For the Love of Spock

Star Trek's been in my life for a week shy of 50 years at this point. I was saddened by Leonard Nimoy's death in early 2015 both because of my affinity for Mr. Spock and because I was able to work on a TV show for one day with Nimoy. So when I got a chance to contribute to the making of this movie through Kickstarter, I jumped at it. This documentary, made with a heap of love by Nimoy's son Adam, chronicles the life of the actor starting with his move to California in the 1940s, follows him through his salad days in the 1950s working as an actor for no more than two weeks at a time, and then describes his big break, diving off the cliff into Star Trek. As the movie will tell you, Roddenberry wrote the role of Mr. Spock specifically with Nimoy in mind. What happened after that resulted in one of the most durable characters on both the big and small screens, alien or no. If you followed the saga of Star Trek for all or even part of the last half century, then you will definitely want to see this film.

A wonderful refection on Leonard Nimoy's career as told by the person who knew him the best, his son. We get material that we've seen before, stories we've heard before but by hearing it from Adam Nimoy's perspective, a telling closure is afforded to all involved.

It may be called "For The Love Of Spock," but this documentary is really about the entire breadth of Leonard Nimoy's life. Perhaps the most beloved and iconic character and actor in the long history of the Star Trek franchise, this film obviously has a heavy focus on Star Trek, but also provides a fascinating (to use a word made famous by Mr. Spock) look at Nimoy's family and the way in which Star Trek fame impacted his family life. It can be a bit jarring at times to those who want to see Nimoy as interchangeable with Spock. He wasn't as in control as his famous alter-ego. His family life wasn't perfect, he had his own demons and addictions to deal with. The documentary was made by Nimoy's son, Adam, who used a letter his father had written to him in the early 1970's as a sort of catalyst, moving the film forward. Theirs was at times a troubled relationship, but was ultimately a healed relationship, and this film is clearly the story of a man paying tribute to his father, who died partway through the film's production.

There's a lot to follow - from Nimoy's early days as a struggling actor (never working more than two weeks at a time until Star Trek, as he tells us in an interview) to the fame he achieved as Mr. Spock, and a brief look at some of his other work as an actor and director. One thing we learn is that fame came with a price. However, clearly Nimoy was a man respected by his many peers and whose portrayal of Spock had an influence beyond his own work. There are interviews with the cast of the new Star Trek franchise, some discussions with Jim Parsons and Mayim Bialik from "The Big Bang Theory" about Spock's influence on Parsons' "Sheldon" character, appearances from a variety of others (including Neil deGrasse Tyson) and interviews with many of Nimoy's original Star Trek castmates (William Shatner, George Takei, Nichelle Nichols and Walter Koenig all appear.)

I must be honest and confess that it seemed a little bit too long at almost two hours, but it does have a lot of interesting material in it. It will be of most interest to fans of Star Trek, obviously. (8/10)

I just left a screening that featured a Q&A with its director Adam Nimoy. I appreciate that Adam was amazingly candid and honest about his relationship with his father and their history together in the Q&A and in the film. There are issues that I'm having with MY father NOW that I would feel extremely uncomfortable about revealing to anyone, let alone a huge audience. I also love that the film included frank and candid remarks from Leonard Nimoy about his life and his fellow cast members. I really wanted MORE recent interviews with Leonard. As Adam stated during the Q&A, his father was alive for only the first few months of the filming for this documentary. I'm sorry to state that it suffered as a result. There was also far too much "Big Bang Theory" material. No offense to anyone who is on that show, but I didn't really care about their opinions. So the ten(?) minutes that is devoted to them is rather painful.

But aside from these flaws, it was a great way to spend the Star Trek fiftieth anniversary today. Thanks, Adam.

This documentary about the life of Leonard Nimoy was entertaining and informative. I thought I knew a lot about the man and his career, but had many "I didn't know that" moments, as I imagine will most Trekkies and other fans. The film focuses on the man and his many diverse achievements, but avoided the false light of perfection, showing Leonard's ability to experience setbacks and grow throughout his life, both professionally and personally. Putting celebrities on pedestals isn't good for us or them and this film avoids doing that. The film is honest in ways that will undoubtedly surprise many. Leonard Nimoy is not synonymous with Spock, but even hardcore Trekkies should enjoy depth of the film and learning more about the man, rather than just the character. A big "bravo!" to Director Adam Nimoy, aka Son of Spock, and his team.