Star Trek II - IV: The Spock Trilogy - 10 Things You Never Knew
3. Star Trek IV: It Was A Deliberate Attempt To Make The Series More Upbeat
The film's trip to the past is an absolute riot from start to finish. From the moment the Bird of Prey sets down in Golden Gate Park to the moment it decloaks above the Whaling Ship, the film pushes pure comedy on the audience. The crew are all in the role of fish out of water - Sulu figuring out the Helicopter controls, McCoy marveling over 20th century medicine, Scotty trying to get the computer to work - it's all brilliant.
The funny-yet-serious scene of Chekov's interrogation exposes the view of Russians in the eyes of the people of the day. Surely no worse character could be found siphoning Nuclear energy from an American aircraft carrier. Spock's interactions with the characters of the day feed into this alien world as well. The scene on the bus, featuring a punk rocker played by one of the film's crew, shows the clash of future v past.
And, not to be forgotten, Kirk takes a lady out on a date without the means to pay for it. Classic.
The music score was composed by Nimoy's longtime friend, Leonard Rosenman, and is a complete tonal switch from both Jerry Goldsmith's phenomenal score to the Motion Picture and Horner's two outings for the previous films. It highlights the decision to cheer the audience up, having lost Spock and the Enterprise in quick succession.
In one of the final, funniest scenes, Gillian runs through the park to find Kirk. Without knowing, she runs headfirst into the cloaked foot of the Bird of Prey, looking up to see Sulu lowering the glass to help build the tank. In broad daylight.
No wonder temporal investigations have a file on Kirk.