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)
