The worst in the feature film series.

It has been over fifteen years since I last viewed this movie and my opinion hasn't changed. It lacks so much of what the other Star Trek movies starring the original cast members have. There are jokes, but they fall flat. There is camaraderie between Kirk, Spock and McCoy, but it seems stiff and unnatural. The acting of the other members of the Enterprise crew is often awkward and with the exception of Sybok, the guest stars are uninspiring.
The Enterprise is undergoing a major refit, with only Scotty carrying out the repairs. There is a hostage crisis on a planet jointly administered by the Federation, Klingons and Romulans. The Klingon representative is a former powerful commander who is now a drunken sop. All of the main members of the Enterprise crew are recalled and still understaffed, they set out for the planet. The rescue attempt is futile, although there is a bright moment when Uhura distracts nomadic tribesmen by conducting a fan dance.
Sybok takes over the Enterprise and sends it to a planet supposed to be the home of God. They do find a powerful being, but it is a prisoner on the planet and wants the Enterprise so that it can escape. Sybok distracts the being long enough for the Enterprise to fire a torpedo and kill it.
A Klingon vessel arrives and wants to capture and kill Kirk. Spock manages to persuade the Klingon general to order the commander of the Klingon vessel to cease his attack. Kirk is rescued and the movie ends where it began. Kirk, Spock and McCoy are in Yosemite Park sitting around a campfire and singing "Row Row Row Your Boat."
In my opinion, this is the worst Star Trek movie of the series. It fails in so many ways that it is hard to list them all. The only positive feature is that it is Star Trek, and even when it is bad, it is good enough.

A Very Underrated Film

This film was unfairly panned. I loved the film, not so much for the search for God theme, but for the humor between Spock, Kirk, and "Bones" McCoy and the theme of friendship between the three principles. The relationship of Spock and "Bones" is just as humorous as ever. The campfire scene, Spock's rescue of Kirk, and other scenes made me laugh repeatedly. The more important theme that touched my heart was the importance of friendship. The characters of Star Trek have been one of the main reasons that Star Trek has endured. To see Kirk and McCoy deal with Spock's death in Star Trek II and III, and then see Kirk's commitment to save both Spock and McCoy further strengthened the bond of friendship between them. Star Trek V solidifies the brotherhood between the three friends and the acknowledgement that they are "family".
The scene with "Bones" and his father moved me to tears. For anyone who had been conflicted about suffering and death, this scene was very emotional. For "Bones", who values life, yet loves his father, the decision he made must have been the hardest thing he ever did in his life. DeForest Kelly was amazing in this film, given that he had recovered from major surgery and cleared for work just before filming. He was "Bones" McCoy.
If you haven't seen this film lately, I urge you to see it again

Has its moments...

A less than stellar entry in the series. But I loved every big screen STAR TREK film for different reasons. To me, I like what most Trekkers like about it. It is funny at points (especially the campfire scene) and has a very good moment in the middle with Sybok, Kirk, Spock, and McCoy. I thought of an addition to the movie's tagline but its pretty cruel. The tagline was: Why are they putting seatbelts in the theaters this summer? MY ANSWER: To keep people from leaving. Im only kidding. I think Shatner had a different idea and was over criticized. He made do with what he had .