STAR TREK: INSURRECTION
** 1/2 (out of 4) - an enjoyable movie
Release Date: December 11, 1998 Starring: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn, Gates McFadden, Marina Sirtis, F. Murray Abraham, Anthony Zerbe Directed by: Jonathan Frakes Distributed by: Paramount Pictures MPAA Rating: PG (sci-fi action violence, mild language, sensuality) URL: http://www.execpc.com/~kinnopio/reviews/1998/st-insur.htm
STAR TREK is inarguably the most successful entertainment franchise of all time. The latest motion picture in the formidable line follows in a tradition that is now thirty-three years old, and it is the ninth feature in a string of sequels that extends back to 1979. It might be thought that STAR TREK: INSURRECTION has a lot to live up to.
That's not the case. Although there are certain conventions and customs to pay homage to, it has long been a hallmark of the STAR TREK series that each movie is nine-tenths self-contained. Certain features have been major turning points for the series -- for example, in STAR TREK: GENERATIONS, audiences saw the destruction of the Enterprise-D -- but INSURRECTION is more modest in its intentions. This is, simply put, bread-and-butter STAR TREK -- a double-length television episode with beefed-up special effects and a bit more polished script -- all for the enjoyment of the fans.
INSURRECTION begins in the Sierra-Nevadas -- er -- a peaceful planet inhabited by an idyllic race of metahumans. These people live a life delightfully free of technology and have a youthful vigor about them; but like all good things, it's not destined to last. As it turns out, their planet holds certain "magical" properties which have attracted the interest of the highest levels of Starfleet and its alien allies. When Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) and the crew of the Enterprise-E learns of this, however, it's obvious that the Starfleet's intentions are a clear violation of the Prime Directive (the Directive is Starfleet's rule prohibiting interference with the natural course of a civilization's progression). Hence, Picard and his top officers resign from their commands and lead a mission of insurrection on behalf of the planet's people.
Even for non-fans, the movie is still some very impressive cinema. On the technical side, INSURRECTION is the most awesome TREK feature to date, giving the audience a good load of special effects. Of course, TREK special effects have never been on-the-cheap, but the significantly larger budget for a motion picture allows the computer folks to get a bit more creative. On the aesthetic side, however, a lot of that grandeur is lost. The script is not pervasive or moving -- Picard only gets one great speech -- and instead fills its time with sniveling bad guys or straight-faced humor for the Enterprise crew (most of which is genuine).
The acting corps is back in fine form, although these actors have been playing the same characters for over ten years now. Stewart is considered by many to be the most accomplished actor to have ever donned a Starfleet uniform, and he makes a fair impression here. Jonathan Frakes (directing himself again in his second TREK feature), as Commander Riker, and Brent Spiner, as Lt. Cmdr. Data, are wonderful as Picard's top two officers. Director Frakes even makes a point of giving more screen time to the rest of the ensemble cast, whereas the previous two features -- FIRST CONTACT and GENERATIONS had focused almost exclusively on one character.
Overall, INSURRECTION is not the best STAR TREK movie to date. It lacks much of the inspiration that the previous two features had, opting instead to take a lighthearted tone. Those not expecting greatness will find this to be a real crowd-pleaser; but there will be disappointed fans out there. Probably best seen on a Saturday afternoon with nothing else to do.
-- Craig Roush kinnopio@execpc.com -- Kinnopio's Movie Reviews http://www.execpc.com/~kinnopio
The review above was posted to the
rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup (de.rec.film.kritiken for German reviews).
The Internet Movie Database accepts no responsibility for the contents of the
review and has no editorial control. Unless stated otherwise, the copyright
belongs to the author.
Please direct comments/criticisms of the review to relevant newsgroups.
Broken URLs inthe reviews are the responsibility of the author.
The formatting of the review is likely to differ from the original due
to ASCII to HTML conversion.
Related links: index of all rec.arts.movies.reviews reviews