The problem with making this kind of documentary is that it is discussing the entire lifetime of a very popular and well-known person. On top of that we have the character he played. Even at nearly two hours it seems to only scratch the surface of anything.
Although titled "For the Love of Spock" this documentary is more about Leonard Nimoy than it is Spock. A great deal is discussed about Nimoy himself and his relationships, but what really stands out here is what is largely missing: the evolution of the Spock character (touched on but lots untouched), Nimoy's period of disillusionment with the character ("I Am Not Spock"... given only "cameo portrait" here), why he returned to loving and embracing the character, his major achievements outside the Star Trek role, etc etc.
No matter how hard this documentary may try, it simply could not cover it all. This could be a miniseries, each part discussing a certain aspect of Nimoy and/or the Spock character.
But as it stands, this documentary helps us gain some insight into Nimoy (which I'm sure was the primary interest of viewers), was strikingly honest in its portrayal (the director himself, Nimoy's son, admitting major flaws in his relationship with Leonard... a fairly gutsy thing to do), and brief but earnest interviews with those closest to Leonard. I'm sure there is a TON of information they had to discard in this... enough to make several more documentaries.
I personally find it sad that this couldn't have been kept to a family-friendly format. A couple of F-bombs and some nude photos aren't all that unusual these days and most kids have probably seen far worse on the Net... but still one wishes directors would show just a bit more wisdom in creating something that is appropriate for ALL ages... especially something like this, which may be of some historical interest.
So while not perfect (how could it be?) it is still a well-done documentary. What it does cover it covers well, and it attempts to be as diverse as possible within a less-than-2-hour time slot. There's only so much that one can do when documenting such a complex person and such a diverse and outstanding career.
The one point it made that honed in best with my take on this: if we were to point at one single character that has shaped our modern world and propelled millions of people to accept science fiction as mainstream rather than the "nerd genre" it was once considered... it would be Spock. Yes, Star Trek itself and Nimoy was only part of that history-making concept. But the role of Spock was pivotal; that role was created by Roddenberry and then re-created by Nimoy. It wasn't until the advent of Star Wars some 9 years later that science fiction gained respect and went mainstream. During that time Star Trek was serialized and prepared an international audience for mainstream acceptance of science fiction. I saw that happen, over night, and it was very impressive.
But this review isn't about the Spock character, or Nimoy himself. It's about this documentary and whether or not it was well-done and successful. I think within the limited scope of what it could present in the time slot allotted, yes it was very well done. Had it been 6 hours long, totally family-friendly and covered more of the Spock phenomena, I may have easily given it 10 stars.
Although titled "For the Love of Spock" this documentary is more about Leonard Nimoy than it is Spock. A great deal is discussed about Nimoy himself and his relationships, but what really stands out here is what is largely missing: the evolution of the Spock character (touched on but lots untouched), Nimoy's period of disillusionment with the character ("I Am Not Spock"... given only "cameo portrait" here), why he returned to loving and embracing the character, his major achievements outside the Star Trek role, etc etc.
No matter how hard this documentary may try, it simply could not cover it all. This could be a miniseries, each part discussing a certain aspect of Nimoy and/or the Spock character.
But as it stands, this documentary helps us gain some insight into Nimoy (which I'm sure was the primary interest of viewers), was strikingly honest in its portrayal (the director himself, Nimoy's son, admitting major flaws in his relationship with Leonard... a fairly gutsy thing to do), and brief but earnest interviews with those closest to Leonard. I'm sure there is a TON of information they had to discard in this... enough to make several more documentaries.
I personally find it sad that this couldn't have been kept to a family-friendly format. A couple of F-bombs and some nude photos aren't all that unusual these days and most kids have probably seen far worse on the Net... but still one wishes directors would show just a bit more wisdom in creating something that is appropriate for ALL ages... especially something like this, which may be of some historical interest.
So while not perfect (how could it be?) it is still a well-done documentary. What it does cover it covers well, and it attempts to be as diverse as possible within a less-than-2-hour time slot. There's only so much that one can do when documenting such a complex person and such a diverse and outstanding career.
The one point it made that honed in best with my take on this: if we were to point at one single character that has shaped our modern world and propelled millions of people to accept science fiction as mainstream rather than the "nerd genre" it was once considered... it would be Spock. Yes, Star Trek itself and Nimoy was only part of that history-making concept. But the role of Spock was pivotal; that role was created by Roddenberry and then re-created by Nimoy. It wasn't until the advent of Star Wars some 9 years later that science fiction gained respect and went mainstream. During that time Star Trek was serialized and prepared an international audience for mainstream acceptance of science fiction. I saw that happen, over night, and it was very impressive.
But this review isn't about the Spock character, or Nimoy himself. It's about this documentary and whether or not it was well-done and successful. I think within the limited scope of what it could present in the time slot allotted, yes it was very well done. Had it been 6 hours long, totally family-friendly and covered more of the Spock phenomena, I may have easily given it 10 stars.