Ultimately, not a bad way to go out. And they knew it, too--this film is almost smothered in self-conscious recognition that this crew was on its last ride, and thus they wanted to make the most of it. Did they succeed? Well, to a certain extent, yes. This outing served as an appropriate wrap for the old cast, with enough quality work in the script and performances to overcome a certain amount of schmaltz, as well as some relatively annoying work from Christopher Plummer (whose character spews out Shakespeare quotes like he has some sort of literary Tourette's syndrome). In part, what happens here was constrained by the need to set up the continuation of the franchise (by this point the next-gen series had launched), plus there was a little too much playing to the base with knowing lines, cameos, and tropes. This is not a classic by any means, but it's hardly an embarrassment for a group of old pros, who might be missed more than they are if this and previous outings in the series did not exist. One could hardly begrudge them this valediction.
