Last year, Leonard Nimoy's son, Adam, made a documentary called "For the Love of Spock"
and it was one of the best documentaries of the year and is available to watch streaming on Netflix. This year, at the annual Star Trek mega-convention in Las Vegas, Leonard's daughter and her husband (David Knight and Julie Nimoy) debuted another film about the man and his legacy. However, "Remembering Leonard: His Life, Legacy and Battle with COPD" is not just a rehash of Adam's documentary. Instead, it focuses strictly on the positive and is sort of like a love letter to her recently deceased father. Adam's documentary is more a 'warts and all' treatment of the man
so the tone is quite different. Both films are worth seeing
particularly if you consider yourself a Trekker, Trekkie or even just the casual fan.
The film begins with the death of Leonard Nimoy in 2015. Then, it backs up and gives an overview of his life and career. But, it does not explore it in the same depth as Adam's film
mostly because it's almost like a family project. Just about everyone seems to be in it, talking about their love for the man
from his wife to his kids, grandkids and even great grandchild. It's almost as if you've been invited in by the family to talk about the man they loved and what they loved about him. In some ways, it practically elevates him to sainthood in the way it talks about Leonard and it is not really intended to be a film about the totality of the man
mostly about him in his later years when he came to terms with being the patriarch of the family and his struggle with COPD, brought on by decades of heavy cigarette smoking. At times, you also see and hear Leonard himself talking about his struggle
and it's quite touching. Hardly a dry eye was there in the auditorium.
So is this film for you? Well, if you have little interest in Leonard Nimoy, probably not. In fact, I would say for most folks "For the Love of Spock" is the better film and the one to see. However, if you loved the man and watched him on television like about 90% of us, both films are most welcomed and enjoyable.
