Amazon.com

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 (3)

Great movie for kids
We are fans of the original Thunderbirds series. We went to the movie with our children and were not disappointed. It was really very entertaining and exiciting. Our kids thought it was fantastic! All they wanted to do is play Thunderbirds for the next week. The movie is not some work of art and the middle of the show depicts teenagers coming of age-not award winning writing here. What it does have going for it is some good rescues, good digital effects, no guns fired at anyone, strong female characters that can kick some butt, good updates to the super rescue machines, and one scene with a hand reaching for a throttle control with wires clearly visible. Despite all this die hard original Thunderbirds fans may not may still complain-missing the cheesy supermarionation(?sp) effects. You must see this with kids 5-12 years old.

THUNDERTURD
I HAVE NOT ACTUALLY SEEN THIS MOVIE, BUT I AM A HUGE THUNDERBIRDS FAN. IT IS ONE OF THE ALL TIME BEST SHOWS (AFTER THE SIMPSONS) THE TRAILER LOOKS LIKE THEY JUST WANT TO MAKE MONEY BY BUTCHERING A CLASSIC SHOW. IF YOU WANT A GOOD THUNDERBIRDS MOVIE BUY THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO AND THUNDERBIRDS 6. IF YOU CANT, GO LOOK AT A PILE OF DIARREAH, IM SHURE IT WILL BE BETTER THAN THIS MOVIE.

One word: GAY!
OH puhhleeeaaaaazzzzzzzzzeeeee! This movie looked stupid from the first time i saw the trailer! I think the movie is about this loser (and ugly) kid in the future that "wants to be the hero" or something like that. Do NOT watch this movie. I haven't seen it and i already know FOR SURE that this'll FLOP like crazy!!!!! ... Read more

Amazon.com

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

Reviews (3)

Great movie for kids
We are fans of the original Thunderbirds series. We went to the movie with our children and were not disappointed. It was really very entertaining and exiciting. Our kids thought it was fantastic! All they wanted to do is play Thunderbirds for the next week. The movie is not some work of art and the middle of the show depicts teenagers coming of age-not award winning writing here. What it does have going for it is some good rescues, good digital effects, no guns fired at anyone, strong female characters that can kick some butt, good updates to the super rescue machines, and one scene with a hand reaching for a throttle control with wires clearly visible. Despite all this die hard original Thunderbirds fans may not may still complain-missing the cheesy supermarionation(?sp) effects. You must see this with kids 5-12 years old.

THUNDERTURD
I HAVE NOT ACTUALLY SEEN THIS MOVIE, BUT I AM A HUGE THUNDERBIRDS FAN. IT IS ONE OF THE ALL TIME BEST SHOWS (AFTER THE SIMPSONS) THE TRAILER LOOKS LIKE THEY JUST WANT TO MAKE MONEY BY BUTCHERING A CLASSIC SHOW. IF YOU WANT A GOOD THUNDERBIRDS MOVIE BUY THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO AND THUNDERBIRDS 6. IF YOU CANT, GO LOOK AT A PILE OF DIARREAH, IM SHURE IT WILL BE BETTER THAN THIS MOVIE.

One word: GAY!
OH puhhleeeaaaaazzzzzzzzzeeeee! This movie looked stupid from the first time i saw the trailer! I think the movie is about this loser (and ugly) kid in the future that "wants to be the hero" or something like that. Do NOT watch this movie. I haven't seen it and i already know FOR SURE that this'll FLOP like crazy!!!!! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Even-numbered Star Trek movies tend to be better, and this one (#8 in the popular movie series) is no exception--an intelligently handled plot involving the galaxy-conquering Borg and their attempt to invade Earth's past, alter history, and "assimilate" the entire human race. Time travel, a dazzling new Enterprise, and capable direction by Next Generation alumnus Jonathan Frakes makes this one rank with the best of the bunch. Capt. Picard (Patrick Stewart) and his able crew travel back in time to Earth in the year 2063, where they hope to ensure that the inventor of warp drive (played by James Cromwell) will successfully carry out his pioneering warp-drive flight and precipitate Earth's "first contact" with an alien race. A seductive Borg queen (Alice Krige) holds Lt. Data (Brent Spiner) hostage in an effort to sabotage the Federation's preservation of history, and the captive android finds himself tempted by the queen's tantalizing sins of the flesh! Sharply conceived to fit snugly into the burgeoning Star Trek chronology, First Contact leads to a surprise revelation that marks an important historical chapter in the ongoing mission "to boldly go where no one has gone before." --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (224)

Star Trek Comes Of Age.
Jonathan Frakes is hands-down one of the best directors Star Trek has ever had. This talented man needs more work! Give the guy a big film, someone! If Spielberg is too busy to helm another 'Indiana Jones', then I respectfully suggest Mr Frakes. He does a fine job on 'First Contact' with a story that pays homage to Trek folklore. The cliches are all there; time travel, a threat to Earth and the existence of the Federation. But Frakes dances with the cliches instead of stepping on their toes. We have an exciting voyage that finally makes use of the big-screen potential of The Borg. There are only a couple of flaws to the story and the production itself. How does someone living in a virtual shanty-town build a starship in his back yard and why do the space battle scenes only last 55 seconds? Movies are supposed to give you what you CAN'T get from television. So why does the average TV episode of 'Deep Space Nine' have far more space battle action than a two hour big-budget film? Quibbles for sure, but worth noting anyway. This movie is well worth the money and effort but with the quality of the TV shows so relatively high it makes you wonder how much longer they excellent performances of the whole cast. And yay! Rock and Roll music finally gets some respect in Star Trek. To hear them tell it, you'd think that classical and jazz were the only forms of music in their century! And finally; have you ever noticed how many Star Trek films are based on, or have major scenes on the planet Earth? ALL OF THEM EXCEPT 'Insurrection'. For heavens sake, stay AWAY from the Earth and seek out those life forms and civilisations! How can Star Trek movies be so much about the Earth? Trek the STARS some more, guys.

A nice way to kick off the new series of films, but shallow
First Contact starts of with a major offensive against Earth by the Borg, and every Federation starship possible is involved, including the Defiant and the new Enterprise. But before they can be destroyed, the Borg travel back in time to 21st century Earth in the hope of changing the course of history in their favor. The Enterprise follows, and must make sure that the first contact with aliens takes place, or the Federation will never be founded, and the Borg will take the galaxy apart.

But what I did not like is that you did not get familiar with the new Enterprise as well as we should have. The ship represents the Star Trek franchise even better than Kirk. But we only get glimpses of it, no stats on it's performance, etc. Plus, the movie drags along. I have no problems with a slow movie, but this one just seemed to slow without much of plot or character development.

It is not a bad film, just not as good as Generations, or the Voyage Home. It is of course worth checking out, but not to buy. The only redeeming value is the astounding picture and sound on the DVD version.

The best of a mediocre "Next Generation" movie lot
The Next Generation movies in the Star Trek series, generally speaking, stink. Which is unfortunate, since in some ways the TNG series was better than the original Trek. However, the movies generally vary from pure cheese to holier-than-thou piffle.

First Contact is a good, fun movie overall, with pretty good effects shots and plenty of generally well-executed action. However, it also has some defects that can really get on your nerves.

-The plot is dumb. Time travel has been done to death in Trek, and is a real groaner when you realize that it is being done yet again.
-The movie beats into the ground the Star Trek plot gimmick of "we've found a mysterious energy field, let's duplicate it/follow it/etc." We've gone from the first Star Trek movie (crappy in other ways), which at least gave a nod to real science, to the end of TNG, where they just make up fake scientific-sounding B.S. AT WILL as a plot fix.
-Picard acting like Ahab from "Moby Dick" is way overdone, the worst acting by Stewart EVER. Pure scene-chewing cheese, and the PC bit of having the skinny black chick talk reason into him is just dumb and annoying, since she was a throw-away moron of a character. If you are going to be PC for no reason, at least have Geordi do it, we've established that LeVar Burton's character has a brain, and he can actually ACT, unlike what's-her-face.
-Making the Cochrane character such a total jerk was a BIG mistake. Yes, it was intentional, but it was a bad decision... it makes you hope he gets shot in the head instead of fulfill history, and makes the whole middle section of the movie drag.

Overall, however, it is a fun movie and the only TNG movie worth watching.

The Origin of Warp Drive
STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT is one the best of the Star Trek franchise. A nifty time travel story that includes an inventive origin story of humans first meeting with "Vulcans" (i.e. Mr. Spock) and using a major nemesis from the tv-series "the Borg". The "Next Generations" crew is on hand for an above-average adventure yarn along with a great character created as the point of origin, Zefram Cochrane played perfectly by James Cromwell (BABE, L.A. CONFIDENTIAL) along with Alfre Woodard (as Lily Stone) and finally a great villianous turn as the Borg Queen is Alice Krige (GHOST STORY). Director/starring Jonathan Frakes knows these characters very well and with many things going on at once, there is no sag in the storytelling and everything seems to be in sync. One aspect that the screen writers took into account was the toning down of Data's (Brent Spiner) "emotion chip" that was so annoying in the 'ST-GENERATIONS' film and the character is able to redeem himself as one of the heroes in the story. Enough can't be said of Patrick Stewart whose Picard is the glue that holds the movie/crew together. The scenes with he and Michael Dorn (as the Klingon Cmdr Worf) are some of the best. Overall, a Star Trek movie that holds its own to WRATH OF KHAN, THE VOYAGE HOME, and THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY due to some ingenious plot devices, great characters, good special effects, and excellent direction.

Quite Possibly The Greatest STAR TREK Film Ever Made!
STAR TREK - FIRST CONTACT (1996), being only the second film to feature the "Next Generation" characters---and the first one without any of the originals---is a masterpiece of suspense, drama and violence. Easily earning its PG-13 rating, this one deals with (as I'm sure all who are reading this know) the Borg attempting to conquer Earth by going back in time to prevent "first contact" between humans and Vulcans. Capt. Jean-Luc Picard (the wonderful Patrick Stewart), who had once been "assimilated" by the Borg, being renamed Locutus in the process, takes this particularly hard and makes it his professional duty as Captain of the Federation Starship Enterprise 1701-C, and his personal duty as a member of the human race, to stop the Borg from attaining its goal.

This entry in the series, directed by Jonathan Frakes (Commander Will Riker), is a full step-up from the original series, employing dazzling visual effects and taking on a decidedly darker tone than previous STAR TREK films. It also ramps up the dramatic tension big-time, as Capt. Picard is so deeply affected by his previous experience with the Borg; his hatred is not just for what the Borg collective is, it's also a result of what the Borg collective had made of him, if only briefly. Meeting him head-on in his anguished tension are an unlikely stowaway (the equally wonderful Alfre Woodard) and the unlikely inventor of the Warp Drive Dr. Zefram Cochrane (the inspired James Cromwell). Of course, series regulars Lt. Commander Worf (Michael Dorn), Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) and Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) are back in fine form, as are Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) and Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden). We even get a brief prize of a cameo appearance of The Doctor (Robert Picardo) from the "Star Trek: Voyager" series. But the one who really steals the show is the evil Borg Queen (Alice Krige), who slyly exudes mechanical sensuality even as she provokes danger and disdain (and perhaps disgust). Her kidnapping of the android Data and insinuation into his deep-seated desire to "become more human" makes for possibly the scariest scene in the entire movie.

STAR TREK - FIRST CONTACT combines an immense amount of elements in order to make its unified whole. The result is a stark, darkly brilliant film that comes close to sensory overload at times. True, Capt. Picard's climactic head-butting scene with the sharp-tongued stowaway Lily goes dangerously over-the-top at one point (and eventually would be parodied in the hilarious "Fingerbang" episode of "South Park"), but it STILL works. Everything else in this film does, too. Jonathan Frakes did a splendid job in creating the highest-budget STAR TREK film yet (a reported $80 million) in record time, earning himself the nickname "Two-Takes Frakes" from his fellow cast members and the admiration of a new generation of STAR TREK fans. Also, he earned well over the magical $100 million mark for film studio Paramount, making the studio moguls happy in the process! Unfortunately, he couldn't quite match this success with the next series installment, the lighter-toned STAR TREK - INSURRECTION (1998); however, with this film, Jonathan Frakes achieved something of a series masterpiece, of which he should always be proud. Don't get me wrong; I loved STAR TREK GENERATIONS (1994), but in STAR TREK - FIRST CONTACT, the "Next Generation" crew hold their own, and our complete undivided attention, for the nearly-two-hour film. This would easily be the greatest of the "Next Generation" movies, and quite possibly, the best in the entire franchise.

MOST RECOMMENDED ... Read more

Amazon.com

Who hasn't fantasized about being able to stop time and move thingsaround? A watch with this power drops into the hands of Zak (JesseBradford), a teenager who yearns for speed. He uses it to impressFrancesca (Paula Garces), the beautiful girl he's got a crush on, but soonthey both find themselves running from a government agency led by aruthless executive (Michael Biehn from The Terminator) who wantsthe watch at all costs. Clockstoppers suffers from a lack of anyinternal logic, but the basic idea fuels a reasonably swift story and somedecent special effects. The soundtrack is unusually strong, with popofferings from Blink 182, Sugar Ray, Smash Mouth, and others. Alsofeaturing French Stewart (Love Stinks) as a hapless scientist andJulia Sweeney (It's Pat, God Said "Ha!") as Zak's mother.--Bret Fetzer ... Read more

Reviews (34)

A Surprise Winner for Families!
We want more movies like this! Clean fun for older kids. We haven't seen anything this much fun for the whole family since "Back to the Future." It's the same kind of sweet, funny teen sci-fi adventure - Zak (nicely played by Jesse Bradford of Hackers, Bring it On) discovers a watch that stops time. Of course the bad guys want it back.

Director Jonathan Frakes (better known as Commander Riker on Star Trek) displays the touch that made Star Trek such a hit - believable characters and great stories that don't resort to cynicism or slime to deliver their impact. Plenty of action (the stunt biking had my son yelling with satisfaction) and good effects (think Matrix without violence), but without having the effects take over the show.

But the best part of the movie, I think, is the truly great girlfriend. Paula Garces shows the world what 21st century women can be. She's gutsy, funny, Latino, wears fab clothes,...

A good idea that goes nowhere (especially in hyper-time)
The idea is attractive: what if you could move so quickly that everybody else would look like they were frozen? You would not be stopping everybody in their place, as in the old "Twilight Zone" episode, but rather you would be going at living in hyper-time. Dr. George Gibbs (Robin Thomas) has invented a way of making this work and put it in a witch, which ends up in the hands of his teenage son, Zak (Jesse Bradford). Of course, Zak sees this as a great way of impressing the new girl at school, Francesca (Paula Garces), but there is also the problem bad people in the employee of millionaire Henry Gate (Michael Biehn) are after Zac for the watch. To make things worse, Zac gets help from Dr. Earl Dopler (French Stewart), who has been trapped in hyper-time and aged by the process, and his father is kidnapped by the bad people.

The movie has one problem, but it is big and ultimately undermines the entire film. Given this incredibly neat premise, script writers Rob Hedden, Andy Hedden, J. David Stem and David N. Weiss fail to exploit the comic potential to its fullest. The guy with the nose ring trying to steal the bicycle gets a nice comeuppance, but everything else is rather lame. Come this with what happens to Jim Carey's character in "Bruce Almighty," who is given divine powers and knows immediately what is on his "things to do" list when granted divine powers. We should all have our lists for what we should do if we become a god, can turn invisible, or move at super speed. At least Zac's girlfriend enjoys exploring the sense of wonder over their newfound ability.

Most of "Clockstoppers" is not about using the hyper-time device but rather about getting control of the it, which means they come up with this great idea and then make it a minor plot device. Maybe the special effects budget was not big enough, but this is a film where the gimmick has to be at the core of the film. Then again, even without big money you should be able to come up with some good routines provided you have the IMAGINATION to think them up in the first place. Besides, thinking through the plot possibilities here was clearly too much. It turns out you do not have to be wearing the watch to be affected, you just have to be touching the person wearing the watch when they turn it on. I might buy warp drive and transporter beams because of what they do to facilitate the telling of a story, but this is too much for me to accept.

Granted, there is one good joke at the expense of director Jonathan Frakes, but even the Nickelodeon age audience is going to figure out that the idea of "Clockstoppers" is much better than the execution. This is another one of those movies where all the best bits are in the trailer. Too bad the writers could not spend a couple of months in hyper-time coming up with better ways of exploiting their basic premise.

Because it's a Children's movie...
Dear Reader,
Lion King -- GENIOUS. Little Mermaid -- GENIOUS. Aladdin -- GENIOUS. All three of these movies are superior to many adult movies. Older people obviously can enjoy children's movies. Clockstoppers, however, can only be enjoyed by a select group of children who are either half asleep or high on candy. The kid skateboarded home from school. He didn't need to -- it just had to prove he was AWESOME!!! HE WASN'T!!! It had every opportunity to be an acceptable children's movie. However, with its lethargic plot and nonexistant character development, not to mention its attempts at covering these mediocrities with trendy music (inappropriate for each and every scene), this movie was just another cliche attempt to entertain children with technologhical shlock.

Sincerely,
Me, rather disgusted (not to mention bored)

Lame SF Comedy
CLOCKSTOPPERS takes the premise of a watch that can stop time (from THE TWILIGHT ZONE) and combines it with the cutesy technogeek high school boy and girl (from WARGAMES) but manages to lose the quaint humor of the former and the credible interaction of the latter. Director Jonathan Frakes tries to infuse a lame script with catchy tunes, funky hip hop DJs, and some eye catching special effects in a tale that combines the usual government shadow agency bad guy (Michael Biehn) with the exciting premise that science can now halt the external passing of time while allowing a special watch-carrying agent to act normally within this hypertime. Jesse Bradford and Paula Garces are the two high schoolers (who by the way look far too old--Garces was 28 when she made this) who meet, fumble in their initial introduction, and go off on what is the same buddy relation that Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheedy did so much better in WARGAMES. French Stewart lamely plays the same role of the thwarted scientist that Christopher Lloyd had in BACK TO THE FUTURE. Films that borrow so liberally from other similar and more successful ones are usually noted only for a massive level of scriptual incompetancy. If the U. S. government really had such a hypertime device, I doubt if it would try to close down the very group that had it. Further, to cast the leader of the renegade scientists as a megalomaniacal thug is simply to plug into the Lame Scriptwriter's Textbook. CLOCKSTOPPERS is not a funny movie, nor is it a thrilling one. At best, one can ooh and aah only at the very occasional moments of dazzling lights. Prediction: This one will only be a footnote on the resumes of all concerned.

Fair afternoon special
The concept is not original. You have seen this before many times from Twilight Zones to "The Girl, The Gold Watch & Everything" (1980). Some do it well as in "Timestalkers" (1987) and then there is this movie.

Standard premise, misunderstood youth know better than parents. Yep and of course has to save sire from the evil bad guy that has gone amuck. Zack has Henry's (Michael Biehm) molecular watch and he wants it back. On the side father of Zack can be useful in completing project. So will Zack save his dad or will Francesca runoff to Tahiti with the bad guy?

One plus is the presents of French Stewart; I guess they needed one actor in the movie. And for distraction purposes Paula Garcés. ... Read more