Reviews

From some of the first comments that were written here that I read on opening day, I thought this would be a masterful piece of cinematography in an unusual setting.

**** SPOILERS ****

Sadly, there were several things that were not exactly as advertised. The main character (Colin Farrell) is not evil. He's a sleazeball, sure, but no more than any other fast-talking salesman. By the end of the movie, he's been 'reduced' to that of a typical movie hero.

The protagonist is, however, much more evil than first shown. Of course, he's also superhuman (the angle of the laser shots that he takes varies throughout the show, meaning he is moving all over the scene, and he makes shots that are solely the realm of movie-land. Shooting out the Stu's ear? Umm...right.) Again, the angles shown in this movie are beyond belief. Even disregarding all other factors, how do you target (supposedly from the upper floors of an apartment building) the west ear of someone from the east side? Answer? Its not possible.

BUT, technicalities aside, this was an enjoyable movie. The characters are good, and the plot line is neither too slow, or too quick. Kiefer's voice was perfect for the slot that he is in.

Overall, 7/10.

I have always been a Star Trek fan, though I certainly would not qualify myself as a trekkie. The series' and the movies have provided a thoughtful window into a possible future, while dealing with real emotions and difficulties of a crew with a long-term commitment.

That being said, the latest installment provides nothing of any substance to back this statement up.

The plot has enough holes in it to drive a truck through.

-- SPOILER ALERT --

Lets start with the premise of the movie itself. A clone of Picard decides to destroy earth. Why? This is never actually explained..the clone basically has never met a human in its entire life, and wasn't even created by humans, but by Romulans.

The clone rises to become head of a joint Romulan/Remus' force. How? Again, no explanation. Both species dislike humans rather intensely. This point of the story is entirely glossed over...one minute, he's the lowest of slaves, the next he is Praetor.

So, the clone convinces one of the Romulan Senate to betray the rest. Why? Well, that isn't actually explained either. You'd think it was because she wanted to start a war, but in the latter part of the movie she actually works to prevent the war, so...? In addition, the new Praetor has no love of Romulans either, so that doesn't work.

Oh, getting back to the Praetor...how exactly did a commander of one ship (because apparently the Remus' only have the one ship, the Scimitar) convince an entire planet of a very warlike people in the Romulans to capitulate and declare him ruler? (The opening sequence with the Romulan senate is supposed to portray this, but is woefully lacking) Oh, and the Scimitar itself...how does a back-woods civilization with little or no real power suddenly build a ship that would rival an entire fleet of Star Cruisers (that is what they're called, right?) using technology that the Federation couldn't control?

And speaking of the opening sequence, if I may borrow a phrase from Joey of Friends...Could it BE more boring? The wedding sequence was one of the worst I've ever seen, from the 'camcorder' videography and soundtrack to the bad taste in apparel, to the death-drone speech by Picard, which puts the audience to sleep before the movie really begins.

The characters themselves have no continuity between the films...how is Worf back on the bridge? (he was himself a captain in the last movie) The characters barely talk to each other...there is none of the balance of personalities that made the other STNG movies more memorable than, say, Battlefield Earth. The overwhelming need to show, even for a glimpse, every single ST character from the past makes it less of a novelty and more of a joke. Admiral Janeway?? Wasn't Wesley Crusher not part of Starfleet any more? I was surprised Seven didn't show up on the bridge in a skintight suit. Even many of the cast seemed to have no place in the movie, such as Riker and Troi, (This part had too many inconsistencies to mention) or Jordie (who's part could have been played by a monkey with glaucoma and a tricorder)

Barring a few moments of action, the dull monotone continued throughout the movie. Several people just got up and left, and comments of 'Don't worry, it has to get better' were heard in the theatre. It does...for about the last 10 minutes.

With this in mind, there are a few bright spots in the film. The interaction of Brent Spiner with himself, as Data and B-4, is part of the ST I enjoy. The battle sequences of the two sides fencing with each other was enjoyable, even if so predictable it made me roll my eyes. Patrick Stewart did a good job struggling with the emotional turmoil of being presented with an alternate version of himself. The death of Data, and the adolescence of B-4 left an interesting glimpse into the possible future of Star Trek. The young Picard also did a good job, even if there was huge holes in his character development.

All being said, I hope this is not the last movie for this cast. To let the series just ...putter out... would be sad.