AllMovie

Who would have thought the best Star Trek movie would be the one with the sense of humor? Taking a 180-degree turn from Star Trek III, the series' most dour entry, director Leonard Nimoy utilized the natural comic chemistry of the long-time ensemble and crafted one of the funniest films of 1986. Never mind the destruction of the Enterprise and the death of Kirk's son, the most recent events in the chronology. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home finds the crew traveling back to 20th century San Francisco to procure a pair of a humpback whales, in order to appease a 23rd century probe sucking the planet dry in its failed attempt to communicate with the extinct whales. It's a relief to see the film setting aside Klingons as the source of dramatic tension, instead opting for such obstacles as having to use 20th century materials to build an aquarium that'll withstand a time warp. William Shatner finally looks carefree and comfortable as Kirk, and is downright delightful in his romantic bantering with cute marine biologist Gillian (Catherine Hicks). As Bones, the wry DeForest Kelley has always been a comic natural, and Nimoy (Spock) is perfect as the ultimate fish-out-of-water, peppering his speech with "colorful metaphors" to try to fit in. In fact, the whole cast shows a facility for comedy not previously seen. Combine that with a tightly focused and genuinely exciting plot, as well as an unobtrusive environmental message, and the result is a film that stretches far beyond the bounds of science fiction.