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Star Trek fans were decidedly mixed in their reactions to this, the ninth big-screen feature in Paramount's lucrative Trek franchise, but die-hard loyalists will appreciate the way this Next Generation adventure rekindles the spirit of the original Trek TV series while combining a tolerable dose of New-Agey philosophy with a light-hearted plot for the NextGen cast. This time out, Picard (Patrick Stewart) and his executive crew must transport to a Shangri-la-like planet to see why their android crewmate Data (Brent Spiner) has run amuck in a village full of peaceful Ba'ku artisans who--thanks to their planet's "metaphasic radiation"--haven't aged in 309 years.

It turns out there's a conspiracy afoot, masterminded by the devious, gruesomely aged Ru'afo (F. Murray Abraham, hamming it up under makeup resembling a cosmetic surgeon's worst nightmare), who's in cahoots with a renegade Starfleet admiral (Anthony Zerbe, in one of his final screen roles). They covet the fountain-of-youth power of the Ba'ku planet, but because their takeover plan violates Starfleet's Prime Directive of noninterference, it's up to Picard & crew to stop the scheme. Along the way, they all benefit from the metaphasic effect, which manifests itself as Worf's puberty (visible as a conspicuous case of Klingon acne), Picard's youthful romance with a Ba'ku woman (the lovely Donna Murphy), the touching though temporary return of Geordi's natural eyesight, and a moment when Troi asks Dr. Crusher if she's noticed that her "boobs are firming up."

Some fans scoffed at these humorous asides, but they're what make this Trek film as entertaining as it is slightly disappointing. Without the laughs (including Data's rousing excerpt from Gilbert & Sullivan's HMS Pinafore), this is a pretty routine entry in the franchise, with no real surprises, a number of plot holes, and the overall appearance of a big-budget TV episode. As costar and director, Jonathan Frakes proves a capable carrier of the Star Trek flame--and it's nice to see women in their forties portrayed as smart and sexy--but while this is surely an adequate Trek adventure, it doesn't quite rank with the best in the series. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (410)

True DTS 5.1 Surround Sound Not Listed
Dear M. IMRAN "aka imranbecks,"

The last Star Trek Movie "First Contact" was not release in DTS 5.1 on the theaters.Just like every other DVD that claims to be in DTS does not have the true DTS sound to them because they were not film with DTS sound, with a few exceptions of course.

The listing on Amazon.com only states Dolby while the last two Star Trek Movies states DTS 5.1."Star Trek Insurrection" was film in true DTS Surround Sound and I am just hoping that it is release this way.That Amazon made a mistake but they probably didn't.

Please check this out and confirm if there is a DTS version of this movie.

When it comes to the movie I put it on the top with the few other movies that avoided the Star Wars style.Star Trek is a science fiction dealing with idea and subjects to think about not to have the old one on one battle routine.I know they fought back against the robots but that is not the same as killing other people and making it look as if this is the only answer to the problem.War is sick and I am sick of war movies.Please, they have now killed Star Trek because they turn "Enterprise" TV Series into a war story one episode after another and the last so called Star Trek Movie.

Star Trek has died because the people behind it could not see the beauty behind the previous Star Treks.So, in my opinion "Insurrection" was the last Star Trek of any kind and is the reminder of the original concept of Star Trek.

2.5 stars: Sort of enjoyable, but...
It's often been said that Star Trek producers and writers have the easiest and hardest jobs in the world simultaneously.Different people tune in, pop in a disc, buy a ticket, or otherwise view Star Trek for different reasons. There's some that show up for nostalgia of the old Shatner/Nimoy series, the optimism of Gene Roddenberry's vision, maybe because they've lost some optimism over the years. Others want to be challenged with new ideas, new philosophies and viewpoints. And some, probably more than any of us would like to admit, watch to see weird aliens and ships blowing up. So, although the first group will generally be happy no matter what, it is very difficult to make a Star Trek movie to appeal to the latter two at the same time. The ones that do, though (Wrath of Khan, First Contact), are the ones that are the most memorable.

Insurrection tries to split the difference. Although the ideas of imperialism and "might makes right" are examined, they are often maddeningly relegated to the background for another action sequence. The result is a film that never gains a steady intellectual footing, but also never really develops a compelling-enough story to be more than a light show, but it is a fairly good light show.

That being said, the movie opens perfectly. Data seemingly goes crazy, exposes a "duck-blind" to study a primitive people, then engages in a dangerous outer-atmosphere tango with Captain Picard, which is an excellent scene in nearly every way. It is funny, in an absurd way, but also invigorating, and after seeing its brilliance, you figure that the movie might just live up to its predecessor. Unfortunately, it turns out to be a bright spot in a movie filled with scenes that hit the wrong chord. The subplot about Data discovering his inner-child doesn't really distinguish itself from Data's myriad attempts to understand humanity in the series (does anyone else remember his beard?). The Son'a don't make great villains-they're cold, vengeful bastards, but they don't seem to realize it, like Khan did, so they can't have fun with it. Rather than being villains you love-to-hate, a. k. a. the best kind, they're just villains you hate. Picard gives a speech so self-righteous, he starts to sound like Janeway. Okay, using a pure moral system, the removal can't be justified, but moving 600 people to improve the quality of life for billions? Come on, at least think about it. Picard's much-older love interest subplot does have some juice, but the scenes about slowing down time are preposterous, just another unnecessary element in a sea of gratuitousness. And the ultimate nadir is when Riker pilots the U.S.S. Enterprise-E, an enormous and sophisticated 24th century starship, with what appeared to be a Thrustmaster joystick, circa 1997. (Speaking of beards that should be remembered...)

Much has been said of the humor in this movie, and some of it does hit its mark, but Worf's "aggressive tendencies" line and Counselor Troi's "boob" line are groaners, and in series that have generally gotten by on tense action and drama, going for laughs is a sign that you've run out of material. Check out Superman III for proof of this.

I suppose I shouldn't be too hard on these guys-the movie is a lot better than Nemesis, if only because it isn't obsessed with gloom. Jonathan Frakes once again sits behind the director's chair, and he tries to make this hodgepodge work, but unlike before, the performances are surprisingly unnuanced. Where before he was able to expertly juggle planet-side and ship action, keeping both storylines interesting, he now struggles to keep the action engaging on either front, all the while the movie begins to feel like a cookie-cutter action project-which is NOT a good thing. This movie came out only two years after First Contact, so I think that there wasn't enough time to develop it. I hope so, anyway, because in spite of a few scenes, this one ranks just above The Motion Picture and Star Trek V on my list of quality. If you want entertainment in a Trek movie, you might enjoy this one (emphasize might). If you are looking for something more, don't bother.

Painfully Inconsequential
With the Star Trek film series at an apparent stand-still, it seems a good time to re-examine the various entries;In particular, the "odd-numbered curse".Star Trek: The Motion Picture holds up far better in its director's edition, and Star Trek III serves as a vital and emotional bridge in the original crew's saga.Then things get complicated.Shatner's The Final Frontier is an undisputed failure, but one with noble ideas and containing a number of nice character moments (i.e. Dr. McCoy's flashback), and Generations, while squandering a grand opportunity, is still fun viewing.Which brings us to Star Trek: Insurrection, which is the only one beyond any redemption. And this is because it has no ambition whatsoever.While the creative staff expressed a desire to craft a more light-hearted adventure, why do it with a story that seeks to create parallels with the forced exile of Native Americans?The action pales in comparison to First Contact, and the laugh count is non-existent compared to The Voyage Home.And both of those films managed to have a good deal of heart.Heart has been a variable factor in Star Trek films, built largely upon the strength of a particular entry's guest stars.First Contact had three knock-outs in the form of James Cromwell, Alfre Woodard, and Alice Krige.Following up that, Insurrection boasts Donna Murphy, who is less engaged in the proceedings than Carrie Fisher in Return of the Jedi, F. Murray Abraham, who makes us yearn for Last Action Hero, and Anthony Zerbe, who would fare better if he donned sunglasses and a black robe.All fine actors, all incapable of infusing energy into a script where nothing compelling exists.I read a review that called this "Star Trek: Save The Hippie Commune".Not far off.So check this out for completeness sake, and try to find some moments to enjoy (Geordi watching the sunrise).The good thing to be said here is that Insurrection inflicts no irreparable damage on the series or crew.That would come with the following entry, that would violate the sanctity of even the even-numbered Treks.

Good movie... 5 stars for the extras!!!
Ok, sure, we all know this movie isn't as good as First Contact or Nemesis, but its a good movie with a good story to tell.. Its very light hearted and not as dark and scary as Nemesis and First Contact.. Overall, a good movie! A must have collection for all Star Trek fans!

Here are the extras that will be in this 2-disc DVD set:

Disc 1

The movie, presented in widescreen and enhanced for 16:9 TVs. Audio options include: Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS 5.1, and French Dolby Surround.
Text Commentary by Michael Okuda and Denise Okuda.

Disc 2

Production
It Takes a Village
Location, Location, Location
The Art of "Insurrection"
Anatomy of a Stunt
The Story of "Insurrection"
Making "Insurrection"
Director's Notebook
The Star Trek Universe
Westmore's Aliens
Star Trek's Beautiful Alien Women

Creating the Illusion
Behind-the-scenes footage of sequences filled with action and visual effects
Shuttle Chase
The Drones
The Duck Blind

Deleted Scenes
Ru'afo's Facelift
Working Lunch
Flirting
The Kiss
Status: Precarious
Disabling the Injector
Alternate Ending

Archives
Storyboards
Photo Gallery

Advertising
Teaser Trailer
Theatrical Trailer
Original Promotional Featurette
Borg Invasion 4-D Trailer

most like Roddneberry Trek
Fans like to bash this film as well as Trek 5, Shatner's directoral opus. However, it seems to me that both this one and 5 are much MUCH more like classic Trek story telling that Roddenberry liked so much.

Sure, this is no FIRST CONTACT, but we already have one of those. this is a more thoughtful and human trek story, and one well-directed, with some of the nicest looking effects we've seen. The cast is in top form and having fun. And like the original cast in 4, when they are having fun, so does the audience.

Check this out with an open mind. And an open disregard for the rabid so-called uber fans who casually bash this movie. ... Read more

Reviews (24)

TERRIFICALLY ENTERTAINING
Combining soapy suds and exhilarating dance sequences with the formidable acting skills of lead players Shirley MacLaine and Anne Bancroft, Herbert Ross creates a winner in The Turning Point. Baryshnikov is every bit as magnetic onscreen, in a well-chosen role as a dance lothario, as he is every second he is dancing; he defies gravity and sends your spirit soaring. Leslie Browne, a novice (to put it kindly), in the acting department, is no less spectacular on the dance floor. Rarely has a big, old-fashioned, commercial film been so successful at making classical ballet so tangible and electric. The score, punctuacted throughout with the obvious classical scores of the many pieces we get glimpses of, adds a resonance to the story. MacLaine and Bancroft, as rivals in romance and once, in their careers, have a grand old time with our emotions, as they traverse the entire wide range of jealousy, humiliation, aging, love, friendship -- and eventually combust onscreen, which provides the movie with its most dazzlingly entertaining moments of drama. Tom Skerrit is terrific as Shirley's dancer-gone-husband, and the portrait of MacLaine's character has surprising moments of reality sprinkled throughout the screenplay. A wonderful big, overlong, old-fashioned movie, and a great way to introduce your family to classic dance, not only painlessly, but engagingly.

Why isn't this movie on DVD????
'The Turning Point' was one of the best movies of the late 70's, I can't believe it hasn't been issued in DVD! It had 11 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, and, in a rare instance, two leading actresses (Shirley MacLaine and Anne Bancroft) were both nominated for Best Actress from the same film. It's about two women closing in on middle age, once good friends, both having been promising, competitive ballet dancers with the same company in their youth. Anne Bancroft's character proceeded on to become a successful, internationally celebrated prima ballerina, while Shirley MacLaine's abandoned the ballet scene on the verge of her career breakthrough to marry and raise a family. After twenty-one years, the Ballet company finally comes to MacLaine's Oklahoma City home on tour, and the women are reunited. MacLaine, now the mother of three young teens, begins regretting what she might have been and what she gave up. In addition to envying Bancroft's success, she envies her own eldest daughter's (Leslie Browne's) promising dance talent, and the chummy relationship her daughter and Bancroft begin cultivating as a result of the girl's acceptance into the company.

Bancroft, on the other hand, is an aging prima ballerina whose star has all but faded, and whom the company is slowly but surely putting out to pasture in favor of younger, fresher dancers. She begins regretting the things she's forsaken for her career, such as marriage, motherhood, and a meaningful romance with a special man. In turn, she starts stewing a jealousy of MacLaine's having these things that is as strong as MacLaine's resentment of her career success. To fill in the void, she seeks to endear MacLaine's young dancer daughter to her in a mentor/friend/mothering relationship that she hopes will overshadow and upstage the girl's devotion to her own mother. All these emotions build and build and build till they end up climaxing in a screamfest of accusations and insults between the two leads, that progresses to a classic physical cat fight in the parking lot of Lincoln Center.

Meanwhile, MacLaine's daughter is having problems of her own. She falls for the company's primary male dancer (a handsome young Mikhael Baryshnikov) who turns out to be a ladies man and stomps on her heart. The music, the moods, the gauzy views of MacLaine's drowsy family life in Oklahoma City and the disciplined New York Ballet world in summer, all have the quality of a golden fairy tale, and the dancing sequences performed by some of the best professional dancers in the world at the time are breathtaking. MacLaine and Bancroft are unmatched as the competitive friends, Leslie Browne is flawless as the somewhat airheaded but magnificently gifted daughter, Barishnikov is perfectly believable as the devil-may-care loverboy, Tom Skeritt does a fine job as MacLaine's patient husband, and even the boy and girl who play MacLaine's two younger children are captivating as typical opinionated adolescents.

I hope a DVD for this beautiful film is issued SOON and it is not a case of having to wait till 2007 for the 30th anniversary!

DOUBLY RICH: CAPTIVATING THEME, BREATHTAKING CHOREOGRAPHY
A very fitting title for this "Terms of Endearment" meets "Footloose" offering...a delicate, if somewhat idealistic, treat for people who like subtle emotional vectors.

The theme is sensitive: daughter becomes successful ballerina, makes mother hark back to her own difficult decision to give up her dancing passion to raise a family.

Envious angst and catty remarks ensue, but of course all is patched up towards the end. The performances are sterling all round but the dialogue could have been a little more taut, it is hit-on-the-head-obvious when things get sappy.

But that doesn't matter because it's the choreography that the movie will be remembered for, the ballet sequences are simply stunning. Minor gripe: a couple of ballet scenes have overbearing voiceovers which recap all that the dancer has gone through in life, which interrupts the lyric of the moment a bit. Again, editing may have been in order.

Nonetheless, it makes for an engaging, luminous portrait of dance and its various twists and turns as apt metaphors for the quirky vagaries of life, loves, ambition.

Very decent rental, but a great must-own if you dig chickflicks.

TOADS AND FROGS
how many times I have used that line when things have popped out of my mouth without thinking them through. This is a GREAT movie. The dancing will "wow" you and the acting by MacLaine and Bancroft is wonderful. This should be released in DVD with lots and lots of extra dance footage. My husband even stayed awake throught it. PLEASE release it!

Please, please, please issue in DVD!!!
I will purchase this film in a heartbeat as soon as it is available in DVD. The story is moving, but the dance sequences that are captured here - especially of Baryshikov in his prime - make it a ballet lover's dream. ... Read more

Description

Charlton Heston plays humankind's last hope, the last survivor of a hellish, germ-warfare doomsday, fighting off fiendish subhuman mutants that stalk by night. Bonus featurette - The Last Man Alive. Starring: Charlton Heston, Rosalind Cash, Anthony Zerbe Year: 1971 Sound: ENG, FR; Subtitles: ENG, FR Screen Format: Side A: Standard; Side B: Wiedescreen ... Read more

Reviews (101)

Neville's Epitaph
A handful of SciFi movies from the 70s still have a message worth re-examining and the cast, sets, and music worth another view. Charlton Heston was in three of those movies, Planet of the Apes, Soylent Green, and last but not least Omega Man. Don't miss any of them. All three are now available on DVD and well worth adding to your library. Heston did an excellent job portraying Neville in Omega Man. A man who believes all healthy people are dead after a biological war. He lives alone in a penthouse fortress armed to the teeth. He finds a small community of a woman, a young man, and mostly children that are not infected yet. He must battle those that are infecteded to continue the human race. His blood is immune from the disease because of an experiamental drug he used during the holocaust. Can he develop enough serum in time to help them? Those infected use medieval weapons since they believe that Neville's technological weapons are part of the evil that brought about the holocaust of a biological war. Although the clothes and effects show their age it is still a movie well worth seeing. If it was remade today the message would not change much. In fact the age of the movie gives people a view of some of the clothes, furnishings, cars, and music from the era it was made. The quality of the DVD color and sound are great and it includes several extras.

Hippie Science Fiction.
It is the height of irony that Chuck Heston, who has recently raised the ire of numerous liberal do-gooders for his arch-conservative stances on issues such as gun control, was the star of counter culture sci-fi flicks of the late 60's and early 70's: Planet of the Apes, Soylent Green, and this classic, The Omega Man.

"The Man" has screwed up and destroyed mankind with his weapons of mass destruction. All that remains is a scientist (Heston) who discovered a vaccine against the deadly virus that has either killed people or turned them into mutant psychopaths. Also alive are a handful of children and a couple of adult free spirits; but unless they are vaccinated they will turn into mutants with time. ("Don't trust anyone over 30!") Can the Omega Man use his blood as a vaccine to save what is left of mankind? Can the Omega Man survive the night when all the mutants come out to try and kill him?

This is a fun movie! Sure "The Omega Man" is dated; but that is part of its charm: the music, the clothes, and those afros. Some parts are priceless such as sight of Chuck Heston watching the movie "Woodstock" and knowing all the dialogue by heart. Or a black mutant trying to convince the head mutant, Anthony Zerbe, to allow him to use artillery to blast Heston out of his "honky paradise." (On a serious note: This movie did feature one of the first interracial movie romances in which race is considered inconsequential.) Heston is at his hammy best here, and he does utter his trademark line: "Oh, my God!" The ending is a hoot with Chuck as Christ- "The blood of the new and everlasting covenant. It will be shed for you and for all so that sins may be forgiven."

"I was like Charleton Heston in "The Omega Man." Beauty movie, eh?"- Strange Brew

chuck heston battles zombie cultists!!
why are you still reading this?! chuck heston battles zombie cultists!! it don't get no better than that! order this NOW!

"the conclusion of all our yesterdays"
Based on Richard Matheson's "I Am Legend", which was recommended to Charlton Heston by Orson Welles, and one that Heston was inspired to make into a film, is a truly creepy sci-fi/horror classic. Heston is marvelous as Colonel Robert Neville, a scientist who is immune to the plague that resulted from biological warfare, due to an experimental vaccine he injected himself with.

The survivors infected with the plague are hooded mutants that cannot see in the daylight, and are bent in destroying all the attributes of civilization that remain on earth, crying "burn, burn, burn !" as they pile books in a fiery heap. Their leader is a former news anchor played to the hilt by Anthony Zerbe, who warns the zombie "Family" of the evil created by the "users of the wheel".
It is all quite thought-provoking, and has several connotations to terrorism today, and also has symbolism relating to Christianity; at one point Heston is tied up in a crucifixion pose, and his blood, turned into a serum, can save the remnant of humanity. There are a few reminders from the Book of Revelation, where of course, Jesus said "I am the Alpha and Omega".

Rosalind Cash is lovely as Lisa, one of the remnant hiding in the hills, and her relationship with Heston is a rare instance of an interracial love affair from that era. Films from the 1970s fascinate me, with the hair and fashion styles, and 8-track tapes in the cars.
This film has fabulous cinematography by Russell Metty of a deserted, devastated Los Angeles, a good score by Ron Granier, and fast-paced, disquieting direction by Boris Segal that will occasionally make your heart skip a beat with fright.
Total running time is 98 minutes.

Not so funny these days
Although intended as an alegory about conflict between rationality and mysticism, it seemed a little hokey to me for years. Now that the possability of someone concocting and releasing something like air-borne Ebola in Manhattan is a real cocern and not just a bad sci-fi dream, this really creeps me out.

Given the lines, budget and 70's dialog to work with Heston diplays his craft. He carries the movie. If the producers had saved some money and put a B-grade actor in the lead this would be limited to after-midnite re-runs. ... Read more

Reviews (16)

WAYNE'S BEST ACTING.
Wayne is ruthlessly overlooked for this one, a heartache similar to the fate of The Big Lebowski. Its one of those sad mysteries of life; one of the truly great, last, and forgotten westerns. If you read enough Leonard Maltlin, you really start to wonder if he was raised by Quakers. Rooster Cogburn is a fast-paced actioner with accessible, beautifully embellished characters. Its not best picture material the way The Outlaw Josey Wales couldnt have been---not enough "morality" spoon-fed in even bites.
Hearing Wayne say,(in an overlooked line by most, I'll bet)"Don't worry son, they'll pay for it," brings tears to my eyes. It throws me back to my childhood memory of what Wayne represented: There's good guys out there you just don't want to mess with. Wayne fuses all his elements to create this masculine, wise, clever, experienced, tenacious, hard dinking, yet respected federal lawman like none ever seen. This time he's got a real director to back him up.
There are incredible lines, as funny as they are character-building:

SCENE:
(Wayne and Hepburn, recently stealing their supplies, are surrounded at night by Jordan, Zerbe and the rest of the bad guys/murderous white trash.)

Richard Jordan, as HAWK:(YELLING) "You may have the gatlin' gun, but you ain't got the know-how to use it!"

Wayne: (to Hepburn) "Deputy,... show-em'"
(Hepburn cranks the gatlin-gun, scattering their startled enemies in the dark, causing destruction. stops.)

Wayne: (with a fierce grin, hilariously sarcastic, yelling)
"AAAIIIN'T THAT THE WAY IT WORKS, HAWK!?!?!?!?!"

Dull plot, wasted superstars
What a tragedy that Hollywood was able to unite two of the powerhouse superstars of cinema in one movie, but then saddle them with a plodding, boring and utterly pedestrian script. The chemistry between Wayne and Kate Hepburn is palpable and their scenes together are a joy to watch. But there are too few of such scenes to justify repeated viewings or to classify this movie as anything but average and a spent opportunity.

Hepburn is miscast as a crotchety, virginal spinster who pines in her heart for the Duke, but is too repressed to act on her instincts. The Duke's reprisal of Rooster Cogburn is interesting, and he delivers an excellent performance, but the script fails him time and again. Ultimately it's frustrating to watch two great stars wallow in this banal plot. One interesting element in the DVD version is the gorgeous Rogue river scenery which seems to come to life in this format.

John Wayne and Katharine Hepburn stand toe to toe
Sometimes a multitude of wrongs can come out right. Hollywood has a penchant for making sequels to successful films, so when John Wayne finally won an Oscar for his performance in "True Grit." Wayne played Rooster Cogburn, a fearless, one-eyed U.S. marshal who never knew a dry day in his life. Fortunately Hollywood waited six years before making this 1975 sequel. However, at that point they not only hired a novice screenwriter, actress Martha Hyer ("First Men in the Moon"), they let her rip off "The African Queen" and turn it into a western. Fortunately, they hired Katharine Hepburn to play opposite the Duke.

That is what "Rooster Cogburn" comes down to, the chance for John Wayne and Katharine Hepburn to do scenes together; it also explains why the film is also known as "Rooster Cogburn and the Lady." Hepburn plays Rose Sayer, no, wait, I mean Eula Goodnight, who is the daughter of a minister (Jon Lormer) instead of the brother of a missionary. The gospel is still being brought to the natives, except this time we are set in the Cascades of Oregon rather than the jungles of Africa. The bad guys are now a gang of thieves led by Breed (Anthony Zerbe) and Hawk (Richard Jordan), instead of Nazis, and this time they gun down the minister. So when Rooster comes along to track them down and bring them to his brand of justice, Eula insists on going along.

The plot is predictable in terms of the outcome and familiar when Kate and the Duke end up on the water. But there is fun to be had in these two standing toe to toe, but not jaw to jaw, and going at it. "To whom do you think you are speaking," she intones frostily. "You is to whom I think I am speaking, sister," he shoots back. She allows that he is bigger than she is, but only physically. He observes in this situation that should be enough and they continue to have great fun with the dialogue. Wayne has great fun hamming it up and Hepburn enjoys having an actor big enough to stand up to her assault.

The stories from the set were that the two great stars had great fun making this movie. Their politics were at opposite ends of the spectrum so they just avoid the topics and enjoyed being in each other's company. Wayne was playing a character he had done before in a movie, but then Hepburn's character is instantly recognizable as well, even if the name is different. The names do not matter. They can call them "Rooster Cogburn and the Lady," but it is the Duke and Kate, and their fans will not be disappointed by their time together.

Nearly as good as True Grit
While this film has more of a tv western feel to it than film #1 did it still totally clicks. It is, like True Grit, a bit of a true story as Judge Isaac Parker who appears in both did exist. Wayne and Hepburn have fine chemistry and the rest of the cast is faultless. Zerbe especially. Good, believable action too. I'm sorry but I feel I should point out an inconsistency or two with True Grit. Judge Parker is played by a different man here and his court room is small and doesn't call to mind the giant court room he had in the first film. Also, Chin Lee is a different guy here too. And the cat of Cogburn's,General Sterling Price, is still alive after all these years?

ausome
this movie is one of my favorates by my favorate actor John Wayne this sequal of the movie True GRIT IS BETTER BY A 3 ON A SCALE OF ONE TO 10 ALTHOUH YOU MAY LIKE TRUE GRIT BETTER BECAUSE ITS ROBER DUVALLS FIRST FILM I THINK AND JOHN WAYNE WON BEST ACTOR FOR IT ... Read more

Reviews (172)

One of the Series Best!
I have seen where a few critics have down-graded this movie and that is a shame as "License to Kill" has a lot going for it. The concept of Bond as a rogue was a refreshing change, and one of the best concepts in any of the Bond films. Essentially, the plot goes as follows: A renown drug dealer Sanchez (Robert Davi) is arrested in Miami with help of the DEA and Felix Leiter (Bond's CIA contact and good friend). Following the arrest, Felix gets married. Sanchez escapes and commits a brutal act of revenge before returning to Isthmus City. James Bond (Timothy Dalton), determined to take Sanchez down, enlistes Pam Bouvier (Carey Lowell) to help him. One problem for Bond is that Sanchez is well guarded and has numerous contacts. Bond will have to have to be careful in infiltrating Sanchez. The other problem is that he is now a rogue agent, having his license to kill revoked by the British government.

The only real weak points of this movie would be the occasional weak acting from Talisa Soto (Sanchez's girlfriend), and a little bit more swearing than some of the other bond films, but many other elements more than make up for these two minor shortcomings.

Timothy Dalton is superb as James Bond. Dalton is a great, capable actor, and he is perfect for the movie and its concept. Dalton did a superb job and this is a key factor to the success of the film. As a side note, Dalton needed to make a change in the approach from Roger Moore, just as Moore needed to make a change from Connery. This change between actors is important, otherwise comparisons are made, and usually it is the incumbent who loses (in the minds of the general audience). Dalton did the right thing by changing the Bond to a darker persona. The contrast is important because of Roger Moore's 12-year tenure as Bond, which spread over seven films. Carey Lowell makes a very capable Bond woman as it nice to see a tough woman pairing up with Bond. The central villain, Sanchez, is very strong and well acted -- and also a nice change away from villains who want to destroy the world. Benicio Del Toro and Anthony Zerbe are well cast and well-acted as Sanchez's henchmen. Also, it was nice to see Q, played by the late Desmond Llewelyn, get more to do than his usual brief cameo or two. He certainly deserved it and rose to the challenge admirably. It was also nice to see David Hedison return to play Felix Leiter (he previously played Leiter in "Live and Let Die").

Other elements that make this a very enjoyable, memorable Bond film to watch are the location work, great special effects, and great stunts. The stunts with the semi-trucks toward the end are great fun! Michael Kamen's score adds a lot to the movie as well.

VHS or DVD? The VHS version simply contains the movie. The DVD version is a special edition that includes two different audio commentaries which let you watch the movie and hear commentary by some of the cast and production members. They comment about the actors, work on the set, the scenes, and how certain scenes were shot/created. Two music videos are included: "License to Kill" by Gladys Knight is the opening theme, and "If You Asked Me To" by Patti LaBelle marks the closing theme. A promotional feature on the stunt footage at the climax and a documentary on the film itself are also included. Finally, two theatrical trailers and a photo galary with over 100 stills are included.

If you are a fan of the Bond series, I highly recommend this movie, and the same goes toward Timothy Dalton and spy/action movie fans. This movie is also included in the first volume of a Bond Collector's set. If you like extra features, I would recommend the DVD. Overall, I happen to think that "License to Kill" is one of the best Bond movies. Major re-evaluation required.

[Darn] shame Dalton STILL isn't playing Bond....
I loved The Living Daylights, and feel that, with this movie, Dalton was, without a doubt, the best replacement for Connery as 007 so far! He had Connery's look, the purposefulness, mixed with a softheartedness when it came to action and the ladies respectively. He was a DEFINITE improvement over the bland, too-pretty Rogie Moore. (I wonder how many Brits made light of that first name!) "License" takes an unresolved issue from "Daylights": the fact that Bond didn't destroy that opium shipment that the Afghanis were going to ship to the West, and finally does something, as he destroys a major cocaine kingpin's operation in a vendetta to avenge the maiming and death of his friends Felix and Della Leiter. Bond goes undercover, posing pretty much as what he is, a FORMER British agent, after he quits MI6 over his attitude toward the Leiter incident. The villain, Franz Sanchez, in fact, is RESPONSIBLE for the death of Leiter's wife and the mangling of Leiter himself, since Leiter was responsible for Sanchez' capture.

Along the way, Bond runs into an old associate of Felix', played by Carrie Lowell, and together, they work their way into Sanchez' organization, which is fronted by a bogus religious organization and the Bond luck works its magic from there.

This is probably the third best of the Bond movies, along with "Goldfinger" and "Daylights" and the series lost a good Bond in Dalton, who was actor enough to give the character the dimension it needed after FIFTEEN YEARS of Roger Moore's Matt-Helm-ization of the franchise. In some ways, he was actually better than Connery.

BIG improvement over Roger Moore
Moore simply could not make Bond seem real. Perhaps it was the appearance (blond hair) or his - how to say this politiely - advancing years in which some of the babes appear as daughters rather than gal pals. Dalton was great. It was different in that Bond was not on a government-sanctioned mission but a personal vendetta. It was exciting and yes, violent, but it did reinstill some much-needed reality back into the series. With Moore, everything - from plot to dame to prize - was a joke. Here one realizes that the spy game is more than a game - it is dangerous and dirty. Great villians but the romance side was rather weak despite the lurid (for Bond) scenes.

Super performance by Wayne Newton!!

Not Your Average Bond Again
I loved this story. Unlike the other Bond films, it is more like an action drama then an action adventure. Dalton's performance is again wonderful and real. The apperence of Q on the battle field is priceless.

Effective immediately - your LICENCE TO KILL is revoked!
The 16th James Bond movie. Producer Albert R. Broccoli and screenwriters Richard Maibaum and Michael G. Wilson had nearly 30 years of success behind them with 15 smashing James Bond adventures. For the next film a major challenge was faced in inventing a new story with a darker, hard-edge, and sense of danger in the character of 007! For this an epic tale of revenge, passion, and greed set a blueprint of the South American drug trade. The idea of James Bond being thrusted out of his Secret Agent Spy network, licence to kill revoked, and setting foot on a journey of revenge against the drug lord villain and his henchman. This, plus many explicit scenes, would qualify this the first James Bond film to receive a PG-13 rating. A spectacular supporting cast includes Carey Lowell and Talisa Soto as the essential beautiful Bond girls, and LIVE AND LET DIE's David Hedison returning as Felix Leiter, and many surprise appearances by popular stars today in the making. Also featured is a thrilling Michael Kamen score, and exotic locations in Key West, Mexico, Acapulco and Vera Cruz. This would be the final James Bond screenplay from Richard Maibaum, who passed away in 1991. A true Summer blockbuster, LICENCE TO KILL proves you just can't keep a good 007 series down, but why would you want to?

THE ASSIGNMENT: For the first time since ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE, there is no official assignment for Bond to undertake. After the arrest of drug kingpin Franz Sanchez in the Bahamas, Bond's good friend Felix Leiter is happily wed to his bride Della Churchill. Tragedy strikes when Sanchez escapes from prison with help from a traitorous FBI Agent and his fellow henchman. Della is murdered, and Felix horribly mutilated from being tortured in a shark-infested tank. M is aware of Bond being personally involved with Felix and Della, and takes Bond off the case. When Bond refuses, M has no alternative but to ask 007 to submit his licence to kill and weapons. Bond defiantly continues his investigation and determination to bring Sanchez down. Now a private citizen with a personal vendetta, his acting outside the secret service results in British, American, and Hong Kong services on his trail. The consequences can be dangerously unexpected!

THE VILLAINS: Robert Davi as Franz Sanchez, Anthony Zerbe as Milton Krest, Everett McGill as Killifer, Wayne Newton as Professor Joe Butcher, Anthony Starke as Truman-Lodge, Benicio del Toro as Dario, Don Stroud as Heller, Alejandro Bracho as Perez, and Guy de Saint Cyr as Braun.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! BUY IT! ... Read more

Reviews (38)

One of McQueen's finest
Papillon is a great movie based on fact that contains many scenes that will stick with you for a long time. Henri Charierre is a safecracker framed for the murder of a pimp and sent to French Guiana, the prison system in South and Central America. Along the way, Papillon meets counterfeiter Louis Dega played to perfection by Dustin Hoffman. The two men struggle to survive amidst the horrible conditions in the prisons. However, the only thing that keeps Papillon alive is the thought of escape and freedom. This is a very bleak movie, at times you might not even recognize McQueen with all the makeup, but the ending does offer hope. The scenes of Papi's solitary confinement and the hallucinations he has while there are very effective and not easily forgotten. Also, the film decides to show prison life as it is. This is not a whitewashed version of it, but instead a fairly graphic depiction of the horrors of the French prison system. Nonetheless, this is still an excellent movie that will keep you interested throughout.

Papillon is up there with The Sand Pebbles as Steve McQueen's finest performances. His role as Henri "Papillon" Charierre is fully believable as he attempts over and over again to escape to freedom. Dustin Hoffman is just as good as Louis Dega, the prisoner who hires McQueen to protect him. The two become friends as they try to adjust to their new lives. The friendship between the two men is very good and some of the better parts of the movie involve their relationship. Don Gordon plays Julot, a veteran prisoner who tries to help them adjust. Robert Deman and Woodrow Parfrey are also very good as Maturette and Clusiot, two fellow prisoners who attempt escape with Papillon. I have to add about Jerry Goldsmith's very good score that perfectly fits the film. The DVD offers a widescreen presentation that looks great, a documentary made during filming that contains interviews with cast, crew, and even Henri Charierre, and also the theatrical trailer. This is a very dark movie, but it is still a great character study that never really slows down. McQueen fans will love this classic!

A Great Prison Escape Film
Franklin J. Schaffner felt that the obligation of motion pictures is to entertain, it's as basic as that, and that is exactly what Papillon does. It is also a movie that really triggers your emotions from start to finish. I feel this is one of Steve McQueen's best acting roles. It was probably the most physically demanding and emotionally challenging role of his career. Dustin Hoffman is simply magnificent as Louis Dega, a role that demonstrates how versatile the actor really can be. It eventually earned him a best supporting actor nomination. Unfortunately, McQueen was overlooked by the Academy that year. Another example of their stupidity!!

The film is emotionally draining, but I find myself watching this film time and time again because of its portrayal of one man's quest to gain his freedom no matter what it takes. Freedom always comes at a price. It is not something that is handed to us or exists freely. It must be earned and that is exactly what his character does by the time the credits role on this film. The viewer will not believe what the character of Papillon had to endure to gain his freedom. The trials he goes through are unforgettable and often left me wondering if I would persevere if I had to undergo the trials he faced.

For me, Steve McQueen is one of those actors who really has a great on screen presence. I will almost always watch a movie just because he appears in it, good or bad. Papillon is no exception. Although Papillon is a character driven film, the movie must be viewed for more than just the characters. It also has wonderful cinematography, direction and a memorable, and at times haunting, musical score by Jerry Goldsmith. It is right up there with the best of the prison escape films.

Henri Charrière, the real life Papillon and author of the novel, talked about society and his real life experiences in this way:

"Society does not want free men. They talk freedom, democracy, anything you want, but they do not want free men. Society wants conditioned men, men who march in step." It's up to the viewer to agree or disagree with that statement while viewing the film.

I highly recommend you watch this film today!

Compelling in every respect
Steve McQueen stars as "Papillion" a French safe-cracker whose butterfly tattoo earned him the title nickname. Framed up on a murder charge he is packed off to the infamous Devils Island prisoner colony. On the ship over he meets Dustin Hoffman, a notorious counterfitter with the means (money) to stay alive but not the muscle to back him up, that is where McQueen comes in. Papillion however has a single-minded outlook on life - freedom. He quickly devises escape plans by any means possible. The settings are exotic, the stories of friendship heart-rendering, the brutality of the prison shocking, the stories of escape, attempt, capture, escape, defiance and the soaring human spirit timeless. Simply a classic of cinema that will stand the test of time, could have been made yesterday and been a blockbuster smash.

One of the greats!!
I dont normally take the time to write these reviews... but this is one of the best movies I have ever seen. The struggle these guys have to go through is monumental. This is a must see. I have watched this many times and it never gets old!

A great escape
A movie that made a big impression on me in my early teens, "Papillon" holds up surprisingly well on DVD. The picture and sound quality are more vivid than they ever were on VHS tape (although the vividness also has its drawbacks--a brief "storm at sea" scene during one of the escape sequences looks much more artificial than it did on the big screen 30 years ago), and the star turns of Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman are as vivid as they first seemed. The movie's depiction of life and death in France's South American prison camps looks as harrowing and grim as it did when the movie was in theatres.

Yet even as a teenager I had a couple of qualms about the movie--namely, that it didn't follow the book closely enough (and would have been better characterized if it did), and how did Hoffman's character magically regenerate a limb that developed gangrene and apparently had to be amputated? Over the years, despite my nostalgic soft spot for this flick, I've also come to wonder whether a younger actor would have been more appropriate for the role than the 40-ish McQueen (Henri Charriere, on whose memoirs the movie was based, described himself as a young-looking 25 when he was shipped off to the French prison camps), and whether a more gritty approach wouldn't have been more appropriate. The movie is pretty violent for a PG rating (it would probably be PG-13 today), but even with slashings, shootings, stabbings and an execution by guillotine (in close-up, no less), it's somewhat prettified by those grand, leisurely camera moves that were favored by director Franklin J. Schaffner.

On the other hand, I've also got something of a soft spot for those grand, leisurely camera moves, which now seem like relics of an age in which filmmakers didn't assume their audiences suffered from attention-deficit disorder.

In passing, a TV documentary from a few years ago about the French penal colonies (it may have aired on the Discovery Channel or the History Channel) questioned whether Charriere's description of his years as a prisoner was factual. Apparently, none of the former prisoners or guards interviewed could remember a guy named Papillon who managed to escape from Devil's Island. So maybe any questions about the movie's accuracy are moot. ... Read more

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Star Trek fans were decidedly mixed in their reactions to this,the ninth big-screen feature in Paramount's lucrative Trek franchise, but die-hard loyalists will appreciate the way this Next Generation adventure rekindles the spirit of the original Trek TV series while combining a tolerable dose of New-Agey philosophy with a lighthearted plot for the TNG cast. This time out, Picard (Patrick Stewart) and his executive crew must transport to a Shangri-la-like planet to see why their android crewmate Data (Brent Spiner) has run amuck in a village full of peaceful Ba'ku artisans who--thanks to their planet's "metaphasic radiation"--haven't aged in 309 years.

It turns out there's a conspiracy afoot, masterminded by the devious, gruesomely aged Ru'afo (F. Murray Abraham, hamming it up under makeup resembling a cosmetic surgeon's worst nightmare), who's in cahoots with a renegade Starfleet admiral (Anthony Zerbe, in one of his final screen roles). They covet the fountain-of-youth power of the Ba'ku planet, but because their takeover plan violates Starfleet's Prime Directive of noninterference, it's up to Picard and crew to stop the scheme. Along the way, they all benefit from the metaphasic effect, which manifests itself as Worf's puberty (visible as a conspicuous case of Klingon acne), Picard's youthful romance with a Ba'ku woman (the lovely Donna Murphy), the touching though temporary return of Geordi's natural eyesight, and a moment when Troi asks Dr. Crusher if she's noticed that her "boobs are firming up."

Some fans scoffed at these humorous asides, but they're what make this Trek film as entertaining as it is slightly disappointing. Without the laughs (including Data's rousing excerpt from Gilbert & Sullivan's HMS Pinafore), this is a pretty routine entry in the franchise, with no real surprises, a number of plot holes, and the overall appearance of a big-budget TV episode. As costar and director, Jonathan Frakes proves a capable carrier of the Star Trek flame--and it's nice to see women in their 40s portrayed as smart and sexy--but while this is surely an adequate Trek adventure, it doesn't quite rank with the best in the series. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (393)

Is This Supposed To Be A Film? Write A Good Film For Once!!
Granted this film had the best morals and provoking thoughts than any film to date but who does paramount think they are making this cheese wagon of a film and trying to pass it off for a movie? Everyone associated with star trek need to be fired away from it except for ira stephen behr as someone wrote earlier who made ds9 one of t.v.'s greatest series. Yes folks-special effects have a lot to do by making a movie or episode entertaining-and so do battles in space or on the ground. People like war-look at 2, 6, and 8- duh! the best films in th series. As for Paramounts plans to dump all of the current casts for the next movie and series, dont do it or you will kill off whats left of your fan base. I had so much expectations for this film especially when i saw the trailers-- and now I cant forgive paramount for disappointing me so badly. Well- Jar Jar Episode 1 wasn't all that good either but at least it was entertaining unlike Trek 8 with its "here take this humor and like it no matter what" attempt at comedy. Action? What action? And what the heck is the deal with the Joystick Frakes?! Talk about embarassing to be a trek fan! If Voyager doesnt come around like DS9 Did in its 3rd season this upcoming Fall- I'm a Trek fan no more. Heres a story idea Paramount: Borg/Dysons Sphere/Dominion/make like Starwars and destroy the Federation and bring it back stronger than ever in a 125year later from the current timeline movie. Duh!! and Paramount, get rid of Berman and Moore and Braga- they ruined this saga and so are you if you dont wake up!!!!

Lighten up, fellow Star Trek fans!
In a TV series, especially a sci-fi series, you expect a certain number of shoot-em-up shows. You expect to see our heroes conquer evil aliens while overcoming seemingly impossible odds. but will someone please show me where in the rulebook it says every show should be about this? Some of the original series and TNG's best shows were about political, romantic, and/or humorous exploits of our favorite characters. "The trouble with Tribbles" is almost always in a listing of the top 5 shows whenever TV guide or simply a group of trekkies talk about their favorites, and "The city on the edge of Forever" won a Hugo for crying out loud and neither one of them were slashed with phaser fire. Yes, Insurrection may have been a little uneven in spots plotwise but I've not seen any you could drive a semi through. And the central theme of the displacing of a small group of people to satisfy the demands of a larger group as being a terrible injustice as well as a clear violation of Trek's prime directive is right on par with the overall vision of Star Trek. I don't think Roddenberry will turn over in his grave because of this one and neither should a true Trek fan get all disappointed just because the Borg, the Romulans, the Dominion or any other "traditional" Star Trek villian is not involved. In fact, I think this film breaks the so-called legacy of "odd-numbered" trek films being not so good as "even-numbered" films. No, Insurrection is no "Wrath of Khan" but it is a solid entry in the series. After all, Johnathan Frakes himself said they wanted to have to have some fun with this one and I think they accomplished that while still making an entertaining movie that lives up to Star Trek's ideals.

STAR TREK Lightens Things Up A Bit, To Mixed Results...
For STAR TREK: INSURRECTION (1998), unfortunately famous for Data saying the ultimate cheesy one-liner, "Lock & Load" (*cringe*), Jonathan "Two-Takes" Frakes, back in the director's chair, makes the atmosphere decidedly lighter. That's a good thing; however, after all is said and done in this, the ninth installment in the legendary STAR TREK film saga (and the third one featuring the "Next Generation" cast of characters), there is really not much meat on the bone. In this episode, which begins jarringly with a sudden murderous rampage by a malfunctioning android Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner, in not one of his finer moments as an actor here), the crew of the Enterprise "E" have beamed down to Planet Ba'ku and rather quickly become familiar with the peaceful residents of this planet. This planet is nicknamed "Paradise," correctly so because it has magical regenerative powers which prevent its people from aging and dying. These people, numbering only 600, are peaceful and seem to have a kind of neo-religious quality to their personalities, as they live in total harmony with nature and openly reject any kind of technology. (This leads to what is probably the best scene in the entire movie, as the Enterprise is revealed to be camouflaged to blend in with the lush surroundings!)

Anyway, as Capt. Jean-Luc Picard (the always-wonderful Patrick Stewart) begins to get friendly with one of the eligible female Ba'ku residents, and Commander Will Riker (Frakes) and Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) get friendlier with each other (leading to a surprisingly sensual hot-tub scene), there is trouble brewing in Paradise: an incredibly ugly band of aliens known as the So'na, led by the especially monstrous Ru'afo (F. Murray Abraham), who intends to displace the peace-loving Ba'ku residents and take over the planet for themselves, so as to de-uglify themselves (I'm not making this up). Not only that, but they are given full authority to do so by a suspicious Federation admiral (Anthony Zerbe, in his final film role). Because this order clearly violates the Prime Directive (which forbids the interfering of any sovereign planetary civilization), this puts Capt. Picard & crew into a conundrum: do they follow orders like good little Starfleet soldiers or do they uphold the Prime Directive to protect these peacemongers? Put it to you this way: Based on the title alone, plus what you know about the Next Generation characters, what do you THINK they will do??? Duh...Lock & Load!!!

Jonathan Frakes had an obviously daunting task: following up the incredible STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT (1996), one of the very best in the entire STAR TREK film saga. STAR TREK: INSURRECTION looks really nice (the visuals are, once again, truly amazing), but alas, there is not really much to care about here. F. Murray Abraham is one of the finest actors of our time, but he must have really needed the money in order to agree to fill a role in which he's not only unrecognizable, but also the recipient of the worst movie makeover in recent big-screen history. STAR TREK: INSURRECTION is certainly not the worst STAR TREK film ever made (that honor would unquestioningly go to the William Shatner-directed misfire STAR TREK V: THE FINAL FRONTIER), but it's definitely not among the best. See it if you're a fan.

MODERATELY RECOMMENDED; AGES 10 & UP

It Takes Six...
The rule of odds and evens continues to apply in Star Trek Insurrection. Being the second true Next Generation film it is a must-see for fans.

The film opens with scenes on a tranquil, agricultural planet. Then things heat up as we run into Data and some Federation personnel. It seems they are observing the tranquil society in what is called Operation Duck Blind (the inhabitants don't know they are being looked at). From there we run into the rest of the main cast and the plot begins to develop. It involves a malfunction Data experiences while assisting at Operation Duck Blind that results in the mission being compromised.

As the crew of the Enterprise investigate what went wrong with Data they begin to raise more and more questions. As the main plot is revealed the crew must band together and stand up for what they feel is right. In the end the crew triumphs (did we really think it would be otherwise?).

This is really not a film for people who are not already fans of the show as it is the way the characters act and their personal interactions that makes the film so entertaining. Brent Spiner, Jonathan Frakes and Marina Sirtis seem to have a tremendously fun time with this film. Fans are treated to some great scenes of their favorite characters (although Gates McFadden was not particularly important). We even learn some more about Data's design and operation. But do not be misled by the title and the trailer, the scenes are all there but in the trailer they tell a much different story.

There are a few technical problems in the movie but you don't really think about them until afterwards. These include small things like not being able to count (claiming two slave races and showing three), the Federation is pretty stupid (giving membership to a race that has just managed warpdrive but only has been around for less than a hundred years, has only six members and seems to have better ships). There is the inevitable total ignorance of nebulae and what they are and just how not dense they are. But these are all minor things that don't jump out as the movie progresses.

So if you are a Next Generation fan and want to see the crew back together in a story that is really just a long, but very good, episode, then you really should take the opportunity to see this one. On a final note it passes Lynch's Law for a successful Next Generation episode in that it does not rely on techno-babble to drive or advance the plot but uses situation, character and emotion for fuel instead.

Star Trek Takes a Nap
Star Trek:
Insurrection

If your looking for a movie to watch in your spare time, Star Trek Insurrection is a decent movie but definitely not one of my favorites. Starring Patrick Stewart as Jean Luc Picard and directed by Jonathan Frakes, this movie goes face first into face stretching action,literally.

Though not as exciting as First Contact, it still provides the cheesy action of an old guy [ Jean Luc] climbing in dangerous places with a big phaser rifle shooting aliens. I think it's funny because in this movie, two gramps meet and fight to the finish. One's got a facial problem [the bad guy], the other a mental problem, what kind of 70 year old man would think himself strong enough to fight wars?

I might suggest this movie to people who like to watch people from a nursing home duke it out. They never learned not to play with guns either. It's pure entertainment for people that like to watch strange movies and laugh at them.

The camera work could have been better. Towards the end, it doesn't show much of the enemy ship, there isn't much of an inside of a ship to see though. The special effects were all right, but the phasers looked kind of fake to me.

One scene made the movie purely messed up to me. Jean Luc runs around an enemy ship firing a phaser, right after that he says, " If you fire your phaser, you risk igniting your ship, you wouldn't risk that would you?" [The guy he was chasing is one of the old gramps I mentioned earlier]. Isn't that stupidly cheesy?

I don't under stand why everybody except the captain always wears the same stuff. The captain wears a dress suit and regular clothes but the rest of the crew always wears the same old red suit. All the Ba'ku wear different stuff.

Star Trek Insurrection is rated PG-13. I say a lot of people would like this movie. For other people though, it gets really annoying.

Anomynous ... Read more

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The Dead Zone is based on a novel by Stephen King, directed byDavid Cronenberg (Scanners, The Fly) and produced by Debra Hill (Halloween, The Fog). Such a trio of horror vets would be expected to come up with an evening of shocks and gore, but The Dead Zone is a surprise. While it has great atmospheric eeriness and undeniably scary moments, The Dead Zone is at heart a sensitive and thoughtful portrayal of main character Johnny Smith's dilemma. Christopher Walken, king of the vaguely creepy, plays Smith, a man who awakens from a five-year coma with the very mixed blessing of second sight. At the mere touch of a hand, Smith is unwillingly launched into scenes of past and future terror. (Director Cronenberg is said to have fired blanks from a .357 Magnum just out of camera range to keep Walken's flinching spontaneous.) The Dead Zone wisely takes its time telling the story, and thus allows for some great performances. Walken gives a rich portrayal of the conflicted Smith, and Colleen Dewhurst and Tom Skerritt both do welcome turns in smaller roles. The most fun of all, though, is clearly being had by Martin Sheen, who gives a spirited performance as a complete sleazebag. --Ali Davis ... Read more

Reviews (66)

The PRINCE of KING'S Cinema translations!
First-off: I'm not a fan, but acknowledge Stephen King's preeminence among horror writers. Of half-dozen horror novels I've read, my favorite is NEEDFUL THINGS, a wicked Americanization of FAUST's legend. I've more enjoyed...because of eclecticism manifested....straying-off the path with THE RUNNING MAN onto THE GREEN MILE. King could use an editor however; his books aren't sold by the pound.

THE DEAD ZONE, in my estimate, is singular as King's movie masterpiece. Characterization carries the story from tragic beginning to sad, evocative climax. Phasers-not-on-stun master, David Croenberg...SCANNERS; VIDEODROME; THE FLY... deserves plaudits for restraining usual, often grotesque flamboyance. But the show "goes" with Chistopher Walken, playing JOHNNY SMITH. The "Dead Zone" refers to a faculty of Smith's brain...jolted into function by a near fatal car crash...that makes him CLAIRVOYANT.

The excellent cast includes Brooke Adams (as "lost" sweetheart);
Herbert Lom (as psychiatric mentor); Anthony Zerbe (as concerned parent of a reclusive son...Simon Craig...whom Johnny saves from drowning; Colleen Dewhurst (as devoted mother to the town's sexual predator and serial killer);
and Martin Sheen (as Greg Stillson: would-be President of the United States who...in perverse moment of ebulience in power... will start WW III in Nero-like act of self-glorification).

A complicated plot focuses on "blessing"/curse of psychic powers on Johnny. It approaches tragedy (DZ is not a "horror" story") because Walken is superb in refusing to "melodramatize" his most unwanted "celebrity" status as "Who wants to be Psychic?" hero. He hates the "freak quality" it confers; as well as having cost TRUE LOVE.
Again, I think the book was too long; King telegraphed Johnny's heroic confrontation with the American Anti-Christ. However
the film's pacing...particularly pursuing the serial killer...jolts. All...(sometimes Sheen is overly DEMON-strative as Prime Candidate of the Demagogue Community)...actors contribute qualities of NORMALCY King as writer so magnificently exploits to HORRIFY. Perhaps THE DEAD ZONE is really our USA still(son) pretending to be NORMAL when it isn't; with "President Greg" waiting (in THE WEST WING?) to prove it. Again: this is MOVIE KING...or at least crowned PRINCE of cinema efforts...

Intriguing Character-Driven Film
Johnny Smith (Christopher Walken), a young teacher, has been in a coma for the last five years as a result of a car accident. When he suddenly awakens, he finds that the world around him has completely changed. The love of his life, Sarah Bracknell (Brooke Adams) has married another and he has received the dubious gift of second sight. Johnny finds that when he touches another person, he can see their future. Distraught and unable to bear the ramifications of his gift, Johnny retreats into himself and lives alone in a small town in the country. He tutors children in his home to make ends meet and tries to avoid physical contact when at all possible. However, as opportunities to use his gift come up, Johnny finds that he cannot resist. First there is the rapist/murderer, then there is the young boys' hockey team falling through thin ice, and finally there is an obsessed politician (Martin Sheen). In the end, Johnny must make the choice between doing what is right or continuing to endure his bleak, loveless life...

Director David Cronenberg did a wonderful job adapting this Stephen King novel. It is not a horror story like many of King's books are, but a wonderful story about a man's inner landscape. Christopher Walken was fabulous as the self-tortured lead character and I felt that I knew exactly what he was going through, even though he never said anything. He was also ably supported by other actors, including a conflicted Brooke Adams as his love interest and Martin Sheen as a characteture of a smarmy politician who takes kissing babies to a whole new level. Shot almost entirely in a bleak, gray, cold winter, the settings were perfect for this film and really let you focus on the characters. A wonderful movie to curl up at night with.

The Best King Adaption!
John Smith (Walken) leads a humble, but fulfilling life as a teacher, has a sweet girlfriend and an all around normal life until, in his words: "God through and 18-wheeler at me." After a 5 year coma Johnny wakes up to find he knew is a different place and that he is a different person.

I've seen The Dead Zone in bits and pieces many MANY times on TV, but surprisingly never sat down and watched it from beginning to end. Well, one night I popped this baby in and realized what a dumbass I had been. The Dead Zone is simply an unforgettable thriller and quite possibly the best film based on a Stephen King novel. Our hero in this film is the everyman, a man who lives humbly and happily. A man with a lovely girlfriend and would-be wife who is respected in his community. Everything is good in his little world until one rainy night when he has a run in with a big truck that puts him in a coma for 5 years. When Johnny wakes up he finds the world has changed. His girlfriend is now married with child, his job is gone, and his body is shot. AND on top of that he can predict the future of those he touches. Mostly predicting death and destruction, but occasionally seeing the past. This new ability is considered a curse at first. As though God played a cruel trick on him, but after saving a little girl's life, solving a series of brutal murders, and saving a boy from drowning, Johnny considers his gift a blessing.

Just as Johnny begins coming to grips with his abilities he meets Greg Stillson (Sheen), a candidate for a senator and very dangerous man who dreams of becoming president. After seeing some kind of Hitler-esque prophecy Smith sets out to change the future, even if he has to sacrifice himself.

The Dead Zone is of course based on the book by Stephen King and is directed by David Cronenberg who's best known for making sexually surreal thrillers. This is definitely Cronenberg's most straight forward and best film. Shot in the fall, covered in bleak gray skies, and snow, the atmosphere of The Dead Zone couldn't be more perfect. The small town adds a sense of isolation that forces Smith to take digs at a new location at the half way point of the film to get his back together. Cronenberg's usual bleakness is here, but in this film is means something is crucially needed not just for the sake of atmosphere.

Christpher Walken is riveting as Smith, one of his best performances. The tragic everyman, who didn't ask to be anything special, but when it came down to crunch time the guy wagered it all to save the many. A truly powerful exercise in selflessness. Brooke Adams is great as Smith's would-be wife, now torn between her feeling for him and her new love. Great performance! Martin Sheen is a good villain, but takes his character a bit over the top at times. Herbert Lom is good as Johnny's friend/slash doctor as well.

The Dead Zone can be looked upon as a depressing tragedy, but I don't consider it to be that way. The finale speaks volumes about selflessness, seizing your potential and not pissing away your true gifts. The finale while sad is more chilling and unforgettable, not a tragic fate, but a product of ultimate sacrifice.

The Dead Zone is simply a brilliant film, an unforgettable journey, and one of the most fulfilling films I've seen. A true classic and one film that deserves it's place in cinema history. Check it out!

Cronenberg in his best movie!
Exciting adaptation of the Stephen King novel . It turns around a man who uses physic powers to solve multiple murderers and perhaps avoiding the end of the world. Christopher Walken as always , perfect for the role. Cronenberg once more in one of his most challenging works, but he wins all the way. Notice this is a little crossroad of The Green Mile fifteen years after.

OH JOHNNY WHERE HAVE YE GONE?
David Cronenberg took a definite twist from his usual shock-laden films when he helmed THE DEAD ZONE. One of King's best books, this is also one of the best adaptations of his books. Beautifully filmed with an expert talented cast, THE DEAD ZONE is a heartbreaking look at Johnny Smith, a young man who loses five years of his life lying in a coma. When he awakens, the girl he planned to marry has already wed, and has a young son. He is physically handicapped and sentenced to a world he doesn't know or understand. Christopher Walken gives one of his finest performances as Johnny. Beautifully understated and poignantly touching, Walken creates a Johnny you will never forget. And what a fine cast he has to support him: Brooke Adams as his love Sarah who still loves Johnny but knows there is no hope for a future together with him; Martin Sheen as the preening, dangerous Senatorial candidate with a predicted itchy finger; Tom Skerritt as the frustrated sheriff who seeks Johnny's help; Colleen Dewhurst as the mother of a serial killer who knew his crimes; Herbert Lom as Walken's doctor and mentor, who tries to help Johnny adjust; Anthony Zerbe as the father who wants so much for his son to function normally in his world; and Nicholas Campbell as a deputy hiding a horrifying secret.
The stark winter landscapes add to the chill and there are horrors here, but they are the horrors of not belonging, of loving someone you can never have.
A brilliant film and a must for King affecionados and lovers of compelling psychological thrillers. ... Read more

Reviews (22)

One of Wilder and Pryor's best!
I saw this movie when it was in the theater in 1989. I liked it so much that I had to buy it on VHS. Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor star as two innocent guys-one deaf, one blind, and both are on the run for a murder they didn't commit! Add the wonderful talents of Joan Severance and Kevin Spacey, and you have the makings of one well scripted and very funny movie! Oh, and let's not forget Alan North as the police chief. The film's plot makes for a cops and robbers type of suspense. Of all of Gene Wilder's and Richard Pryor's works, "See No Evil, Hear No Evil" is as equally funny as "Silver Streak", which makes it a must buy!

Hilarious look at being handicapped
Has there ever been a greater pair than Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder? This may be their best movie ever! Anybody watching this movie can remember having a conversation like the one where Pryor and Wilder are pushing the polic car into the Arthur Kills ("you swear a lot" - Wilder "F--ing A I swear a lot" - Pryor) This lighthearted comedy will make you laugh until you need to change your drawers!

Harmless
* Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder have to be regarded as one of the
classic comedy teams of sorts. I was a fan of Pryor's ever since I
had the enforced opportunity -- while sweating in a barracks bay in
the middle of Texas during 1974 -- of virtually memorizing every word
of Pryor's album THAT N****R'S CRAZY while other members of my platoon
played it several times a night for a period of months. (Actually,
except for the monotony, I didn't mind: Pryor's skewering of
hopelessly square white people was not without justice, and was
balanced by a no-less-unjust and much more brutal skewering of his
brethren -- but I digress.) And though I am not a big Gene Wilder
fan, somehow he makes a perfect foil to Pryor.

In SEE NO EVIL, HEAR NO EVIL Pryor plays Wally, an excitable blind
man, who becomes extricated with Dave, a cranky deaf man played by
Wilder. Through a series of coincidences, the two are implicated in a
murder, and must cooperate to clear themselves and bring the real
killers to justice.

Now, anybody who has ever studied the least amount of statistics
(which roughly describes the level of my knowledge on that score)
knows that the distribution of almost anything follows what is called
a "normal" curve: there's a few things on the low end, there's a few
things on the high end, and there's a big bulge in the middle. This
movie falls clearly into the bulge. What can I say about a movie that
I can't have the pleasure of getting excited about or the satisfaction
of taking an axe to? Not that much.

To be sure, SEE NO EVIL has its fine moments -- a lunatic fistfight
scene is good for some very big laughs -- but there are slow moments
as well -- a most improbable impersonation tries to be funny but
merely seems stupid. Pryor occasionally reaches a pitch of lunacy,
but while his foul mouth (which actually seems a little tame after
getting used to Eddie Murphy) is sometimes good for a laugh, at other
times it seems ... well, foul. The plot is a thrown-together
contraption that adds no interest to the movie. (I think they must
have a computer program that generates such plots. Probably runs on a
kiddie PC.) It's a bit sad to put give such stars as Pryor and
Wilder such a weak vehicle.

In summary, what can I say about this movie? The HITCH-HIKER'S GUIDE
TO THE GALAXY had the right description in a single word: HARMLESS.
[Minor update of review from 1989.]

Simply The Best!!!!
One of the funniest movies I have seen in a long time! Pryor and Wilder are golden in this one of a kind comedy. Joan Severance has to be one of the hottest women in Hollywood!

A Dynamic Duo
This is, without a doubt, one of the funniest films I've ever seen. It walks the line between clever and juvenile as far as humor goes, but what a flick! Pryor and Wilder's chemistry is fantastic, as usual. These two have got to be the best comedy duo ever. They're both hilarious on their own. Sure, it might be a little un-pc to get laughs from handicapped characters, but I really don't think the film exploits that angle all too much. Most of the humor basically comes from alot of incidents of miscommunication. Richard Pryor's performance of the blind man is scarily realistic and well done. Wilder's once again the sarcastic wise guy he does so well. Most people have seen this before, but if you haven't, you shouldn't wait another minute. If you have seen it, see it again. Why not? ... Read more

Reviews (47)

i dont recommend seeing ths movie unless you are Irish
The Molly Maguires is a movie that takes place in 1876 on an American coal mining town. The movie stars Sean Connery and co-stars Richard Harris. Sean Connery plays an Irish coal miner by the name of Jack Kehoe. He is the leader of an underground mining terrorist group. Richard Harris plays Irish man by the name of James McKenna/McParlan. Who is hired as a detective to rat out the Molly Maguires. I think the movie was well thought out just did not appeal to me. With visual aid it totally explained what Irish work life was like when they got to Ameica.

CAUTION: Not to be treated as History
The spirit of the industrial boom times is captured, but not in a factual way. With some exageration, and with few facts in order, scenes from the past brought alive in an excellent manner. Totally worth owning if you like action/suspense! Sean Connery does an excellent job, as usual, as does the late Richard Harris. Rumor, with good source, has it that during the making of this film, Harris went to a Hazleton, PA bar and 'hit' on somebody's wife, and was punched out on the spot. Hazleton, PA, is also the childhood home of Hollywood great, Jack Palance.

......But don't treat this movie as the gospel truth - it's not even close.

Viewed with prior knowledge of the period is the best way to go. Once again, Hollywood misfires its facts. Amid the Industrial Revolution, Irish Catholic, in addition to several other ethnic groups (the Irish certainly not the only ones in the mines at the time), worked in horrid conditions when having a job anywhere in the world was an accomplishment, wages were slim, and rarely was there enough to save. If you can justify the shootings and murders of people in order to exonerate a secret society, masked by an organization (the Ancient Order of Hibernians) that was supposed to be humanitarian - for other Irish Catholics.

This movie is not an accurate portrayal of events, but certainly is entertaining, with a very good glimpse of what coal mining was like for many ethnic groups, including: English, Scots, Welsh, Polish, Italian, German, Bulgarian, and Hungarian individuals, not just Irish Catholics. Granted, Irish were mistreated, giving Molly Maguires, who definitely existed, a Saintly Status (which is what some people want to do), is truly ridiculous. They were hanged, caught by another very similar to their own background, in a court system somewhat flawed, red-handed, at a time when few had any tolerance for outlaws and the violence they forced on honest, hardworking communities from many diverse backgrounds. Glorify the Mollies if you must, but don't confuse them with heroes in an objective light and expect to be treated seriously. Read up on it, even the local Catholic Priests condemned them by name, "Molly Maguires," making themselves targets and getting brutally beat up for it. Irish Catholics themselves considered Molly Maguire violence outrageous acts.

Excellent portrayal of Irish gangs and "Shillelagh Law"
This film tells the true story of an Irish gang or 'faction' which was active in the American labour movement in themid to late 1800's. It was brought over from Ireland and further took root among the Irish coal miners of Pennsylvania. Several books have been written about the Molly Maguires, but to understand them in-depth, you need to get the books "Understanding The Molly Maguires", and "Irish Gangs And Stick-Fighting". Martin Scorcese's "Gangs Of New York" is also about Irish gangs like the Mollies, but films usually don't do full justice to this topic. Get this great, very entertaining movie, but for the whole story get the books mentioned above as well.

The Molly Maguires, fact or fiction
Having seen this film several times I was very impressed by the acting, particulary Sean Connery and Richard Harris. The Cinemtography was superb, after all James Wong How was easily one of the greatest Cinematographers of the 20th Century. The music was fantascic and Henry Mancini captured the flavor of the 19th Century Irish. However, even though the script as script was powerful and compelling, it was more fiction than fact. Why is it that script writers must take such liberties with history?
The so-called Molly Maguires, a name invented by the publisher of the Miner's Journal newspaper, were in fact a group of men who were fighting for fair conditions in the coal mines, honest pay for honest work. Many of the men, though certainly not all, hanged were, in fact, innocent of the crimes for which they were convicted. These brave men gave their lives for a movement that would eventually lead to the United Mine Workers of America. However, this being said, the movie is entertaining and certainly worth watching even if only to watch Connery, Harris and the beautiful Anjanette Comer.

A Socialist (...) Film
This film is loosely based on the historical Molly Maguires of Pennsylvania, a secret group of Irish immigrant criminals who terrorized the anthracite coal fields after the Civil War.

In this fictionalized film version, the Molly Maguires are sympathetically portrayed as victimized miners trying to start a labor union. As a matter of fact, however, most of the Molly Maguires who were hanged were not employed as miners, but as saloon-keepers and small-time politicians, and they were condemned by the real miner's union because of the terrorism and cold-blooded murders they committed. The screenplay author who wrote the script for this film and co-produced it, Walter Bernstein, was once a member of the American Communist Party and was blacklisted during the Hollywood red scare. The movie director, Martin Ritt, was also a blacklisted leftist. Be forewarned, this movie is essentially left-wing propoganda with little similarity to actual history. The cinematography and sets are excellent, and the soundtrack by Henry Mancini is very enjoyable. The acting of Sean Connery and Richard Harris, and the effectiveness of their "Irish brogues," are so-so. ... Read more