Star Trek V: The Final Frontier - PG
Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that some critics have interpreted an unsubtle anti-religious message here. The villain is a religious fanatic with a barbaric flock of pilgrims and a fondness for mind control. As for the vague, godlike being (perhaps even the God) he seeks, it comes across as a manipulative, power-crazed alien-monster menace. There is also drinking, mild curse words, and some fist-fighting and ray-gun violence. A brief subplot involves physician-assisted euthanasia (portraying it more or less with disfavor).
Families can talk about the tone of this movie. Is it anti-religious? Producer Gene Roddenberry (not the only major contributor to Star Trek, but a leading figure) is often counted among celebrity atheists. Yet nonfiction books have also been written about the "spirituality" of Trek. How does sci-fi in general regard traditional religion? How do kid-favorites like The Golden Compass and Harry Potter regard religion?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Charles Cassady, Jr.
The first four Star Trek movies flow neatly into each other to tell one continuous saga, wrapped up in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. Now the series starts over from scratch. But Starfleet still orders Captain Kirk and his crew from their camping trip and marshmallow roasts (!?) to speed to a desert planet, where ambassadors of the Klingon and Romulan Empires have been taken hostage. The Enterprise is thus lured into a trap and hijacked by Sybok (Lawrence Luckinbill), Mr. Spock's long-lost brother, a renegade cult leader. Sybok intends to literally find heaven and God by taking the ship into a forbidden zone of space.
With uneven scripting and f/x, STAR TREK V is generally considered the least worthwhile among the big-screen adaptations, and feels like a slipshod, just-before cancellation episode of the original TV series. Great to see the classic cast interacting, and there's a revelation about Dr. McCoy that explains the spacegoing physician's grouchy House-like attitude. But the rest is mediocre. In V's defense, the previous three Star Trek movies were a tough act to follow.
The journey to this "Final Frontier" resolves in unsatisfactory fashion, with lots of ray-gun blasts but few answers. In fact, it's easy (and, unfortunately, makes the most sense) to interpret the movie as a photon torpedo-salvo against religion.
Better space outings for tweens and up:
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
Galaxy Quest
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Sexual ContentUhura does a skimpily clad dance to distract some bad guys. There is a catlike alien woman with prominent (multi-breasted) cleavage. |
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ViolenceRay-gun and rifle-type fire, bloodless hand-to-hand combat. |
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Language"God-damned" and "pisses me off" uttered. |
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Message |
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Social BehaviorStarfleet is notably racially and species-integrated, and there is a strong sense of friendship, military duty, and loyalty (Mr. Scott won't disregard an order to get a transporter working, even with Klingons and God on the attack as potential distractions). Religious believers, though -- to the extent that the cultists here can be described as such -- are pretty much brainwashed, uncivilized rabble. |
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Commercialism |
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Drug/Alcohol/TobaccoDr. McCoy praises the merits of Kentucky bourbon. Drinking in a riotous interspecies bar. Klingons are shown especially drunk. |
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