Rating: Summary: Well....um.....Okay! Review: Insurreection for lacks two things: 1) An interesting story and, 2) A convincing enemy. F. Murray Abhram is a great actor, but this role, couple with his "holding back" may have made this movie fall a little short.Again the film is filled with cute scenes and certain actions that interesting. But overall, the director (Johnathan Frakes again (Commander WIlliam Riker) didn't seem to have as much fun in this one. The most ridiculous thing in it was that in the 24th century when you have a spaceship that is five football fields in length and the size of New York, is that your steering apparatus for this gigantic ship is a JOYSTICK! Yiches! Anyway, after you buy all the other films, this is the second to last to by of the Star Trek movies. (The last being "Star Trek V:The Final Frontier") Hopefully movie number 10 (Due out in fall 2002.) will be much better. Take a chance on this one.
Rating: Summary: Fans vs. Non-fans Review: WARNING: Seriously biased opinion ahead. Why? Because I love the entire Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG) series, and it would be nearly impossible for them to make a TNG movie that I did not like. That being said, Star Trek: Insurrection is not for people who are not familiar with the TNG crew. This movie is filled with many references to the past which require, at the very least, some knowledge of the history of the characters. Even then, however, to fully enjoy this movie you must have an appreciation for all the characters and their history. Without it, most of the jokes in the movie fall flat. For most TNG fans, this movie will be appreciated for the character development more than for the action. It does follow the pattern of the odd number Star Trek movies (this is the 9th one) not being as good or strong as the even numbered ones, but is still exteremly enjoyable. If you are not a fan, start with the 7th movie (Star Trek: Generations) and work your way up to this movie.
Rating: Summary: Not THE best film, but a DVD worth having... Review: Insurrection is, and is not, a lot of things. It IS a movie with a strikingly similar fashion to that of a TNG episode. It is a visual effects masterpiece. It is the most off-beat of Star Trek movies. And it is that uniqueness that allows Insurrection to hold its own. In contrast, Insurrection IS NOT the best of the movies, or one of the best. It is not the worst of the other 8 either; I've held that spot solely for Generations. And if there is one thing it is definitely not, it is not the parallel of The Search for Spock. The DVD, on the other hand, plays on the visual effects and score by making look and sound more stunning. Bonus trailers and featurettes on one DVD make it a great keeper. However, it will never rival the Motion Picture, or First Contact. Bottom line - Buy it for the DVD. Just to say you own all of 'em.
Rating: Summary: Not the best, but better than 5 Review: Although that is not a difficult feat. This one doesn't add much depth to the series, but it's not a bad way to spend two hours. Better than average sci-fi, about average for a Star Trek movie, but keep in mind that it is odd number. Can't think of a realy good odd numbered Star Trek movie. Closest may be 3.
Rating: Summary: One of the weakest Star Trek entries Review: Insurrection is the ninth in the seemingly endless series of Star Trek motion pictures. Only the James Bond series has run longer and produced more movies. These stories of space exploration have proved to be a gold mine for Paramount Studios, but if this entry is any indication, the gold may get scarcer and scarcer. Technically, Star Fleet still glistens. If anything, CG driven special effects have made the space ships and the planets they visit more dazzling. These new technologies allow such visuals to be sharper and more detailed. Insurrection gets very high marks for its production values. Unlike the now holy Star Wars series, Star Trek's key to success has never been in its visuals. With its origins in television, where the cost per hour filmed much be much lower than it is in movies, Star Trek's following is mostly story-driven. The continuing emphasis on cooperation between intelligent beings from very different cultures is lifted directly from our own human experience. The degree of success for each Star Trek episode, whether it be for TV or for theatrical release, depends on the quality of its story. Insurrection is not one of the stronger tales, and this is why it is rather lightweight and tepid compared to earlier movies. At the beginning, the usually delightful Lt. Commander Data [Brent Spinner] seems to have had an android's version of a nervous breakdown. While on a mission to study the inhabitants on a remote planet, he attacks the Federation leaders of the mission. His friend, Captain Picard [Patrick Stewart] barely manages to save him from destruction. We later learn the reason. The planet has just six hundred people living on it. They are kept eternally young by some ray produced by the planet's atmosphere. The Federation, hoping to appease an ally and to benefit from this Fountain of Youth effect, has agreed to secretly move the inhabitants to another planet. Data has determined that moving these gentle souls will result in their destruction, and it is up to Captain Picard to decided whether or not to do anything about the situation. I suppose this is as interesting and fantastic on paper as other Star Trek premises, but the execution leaves much to be desired. The people who live on the planet are supposed to be seen as peaceful and loving, but as portrayed, they are mainly bland and boring. There is also a bit of Hollywood's unintentional but ever present racism. These perfect people are, of course, blonde, blue-eyed and beautiful. While this is certainly no reason not to save them, it is hard to bond with them emotionally. The suspense isn't there, because we know what Picard's course of action will be. The Federation's role in the affair seems to be a complete turnaround from its attitude in previous movies. Finally, since the population is six hundred souls and since the planet appears to be very large, the reasons given for their not being able to share the place are lame. This makes the outcome predictable, which causes the movie to drag. The cast does a fine job, but they should. Except for the F. Murray Abraham, who is great as the villain Ba'ku, they act in the present incarnation of Star Trek on television. This is decent entertainment for the whole family. Just expect to be a little underwhelmed.
Rating: Summary: Who cares about the holes? Review: I don't watch such movies looking for holes in the plot - and they do exist. As an admitted Star Trek fan, I was very happy with this installment.
Rating: Summary: Patrick Stewart didn't like Piller's Original Script Review: Originally this Piller written story as a variation on "Heart of Darkness" where Data goes off the deep end and Picard has to find him. Well, I wish I could have read the original script for this one. Sure it plays like a TV episode but it is still entertaining. No blockbuster but it is a good Trek movie. I love the scenes with the "Riker Maneuver" where he drops the "warp core" on the enemy ships. It was more balanced than Generations. This movie had a message about not fighting the aging process and it comes off quite well. You have to remember that Trek is not supposed to be cutting edge Matrix type movie entertainment. I believe Rick Berman the producer and Jonathan Frakes can't be faulted. They turned out a film you can take your family to. It was a good solid movie.
Rating: Summary: This Odd-Numbered Trek Film Never Had The Chance Review: For those of you counting, odd-numbered (Star Trek I, III, V, VII, etc.) suffer from the curse of underperforming, so STAR TREK: INSURRECTION never really had the chance. With a television quality story penned by television producer Michael Piller, INSURRECTION is little more than a Trek for the fountain of youth, seemingly located on an unnamed planet occupied by the Baku, talented artisans who never age. Into this world comes a Federation that, seemingly, is willing to violate one of its most stringent policies: do not investigate and/or employ cloaking technology. However, as 'cloaked observers,' Starfleet specialists are studying the Baku at the behest of the Sona ... who turn out to be ... well, I won't give it away here. INSURRECTION doesn't play out like high quality Trek; rather, it plays out like television-quality Trek. Its plot never rises to the thematic levels of some of the best Treks, and the actors aren't really given much motivation to stretch their acting might here. Still, as with sex, even bad Trek is good Trek, and I've watched INSURRECTION many times on disc. Sporting (sadly) only a single Making Of featurette (which aired on HBO), the disc follows the humble tradition of offering little to no extras to their serious Trek afficianado. While maintaining an almost cult status and its clout as one of tv and cinema's most enduring franchises, Star Trek should be loading these discs with hundreds of creative extras: storyboards, interviews, commentary tracks ... but methinks Paramount is holding out for 'Special Editions' that they'll inevitably release some day to pilfer just a few more bucks from the sagging franchise. ...
Rating: Summary: If it wasn't Star Trek... Review: If this wasn't a Star Trek film, I would have given it only 1 star. It is pretty basic stuff, nothing spectacular. There are a lot of scenes played for laughs, and the first time I saw it in theaters I laughed out loud at some of it. Unfortunately the comedy doesn't hold up on subsequent viewings. An enjoyable enough film if you're into Star Trek, especially the Next Generation, but otherwise I wouldn't recommend it.
Rating: Summary: Ain't No Star Trek Film High Enough Review: As an all time Star Trek fan! I've purchased the film 2 years ago. This film is pretty cool. I like all the characters such as Ru'afo, and Galitane. I also like the music done by Jerry Goldsmith even if I've never had the soundtrack. This film is one of the best Star Trek films I have in my Star Trek collection. I highly recommend this to future Star Trek fans of the milennium. It's a fine film. Buy it and enjoy.
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