For the Love of Spock

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.

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.

Despite the fact that William Shatner's Captain Kirk was the ostensible lead of "Star Trek: The Original Series", it was ultimately Leonard Nimoy's Mr. Spock that often stole the show. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Trek, Leonard's son Adam Nimoy decided to make a documentary somewhat focusing on his father's time as Spock. When Leonard unexpectedly passed from COPD, however, Adam decided that the documentary must take on a more personal, emotional tone. "For the Love of Spock" was the end result, an emotional piece that thrives on its ability to show Mr. Nimoy the husband and father.

Because Nimoy (and his alter-ego Spock) had become such a luminous figure in the entertainment community, it is very interesting to get "insider" glimpses into what his life was like when the cameras stopped rolling. That is the heart and soul of "For The Love Of Spock". Thoughts about Leonard/Spock from fellow actors and family members are quite poignant, while Adam's composure and dignity in hearing all this about his father is interesting to take in as well.

The reason I can't give this the full five stars is because the parts dealing with Trek/Spock in general are rather generic, using footage I had seen before and not really giving me any new information. Without the shift in focus towards the familial side of Nimoy, I think this may have been a rather middle-of-the-road documentary.

Overall, though, I very much enjoyed watching "For the Love of Spock", as it provided me with new insight into the personality of Leonard Nimoy and how not only his peers but also his family viewed him. Adam Nimoy does a good job of getting the most out of the experience, and many emotional moments are present. Highly recommend for those who still can't quite believe that Mr. Nimoy has left this mortal coil, and want to get a peek into his life both on and off camera.

In 2015, Leonard Nimoy passed away at the age of 83 in Los Angeles after a successful career especially in the role of Mr. Spock, the science officer and first office of the star-ship Enterprise from the original Star Trek series. His son, the unknown director Adam Nimoy, sees the chance to show to the fans a little of the history of his father through interviews of various fellow actors, actresses, directors, personalities and fans of Star Trek and Spock and footage of home videos. The documentary is mandatory for any fan and gives nostalgia from the period when the series was broadcast for the first time. It could be shorter since the participation of the cast of "The Big Bang Theory" is excessive and uninteresting. In the end, "For the Love of Spock" is a great homage to the beloved character and cult-actor. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): Not available

For The Love of Spock is one of the best if not the best documentary I have had the pleasure of seeing. I grew up with Mr. Spock and I thought with Leanord Nimoy as well. I am not going to spoil this for but I really had no idea of, let me say, mutliple facets of this wonderful actor and a good man. Adam Nimoy, Leanords son, has done an outstanding job of letting us see inside his fathers life. On a personal level I found out some things about Leanord that I can commiserate with. I don't believe this will qualify as a surprise in describing a discussion Leanord was having about where the Vulcan gretting and statement came from. What took me by surprise is that after a few weeks he started seeing a significant number of people just on the street who had taken up the greeting and would sign to him. Let me end by saying this is a documentary you should not miss and we will miss you Leonard.