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Star Trek: Nemesis is the latest installment in what’s easily the biggest franchise in movies. This movie is being pushed as the last movie featuring the cast of the Star Trek — The Next Generation television series. After watching the movie, I think ending the series is a good thing.
The basic theme of the plot is one of the strongest ever but never really gets up to steam. The storyline tries to center around the old Nature vs. Nurture debate to show that we are all more a product of environment rather than genetics. It’s a great premise for a science fiction movie, but it gets totally lost in the haze this time. It might have had a chance if the same subtext wasn’t being played out by more than two sets of characters at the same time.
The special effects were terrific as always. The new Enterprise has a sleek, mean look that gives it more of a military appearance. The bridge is more functional and believable than before, and the battle scenes are fun to watch. Other than that, the good stuff is hard to find.
Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) has never been as action-driven a commander as James Kirk, but this movie tries to play him that way. It just doesn’t work. The rest of the crew looks like they were asleep when the movie was shot. The dialog is flat, and viewers aren’t really given any reason to care about the new characters introduced. Don’t expect any real surprises at the end of the night. You’ll see them all long before they get there. Even what should be the one great emotional event of the night comes complete with a built-in escape clause.
There are a number of problems with this movie, but it all boils down to one fact — this is a television show on a really big screen. Somehow, the cast of the original series was able to elevate their performances in the first seven movies to make them something special. The cast from Next Generation can’t seem to do that. All of the elements that make a Star Trek movie special are there in this movie — a cool villain, killer special effects, the background history of a cinema legend — and they still can’t take it to the next level. It’s a damn shame.
I’ve been a Star Trek nut since I was a kid and would love to recommend this movie as a Must See. But I just can’t. Wait until it shows up at your corner Blockbuster because that’s where this movie belongs — on your television set.
