Not necessarily the best movies ever made, but these are twenty of my favorites, in no particular order.  Each post for the next twenty days will feature a brief discussion of one film (though one or two days will have multiple posts to make up for absences).

Post 5: Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984 dir. Leonard Nimoy)

If Nicholas Meyer’s Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan (1982) was about death and loss, then Leonard Nimoy’s Star Trek III: The Search for Spock is certainly about grief and consequences. Any film that succesfully addresses the consequences of choice, both good and bad, achieves at least a small measure of praise from me (Nolan’s The Dark Knight is another superb example). And the overall effect of this particular Star Trek film is both emotionally exhausting while at the same time exhilirating and hopeful. It is not necessarily the best of the Trek films, again Meyer’s Wrath of Khan is a better overall film as is Frakes’ Star Trek: First Contact (1996), but this one is my favorite of the franchise.

When Spock’s father, Sarek (Mark Lenard), suggests the slightest possibility that his son might be saved from the Genesis planet, Kirk and crew embark on a mission to save their friend, no matter the cost. Our heroes have a sense of family and responsibility to each other that is almost palpable. Kirk (William Shatner) tries to get official permission from Starfleet Command to lead a rescue mission, but his superiors tell him “No.” Kirk’s response is characteristically decisive and meaningful, “The word is no. I am therefore going anyway.”

That simple choice, to act on faith rather than simply follow orders, leads to a myriad of consequences, all in the name of saving their beloved friend and colleague, Spock. They break the law by stealing the Starship Enterprise, engage in warfare with the Klingon Commander Kruge (Christopher Lloyd) and his crew, deliberately destroy the Enterprise, and steal Kruge’s vessel pirating it to the planet Vulcan for sanctuary and spiritual healing. Worst of all, Kirk’s own son dies, murdered by the Klingons. Watch Shatner’s heartbreaking response at the death of his son David (Merritt Butrick), a remarkably poignant moment from a sci-fi sequel.

Listen too to Bones’ (Deforest Kelley) speech to the unconscious Spock, and Kelley’s careful eye movements during his speech. There’s a complexity of emotions to his delivery of the line “I’m going to tell you something I never thought I’d ever hear myself say…” A lot of care and preparation went into this film, and you can see it on screen, especially in the acting.

There is just something to the dedication and love these characters have for one another that resonates with my inner spirit. This film captures that intimacy and reminds us of the consequences we might face for consciously choosing love and faith instead of acting from fear and doubt.