MovieChat Forums > Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) Discussion > Who saw this in cinemas back in 84?

Who saw this in cinemas back in 84?

posted 11 years ago by bozo_500
55 replies | jump to latest

Who saw this back in the day? What were your memories - the anticipation of seeing it in the weeks/days before, the actually seeing it and how much a big deal was it where you were back then, the crowds, audience etc and after coming out of the cinema what were your thoughts and in the days/weeks that followed….

I recall my brother seeing it opening day (before me) and he bought back the glossy movie program with crystal Spock cover and inside it showed a photo of the little people on top the mountain watching the falling star 'comet' and I remember looking at that image mesmerised and wondering what it could be and my bro said 'thats the enterprise!' and the rest of my family being angry (quite right) that hed spoiled it!

I wasnt that much into Trek at the time (still young) and recall wen I was going to see it I was concerned id miss Dr Who that was on that evening lol. remember when I saw it was amazing it felt so epic and big like it was really there in space witnessing the giant space station and destruction of the Ent. plus it had abit of a star wars feel to it with the cantina, alien microbes, crew becoming rebels, the klingons, phaser fights/ship battles, and the epic fight at the end with all the lava recalled Temple of Doom as did the Vulcan temple (id seen TOD earlier that summer)

remember getting a few III things after – the little ERTL figures of Kirk Spock (in his TWOK uniform) Scotty (no Bones) and Kruge (with his plastic dog). plus the metal ships of the Ent, BOP, Excelsior. Also the storybook. Maybe a couple of other things too

[–] Syboat 11 years ago

never saw one Star Trek film in the cinemas prior to Trek 09.

Something about the old Trek films up until Voyage home that even the new films don't seem to have, the beautiful soundtracks, and majesty of the Enterprise against back drop of space and epic feel. They just have a magical feel. Perhaps I'm letting nostalgia get the better of me? I'm not for a second saying I don't like the new films - I like them very much and anticipate the next one!

[–] danafranklin 11 years ago

I saw it in the theatre at least three or four times back then. I distinctly remember the anticipation of seeing it for the first time. I couldn't wait until it came out, and saw it on opening night. I remember afterward, heading towards the subway, with my friend and I just saying over and over "that was so good, that was SO good!".

It's one of my favorite Star Trek Movies.

"What is necessary is never unwise." -- Sarek.

[–] kmorrison1 11 years ago

I saw it in the theater also. I was very excited since I had already heard that spock was returning. I didnt know that the enterprise was going to be destroyed, that made a big impact.

All in all, i really enjoyed it and still do to this day. Just watched it last night....

[–] bjlevine 11 years ago

This movie had several things going against it, IMO:

1. Chrisopher Lloyd. He just seemed a little too goofy to be taken seriously as an adversary. The order to kill a hostage, besides being incredibly stupid on his part, seemed out of place.

2. Unwinding TWOK. They just seemed to undo everything that happened in TWOK. If felt like a cheat.

3. It came right after TWOK. TWOK, for all its plot holes, seemed to be a perfect mix of scifi, humor and action. TSFS seemed to fall a bit in these areas.

I remember leaving a bit disappointed. And while I like the James Horner score. I was a bit disappointed that he didn't come up with a new theme.

"Live long and suck it, Zachary Quinto!"

[–] TheSolarSailor 11 years ago

I remember leaving a bit disappointed. And while I like the James Horner score. I was a bit disappointed that he didn't come up with a new theme.

The movies are too closely linked to come up with a new theme. I support Horner's decision to keep the themes the same, as the movies are like one long story that picks up where the other left off. I also like that he slowed down the theme and made it more somber, which resulted in a score that is far more beautiful than Trek II's score. Don't get me wrong, as I like Trek II's score as well, but Trek III's score is the most moving of the two.

- - - - - - -
Whose idea was it for the word "Lisp" to have an "S" in it?

[–] elena-28 11 years ago

My family saw it in a movie theater when it first came out. I'm not a Trekker, though I enjoyed the original series (have never found a foothold with any of the others). Therefore, I was stunned at how affected I was when the Enterprise was destroyed - I kept expecting something to happen so that it wouldn't be destroyed, and when it was, and the audience saw it die, and watched the fireball arc down across the sky, you could hear the gasp. It was surprising to me how much I cared. For that moment alone, and for it to have been shared in the theater, I rate this movie pretty high.

I also kind of like the rewinding of II: II enacted the reason for the standing for the needs of the many; III showed the why Kirk believed in the needs of the one. II and III balance, and then along comes IV to show how the needs of the many require the exquisite teamwork and commitment of the few - IV shows how all the special talents of the central cast of the first series depended and supported each other (and it's funny, too...). For me, II, III and IV fit together in a nice, loose coalition.

[–] stevelashway 11 years ago

I was eleven back in 1984. Ahhh the memories! lol. Well, anyway, I made my brother go see this with me. He wanted to go see IJ and the temple of doom, but I really wanted to see how they got spock back. I loved it (my first Trek film I saw in the theaters.) I remember thinking it was a little slow, but I really enjoyed it. Theater was half full, everyone seemed to enjoy it. Except for my brother.

[–] Humphrey_Fish 11 years ago

5-6 years old. I don't remember any pre-release anticipation, but when it was finally out there, I DEFINATELY wanted to see it. I'd seen TMP & WoK enough times at home, but I didn't see any trailers or commercials for III(that I recall). I remember it on a theater marquee on the sign for a plaza.

I believe this was the first movie I saw twice at the theater(once at a regular cinema, and again at the drive-in). I loved the experience. I remember the Enterprise being stolen, the Enterprise exploding, and the image primarily attached to my brain regarding this movie: Admiral Kirk, in the new red outfit, face closeup, when he's meeting Commander Morrow.

That's about the best I can do.

Quien es mas macho?

Benedict Cumberbatch

O

Ricardo Montalban

[–] johnjohn7799 11 years ago

I stopped by the theater every day during the last few days before release just to see the posters.

I remember the theater had the sound volume absurdly LOUD -- really high, that theater was known for its (then) state-of-the-art sound equip -- and thinking it was perfectly adequate. I remember the booming music during the Enterprise escaping from the space station and the Vulcan ceremony most of all. Some chairs must have unbolted themselves.

I watched ST IV in the same theater and the volume was still on eleven. Too bad it doens exist anymore.

[–] !!!deleted!!! (9347176) 11 years ago

Saw it the week it was released in '84. I was 12 and I remember thinking that it was a bit more violent even than "TWOK" and really more than most PG rated films I'd seen to that point, so that's what initially stuck with me.

The brutal murder of David on the Genesis planet was especially hard to watch and I thought that Shatner probably gave his best performance in the film series in that moment. I also remember thinking how much different the Klingons appeared than in "TMP," but that didn't bother me all that much. The violence was what stuck with me.

I did kind of follow the production in Starlog and I wondered what the picture would be like and I even wondered if it would be the last "Trek" movie. After seeing it, it was obvious that another film would be required to wrap up the story started in "TWOK."

-Rod

[–] Porpoise01 11 years ago

saw it. loved it.
it played at a local multiplex whe they had one HUGE theater reserved for big releases. opening weekend. The crowd was mostly fans, applauded each name as it appeared in the opening credits, with an added sense of surprise and delight when we saw Mark Lenard's name. It was like a party.

"After years of fighting with reality, I am pleased to say that I have finally won out over it."

[–] bjlevine 11 years ago

While I've learned to appreciate it more over the years, and I do like the main theme of sacrifice, I just was really bothered that they seemed to undo everything that had happened in TWOK AND blew up the Enterprise to boot!

"Live long and suck it, Zachary Quinto!"

[–] Porpoise01 11 years ago

I always objected to this "undid EVERYTHING they did in TWOK"... Obviously they'd undo Spock's death if they got Nimoy back, but they did not undo the growth of the characters, and David's death does not "undo" the changes in Kirk that came from meeting him and speculating on "My life that could have been." In fact, I considered trading the Enterprise for Spock to be character growth -- discovering what REALLY mattered.

I see TSFS to be an EXTENSION, not an undoing, of TWOK.

"After years of fighting with reality, I am pleased to say that I have finally won out over it."