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| Limited Theatrical Release and on VOD |
Now available in a limited theatrical release and through
VOD is the new documentary For the Love
of Spock, which examines the cultural impact that the character of Spock
has had on his fans in the fifty years since the Star Trek television series originally debuted. It is a truly
excellent must see documentary that pays a loving tribute to Leonard Nimoy and
the Spock character, boasting an amazing collection of archival footage,
photos, interviews, and new interviews from a large assortment of actors,
directors, family, and fans.
The story is not simply just about the character of Spock,
but serves as an almost biographic examination of Leonard Nimoy and his career
and family life. Since it was directed by his son Adam Nimoy, a decent amount
of attention is focused on their personal relationship from his childhood and
continuing up until Leonard Nimoy’s death in 2015. It doesn’t try to gloss over
difficult subject matters, exploring issues such as Nimoy’s dedication to the
Spock character and how it affected his home life, the impact that the extreme
popularity of his character had on his family, alcoholism and addiction issues
involving Leonard and Adam, and their off and on strained relationship throughout
the years. It also gives insight into the other passions and activities that
Leonard pursued during his life.
This contains a surprisingly huge variety of footage that I
was not expecting to see, including high definition clips from the original Star Trek television series, the original
films, and from Star Trek (2009). It also
includes other television show footage in which Nimoy made appearances, The Big Bang Theory clips involving Leonard
Nimoy voicing a Spock doll and Adam Nimoy filming this documentary, older
interviews, rare television and theater photos, family photos and home videos.
The total compilation of all of this is nothing short of impressive.
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Live long and prosper
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There is some narration that is provided by Leonard Nimoy
himself, as he did contribute to this project before he died. Adam Nimoy also
narrates portions in order to further the story or discuss specific events
regarding him and his father. The list of actors and crew that provided
interviews is rather lengthy and shows the amount of admiration and respect
that they have for the Spock character and Leonard Nimoy the man. It includes
archival interviews from Gene Roddenberry, Nimoy, and one with both Nimoy and
William Shatner. New interviews are provided from Adam Nimoy, Julie Nimoy (his
daughter), Mel Nimoy (his brother), Sybil Nimoy (his sister-in-law), Chris
Pine, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, Zachary Quinto, J.J. Abrams, William
Shatner, Nichelle Nichols, George Takei, Walter Koenig, Catherine Hicks, Jim
Parsons, Mayim Bialik, Jason Alexander, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Nicholas Meyer,
Barry Newman, Bill Prady, James Duff, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Dorothy Fontana, and
several Star Trek fans who became scientists. They all provided some type of
insight into both the character of Spock and his resonation with the fans, as
well as the actor who portrayed him and what he was like.
This is an absolutely superb documentary that any Star Trek
fan will want to see and it is also highly recommended for fans of cinema in
general.
Show your love of Spock and share this review.
-Raul Vantassle
