Is Star Trek 4 a classic? To fans, it's a divisive one. In my older years I'm more inclined to just enjoy it for what it is, situating it within the exhausting three film cycle which it concluded. Bits of it have certainly entered into the greater cultural zeitgeist. I mean, "Hello, Computer" while speaking into the mouse is still a great gag.
The film isn't trying to be great cinema, nor is it trying to be "serious" Star Trek.
Instead, the film is trying to be a bit of lighthearted fun, while resolving all its lingering plot threads, while remaining true to itself. An old aphorism is "Comparisons are Odious"; us in the geek set sure do love our comparisons. "What's the best Star Trek film?" "What's the best space ship?" Even more informal and more personal questions of "your favorite [something]" can be irksome to me.
Some things don't need to be compared for us to find value. I don't need to compare The Voyage Home with Wrath of Khan. I can appreciate the one with the whales for itself. I certainly tend more toward the darkly dramatic, but there's no harm in having a bit of fun when fun is what you want.
And the cast, crew, and production team really wanted a bit of fun.
So give it a watch, Fedi, will you?
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