Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

An alien probe signals Earth in humpback whale song and starts destroying the planet when nothing answers. The problem is that humpbacks are extinct in the 23rd century, so the crew has to go to San Francisco in 1986 and bring two back. On his second Star Trek as director, Leonard Nimoy was given more freedom by Paramount and chose a lighter film with no real villain. Eddie Murphy was nearly in it. He wanted to play a character who believes in aliens and likes playing whale songs, then turned it down to make The Golden Child. Paramount also worried that combining two big franchises could damage both if the film failed. On a budget between 21 and 25 million dollars it grossed 133 million worldwide, the highest of the original series, knocking Crocodile Dundee off the top and taking 39.6 million in its first five days. CinemaScore audiences gave it an A plus. Critics liked the fish out of water comedy and the performances, with some finding the direction uneven. Who it is for: anyone wanting a way into the series. This is the one entry that needs no Star Trek knowledge. Who it is not for: viewers expecting science fiction seriousness. It is openly a comedy and the time travel logic never holds together.