A Decent Film Ruined by Overuse of Comedy and a Bad Script

Insurrection is the film that marked the beginning of the end for Star Trek at the cinema. It is an ok film, but not one for which I go crazy.

It does suffer in the same fashion that Generations did, in that it seemed like a very dramatic two-part TV episode, rather than a movie. What I mean by that is that it has lots of every day happenings like Riker and Troi getting back together and Worf going through the Klingon version of puberty. But does that compare with Spock dying and being brought back to life, the imminent destruction of Earth by alien beings (in two earlier films), the discovering of the great unknown, political murder with the Klingons or the assimilation of Earth by the Borg? No, it does not. It is a decent by hardly brilliant film.

The other problem is the Earth shatteringly stupid decision to turn Star Trek into raw comedy. Yes, there were always comedy moments in Star Trek, one only has to look back to episods like 'The Naked Now' and IV The Voyage Home. But in those films, the crew were put into situations that were genuinely funny, as opposed to Worf being a figure of fun. The script was also fairly poor, how else could you describe the horrible moment when Riker orders Geordie to eject the Warp Core to which the reply is: 'I just did'. Yuk! How can that stand alongside Khan's last words to Kirk?

Despite the Next Generation being a superior series to the originals, Kirk and co always had the upper hand when it came to the big screen. Of the four movies by Picard and co., only one has been up to scratch. Only buy when you have all the others.

Highlights from the TNG series

In case there was any doubt, this 6-disc DVD box set contains all ten TV Movies produced as part of the"Star Trek: The Next Generation" series. They are not to be confused with the theatrical films"Generations" through"Nemesis". In each case, these are two episodes from the TV series (often a season cliffhanger and its resolution) presented in their"feature length" format, which means they are edited together as one 88 minute show with no"To Be Continued..." legend and no end credits separating parts I and II. These were also produced in this format on individual VHS cassettes long ago.

This set will therefore give a fine summary of The Next Generation's seven years, from the pilot to the series finale, for those who do not wish the expense of all seven season boxsets. They are, however, all the big action spectacles without the low-key cerebral stand-alones.

Notable highlights include the acclaimed"Best of Both Worlds" with the ultimate Borg invasion leading to the greatest of the show's cliffhangers - Captain Picard's assimilation and attack on the Enterprise. Also worthy of mention is the appearance of Ambassador Spock on Romulus as one of several original series corss-overs in"Unification", Picard's interrogation by Cardassians in a fine turn for actor Patrick Stewart in"Chain of Command", and of course the outstanding journey through the past, present and future in the climactic finale"All Good Things...".

However, there are a few that do not quite live up to these high standards with"Time's Arrow" as an unsatisfying if amusing adventure to 19th Century Earth, and"Birthright" as a rather slow paced, uneven mix of Worf and Data character stories that could have been condensed to a single episode. Still, together they are all great adventures from a truly great series.

In terms of special features, the sixth disc offers another TV Movie,"Emissary", which was the pilot for the superb spin-off series"Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" and featured a special appearance by Patrick Stewart. There is also a fun documentary hosted by actor/director Jonathan Frakes (Riker) entitled"Journey's End" which is now around eight years old and has been broadcast on terrestrial television. It offers a look back across the series, brief interviews with cast and crew, behind the scenes shots of"All Good Things" and a bit of a teasing lead up to the 1995 theatrical movie"Star Trek Generations". Interesting content but it clearly shows its age. In addition, there are trailers for the DS9 release on DVD, TV spots for each episode, and trailers for Star Trek feature films numbers I-VII. All in all, nothing to entice owners of these two-parters on other formats, but ample sustenance for the new-comer.

Full episode list...
DISC 1: Encounter at Farpoint, The Best of Both Worlds; DISC 2: Redemption, Unification; DISC 3: Time's Arrow, Chain of Command; DISC 4: Birthright, Descent; DISC 5: Gambit, All Good Things; DISC 6: Emissary, Special Features

Fantastic

This is a great video with one of the best TNG feature length episodes. The Worf aspect is great exploring the issue of choosing the Federation or the Klingons. It is also one of the episodes featuring the Duras Sisters who are always entertaining. The 1st part is a great cliffhanger and there are enough plot twists to keep you interested.
A great video and an essential if you like Worf.

Screaming at the tele

This is a brilliant end to the voyager series. The acting is top notch as always as well as the special effects. However when you see the episode finish you will feel desperately disappointed. I always expected some big celebration on earth and a meeting of relatives, if your like me you'll be screaming"What happens next"

Basically 2 brilliant episodes, but not the end we were looking for....

Really Really bad film

I am a Trek fan. I have seen every TV episode of every series, mostly several times, I have gone to see every movie in the cinema (again sometimes more than once) etc. I had high hopes for this one as it was directed by the same man who had directed Star Trek II. However I found this one so bad it was cringe worthy. The whole theme was just stupid. A Klingon moon explodes with so much force that Excelsior is badly shaken in some distant part of the galaxy. This explosion is so severe it threatens the environment of the Klingon Empire. Note the whole empire not just a planet! Then we have some really stilted dialogue between Spock and Kirk concerning this and off the Enterprise warps to the Klingon Empire. She manges to warp so quickly from Earth to the Federation/Klingon border that Kirk etc. has no time to spend even a single night in his cabin! Then we have a cloaked Klingon ship sitting beneath the Enterprise firing a Klingon Torpedo at the Klingon Leaders Battle Cruiser! What is wrong with this you ask? The fact that despite having 23rd C technology's the crew of Enterprise can't tell that they didn't fire the torpedo (despite it being of alien manufacture and fired from a point outside of their own ship. Even today a war plane pilot or warship captain would know if a torpedo/missile had originated from his plane/ship without having to go and count his weapons). Even that is not the worst of it. Spock plants a tracking device on Kirk's shoulder. It is rather large and very obvious, but none of the Klingon's see this (let alone detect its transmissions). Added to this we have Enterprise being able to violate Klingon security by having Uhuru read klingon out of a dictionary when the ship is called by Klingon Border security.

I can only but think that other reviewers missed all these terrible faults because of their emotional reaction to the end of Kirk's crew on film. Star Trek V is usually sited as the worst Trek film, but believe me this one is by some distance.

Unforgettable....

Definetly the best Trek Movie made with Nick Meyer at the helm, this film has too many highlights to mention, from the sweeping musical score to the pseudo sub-marine battle in the Mutara Nebula. Khan as an adversary, even out-hams William Shatner who, by the way - gives one of his best performances ever, as an aging hero, battling against irrelevence and then fighting for his and his crews lives. Again, Leonard Nimoy puts in a stellar performance as we see Kirk and Spocks somewhat deflated relationship, post Kolinhar (STTMP) rekindled. The battle scenes are entirely 4 dimensional - keeping the audience right on the edge of their seats as seconds tick by in sweat drenched hours, as they realise again and again, (shock, horror) that the good guys might actually lose! Shatner's reaction to his characters son David is worthy of note, expressing his desperation to grab hold of new found treasure, but fear of rejection. His over-riding confidence as he flips open his communicator to confirm with Spock repairs are complete whilst trapped inside a planet having earlier , believably, hammed it up with Khan as he realises he is marooned - is just perfect. But of course, the pinnacle has to be the Spock death scene and funeral scene. Shatner twice goes into the situations with the restraint of leadership and loneliness of command holding him back, and twice nearly, just nearly, convincingly breaks down. Whether you know the characters or not, as Scotty would say, 'brings a tear ti yir eye, it dis...'
Kirsty Alley's Saavik is (and I say this knowing it will be unpopular) less convincing. I suspect this was her cinematic break, but she play's the character without love or enthusiasm and quite honestly bears more resembance to a munchkin than a Vulcan - Sorry, STTSFS' Robin Curtis? was just better by scores. It was pleasing to see most of the supporting cast given some featuring scenes - particularly in the simulator at the first scenes. Bibi Besch also turned in a commendable performance and gave good account of herself as Kirk's old love. What to say? Great story, great acting, great score, great special effects...Compulsory viewing.

A weak Star Trek movie.

This is where the decline starts. The Star Trek movies before this were of an acceptable standard. This is unfortuneatley one of the weaker movies. No Romulans, No Klingons, no villain to speak of at all. This is a typical time-travel star trek episode that would would suit the tv series more than a cinematic audience. Disapointing and one to miss.

A great mix of exciting and funny TNG episodes

Manhunt: A really funny episode, thanks to Lwaxana Troi, who searches the whole ship to find a husband. Even Worf has to watch out.
Emissary: A great episode for all fans who like klingons, especially Worf. Here we finally get to know something about his past.
Peak Performance: This one's probably the funniest or at least one of the funniest episodes of TNG. Sirna Kolrami (Roy Brocksmith) brings so much humour into this episode. Towards the end the episode takes an unexpected turn. It gets quite exciting and puzzling.
Shades of Gray: I can recommend this episode to everyone who has missed the first two seasons, because it is actually a review of all the past episodes. Eventhough it's definitely not the best of the TNG episodes and not too full of new ideas, it is worth watching it.

Excellent

Having just finished watching all 10 films in order, this is excellent stuff. I really enjoyed watching these films at the cinema (I missed no.5 though) and having watched them again, the best ones are numbers 2 (Wrath of Khan), 10 (Nemesis) and 7 (First Contact), in that order, in my opinion. I must agree that the lack of special features is a downer but for about £8 a film you cannot argue.

NEMESIS OR NEAR MISS..?

OK IT'S THE LAST NEXT GEN TEAMS LAST OUTING BEFORE SOME OF THE CAST GO ON TO NEW JOBS IN STAR FLEET. THE FILM STARTS OFF VERY SLOW NOT MUCH ACTION UNTILL PICARD AND WORF AND DATA BEEM DOWN TO A VERY EMPTY PLANET TO FIND ER... ANOTHER DATA IN BITS. WITH THAT WE NOW KNOW THAT DATA DIES AND HIS REPLACEMENT TAKES OVER, NOT BEFORE THE FIRST DATA SAVES THE DAY AGAIN. SORRY TO SAY BUT THIS FILM AND THE LAST ONE ARE BOTH BASED ON DATA.BEST BIT FOR ME IS NEAR THE END WHEN THE TWO SHIPS CRASH INTO EACH OTHER, AND ONCE AGAIN THE ENTERPRISE COME OUT OF IT WITH LITTLE DAMAGE.

brilliant!

these have to be two of the best tv movies there are from the Voyager series.

The Killing Game, the hirogen have invaded the ship and are making the crew take part in horrible holodeck programs, including the Earth battle of WW2.

Equinox, at long last, Voyager has come into contact with another federation vessel! the USS Equinox. Voyager comes to the rescue of the ship which is being attacked by other dimention aliens seeking to destroy the Equinox crew! But who's to blame? the aliens, or the crew of the Equinox.....