footage of whale hunting and butchery.

Edward Reginald Frampton, “The Voyage of St. Brendan,” 1908, Chazen Museum of Art, Madison, Wisconsin.

Which Way Is Heaven?

J.R.R. Tolkien’s mystic west was inspired by the legendary voyage of St. Brendan, who sailed on a quest for a Paradise in the midst and mists of the ocean.