"Great" tier:
1. Wrath of Khan - Filmmakers should study this as a textbook example of what a series upgraded to a movie should look like. Bonus: perfect example of how to why it isn't necessary for the hero and villain to ever be in the same scene.
2. Undiscovered Country - This is how TOS should have ended. Bonus points for the way it tied into TNG perfectly.
3. Voyage Home - Yes, it's good. I love it, too. I think it commonly gets rated highly for being the lightest, most humorous, and most accessible, but IMNSHO humor doesn't get you to #1 in Trek ratings. There's no shame at being #3 on this list.
"Good" tier:
4. - Search for Spock - The idea that the heroes can't actually die is overdone today, and I blame this movie a little bit for making it feel socially acceptable for series to do that. Other than that, a good movie, and great follow up to Wrath of Khan. I like Christopher Lloyd as a Klingon. I have mixed feelings about the destruction of the Enterprise.
5. - The Motion Picture - I actually like this movie quite a bit, despite the fact that I'm rating it #5. The story is very Star Trek. Others have already noted that the problem is really the execution; the cinematography, pacing, special effects, and so many other things just don't give off Star Trek vibes. Take the same story and shoot it like Wrath of Khan, and it would be much higher in everyone's ranking.
"Meh" tier:
6. - Final Frontier - Nothing really comes together here. I don't want to be too negative about it (it's not completely unwatchable), but it's hard to find anything positive to say.
1. Wrath of Khan - Filmmakers should study this as a textbook example of what a series upgraded to a movie should look like. Bonus: perfect example of how to why it isn't necessary for the hero and villain to ever be in the same scene.
2. Undiscovered Country - This is how TOS should have ended. Bonus points for the way it tied into TNG perfectly.
3. Voyage Home - Yes, it's good. I love it, too. I think it commonly gets rated highly for being the lightest, most humorous, and most accessible, but IMNSHO humor doesn't get you to #1 in Trek ratings. There's no shame at being #3 on this list.
"Good" tier:
4. - Search for Spock - The idea that the heroes can't actually die is overdone today, and I blame this movie a little bit for making it feel socially acceptable for series to do that. Other than that, a good movie, and great follow up to Wrath of Khan. I like Christopher Lloyd as a Klingon. I have mixed feelings about the destruction of the Enterprise.
5. - The Motion Picture - I actually like this movie quite a bit, despite the fact that I'm rating it #5. The story is very Star Trek. Others have already noted that the problem is really the execution; the cinematography, pacing, special effects, and so many other things just don't give off Star Trek vibes. Take the same story and shoot it like Wrath of Khan, and it would be much higher in everyone's ranking.
"Meh" tier:
6. - Final Frontier - Nothing really comes together here. I don't want to be too negative about it (it's not completely unwatchable), but it's hard to find anything positive to say.
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