While I am a big Star Trek fan, I did not become a fan until they started screening The Next Generation series. So I was not overly familiar with the Original series. I eventually did see a few episodes and all the films. I may get criticism for this but I did not enjoy them as much as The Next Generation.
The most successful of the Star Trek film series and widely considered to be the best is the fourth film 'The Voyage Home'. But a close second is the second film 'The Wrath Of Khan'. I think part of the reason for it's acclaim is that they had a great villain in Khan to give the story focus and drive. The first film 'The Motion Picture', was more existential and more like '2001: A Space Odyssey'. While successful it was not all that highly regarded. I think they went with a wise option of having a villain to give the story more action. As someone who is not much of a fan of this series I did quite like the film. It may not have as much action as some of its contemporaries (like 'Star Wars) but it still has a thrilling story with an interesting and philosophical theme.
William Shatner is probably not the greatest actor around but he has become so immortalized with the character of Captain James T. Kirk that it was hard to see anyone else play the role. The plot for this film has a more personal touch for Kirk so Shatner gets to show a more emotional side of which he does an excellent job. Also excellent is his second in command and side kick Leonard Nemoy as Spock. The moment they have at the end of the film perfectly captures the emotion of their relationship and both men are brilliant. The rest of the Enterprise crew do a good job in their small but serviceable roles. Bibi Besch and Merrit Butrick are also good as people close to Kirk. The real star though is the always impressive Ricardo Montalban. His character does come across as a bit theatrical but Ricardo makes him very fearsome and very memorable.
I agree that it is one of the best of the Original series feature films. I'm still a fan of later series and movies and these films always look more impressive on the big screen.
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