Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)

Director: Nicholas Meyer

Starring: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley

Run Time: 113 mins

Certificate: PG

 

Plot Outline: The Klingons want to make peace with the Federation after all of these years of aggression. But someone else has other plans and attempt to sabotage the peace process, framing Kirk and McCoy in the assassination of a Klingon Chancellor. Kirk and McCoy are whisked off to the Klingon home world for their murder trial whilst Spock and the rest of the crew must prove their innocence. Can they solve the mystery before the peace process is scrapped?

The Review: Nicholas Meyer has done it again and skilfully directed one of the better instalments in the series. It was painfully obvious from the previous film that the crew were getting too old (and in many cases, too fat) to continue making these films. So they were given one last farewell on the screen and there could have been no better way to sign off. It's got a great story which is more akin to the "whodunnit" murder mysteries that you'd seen on TV. This great story is coupled with a sense of fun and charm - it's clear that the cast had a good time making this film. The pace is excellent and the film never lags. There are some excellent moments including the assassination scene where there is no gravity and everyone is floating in the air. The special effects during the space battles are great and the finale at the peace conference is quite riveting stuff. As for the other hallmarks of a good Trek film, we have great (well for Trek anyway) acting from the cast. Shatner is Shatner and you know what to expect from him. Is there only really Captain Kirk that he can play? Talk about being typecast! Nimoy and Kelley provide great back-up and the chemistry between all three men is evident once again. Even in the darkest days of Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, you could count upon some great moments with all three men. Christopher Plummer also stars as a Shakespearean quoting Klingon warrior, providing suitably villainous foil for the Enterprise crew.

Final Verdict: It's highly emotional at the end when the crew go on their last voyage, clearly passing the torch over to the Star Trek: The Next Generation crew. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country a fitting farewell to the characters we've known and loved for 25 years.