I'm continuing my love of Star Trek and reviewing the last set of the films in the franchise I haven't yet addressed on this site... The Next Generation movies. I've done the Evens, the Odds, Into Darkness (which also contains a mini review of Star Trek 2009) and now these films. From here I patiently wait for JJ Abrams, or whoever Hollywood decides to hand the reins to, to make another chapter... or I can just go watch re-runs of Deep Space Nine.
(1994) [Trailer]
Director: David Carson [IMDB]
Synopsis: The Enterprise tries to halt the activities of a maniac hell bent on finding a passage into a alternate dimension... just give the dude some LSD.
Generations is the bridge film between the old and the new. It feels like it had to be made from some reason... as if Shatner demanded it or something. It's a decent film, I think the one thing it lacks is proper closure. It feels a little rushed and not very climactic. Maybe it was Malcolm McDowell as the villain... I just felt like he wasn't ominous enough. Who knows, but for me the back end of Generations didn't give that wow factor... whatever that is. I do like it mostly as a whole and would definitely rewatch it.
(1996) [Trailer]
Director: Jonathan Frakes [IMDB]
Synopsis: The crew travel back in time to stop the Borg from destroying Earth before we made our first jump into warp speed.
Lets be honest... this is the film all Next Gen fans wanted. The Borg were/are the greatest adversaries the Federation has ever known and they needed their own film. Commander Riker takes the director's chair and knocks it out the park. I love this film and it's light years ahead of any of the other TNG titles. First Contact is a really well balanced film and takes all the elements that made TNG great and elevates them. I'd say if you're only going to watch one Next Generation film, it should be this one, but go ahead a watch all of them, okay?
(1998) [Trailer]
Director: Jonathan Frakes [IMDB]
Synopsis: A loner planet is the source of internal youth and the Enterprise steps in to protect it from a threat within the Federation.
Insurrection is widely regarded as the worst Star Trek film ever made and after watching it I realized it was the only film in the franchise I hadn't seen. I'm not sure why I actually never got around to watching it, maybe it was because it got such a bad wrap, but I have to say after checking it out... I like it. I don't understand why it gets the hate it does. There are a few corny moments, but as any fan of TNG will attest to, so did the series. It does feel like a glorified TV episode, but it was still fun to watch. Shit, even my wife, who hates Star Trek, liked it. Don't get me wrong, it's not great by any stretch, but it's still a solid installment.
(2002) [Trailer]
Director: Stuart Baird [IMDB]
Synopsis: Tom Hardy is a genetically modified, younger, Jean-Luc Picard with a secret past and now he's looking to help the Romulans plan an attack on Earth.
First thing I noticed when watching Nemesis, is how similar Tom Hardy's character is to his Bane character in The Dark Knight Rises. Only thing is, he's not as effective in Nemesis and he's one of the better elements of the film. I felt like this one dragged its tail a lot and would definitely be my least favorite of all the TNG titles. It's feels like its story arch peaks early then you're on this extremely long climax that just seems to keep going and going. I didn't hate this film, I was just bored with a lot of it.
