Star Trek: First Contact (1996)

'Star Trek: The Next Generation' may not be quite as influential or as ground-breaking as the original 'Star Trek' series (though it certainly has those elements), but quality-wise it is every bit as good with a few improvements.The first "Next Generation" 'Star Trek' film, 'Generations', was to me not that bad but was frustratingly uneven (namely the treatment of Kirk and the emotion chip subplot). The next film, 'First Contact', was a significant improvement and highly deserves its reputation as the best film based of 'The Next Generation' series and one of the best 'Star Trek' films overall. Giving some of the supporting characters, like Worf and Crusher, more to do rather than giving them little screen time and not having them do much, was pretty much the only thing that 'First Contact' could have improved on.'First Contact' is one of the best looking 'Star Trek' films, feeling more expansive and cinematic and benefiting from significant technology advances. The cinematography is intimate, colourful, brooding and immersive, while the sets rich in detail and the special effects are first rate with a real sense of awe. Bringing Jerry Goldsmith back was a good move, and he and his son Joel produce a score that's rousing, haunting, menacing, melancholic and sometimes even pastoral. Oh and the main theme tune is a classic.Writing-wise, 'First Contact' is one of the best written and balanced of the films. The humour is genuinely funny and sometimes affectionate with the in-jokes, the emotional moments have real poignancy and a grandiose sweep and there is a real tension at times too. The story is perhaps the best paced, with no wasted or extraneous scenes and the one that gets to the point the most. The action is simply thrilling, and while some characters are underused there is still some interesting character development and interaction, namely a more conflicted Picard (in a way that's reminiscent of Captain Ahab), the scene between him and Lily and Data and the Borg Queen.Patrick Stewart gives his most intense and moving performance of all the 'Next Generation' films, and still has the commanding presence and the dignified gravitas. Brent Spiner is strong too, and he is much more restrained here with Data significantly better written. Jonathan Frakes is compelling as Riker but does even better in the director's chair, he doesn't lose any of what makes the series so great in the first place or what makes it so influential while showing some freedom to show his own style and open things up.Alice Krige is on seductive and deliciously slimy villainous form, while the Borgs are genuinely fearsome even now. James Cromwell and Afre Woodard excel in atypical roles to the work they're best known for, Cromwell in particular.In conclusion, first rate and a high point of the 'Star Trek' franchise. 9/10 Bethany Cox

As of the 8th Star Trek feature film, the even-odd rule still holds. That is: the even numbered treks are awesome while the odds suck. I'll be the first to say it's very subjective (I still think Trek 5 aka "Kirk vs God" was awesome, but I wouldn't recommend it to the average movie goer). Casual fans and hardcore geeks alike gotta agree that the most crowd-pleasing treks are #2 ("the wrath of khaaaaan"), #4 ("Spock hugs a whale"), #6 ("Kirk vs Shakespeare") and now I would add #8 ("Picard loses his sh**"). Why are these the best? I think it's because they had the most exciting plots combined with some great character development."First Contact" may not have the most original plot (Enterprise goes back in time to try to save humanity from a future threat), but the interesting character development is definitely there. I think this is because this film returns to a wonderful Trek tradition where one of the cast members directs the film (here it's Jonathan Frakes "Riker" calling the shots). Whereas the prior film "Generations" seemed to play it too superficially, not really exploring the personalities of the crew, here in "First Contact", we delve deeper into the mind and personality of Picard, giving the story more depth than your standard linear plot. Picard is shown to be a conflicted individual with his motivations bordering on Ahab-like obsession, even down to the obligatory quote from Moby Dick.OK I know what you're thinking. We already covered the Moby Dick theme in Star Trek 2 The Wrath of Khan, and yes we did (imo more dramatically thanks to Ricardo Montalban's chilling, psychotic portrayal of the vengeance obsessed madman). But golly, its such a good theme that we'll let it slide, and to be fair, this is different because it's the good guy who is now vengeance obsessed.Even supporting characters are given their chance to prove themselves as more than background scenery. There is a subplot involving the android Data who is taken prisoner and tempted by the borg with the promise of sensual pleasure. Giordi, Deanna and Riker (who, in "Generations", seemed as wooden as the townsfolk at the end of Blazing Saddles) had a fun little subplot opposite James Cromwell who played Zephram Cochrane, a cynical, alcoholic, rock-n-roll-blasting antihero who is supposed to lead the human race to hippy flowerpower peace. That was a cool spin.The bottom line is that this even-numbered installment had all the elements that have appealed to Trek fans since the 60s. Tense stories overtop some great character moments. The only downside, as my title implies, is that I'm still not quite sold on the Enterprise's new crew. I'm getting there, but I still gotta say I prefer the originals, and I say this only to remind my fellow Trekkies that sooner or later we gotta give in.. So if you're an old school trekkie like me, I don't think this flick will convert you instantly. But it was much better than "Generations" which, in my opinion, did a lousy job of bridging the generations. I mean, when did Capt Kirk trade places with Walter Matthau from "Grumpy Old Men"? This Trek flick puts us on much firmer footing.

This thoroughly entertaining movie is probably the best of the Star Trek movie series, thanks to a fast pace and a complex plot which throws in a number of different ingredients into the brew and keeps things moving at a speed, without ever becoming too technical or confusing. While the film is clichéd in places (that old "countdown to self-destruction" is pulled out of the stock ideas closet AGAIN) and guilty of being a rip-off in others, the sheer quantity and quality of the action, acting, set design, and fluid direction make it a rip-roaring adventure in the best old fashioned sense. Only a few times does it throw in some sickly sentimentalising, which is another plus.The main problem with the film is the lack of characterisation - as there are so many characters and situations packed into so little time, a lot of people get left out. A good portion of the film is made up of action and events, which leaves us little time to get to know the characters. Female crew members Marina Sirtis and Gates McFadden are near forgotten and get only a few lines after the inclusion of Alfre Woodard as a tough female heroine, who is admittedly good but hogs too much of the limelight. Meanwhile, Jonathan Frakes and Levar Burton are relegated to near-cameo roles after being earthbound for most of the movie. This is understandable with Frakes, as he was busy directing after all, but it doesn't give much opportunity to check out Burton's cool robotic eyes very much.Patrick Stewart is as good as ever as Captain Picard, and here he's given plenty of opportunity to be tough and sweatily frightened in equal measure. The character of Data, the android, is also explored, which is quite interesting as he is mainly used as simple comic relief. Michael Dorn is wasted as Worf, the klingon member of the crew, and has little to do aside from run around and grunt a lot. Non crew-members include James Cromwell as the drunken inventor (very different role here) and Alice Krige who gets to play the chief villainess - a memorably slimy addition to the baddies, who gets a memorable introduction via her head and spine being inserted into the rest of her body.As time travel is used as a plot device, there are the expected number of plot holes which have been brushed over smoothly with lines of jargon as throwaway explanations, something which annoyed me a little. My favourite parts of the movie involve the crew exploring the parts of their ship which have been taken over by the Borg, including quite a few spooky moments which resemble the best bits of ALIENS. The Borg are an impressive army of cyborg killers, and the scenes of them being put together are a lot of fun in a grisly-but-tame kind of way. As a special effects-laden blockbuster (the CGI is incidentally pretty good), this movie is action-packed enough to appeal to both fans and non-fans of the series, and a lot of fun to watch - just don't expect anything too heavy.

The first real mission for the new generation of Enterprise fleet and for me this was an outstanding entry in the franchise. Bye bye to the annoying Data like in Generations welcome to the real Data. Not only that, this delivers also on the part of effects.Not only was the story great because it's full of action from the first minute until the end. It was watchable due the great effects not only in space but also on the make-up. Borg looked stunning and all cyborgs did work out fine. Sure, you will be reminded of Species (1995) and The Terminator (1984) when you see the Borgs but never mind, it isn't a copy.If you don't are a Trekkie geek this one surely can be watched without knowing a thing about the Enterprise. Great flick.Gore 0/5 Nudity 0/5 Effects 4/5 Story 3/5 Comedy 0/5