Review of For the Love of Spock (2016) by Jonathan B — 21 Dec 2016

You'd quite literally have to be from another planet not to have at the very least a vague awareness of the character of Mr. Spock from the 1960s tv series Star Trek and the various movies and spinoffs that it spawned.

Spock was a genuine cultural icon and much of this is due to actor Leonard Nimoy, who played him in all but the most recent film iterations. This documentary was being made at the time of Nimoy's death as part of the celebrations planned for the programme's 50th anniversary.

The driving force behind the film is Nimoy's son Adam and it serves as a fitting tribute to his father as much as to the character of Spock. The movie is made up of archive material, interviews with Nimoy, his friends, family and various actors associated with the Star Trek franchise.

It is done with a great deal of genuine affection for a much loved series and still manages to be both candid and honest about the difficulties that Nimoy faced at a variety of points during his life.

Chief amongst these are the strains that being in such a successful, long running show, where fans can feel that they own the characters and actors, placed upon Nimoy's family. Adam and his father went through a period of estrangement, partly due to the pressures playing the character put on each of them and the film doesn't try to hide this.

It says much about both men that they were able to work through these problems and resolve them before Nimoy's death. As an examination the history of a much loved cultural icon, For the Love of Spock makes for informative and interesting viewing and I think that the movie will appeal to any one who has ever had even a passing interest in the show.