Nipping at Khan's heels in the race for best Star Trek movie, The Undiscovered Country is a hugely enjoyable adventure.
While Khan succeeded with its simple story and cliffhanger ending, this one is the most dramatically satisfying of the series to date. Densely plotted in comparison with its predecessors the political intrigue is a welcome addition and adds real weight to the gripping race-against-time events.
There's no fat on the script - every scene counts. From the awkward dinner with the Klingons, the zero gravity assassination, the trial, to the prison planet, searching the ship, the beautiful Iman's memorable scenes during the escape, the tag team battle with the Bird of Prey and the nick-of-time ending - it takes you from one superbly executed scene to another and at every step of the way you're left wanting more.
This is the film where it all came together for the first time in nearly a decade - performances, script, impressive computer effects - it's the kind of treatment Star Trek deserves. Although it's sad to see Sulu kept apart from the others, the entire cast are having as much fun as they ever had in the series, slyly acknowledging their advancing years with great humour and pulling out all the stops to ensure their farewell outing is a perfect swansong, and at the end there's a very novel and touching moment that perfectly conveys the end of an era.
While Khan succeeded with its simple story and cliffhanger ending, this one is the most dramatically satisfying of the series to date. Densely plotted in comparison with its predecessors the political intrigue is a welcome addition and adds real weight to the gripping race-against-time events.
There's no fat on the script - every scene counts. From the awkward dinner with the Klingons, the zero gravity assassination, the trial, to the prison planet, searching the ship, the beautiful Iman's memorable scenes during the escape, the tag team battle with the Bird of Prey and the nick-of-time ending - it takes you from one superbly executed scene to another and at every step of the way you're left wanting more.
This is the film where it all came together for the first time in nearly a decade - performances, script, impressive computer effects - it's the kind of treatment Star Trek deserves. Although it's sad to see Sulu kept apart from the others, the entire cast are having as much fun as they ever had in the series, slyly acknowledging their advancing years with great humour and pulling out all the stops to ensure their farewell outing is a perfect swansong, and at the end there's a very novel and touching moment that perfectly conveys the end of an era.