retro movie review: Star Trek VI
Let me preface this blog entry by admitting that this movie review reflects not only my opinions on the film, but also the circumstances surrounding my viewing experience. In the 19 years since Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country was in the theaters, my only experience with the film has been through V.H.S. Now that I've finally watched the digitally enhanced version of the movie, I feel like I've seen it for the first time -- again. OK, so digital video enhancement is nothing new, so I understand that going on about it may make me seem a bit old fashioned. But if there's one thing I learned from watching Ghostbusters on DVD, after years of watching the movie only in TV broadcasts, the differences a digital enhancement can make are simply stunning no matter how familiar we are with the process.
And both the nature and the quality of the film determine how largely it will benefit from a digital enhancement process. I can't imagine caring much whether All the President's Men, for example, gets a high-tech treatment. But watching the digitally enhanced Star Trek VI made me feel like I was back in the theater again. The stars seem to leap off the screen, propelling us into space along with the U.S.S. Enterprise, and the sound quality is simply amazing. Cliff Eidelman's foreboding, ominous score creates a near-constant suspense, and is effectively complemented by both the sonorous voices of the aging actors, and the Oscar-winning sound effects. This movie really pays attention to audio detail: starship engines hum convincingly, dissatisfied characters quietly sniff their noses in contempt, and the prison on Rura Penthe is full of such off-screen ambient noises as dripping water, echoed footsteps, and grumbling convicts who pass by unseen.
But enough about the digital enhancement already, let's get down to the meat and bones of the movie. The story is set in motion by a catastrophic explosion which completely destroys Praxis, the primary energy production facility of the Klingons, who have been the primary Star Trek villains ever since the 1960s. The resulting devastation, as well as the Klingons' awareness of its long-term consequences, force the Klingon Empire to open negotiations toward peace with our own interstellar government, the United Federation of Planets. In light of the long-standing animosity between the Federation and the Klingons, no one on either side had ever dreamed that a day of peace talks would ever arrive, and while many people see recent developments as an opportunity for a better future, many others fear that future as an end to their familiar way of life.
Fear of having to change for a changing future is an affliction that affects the movie's heroes and villains alike. It's no accident that Gorkon, the one character with the most optimism for the future mistakenly refers to it as "the undiscovered country"; he's quoting Hamlet, but doesn't realize that Hamlet used the phrase "undiscovered country" not in reference to the future, but as a metaphor for death. Gorkon's misinterpretation of Hamlet is uncomfortable for everyone, for it inadvertently but effectively equates death with the future.
The parallels between the events in the film, and then-current realities of U.S./Soviet detente (with the explosion of Praxis standing in for the accident at Chernobyl) are not meant to be subtle, but with the Cold War now long over, those parallels seem almost unimportant. The topic of racism -- less commented on by reviewers of the film -- now seems to be the more notable theme. Most disturbingly, Captain Kirk himself, who has served as the franchise's primary hero for nearly thirty years, proves to be an unapologetic racist when it comes to Klingons.
Kirk's attitude can be partially explained away by the well-established but tragic reality that political hostility can often manifest as racism, as U.S. images of Asians during our wars with Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese enemies can attest. In Star Trek VI, the most obvious example of this phenomenon is when Admiral Cartwright (notably played by Brock Peters, a black actor whose own career has often featured racial themes) callously describes Klingons as "the alien trash of the galaxy." But Kirk's racism, while clearly influenced by political hostility, also has a more personal source. "I've never trusted Klingons," he says in a key bit of dialogue, "and I never will. I can never forgive them for the death of my son." With David's actual killers now long dead, Kirk has nowhere specific to focus his anger, and so shifts the blame from individual murderers to the entire Klingon race. Spock's pleas for compassion fall on indifferent ears: "They are dying," Spock explains. "Let them die!" Kirk replies with shocking brutality. For any audience members who may have missed the racial overtones, Chekov (Walter Koenig) later quotes the race-relations movie Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, and for any viewers still unclear about the theme, a Klingon diplomat soon lays the cards on the table and explicitly calls the Enterprise crew racist. Over the course of the film, we learn which Enterprise crew members actually are racist, which ones aren't, and which ones start out with racist tendencies but show plenty of promise for change.
Yet for all its serious undertones, Star Trek VI is a lot of fun. Kevin Smith has publicly opined that, of all the Star Trek films featuring the original cast, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is both the best movie, and also the one Star Trek film most accessible to people unfamiliar with the Star Trek characters. I have to disagree. I saw Star Trek VI in the theater and I remember being surprised in the conversations that followed, by how many of the viewers in that theater were new to Star Trek, and how many of those newbies so thoroughly enjoyed the movie. The reasons, I think, are two-fold.
First, the heavy social themes of death, racism, war, peace, and fear of the future are ably balanced by a consistent sense of humor -- a sense of humor which, with apologies to Kevin Smith, is largely lacking in the excellent but generally humorless Star Trek II. The writers certainly deserve the lion's share of the credit for the film's humor, but keep in mind that the actors playing the Enterprise crew have, by this point, worked together for decades, and have mastered the art of witty repartee.
Second, all of this humor and melodrama are presented in the context of a compelling story. Star Trek VI succeeds as a science fiction adventure, but in the context of other, time-tested genres. On the one hand, the movie serves as a political thriller, with the assassination of Klingon Chancellor Gorkon (David Warner) serving as a catalyst for most of the plot's developments. On the other hand, you've got a skillfully written murder mystery, which pays such homage to the genre that Spock not only quotes Sherlock Holmes, but also claims Holmes to be one of his distant ancestors. And the subplot about Kirk and McCoy being framed for Gorkon's death includes all of the classic cliches of a standard prison film, complete with an unjust trial, a prison fight, and an obligatory escape sequence. A fan of any of these cinematic styles -- science fiction, action, political thriller, murder mystery, prison drama, etc. -- will find something to like about Star Trek VI.
At the center of it all is one of Star Trek's most effective villains, the duplicitous, possibly mad, General Chang. In light of Chang's eccentric obsession with quoting William Shakespeare, it's apt that he's played by accomplished Shakespearean actor Christopher Plummer, who spouts the Bard's lines out of context, molding the meaning of Shakespeare's words to fit Chang's own nefarious agenda. Plummer seems to be enjoying the role, as he chews the scenery with delight and revels in his own villainy.
Much has changed since Star Trek VI premiered. The Soviet Union that served as the inspiration for the villainous Klingon Empire has fallen. Cast members who once seemed doomed to eternal typecasting have made names for themselves in other roles. And the Star Trek franchise itself has passed through stages of media saturation, decline, and, at the hands of J.J. Abrams and his writers, resurrection. But the bottom line is that some movies stand up to the test of time, and others don't. Star Trek VI, with its important themes, layered storyline, and welcome humor, is as exciting and fun as it was in the theaters back in '91.
And both the nature and the quality of the film determine how largely it will benefit from a digital enhancement process. I can't imagine caring much whether All the President's Men, for example, gets a high-tech treatment. But watching the digitally enhanced Star Trek VI made me feel like I was back in the theater again. The stars seem to leap off the screen, propelling us into space along with the U.S.S. Enterprise, and the sound quality is simply amazing. Cliff Eidelman's foreboding, ominous score creates a near-constant suspense, and is effectively complemented by both the sonorous voices of the aging actors, and the Oscar-winning sound effects. This movie really pays attention to audio detail: starship engines hum convincingly, dissatisfied characters quietly sniff their noses in contempt, and the prison on Rura Penthe is full of such off-screen ambient noises as dripping water, echoed footsteps, and grumbling convicts who pass by unseen.
But enough about the digital enhancement already, let's get down to the meat and bones of the movie. The story is set in motion by a catastrophic explosion which completely destroys Praxis, the primary energy production facility of the Klingons, who have been the primary Star Trek villains ever since the 1960s. The resulting devastation, as well as the Klingons' awareness of its long-term consequences, force the Klingon Empire to open negotiations toward peace with our own interstellar government, the United Federation of Planets. In light of the long-standing animosity between the Federation and the Klingons, no one on either side had ever dreamed that a day of peace talks would ever arrive, and while many people see recent developments as an opportunity for a better future, many others fear that future as an end to their familiar way of life.
Fear of having to change for a changing future is an affliction that affects the movie's heroes and villains alike. It's no accident that Gorkon, the one character with the most optimism for the future mistakenly refers to it as "the undiscovered country"; he's quoting Hamlet, but doesn't realize that Hamlet used the phrase "undiscovered country" not in reference to the future, but as a metaphor for death. Gorkon's misinterpretation of Hamlet is uncomfortable for everyone, for it inadvertently but effectively equates death with the future.
The parallels between the events in the film, and then-current realities of U.S./Soviet detente (with the explosion of Praxis standing in for the accident at Chernobyl) are not meant to be subtle, but with the Cold War now long over, those parallels seem almost unimportant. The topic of racism -- less commented on by reviewers of the film -- now seems to be the more notable theme. Most disturbingly, Captain Kirk himself, who has served as the franchise's primary hero for nearly thirty years, proves to be an unapologetic racist when it comes to Klingons.
Kirk's attitude can be partially explained away by the well-established but tragic reality that political hostility can often manifest as racism, as U.S. images of Asians during our wars with Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese enemies can attest. In Star Trek VI, the most obvious example of this phenomenon is when Admiral Cartwright (notably played by Brock Peters, a black actor whose own career has often featured racial themes) callously describes Klingons as "the alien trash of the galaxy." But Kirk's racism, while clearly influenced by political hostility, also has a more personal source. "I've never trusted Klingons," he says in a key bit of dialogue, "and I never will. I can never forgive them for the death of my son." With David's actual killers now long dead, Kirk has nowhere specific to focus his anger, and so shifts the blame from individual murderers to the entire Klingon race. Spock's pleas for compassion fall on indifferent ears: "They are dying," Spock explains. "Let them die!" Kirk replies with shocking brutality. For any audience members who may have missed the racial overtones, Chekov (Walter Koenig) later quotes the race-relations movie Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, and for any viewers still unclear about the theme, a Klingon diplomat soon lays the cards on the table and explicitly calls the Enterprise crew racist. Over the course of the film, we learn which Enterprise crew members actually are racist, which ones aren't, and which ones start out with racist tendencies but show plenty of promise for change.
Yet for all its serious undertones, Star Trek VI is a lot of fun. Kevin Smith has publicly opined that, of all the Star Trek films featuring the original cast, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is both the best movie, and also the one Star Trek film most accessible to people unfamiliar with the Star Trek characters. I have to disagree. I saw Star Trek VI in the theater and I remember being surprised in the conversations that followed, by how many of the viewers in that theater were new to Star Trek, and how many of those newbies so thoroughly enjoyed the movie. The reasons, I think, are two-fold.
First, the heavy social themes of death, racism, war, peace, and fear of the future are ably balanced by a consistent sense of humor -- a sense of humor which, with apologies to Kevin Smith, is largely lacking in the excellent but generally humorless Star Trek II. The writers certainly deserve the lion's share of the credit for the film's humor, but keep in mind that the actors playing the Enterprise crew have, by this point, worked together for decades, and have mastered the art of witty repartee.
Second, all of this humor and melodrama are presented in the context of a compelling story. Star Trek VI succeeds as a science fiction adventure, but in the context of other, time-tested genres. On the one hand, the movie serves as a political thriller, with the assassination of Klingon Chancellor Gorkon (David Warner) serving as a catalyst for most of the plot's developments. On the other hand, you've got a skillfully written murder mystery, which pays such homage to the genre that Spock not only quotes Sherlock Holmes, but also claims Holmes to be one of his distant ancestors. And the subplot about Kirk and McCoy being framed for Gorkon's death includes all of the classic cliches of a standard prison film, complete with an unjust trial, a prison fight, and an obligatory escape sequence. A fan of any of these cinematic styles -- science fiction, action, political thriller, murder mystery, prison drama, etc. -- will find something to like about Star Trek VI.
At the center of it all is one of Star Trek's most effective villains, the duplicitous, possibly mad, General Chang. In light of Chang's eccentric obsession with quoting William Shakespeare, it's apt that he's played by accomplished Shakespearean actor Christopher Plummer, who spouts the Bard's lines out of context, molding the meaning of Shakespeare's words to fit Chang's own nefarious agenda. Plummer seems to be enjoying the role, as he chews the scenery with delight and revels in his own villainy.
Much has changed since Star Trek VI premiered. The Soviet Union that served as the inspiration for the villainous Klingon Empire has fallen. Cast members who once seemed doomed to eternal typecasting have made names for themselves in other roles. And the Star Trek franchise itself has passed through stages of media saturation, decline, and, at the hands of J.J. Abrams and his writers, resurrection. But the bottom line is that some movies stand up to the test of time, and others don't. Star Trek VI, with its important themes, layered storyline, and welcome humor, is as exciting and fun as it was in the theaters back in '91.
posted by Movie Man at
2:12 AM
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