Science Movie Reviews

I first caught the tail end of George Lucas In Love on an in-flight entertainment system. I laughed so hard, I decided I just had to see the whole thing. I was excited when I discovered I could order it from Amazon, and straight away placed an order.

I have to admit being disappointed how short the title feature was, however the "directors commentary", "making of" and the "easter egg" were great.

Of the other 3 short films on the disc, only "Evil Hill" was worth watching. The inconsistent quality of the other films have made some reviewers legitimately complain about the value for money of the disc.

That being said, George Lucas in Love is a MUST SEE for any one who considers themself a fan of the original Starwars trilogy. It is hilariously funny, with subtle references enough for any diehard while also being accessible for the casual fan.

Any fan of George Lucas and of Star Wars -- I'm a hardcore fan of both -- will love this movie. It is clever, witty, and well-crafted, perfectly balancing the directorial styles of Shakespeare in Love (Steadicam shots, lighting) with Star Wars (Lucasian wipes, close-up shots, pans). Some of the most subtle jokes were my favorite, such as the "womp rats" line, the Howard the Duck reference, and the THX 1138 door sign.

Enjoy!

An ultra-funny parody of the college life of George Lucas and how he was inspired to write the "Star Wars" trilogy.

Well I can say that The Lost World was good, but that's all I can say, because the Jurassic Park disc was MISSING.

This 2 pack was an excellent present for Christmas.
Both Films are so action packed with whimscal characters and unforgetable moments! These movies rock the house.

Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park and the blockbuster sequel The Lost World are presented in this impressive collection.

Spielberg's dinosaur adventure Jurassic Park is up there with the all-time greats. Taken from Michael Crichton's thrilling novel, Jurassic Park is one of the most entertaining and exciting films ever made. The special effects are from FX maestro Stan Winston, who did the special effects for Aliens (1986) and Terminator 2 (1991). The seamless combination of CGI and robotic creatures creates some truly terrifying action set- pieces.

Despite what some critics thought when the film was released, I feel that all the principal actors give good performances, especially Sam Neill as Alan Grant and Jeff Goldblum as Dr. Ian Malcolm. But admittedly, the special effects are the main attraction, and Winston's dinosaurs (which won him another Oscar after Terminator 2) are truly frightening. Great entertainment.

The film's transfer onto DVD is first- rate, with superb picture and sound. The special features are exceptional, with a 50 minute 'making of' of the film and trailers for Jurassic Park, the Lost World and the teaser for Jurassic Park 3. Most interesting, however, is the footage of early pre-production meetings with Spielberg and the FX team discussing how certain shots and effects should be done. Also, there's a Phil Tippett animatic "Raptors in the Kitchen", showing how claymation assists the director in visualising the shots and camera angles. Also there are storyboards, production photos and web links. A 5 star film, 5 star extras. Excellent entertainment.

The Lost World is an exciting adventure starring Jeff Goldblum, Vince Vaughn, Julianne Moore and Pete Postlethwaite. The film picks up four years after the incident at Jurassic Park, where a corporate businessman Peter Ludlow (Arliss Howard) plans to take dinosaurs off the second island (Isla Sorna, where dinosaurs have been breeding) and bring them to a theme park in San Diego.

Spielberg knows what the audience wants; the film has more dinosaurs, even better CGI and impressive animatronic dinosaurs from the maestro Stan Winston. The action throughout the film is exciting and while not as astonishing as Jurassic, the effects are first-rate. John William's music for the film is suitably jungle -driven, with a dark and exhilarating score that fits the film's tone. There are problems, the tagged- on ending with the T. Rex stomping through San Diego is silly, and although the action is good, the story isn't one of Spielberg's best. That said, the principal cast are fine, especially Goldblum as Malcolm ("Ooh, aah, that's how it always starts, and then later the running and screaming") and Postewaite as Roland Tembo, a game hunter intent on shooting one of the Tyrannosaurs. Silly in parts, it's still an exciting adventure movie, with enough action and light humour to satisfy audiences.

The DVD extras are great, with a 50 minute 'making of', deleted scenes, trailers for all 3 Jurassic movies, a huge amount of conceptual drawings, storyboards, a featurette 'The world of Jurassic Park', marketing, posters and toys, production notes and web links. Great stuff.

Well I can say that The Lost World was good, but that's all I can say, because the Jurassic Park disc was MISSING.

This 2 pack was an excellent present for Christmas.
Both Films are so action packed with whimscal characters and unforgetable moments! These movies rock the house.

Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park and the blockbuster sequel The Lost World are presented in this impressive collection.

Spielberg's dinosaur adventure Jurassic Park is up there with the all-time greats. Taken from Michael Crichton's thrilling novel, Jurassic Park is one of the most entertaining and exciting films ever made. The special effects are from FX maestro Stan Winston, who did the special effects for Aliens (1986) and Terminator 2 (1991). The seamless combination of CGI and robotic creatures creates some truly terrifying action set- pieces.

Despite what some critics thought when the film was released, I feel that all the principal actors give good performances, especially Sam Neill as Alan Grant and Jeff Goldblum as Dr. Ian Malcolm. But admittedly, the special effects are the main attraction, and Winston's dinosaurs (which won him another Oscar after Terminator 2) are truly frightening. Great entertainment.

The film's transfer onto DVD is first- rate, with superb picture and sound. The special features are exceptional, with a 50 minute 'making of' of the film and trailers for Jurassic Park, the Lost World and the teaser for Jurassic Park 3. Most interesting, however, is the footage of early pre-production meetings with Spielberg and the FX team discussing how certain shots and effects should be done. Also, there's a Phil Tippett animatic "Raptors in the Kitchen", showing how claymation assists the director in visualising the shots and camera angles. Also there are storyboards, production photos and web links. A 5 star film, 5 star extras. Excellent entertainment.

The Lost World is an exciting adventure starring Jeff Goldblum, Vince Vaughn, Julianne Moore and Pete Postlethwaite. The film picks up four years after the incident at Jurassic Park, where a corporate businessman Peter Ludlow (Arliss Howard) plans to take dinosaurs off the second island (Isla Sorna, where dinosaurs have been breeding) and bring them to a theme park in San Diego.

Spielberg knows what the audience wants; the film has more dinosaurs, even better CGI and impressive animatronic dinosaurs from the maestro Stan Winston. The action throughout the film is exciting and while not as astonishing as Jurassic, the effects are first-rate. John William's music for the film is suitably jungle -driven, with a dark and exhilarating score that fits the film's tone. There are problems, the tagged- on ending with the T. Rex stomping through San Diego is silly, and although the action is good, the story isn't one of Spielberg's best. That said, the principal cast are fine, especially Goldblum as Malcolm ("Ooh, aah, that's how it always starts, and then later the running and screaming") and Postewaite as Roland Tembo, a game hunter intent on shooting one of the Tyrannosaurs. Silly in parts, it's still an exciting adventure movie, with enough action and light humour to satisfy audiences.

The DVD extras are great, with a 50 minute 'making of', deleted scenes, trailers for all 3 Jurassic movies, a huge amount of conceptual drawings, storyboards, a featurette 'The world of Jurassic Park', marketing, posters and toys, production notes and web links. Great stuff.

(...)>Schwarzenegger plays Douglas Quaid, who is having a serious identity crisis. He lives in the future. In the future, people have the ability to live on Mars. Well, guess who wants to go to Mars? Unfortunately, Douglas' wife (Sharon Stone) is not too happy about that idea, and wants to stay on Earth. So, what's a guy to do if his wife doesn't want to move? Get a memory implant, of course! Using the latest technology, memories can be implanted in your brain in a matter of moments. You choose the destination, identity (spy, civilian, etc...) and Total Rekall (yes, Total Rekall) will install it for you.

Warned by his friends not to get the implant, Quaid does so anyway. But something goes terribly wrong. Soon, his wife, friends and co-workers are all trying to kill him...but why? The answer may kill him.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is perfect for the role of Quaid. People can argue all they want about how bad an actor he is, but you can't say that after seeing this movie. He pulls the film's acting and stunts off with ease, all the while spitting out his catchy one-liners ("Consider this a divorce!").

Sharon Stone is probably at her best here, (...)This movie made her).

Paul Verhoeven directs this film, and there are no arguments that this is his finest work - by far. He was the director who went on to make such "critically acclaimed" (...)films such as "Showgirls" and "Hollow Man." His only other film that was remotely good was "Basic Instinct," but this is still ten times better (...)

The special effects in this movie are excellent; supposedly, they spent millions and millions on the fake Mars sets, and I bet they're glad it paid off.

I recently bought the "Total Recall" Limited Edition DVD with a newly remastered digital makeover, Dolby Digital 5.1, behind-the-scenes documentary(s), a commentary by Verhoeven and Schwarzenegger, and much, much more. If you can find one now (it was limited edition so it might be off the market, now) I would recommend picking a copy up. (...)P>"Total Recall" stands as Arnold's most "thinkative" film and best conspiracy-type thriller. In fact, it is one of the best sci-fi/futuristic thrillers ever.

(...)

Anyway, I'm getting off the subject. "Total Recall" is a good movie, and a darn good one at that. It provides everything we want - and more - in a movie.

4.5/5 stars - maybe I'm overrating it. However, I feel it deserves that many stars...

I think Arnold Schwarzenegger is best at doing sci/fi movies, this has got to be one of the best he's ever done. Alot of senseless violence in this, but it goes with the story. And what a great place to choose, Mars, everyone is interested in this planet no matter what.

Total Recall is one of the best and most original movies of all time. It's an awesome sci-fi action tail with enough twists and turns that leave you wanting more.

Total Recall is tells the story of Douq Quaid(Schwarzenegger). He's a man that dreams about going to mars. He's a normal guy who has a construction job. He's married to his wife Lori(Stone) and they are new to the place they are living. It's set any where from a 100 to 150 years from now. Space travel is a common thing, and like I said Quaid wants to go to mars. Everyone he knows is steering him away from the whole idea of going. He sees a commercial on tv from a company called Recall. Recall puts an implant into your memory that acts as a vaction. It makes you feel like you've gone on a vacation because it's in your memorys. Quaid goes to Recall and thats where the movie really picks up.

While he's at Recall they find out his memorys have already been erased. The company puts it off as they did nothing to him but are unsuccesful. Quaid then finds himself being hunted by different people who want him dead. He doesn't why and he must follow the clues that are left for him to find out why.

That's kind of the cliff notes version of the movie. Like I said it's a complex storyline that changes a lot. You have to see it to fully understand it.

Arnold is outstanding. This is probaly the best acting he ever did in any of his movies. His action scenes are great in the movie. You see him kill plenty of guys plenty of different ways. His character Quaid is probaly the most complex character he's every played, because Quaid isn't sure who he really is. It's really great and Arnold does a great job.

The special effects are great. They did win the Oscar for best effects in 1990 and it's easy to see why. The different mutants they create on mars are great. When people are stuck in the vaccum of mars they really do look like there going to explode. The different explosions and blasts just look great, and it's another reason to watch the film.

I love Total Recall. It's a movie masterpiece. If your an Arnold fan it's definetly a must see. Most sci fi fans should get a kick out of it as well. Even people that like a good mystery or a fast paced movie should enjoy it a lot. This Special Edition comes in a cool Tin case that's kind of like a KIWI shoe poish case that makes a good collectors item. Don't miss out on this movie. You'll regret it.

I loved these movies as a child!!! I remember seeing each film as it came out in the theatre. I was so enthralled by them that I also purchased the movie novelizations (the lone exception being Pierre Boulle's original book that was the basis for the first film). Being an adult now, I can watch them in a whole different light. I can now see the parallels of the stories that mirror the times in which they were told. Back then, I was just happy that the first movie wasn't anything like Boulle's book. This is an excellent boxed set of DVDs that collects all 5 films in one shot. I will admit up front that the plot does wear thin as the series goes on (and the running times also keep getting shorter) but you have to admit that with the exception of 2001 (which was released the same year as Planet Of The Apes) these movies pushed the boundaries of filmed sci-fi. Okay, from the top - Planet Of The Apes (1968 - 112 minutes). This is the first one that got it all started. It was based on Pierre Boulle's translated novel. With the strongest storyline (co-scripted by Rod Serling), a good cast (headed up by Charlton Heston and Roddy McDowall), and music by Jerry Goldsmith (available on CD), this is easily the best entry in the series. This was followed by Beneath The Planet Of The Apes (1970 - 100 minutes). The notable things about this one are that Cornelius is played by David Watson (McDowall isn't even in the movie !!!), Heston returns as Taylor, the music is by Leonard Rosenman, and Natalie Trundy puts in her first appearance of the series as the mutant Albina. Next up is Escape From The Planet Of The Apes (1971 - 98 minutes). This marks the return of McDowall (as Cornelius), Goldsmith again doing the music (part of which can be found on the above mentioned POTA soundtrack CD), Trundy playing a normal human (Dr. Stephanie Branton), Sal Mineo doing a cameo (as Dr. Milo), and Ricardo Montalban (as Armando). A year later Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes (1972 - 88 minutes) was released. This finds McDowall playing his own (Cornelius') grown up son (Caesar), Trundy switching over to an ape (Lisa), Montalban again playing Armado, Severn Darden playing Kolp, and Tom Scott doing the music. The fifth and final installment, Battle For The Planet Of The Apes (1973 - 86 minutes), finds Darden returning as a mutant Kolp, Trundy's Lisa now married to McDowall's Caesar, John Huston doing a cameo as The Law Giver, Rosenman again doing the music, Paul Williams playing Virgil (bet they saved money on his make-up), and a young John Landis as Jake's (Caesar's son) friend. To top off this boxed set, they've included a 6th disc, Behind The Planet Of The Apes (1998 - 120 minutes), that gives you a wonderful behind the scenes look at the series and is hosted by the man himself, Roddy McDowall. So, if this set is so wonderful, why did I only give it 4 stars? Because if this was really the ultimate boxed set, they would have included the double disc set of Behind The Planet Of The Apes which includes 199 more minutes. I found out about this deluxe version while I was scribbling notes for this review. Now I'll have to go purchase that to have the definitive collection of Ape DVDs. Don't let that stop you from buying this set though as I don't think the individual DVDs are available for purchase (POTA and the deluxe Behind The POTA being the exceptions). All in all, a thought provoking blast from the past. Pass the popcorn please.

Okay, let's start this review by saying if you have not seen Tim Burtons version of Planet of the Apes... DO NOT SEE IT EVEN IF YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT. IT HAS A HARD TO UNDERSTAND STORYLINE AND THE ENDING MAKES NO SENSE! Anyway, let's go back about 35 years ago when Charlton Heston was young and healthy, when the Planet of the Apes saga began with Planet of the Apes. Now here is a list of the films in this set:
Planet of the Apes- The Best in the series. Starring Charleton Heston as Taylor and Roddy Mcdowal(Did I spell that right?) as Corneleus. The ending us shocking and it is the only one the critics like.
Beneath the Planet of the Apes- Not as good as the first, but still excellent. Starring James Franciscus as Brent and our friend Charelton Heston as Taylor again.
Escape from the Planet of the Apes- The Best of the sequels and the last with original characters. Starring Mcdowall as Corneleus and Ricardo Montalban as Armondo.
Conquest of the Planet of the Apes- The revolt of the Apes is very well done. It's the only ape film rated PG. Starring Mcdowall as Corneleus's son Caeser and Ricardo Montalbon as Armando.
Battle for the Planet of the Apes- Sadly, the last of the series and another battle between the apes anf d humans. Starring Mcdowall as Ceaser again.
Behind the Planet of the Apes- a documentory for all the films. I haven't seen it, but my uncle said it was good.

So here are your options: 1. Buy this on DVD or video 2. rent them 3, Watch them on AMC.
Go Apes!!!!!!!!!!

These are great films. The problem is thay aren't enhanced for widescreen 16x9. That's a major problem, since widescreen TVs will push the bars down, making the picture stretch out unattractively. I recommend that they be released like the Alien set, and be enhanced for 16x9 widescreen. Another complaint is that the fifth film is missing important footage that links it to the second. I would really like to see it. If the director (if he's still alive) doesn't want to re-edit them, he could put them on the special features. . .

After the release of the terrible American 1998 Godzilla picture, Tri-Star and Toho really wanted to try and get the Godzilla movie series back on track for US audiences, so they made a half-hearted attempt with Godzilla 2000. It was made by Toho, then edited and put together by a US crew here in the states, then Tri-Star released it with little fan fare and only very moderate box office results. but the movie was clearly better then the 1998 film. It showed how powerful Godzilla really was, and he was sort of a good guy in the picture. Sadly this seems to have been the last hurrah for whatever other Godzilla movies could have also been released at US theaters. There has been a recent agreement to have the newer films released by Sony here in the US, but they are only going to TV or DVD releases, and there will be little or no theater releases at all. That's sad and it really looks like this was the last really interesting film that Tri-Star has ever done.

It saddens me to know that some of not most Godzilla fans find this movie to be average. But that's their opinion. I really believe that this is one if not the best Godzilla movie in the series!
The human drama is excellent! The monster battles are colorful and the special effects are a drastic improvement! The only thing that bothers me is that Orga's hands are so huge that they look immovable and fake. Oh well. That's really the only flaw that I will complain about. Long live Godzilla!

This is probably the most revealing of all the Godzilla movies and makes the most sense regarding his powers. The utter destruction he can wreak on the alien with his tremendous fire breath and his regenerative abilities both are very consistent with the story behind Godzilla's abilities as a monster.

He is practically indestructable because of his amazing regenerative cells and his nearly-impenetrable shielding skin/armour. Also, the power he can pack into his fire breath is what people have come to expect from a super being like Godzilla.

On the more humourous side, we also learn - once and for all - that you DON'T get Godzilla mad as does the alien after their first encounter. Godzilla simply comes back, angrier, meaner and more cunning than ever; he can adapt and learn from his previous mistakes and fights and teaches this "meteor thing" or whatever it is, a damned lesson: You can't just expect to have the power and spirit of Godzilla by taking some skin cells from him and taking his form. Godzilla is bigger than the sum his parts BY FAR!

A great movie. Toho is finally making Godzilla stories which live up to the reputation of the very monster they created - an indestructable (or nearly indestructable as Godzilla can be badly hurt as we have already seen) super monster, created by human monstrosity (i.e. nuclear radiation resulting from atomic testing), come back to destroy humanity and all sources of the pollution which caused Godzilla to come into existence in the first place; almost like a modern-day version of the Frankenstein monster, except that the creature created by Frankenstein was initially a humble, innocent, beautiful, child-like human being not meaning any harm. Whereas Godzilla is destructive right from the start...

Enjoy!

This is a good alien-invasion movie in general, and a terrific sequel in particular. Setting the story in L.A. with protagonists Glover, Paxton and Busey made for quite a tale.

However, the film raises some extremely serious questions. When the predator first attacked, and people realized what they were dealing with, why didn't any of them pause and ask, "Why does he hate us?" The people acted terrorized by the violent actions of the predator, and struck back for the purpose of killing him. Was that sort of response compassionate, diverse, tolerant or inclusive? Rather than unilaterally attacking the predator with an army headed by three cowboys, shouldn't everyone have attempted to form a coalition (perhaps involving the United Nations) and worked to appease the predator? Shouldn't they have settled for passing some resolutions against the predator, then employing inspectors to verify his compliance? The people gave no thought whatever to the predator's cultural or religious background -- they just tried to kill him as soon as possible, apparently thinking that was the only way to protect themselves from a totally irrational being. Can you imagine how things would be in real life, if the good guys merely killed terrorists as quickly as possible, as was done in this movie? Obviously if you kill them, they can't harm anyone any more -- but is that a compassionate, inclusive, tolerant and diverse manner in which to react to a murderous terrorist?

I did enjoy this movie. Danny Glover did a great job in this movie. He also had a great supporting cast. It's very rare the sequel is as good as the first movie, this one is.

This is one of those strange cases in which the sequel is actually better than the original. The plot involving the city hunts makes the character more menacing in this one, as he kills a lot more people than in the first film. Danny Glover is great as Mike Harrigan, and there is even a brief reference to what happened at the end of "Predator". All the cast shines, and so does the special effects. I strongly recommend that you see it.

This film is an excellent direct-sequel to The Wrath of Khan. While not quite as good, it's still worthwhile.

Star Trek II made such an impact in fans it was probably a good call to make a sequel. It wasn't very good but there is still a lot of Star Trek fun in it. The Klingons have evolved in makeup and language, we say goodbye to the most famous starship of all time and the bridge crew relationships get stronger, but it is generally boring. The visual effects are not that good and the plot is very week. The story gets a lot better when you know what happens in Star Trek IV.
Anyway, it is still Star Trek (unlike Nemesis).

Trek fans everywhere were stunned by the death of Spock in "The Wrath of Khan", where at the end of the film his coffin is shot from the Enterprise to the newly forming planet Genesis.

The Enterprise limps back to Earth for decomissioning with her crew nursing the wounds from their prior campaign and still dealing with the grief of their loss. Before long, McCoy is going out of his mind (courtesy of a Spock mind-meld), and after a conversation with Sarek, Kirk realizes his error in leaving his departed friend behind. Before you can say "violation of starfleet regulations", Kirk and his loyal crew have stolen the Enterprise and are racing back to Genesis in search of their departed crewman. Add to the mix Christopher Lloyd as a Klingon captain out to steal the Genesis weapon, and you've got the makings of a solid Trek movie, and definitely the strongest of the 'odd' numbered films. (always hailed as the worst)

Also of note is that this is also Leonard Nimoy's first effort at directing a movie, and he really does a pretty good job considering he was on a tight budget. The effects weren't the best, but the acting is pretty decent, and it's a worthy effort to fill in the plot gaps between ST's II and IV.... after all, you can't have Star Trek without Spock, and they rewrote him into the series in as non-cheesy a manner as possible.

This film is an excellent direct-sequel to The Wrath of Khan. While not quite as good, it's still worthwhile.

Star Trek II made such an impact in fans it was probably a good call to make a sequel. It wasn't very good but there is still a lot of Star Trek fun in it. The Klingons have evolved in makeup and language, we say goodbye to the most famous starship of all time and the bridge crew relationships get stronger, but it is generally boring. The visual effects are not that good and the plot is very week. The story gets a lot better when you know what happens in Star Trek IV.
Anyway, it is still Star Trek (unlike Nemesis).

Trek fans everywhere were stunned by the death of Spock in "The Wrath of Khan", where at the end of the film his coffin is shot from the Enterprise to the newly forming planet Genesis.

The Enterprise limps back to Earth for decomissioning with her crew nursing the wounds from their prior campaign and still dealing with the grief of their loss. Before long, McCoy is going out of his mind (courtesy of a Spock mind-meld), and after a conversation with Sarek, Kirk realizes his error in leaving his departed friend behind. Before you can say "violation of starfleet regulations", Kirk and his loyal crew have stolen the Enterprise and are racing back to Genesis in search of their departed crewman. Add to the mix Christopher Lloyd as a Klingon captain out to steal the Genesis weapon, and you've got the makings of a solid Trek movie, and definitely the strongest of the 'odd' numbered films. (always hailed as the worst)

Also of note is that this is also Leonard Nimoy's first effort at directing a movie, and he really does a pretty good job considering he was on a tight budget. The effects weren't the best, but the acting is pretty decent, and it's a worthy effort to fill in the plot gaps between ST's II and IV.... after all, you can't have Star Trek without Spock, and they rewrote him into the series in as non-cheesy a manner as possible.

This film is an excellent direct-sequel to The Wrath of Khan. While not quite as good, it's still worthwhile.

Star Trek II made such an impact in fans it was probably a good call to make a sequel. It wasn't very good but there is still a lot of Star Trek fun in it. The Klingons have evolved in makeup and language, we say goodbye to the most famous starship of all time and the bridge crew relationships get stronger, but it is generally boring. The visual effects are not that good and the plot is very week. The story gets a lot better when you know what happens in Star Trek IV.
Anyway, it is still Star Trek (unlike Nemesis).

Trek fans everywhere were stunned by the death of Spock in "The Wrath of Khan", where at the end of the film his coffin is shot from the Enterprise to the newly forming planet Genesis.

The Enterprise limps back to Earth for decomissioning with her crew nursing the wounds from their prior campaign and still dealing with the grief of their loss. Before long, McCoy is going out of his mind (courtesy of a Spock mind-meld), and after a conversation with Sarek, Kirk realizes his error in leaving his departed friend behind. Before you can say "violation of starfleet regulations", Kirk and his loyal crew have stolen the Enterprise and are racing back to Genesis in search of their departed crewman. Add to the mix Christopher Lloyd as a Klingon captain out to steal the Genesis weapon, and you've got the makings of a solid Trek movie, and definitely the strongest of the 'odd' numbered films. (always hailed as the worst)

Also of note is that this is also Leonard Nimoy's first effort at directing a movie, and he really does a pretty good job considering he was on a tight budget. The effects weren't the best, but the acting is pretty decent, and it's a worthy effort to fill in the plot gaps between ST's II and IV.... after all, you can't have Star Trek without Spock, and they rewrote him into the series in as non-cheesy a manner as possible.