There are Star Trek movies just about everyone can enjoy—like this summer’s Star Trek Beyond, or that one with the whales—and then there are Star Trek movies only Trekkies turn out for. For the Love of Spock is the latter—even though this documentary about the late, great Leonard Nimoy isn’t technically a Star Trek movie, it’s hard to imagine anyone signing up if they aren’t already invested in, say, Spock’s struggles with pon farr.
Directed by Leonard’s once-estranged son, Adam, For the Love of Spock is split into chunks: One segment deals with Nimoy’s early career; another charts his creation of Spock; others deal with his life after Trek (including his sincere, if dubious, forays into poetry, music, and photography) and frank discussions of conflicts and addictions. For better and worse, Spock goes broad—for each sequence about Nimoy’s directorial efforts or work ethic, there are weird trips examining the Nimoy family’s personal fashions, or inexplicable attention paid to reflections from the cast of The Big Bang Theory.