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stevefa
Reviews
Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)
Bitter-sweet for TNG fans
***SLIGHT SPOILERS*** *SPOILER ALERT*
I have always been a big fan of the Next Generation and I have just watched Nemesis following it's UK release. I have to say that it was a bitter sweet experience.
Regardless of the critics, I will always pay to see a Trek movie because of my genuine love for the characters and the series. Although this movie had plenty of flaws, I still can't help feeling somewhat happy just seeing the old family reunited. Sure, everyone is looking a little older now with the exception of Geordi and Worf but that does tend to happen after 15 years....even in the future.
So what was good about it?
- The dramatic action scenes (The buggy chase, the enterprise crash, the space battle and the shoot outs).
- The few genuinely humerous bits (auto-destruct being offline, Picard and Data's faces upon landing the buggy into the shuttle, the captain giving the on-screen order after it had been blown into space. Help me out here, surely there were a couple more?)
- The wedding scene (yes, it was a bit corny but not by usual Trek standards. The interaction between Troi and Riker was genuinely touching. It was nice to see these characters finally getting together).
- Stewart's acting...he can make any line seem right.
What was bad about it?
- B4 (Why did anyone in their right mind agree to this sub plot?? It really is opening yourself up to criticism when you re-work a story that is so similar to the series. Worse than the concept is the actual portrayal of B4...Brent Spiner's combination of putting on a funny face and talking in that awful innocent child voice are unbearable, particularly when the actual lines are so bad. Why they put so much emphasis on B4 and finished the movie with him and Picard I will never know).
- The typical TREK cringe moments: Troi's lines such as 'it was a violation' and 'he's resisting me'. I love her but God does she need some direction in the acting department. Also Riker's pointless dramatic line when the romulan ships decloak.. 'just when I thought this couldn't get any worse').
- The TV show look (From the arty looking Romulan Senate to the Romulan and Reman make up...is it me or did they invest any of the budget in making this stuff realistic for film? The enterprise itself didn't even seem quite right on the big screen. I know the effects were supposedly not as good in the 90's but for some reason, the battering of the enterprise in Star Trek 6 felt a lot more realistic).
- Data and his death (I was getting a little tired of Brent Spiner getting so much screen time in the movies so I didn't object to the killing off of Data. However, at least do it properly...don't leave B4 behind to annoy us).
- Little things like smoke eminating from every console when the Enterprise is hit and the 'for the audience benefit' visual of the transporters going off line when Geordi's panel exlodes.
- The general pace (the film almost slows to a stop at some points. I wish the director and editors had made it more punchy with more dramatic music and speed of plot to take us between the decent action scenes).
I didn't expect to come out with so many negatives when I started this but it does summarise my honest thoughts on the movie. I haven't mentioned Shinzon as I feel completely indifferent about his charater.
Ultimately the film had some great action sequences but the overall plot and pace just didn't match up. I can't help feeling it could have been so much better had it been edited together with more intensity.
p.s, Final thought... since when has the Enterprise E have a permanent viewscreen? Did the bridge crew not take well to the wall projected one from First Contact?
Condominium (1980)
Cheap, tacky but lots of fun!
Yes it's cheap and nasty, but you get to see a big apartment building destroyed by lots of water - that's surely worth viewing in itself! Watch it, it is enjoyable 'tacky' fun.