It was in the UK in the 80s. I owned it (wish I'd kept it for nostalgic reasons). Image here:
http://www.vhscollector.com/movie/star-trek-iv-voyage-home-0
Ah yes I forgot about the ice sequences - that did lend it a bit of an epic feel, which made the re-purposed TNG sets even more obvious/cheap. Not really a fan of the Nick Meyer Treks - he bought a darkness and a violence to the films which just felt out of place to me - by all accounts...
Yeah I remember reading that too wayyy back - might have been Starlog? It seemed to me after Trek III the (perceived) budget/quality went up a little again as the whole thing was shot/framed in a more cinematic way. Much of the photography in the San Franciso segments is beautifully composed...
I think with some sensitive re-editing and a few scenes trimmed (or even eliminated!) here and there Trek V could become a much stronger film. Much of the comedy isn't so bad, but it's lingered on for too long to the point where it goes OTT. Case in point the conversation when they're in the...