Star Trek V: Seriously, What Was Shatner Thinking?

Okay, fellow Trekkies, moviebuff_marc here, crawling out from under my pile of VHS tapes. I just re-watched "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier"... and, man, it's still a head-scratcher. Look, I appreciate Shatner wanting to direct, but sometimes you gotta stick to acting, right? It felt like they were aiming for some kind of epic biblical quest, but it landed more like a really long, slightly awkward family road trip to a discount amusement park. Sybok was a decent enough villain with that whole "sharing your pain" shtick – reminded me a bit of that mind-control stuff from "The Manchurian Candidate," but less subtle and more... Vulcan. And come on, Spock crying? That felt so wrong! Remember that whole 'Row Row Row Your Boat' campfire scene? Ugh, that was supposed to be bonding or something? It came across like bad community theater. The effects, even for '89, were kinda cheesy. That "God" at the end looked like a rejected extra from "Clash of the Titans." But, and this is a big but, there were moments. The camaraderie between Kirk, Spock, and McCoy is always gold. I loved their banter, especially when they're busting each other's chops. And Scotty hitting his head? Classic! It feels like they knew the script was shaky but just went for it anyway It's nowhere near the worst Trek movie (sorry, but that still belongs to the 'Wrath of Khan'-wannabe Trek Nemesis), but it's definitely bottom-tier. I wouldn’t say skip it entirely because there's some enjoyment to be had, but temper your expectations accordingly. Think of it as a guilty pleasure – like that Partridge Family album you secretly still listen to. Anyone else feel like this movie was a missed opportunity, or am I just being too harsh?