Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

Name: Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Genre: Adventure, Sci-Fi, Comedy
Released: November 26, 1986
Duration: 119 min
Rating: 71
Cast: DeForest Kelley, Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner

1986

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 17 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 110 Ratings

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7.7

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7.7	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 110 Ratings

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Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

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Movie Details & Credits

Paramount Pictures | Release Date: November 26, 1986 | PG

Starring: DeForest Kelley, Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner

Summary: To save Earth from an alien probe, Admiral Kirk and his fugitive crew go back in time to 20th century Earth to retrieve the only beings who can communicate with it, humpback whales.

Director: Leonard Nimoy

Genre(s): Adventure, Sci-Fi, Comedy

Rating: PG

Runtime: 119 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

Darren Franich

The Voyage Home is pure, joyful cinema. Read full review

Rita Kempley

It crackles with comedy, but it's no space cartoon, nor self-lampoon. It's a happy, heartfelt chapter that reunites the original cast with the original TV format, shying away from the cold and epic scale of the preceding movie adventures. Read full review

Michael Wilmington

It has an irresistibly sure touch, an easy command of its audience. It hits the right buttons, strikes the right chords, plays with our expectations with the right blend of savvy, guile and imagination. [26 Nov. 1986]

TV Guide Magazine Staff (Not Credited)

By far the silliest and most self-mocking of the series, with the interplay between Spock and Kirk veering somewhere between Hope and Crosby and Cheech and Chong, but also one of the most successful. Read full review

David Ansen

The latest Star Trek is the most down-to-earth, and certainly the funniest, movie in the series, further evidence of the show's amazing durability. [1 Dec. 1986, p.89]

Bob Thomas

The ecological message is commendable, and there are some amusing situations with the space travelers in contemporary scenes. Nimoy's direction keeps a lively pace and the special effects are state of the art, as always. [08 Jan 1987]

Pat Graham

I suspect the unconverted will want to be beamed up pronto. Read full review

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User Reviews

JEM

Oct 10, 2021

Best movie ever made. Laugh out loud funny, exciting, and kind hearted, this movie is worth yearly rewatches.

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Kai82

Mar 10, 2020

Definitively the funniest Star trek movie. The social commentaries and humor work so well. Spocks knowledge test, McCoy in a hospital, Scotty with computers or Chekov asking where the nuclear powered ships are put a smile on my face even after countless re-watches. Also Spock using theDefinitively the funniest Star trek movie. The social commentaries and humor work so well. Spocks knowledge test, McCoy in a hospital, Scotty with computers or Chekov asking where the nuclear powered ships are put a smile on my face even after countless re-watches. Also Spock using the Hippie camouflage to hide his strangeness. But back to the beginning. The movie starts shortly after Star Trek 3 ended as the crew will deal with their actions in that movie. On their way to earth they notice an incoming danger and must travel back in time to save the day. Leonard Nimoy delivered a timeless classic as director. The story gives all characters good opportunities to shine. The cast has no weak moments and create a memorable performance. I will admit that some people will have problems with the ecological message. I will say that the message is as important now as it was back then if not more and it is not hammered in (Just a good vehicle for the story). There is not much more to say. Overall the Star Trek movie with the best humor in a good story. It started also the Star Trek tradition that the even numbered movies are the great ones until Star Trek 10 broke this.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Diptanshu

Aug 1, 2020

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Masterpiece!Its the Most Fun and Adventurous Movie in the series!That Time-travel Plot was uniquely Fun!the 1986 Environment and the Crew's catch-up to that era the whole settling issues and Awesome situations was entertaining!The story was uniquely amazing,the music and Visuals were great,the Characters and Acting was good The Whale's Doctor was sweet and her relation with Cap Kirk was amazing,the Whole movie right from the start it was entertaining Ride,the Crew's at Vulcan ready to go Earth and in earth the allegations Against Crew and all it was amazing intro,the Spock's Human feelings Conversations was amazing and the crew with Pirate ship left to earth than the Threat to earth from Unknown thing it was awesome,the Spock's theory to solve the situation by having Whale and then the mission to take Whale from past it was awesome!the Time-Travel and the Whole 1986 Era was incredible!then the whole crew's bonding with people and that era in between the objectives it was entertaining to watch,The Crew split's the Cap and Spock journey to Whale museum and in Route the Funny situations like the Bus music scene and the Museum Aquarium scene by Spock it was hilarious.the Nuclear heist thing was amazing with Uhura and Chekov and the Whale container Deal with Doc and Scott was awesome the Scott using Future Tech to Deal and the scene of him using Computer like its a Future it was funniest scene.the Whale's doctor story till end was amazing her and Captain bond was awesome and love the Spock's lines to her it was fun!the Chekov's Military Capture and his Rescue mission from hospital was intensely awesome.the Doc's reaction to Old treatment methods in hospital was funny to watch and his curing the Dialysis patient and her reaction to it was shockingly Funny and the Crew's escape was fun.At last the capturing Whale scene and Whale's Doctor coming with the Crew it Was amazing,the Ending was satisfying and Incredible the Whale's solving Problem and the Allegations of Crew dismissed with the Honors it was Great end!Overall it's A Awesomely Adventurously entertaining Movie its a Fun Masterpiece!… Expand

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Rox22

Sep 23, 2013

If anything this is always what I refer to as the "feel good" ST movie. Great effects. Great performances all round. Story is decent, for the most part. I did find the whale plot device a little weird and too simplistic considering what was at stake.

As to the time travel, well that's aIf anything this is always what I refer to as the "feel good" ST movie. Great effects. Great performances all round. Story is decent, for the most part. I did find the whale plot device a little weird and too simplistic considering what was at stake.

As to the time travel, well that's a great way to save money on wardrobe and set design.

Overall:
While the movie does feel a little cheap at times and the plot is a little odd in places. As a whole it is allot of fun, highly enjoyable and pretty much the best feel good film of the franchise.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

FilipeNeto

Aug 9, 2018

This film is the fourth film of the franchise and clearly addresses a naturalistic theme, very dear of this time, when ecological movements began to be noticed. In fact, the script itself consists of a trip to the past to save the last representatives of a certain species of whales.This film is the fourth film of the franchise and clearly addresses a naturalistic theme, very dear of this time, when ecological movements began to be noticed. In fact, the script itself consists of a trip to the past to save the last representatives of a certain species of whales. Obviously the issue around time travel is pure science fiction and the way the Enterprise craft does this seemed unlikely, but everything else is extremely positive in the movie. I loved the way the script made comedy with the shock of the future travelers (especially Dr. McCoy) with our social and technological backwardness. These moments of humor are the strongest and most appealing point of this film. The technical details of the film are roughly the same as the previous films, in particular with regard to the special effects that these days do not seem very surprising due to the computer effects we get used to. And as for the actors it can be said that it is the film of DeForest Kelley par excellence, in that the actor gets some of the most memorable scenes. The remaining cast, however, live up to our expectations, contributing to make this film a worthy continuation of the franchise.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

CoreGamer1408

Sep 26, 2020

Basically a environmentalist activist movie wrapped up in OG Star Trek packaging with a feel good factor to it all. Of all the OG Star Trek this has the most comedy. You can tell the actors all had fun making this one for sure. The weakest part was the time travel element. If time travel isBasically a environmentalist activist movie wrapped up in OG Star Trek packaging with a feel good factor to it all. Of all the OG Star Trek this has the most comedy. You can tell the actors all had fun making this one for sure. The weakest part was the time travel element. If time travel is so easy why aren't all the other species going back in time to rectify massive mistakes or major defeats? The Klingons could of saved Praxis in the later Star Trek the Undiscovered Country. Which is ironically about saving the future.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

IAmTech

Jun 18, 2016

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This was the first Star Trek movie I saw at the cinema, and to top that I think I saw it whilst in the US of A too. So the story continues from where it left of in 'The Search for Spock' with Nimoy again at the helm. What can one say about this Trek outing, it certainly took a different route and clearly went for a more comedic approach. I believe this was the first movie to be set on Earth in the present day (at the time, 1986), I think that might also count for the TV series too.

Was this the right approach? well maybe, I can't deny that the film is very entertaining with some well crafted family fun moments that make all the veteran actors even more endearing in their now historical roles. How can anyone fail to love these guys? look at Spock in his hippy outfit...hilarious right?...right?!! Quite literately old age pensioners in space (with Shatner and Doohan getting fatter by the sequel and Koenig's hair piece becoming more obvious) and still saving the Earth, what a team! So yes kudos for the alternate direction and some lovely amusing moments which can't fail to make you smile but...

On the other hand did this film really do much to bolster Star Treks sci-fi rankings within the sci-fi hall of fame? I'm not so sure really, we all know Star Trek has that little niche of semi-serious logical sci-fi mixed with blatant fantasy but for me this plot just took one step too far. There is really only so far you can go before you have to step back and say hold on, and I think the whales went over that mark.

Earth is in trouble (again), oh geez! A weird object in space that looks like a black cylinder connected to a football by a beam of intense white light is headed to Earth. Note the rather blatant '2001' obelisk clone conveniently changed to a cylinder...well that's what I think. Unsurprisingly this foreign object is draining everything of its power as they usually do. When in orbit around the Earth the object knocks out the global power grid and starts tearing the planets weather system apart...inadvertently. This alien thing is seemingly calling to humpback whales which are currently extinct in the year 2286 so the ageing crew simply decide to use a time warp into the past to casually pick up some humpback whales and bounce back to the their present before anyone knew they were there.

Now is it me or is this premise just a tad beyond the realms of a reasonably sensible film? The last film saw a main character resurrected because they needed to keep the franchise going after the surprise blockbuster and now they can jump through time to fix problems...with whales, these guys can't be beaten! The story is indeed an ingenious creation (they do tend to come across a lot of unknown energy sapping problems don't they), a good message about the environment and endangered species but for me the time travel thing just never sat well. Its too convenient and renders the Enterprise crew almost insurmountable in any given situation. Problem? well we'll just pop back in time with a time warp and hocus pocus every things gonna be OK. Don't even get me started on how they managed to somehow transport these massive whales in massive tanks of seawater...Jesus!

All that aside its a completely new breathe of fresh air to have the film set almost entirely on a planet surface, especially our own. This does in fact render special effects almost obsolete for most of the film...almost. Being set on present day Earth (1986) Nimoy was able to do a lot more without worrying about the confines of space limitations and real science. This movie really felt like a far out comedic fantasy where anything goes and Earthbound visual gags were a tour de force. Naturally being set in the 80's you can't not have a gag utilising a stereotypical 80's punk...that's virtually an obligation.

Alas there are still many many typically nasty Star Trek bluescreen shots, hokey sets, some hideously obvious whale footage crowbarred in and pretty obvious matte paintings. On the other hand you do still get a solid array of decent looking starship models and the ever lovely Earth Spacedock. We also get to see much more interior of a Klingon Bird-of-Prey ship which up to this point had never really been explored much. On the whole I did actually like the misty atmosphere of the ship, the dark green colour palette set against various red LED panel lights, it looked mean and aggressive.

I can see why this did well upon release as its a fun film with a good message and happy ending. True it does feel like a long tourism advert for San Francisco and the humorous side makes the entire feature come across like something as daft as 'Crocodile Dundee...in space'. For me the plot has gone from generic in the last two films to completely outlandish in this film, such a sweeping change in concepts and tone! much suspension of disbelief required here.

Yet much like the previous two films I neither overly dislike or overly like this fourth effort. Its a movie of its time, I accept it for what it is and the movie itself knows what its aiming for, so to that degree I can't really moan. It is a typical Star Trek plot...but one of the more stupid plots, the classic TV series always did have good and bad plots. I can't really score this very high because apart from the childish funny moments that are indeed sweet the rest is pure dodgy hokem that still doesn't really look any better than the last two movies (the original still looking the best at this point).… Expand

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