October 23, 2013

  • The Best Star Trek Movies - ever!

    This is always such a subjective and hotly contested topic. Most fans consider "Wrath of Khan" the best ever. I think I'm with that crowd. "The Undiscovered Country" is probably next on my list, with the rebooted "Star Trek" in that top 3. I really loved STTNG, but I liked what one commentator said about those movies - "they seemed like extended versions of the TV show." I agree, I enjoyed most of them, but felt like the only thing they leveraged with a big screen was yet another way to destroy the Enterprise. (Destroying signature vehicles like the Enterprise, Batmobile, James Bond car, etc. is a theatrical pet peeve of mine.)

    Some have contended that "Star Trek: Into the Darkness" is the worst ST movie ever. I laugh in their general direction. I thought it was very uninspired that they'd use Khan as their villain, but I give them a lot of credit "if you MUST" plagiarize earlier movies - it was well made. To the critics I say, "Watch Star Trek V - The Final Frontier again ... without getting up for breaks, without a computer or cell phone handy, etc. Watch it start to finish. It is well and pits below all the rest. Gag.

    Opinion aside - let's see how they really DID stack up. First, we'll go with critical reception - experts ranking them by pure movie quality:

    Critics:

    95% (11) Star Trek
    92% (8) First Contact
    91% (2) Wrath Of Khan
    87% (12) Into the Darkness
    84% (4) The Voyage Home
    83% (6) The Undiscovered Country
    77% (3) The Search for Spock
    56% (9) Insurrection
    48% (7) Generations
    44% (1) The Motion Picture
    40% (10) Nemesis
    21% (5) The Final Frontier

    But what do critics know? I like to say that if you want to know what's really important in a person's life - look where their time and money are spent.

    So let's follow the money trail. Where did we spend the most cash to watch these films?
    I'll be a snobby American and just go by "Gross Domestic Revenue." (Most of us don't "get" foreign films, and the French loved Jerry Lewis, so there we are.) All values are adjusted for today's dollars, eliminating the inflation argument.

    $274,311,200 (11) Star Trek
    $260,212,000 (1) The Motion Picture
    $229,227,500 (4) The Voyage Home
    $221,206,000 (12) Into the Darkness
    $213,118,700 (2) Wrath of Khan
    $180,708,400 (3) The Search for Spock
    $164,686,600 (8) First Contact
    $143,280,100 (7) Generations
    $142,092,200 (6) The Undiscovered Country
    $116,707,600 (9) Insurrection
    $104,420,100 (5) The Final Frontier
    $ 58,440,700 (10) Nemesis

    Interestingly, Nemesis is the only ST Movie that didn't make it's budget back on Domestic Revenue, although it did eventually turn a profit. So, we discover what we already know: Star Trek fans will pay to watch any ST Movie - no matter how good or bad it is, if for no other reason than to engage in these wonderful geek-debates.

Comments (1)

  • I suppose I fall into the ST fan category that will watch any ST movie- just because. I was disappointed with the first movie because the movie maker was so impressed with his model of the Enterprise that he spent nearly 10 minutes of the film just circling the exterior... I loved the Wrath of Khan and the ear worm still gives me the creeps. My favorite was the Voyage Home for the humor in it. Spock as a trippy hippie just tickled me no end... I was very pleased with the casting for Star Trek and thought the whole thing wonderfully knit together with a nice nod to the past and an indulgent wink to the fans.

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