Having been one of the shows that was part of my childhood and growing up, the original 'Star Trek' still holds up as great and ground-breaking, even if not perfect.'The Search for Spock' is not the 'Star Trek' franchise at its worst (marginally better than 'The Motion Picture' and much better than 'Final Frontier' for the films based on the original series). However, considering that it came after one of the best (perhaps even the best) 'Star Trek' films 'The Wrath of Khan', it was a disappointment and could have been so much more. It is not as bad as has been said by some but has too many faults to be in the passionate defence camp. Am in the camp that was mixed on the film.Starting with the faults with 'The Search for Spock', like 'The Motion Picture' the pacing is pedestrian, again taking a while to get going, and parts could easily have been trimmed and gotten to the point more. The whole Grissom and crew stuff could have been better explored (like being lost suddenly and then their fate being ambiguous).Leonard Nimoy takes the director's helm and while he does a competent job it is somewhat workmanlike and his experience in TV and not-so-much-experience in feature films shows, loved the focus on the characters and their relationships but it could have been more expansive. While 'Wrath of Khan' took a darker approach it wasn't consistently so and had themes that many could relate to, with the pacing being as dull as it was the tone often feels bleak and funereal which takes away from any excitement. The final scene is emotional, but the lead up is somewhat self-indulgent, while Robin Curtis is as stiff as a board and with the emotion of a corpse.However, for all its flaws 'The Search for Spock' has a lot to recommend too. The visuals, like 'Wrath of Khan', are a marked improvement over the original series. The sets are more elaborate, the photography is moody and stylish and the special effects (and there's plenty of them) are amazing and have a real sense of wonder and emotional charge. The music by James Horner is even more clever than in 'Wrath of Khan' and him returning was effective for continuity reasons. It is bombastic and rousing at times but also swelling in romance and sensitivity and beautiful orchestration, the heavy representation of the percussive and dissonant theme for the Klingons was also effective.'The Search for Spock' does have an intelligent script that develops the characters very well indeed, it also doesn't feel too talky like 'The Motion Picture' did. The story is not perfect and the search could have been more exciting and had more point to it, but that it focused on the characters and allowed them and their relationships to drive the story proved to be a good move, plus the characters that were underused before have more to do and the characters are interesting apart from the underdeveloped villain. The stealing and destruction of the Enterprise are a lot of fun and also very tense and the Kirk and David relationship does bring some emotional wallop.Acting-wise, 'The Search for Spock' is just fine. Nimoy proves why Spock is such an interesting and well-loved character, while William Shatner is more understated than usual and the rest of the original series crew have expanded screen time and make good impressions, DeForest Kelley having some really meaty moments. Consensus on Christopher Lloyd has been mixed, to me he did a really good job with what he was given to work with (the character itself could have been better written and was the problem, not Lloyd), bringing a sinister approach and also an enjoyably over-the-top one.In conclusion, watchable but disappointing at the same time. 6/10 Bethany Cox

This movie seems to get swept under the rug when it comes to Star Trek and honestly when it's between the one Die-Hard fans usually consider to be the best in the series and the one that was for a good long while the most financially successful movie in the series it's not hard to see why. But while this isn't as good as Star Trek 2 or 4 this is actually good in it's own right.This takes place after 2. They return home to find Bones thinking he's Spock and Genesis quarantined. when a Starship is searching Genesis they find a young version of Spock alive regenerated by the planet because as he was sent there as new life was forming on Genesis that regenerated him. While this is going on a renegade Klingon vessel also catches wind of Genesis and what it does and decides to take it and claim the "weapon" for themselves. Soon Kirk is visited by Spock's father who says that part of Spock survived and would have used a form of mind-melding to transfer his knowledge and personality over to Kirk but they find out it was actually Bones and wants to be taken to Genesis. They soon go on this adventure once again.Okay while as usually Shatner's acting is... Shatner the rest of the cast do a pretty good job. While Christopher Lloyd isn't as memorable of a villain as Khan there is a lot to his performance that quite honestly really does make his character interesting. The way this builds story on 2 by Genesis being unstable and even Spock's resurrection by the planet with no memories is actually really fascinating to me. I also quite enjoy the special effects and the action as well and the story is actually pretty good.So this movie is just a consistent level of okay. It does get above average at times and I think it's actually a pretty underrated movie in this series. Again considering what came before and afterwards in the series I can understand it. I really would recommend this if you're a casual viewer of the Star Trek series.

This movie picks right up from where Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan left off. Khan was a great "cliff-hanger" film that deliberately left an opening for Search for Spock. If you've never watched the Star Trek films and want to do so then I highly suggest you to watch Wrath of Khan before you watch The Search for Spock so you will know what is going on... but you will not have to watch the first movie in order to know what is going on in parts 2 and 3.To talk about The Search for Spock without giving away too much for first time viewers is hard to do. I can say that this film concerns a Klingon named Commander Kruge and his crew, the planet Genesis and, duh, Kirk and crew searching for Mr. Spock.Once again, another outstanding movie that fell in love with as a pre-teen and I find it quite "fascinating" today. A really good film for fans of Star Trek and has a happy ending.10/10

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock is directed by Leonard Nimoy and has music by James Horner. The film stars William Shatner, DeForest Kelley, Christopher Lloyd, Robin Curtis, James Doohan, Nichelle Nichols, George Takei, Walter Koenig, Merritt Butrick, Mark Lenard, Judith Anderson and Leonard Nimoy.This is a very good film and pretty underrated compared to some of the others. It has several moving scenes and is really funny too. McCoy trying to charter a ship in an alien bar is hysterical. The mind meld scene between Kirk and Sarek is very moving and Christopher Lloyd is excellent as the cunning Klingon Captain. It's a bit odd that Carol Marcus isn't in this film, you'd think she would have wanted to study the Genesis planet.The Search for Spock is set shortly after the events of The Wrath of Khan. Kirk (William Shatner) and the crew are returning to Earth, Kirk is devastated by Spock's loss and is struggling to come to terms with it.David(Merritt Butrick) and Lt. Saavik(Robin Curtis)have been assigned to the Starfleet ship Grissom, they are in orbit of the Genesis planet and are studying how the planet is evolving. That sector is off limits now to anyone apart from their science team.When the Enterprise returns to Earth, Kirk is told the ship is to be decommissioned. Dr. McCoy(DeForest Kelley)appears to be having some sort of breakdown and Kirk is visited by Spock's father Sarek(Mark Lenard).Sarek pleads with Kirk to return Spock's body to Vulcan(at the end of the previous film he was buried on the Genesis planet), he tells Kirk there is a ritual that could restore Spock to life. It is discovered that McCoy is now carrying Spock's memories and personality within his own mind, that is why Spock melded with him at the end of Wrath of Khan.Spock's memories must be taken from McCoy and placed back into Spock's mind. Kirk, Scotty, Sulu, McCoy and Chekov steal the Enterprise and head to the Genesis planet.Rogue Klingon Captain Kruge(Christopher Lloyd)has found out about the Genesis device and realises the potential it has to be a weapon. He and his crew head to the Genesis planet.This film has some very interesting things in it, such as the mystical Vulcan ceremony that can restore life and the accelerated development of the Genesis planet. It makes you think also about the positives and negatives of building a device like Genesis.Although it's great that Spock lives again, I think this lessens the impact of his sacrifice at the end of The Wrath of Khan. I think it would have been better if he stayed dead, and then we could see the impact on Kirk and McCoy and how they coped with that loss.Well directed by Nimoy, with strong performances from the cast. Shatner is good as the devastated Kirk who will stop at nothing if there is even the slightest chance of saving Spock. Robin Curtis is good as Saavik, but it is a shame that Kirstie Alley didn't reprise the role.Doohan, Takei, Nichols and Koenig get more to do in this film and that's great to see. DeForest Kelley steals every scene he's in as a very different Dr.McCoy.