Star Trek: Generations (1994)

Movie Review: "Star Trek: Generations" (1994)In an ingeniously-received screenplay by thirty-years-and-younger screenwriters Ronald D. Moore & Brannon Braga, also responsible for producing an unfortunately epic-failing prequel "Enterprise" television series from 2001 before given his former employee the death-wish-stapping with a never-seen-before parodic entrée created by stand-up-comedian Seth MacFarland "The Orville" in season 2017/2018; nevertheless here with serious as highly-emotional feature installment for Captain Jean-Luc Picard and his faithful, seven season approved crew under slow-but-solid former-television-episode director David Carson.Actor Patrick Stewart as already incorporated Captain Jea-Luc Picard carries this unusually-metaphysical, mind-stretching approach of a newly-received "Star Trek" science-fiction entertainment movie proudly presented by "Dom Perignon" granting Hollywood Major "Paramount Pictures", when a beauty of a timeless spaceship "Enterprise NCC-1701-D" gets inaugurated under watchful eyes of now more Admiral James T. Kirk and Senior-Warp-Engineer Montegomery Scott, in heart-warming appearances of whispering legend with William Shatner, James Doohan (1920-2005) and Walter Koenig as Chekov, before a conspiracy-suspense-plot thickens, driving by fulminate character role for the ages Soran, portrayed by Malcolm "Clockwork Orange" McDowell to become a marvel of a generations-overlapping parallel universe called "The Nexus", when finally the scene of all scenes between Patrick Stewart's Picard and William Shatner's Kirk accurs to become a calm Shakespearean chamber play in a rural carpentered wood shack, in reminiscence to an even further exceeding interior diner scene with just black coffee reception as warmer redeemer between Al Pacino & Robert De Niro in "Heat" (1995)."Generations" in its 110-Minute-Cut has become an professionally-received editorial by Peter E. Berger, making full use of splendid cinematography by John A. Alonzo (1934-2001), when this 35-Million-Dollar upscale of a Hollywood production, retrieves from many believed-to-be the best "Star Trek" television episodes given, really exceeds any science-fiction-lovers expectations with sequences of action to the maximum of metal-into-earth proportions and on the other side pure wisdom on fading lights of the most-appreciated character of former leisure-chamber-owning Guinan, so-formidably portrayed by Academy-Award-Winner Whoopi Goldberg to let this "Star Trek" become one of full-circling, mountain-peaking endeavors.© 2018 Felix Alexander Dausend (Cinemajesty Entertainments LLC)

This, the seventh 'Star Trek' film, opens with Kirk, Scotty and Chekov visiting the Enterprise B to help celebrate its launch. While they are aboard a distress call is received from two ships that are being destroyed by an 'energy ribbon'; many people are saved; including a man named Soran and a familiar woman… Guinan. Unfortunately there was a price to be paid; Captain Kirk was lost presumed dead when a bulkhead ruptures.Seventy eight years later a new crew on a new Enterprise also receive a distress signal, this time from a space station; once again one of the survivors is Soran. It turns out he is the same long-lived species as Guinan and he will do anything to get back to the energy Ribbon. Guinan explains to Captain Picard that it is something known as the Nexus and inside it time has no meaning and life is permanently joyful. Before his plans can be exposed Soran captures Geordi and beams aboard a Klingon ship operated by the Duras Sisters. The events that follow see the destruction of the Enterprise and Picard entering the Nexus where he meets a familiar person… he also learns that he can leave at any time he likes so may have a second chance to stop Soran; even if the cost will be high. If all this wasn't enough Data is having to come to terms with having emotions after installing an emotion chip.After the conclusion of 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' series it was of no surprise that its crew would return on the big screen. The way the baton was metaphorically handed from Kirk to Picard was effective although the cinematic introduction to the new crew was a bit surprising; we first see them on the holodeck where they are aboard an old sailing ship. The scene wasn't without humour though; Data pushing Dr Crusher overboard was hilarious even if those around him weren't amused. The cast does a fine job; most notable Brent Spiner who gets to do something different as Data comes to terms with emotions. Malcom McDowell is impressive as Soran although I'm sure nobody will be surprised when it emerges that he is the bad guy. As one would expect there is a good amount of action including the destruction of the Enterprise D; the ship that survived seven seasons of 'The Next Generation'. Overall this was fun despite being messy at times as events are contrived to bring the two famous captains together.

Sometimes a franchise and its characters have run its course to a point where new faces and fresh ideas are needed. Though the Star Trek franchise as a whole was at a high in 1994 with two acclaimed TV series airing and the films coming off a great finale in 'The Undiscovered Country', to me, 'Generations' wasn't the proper next step to take.Sure, it's hard to let go of beloved characters, but 'The Undiscovered Country' felt like the perfect send off for all of the original cast members, including Captain Kirk. Nonetheless he was brought back to past the torch to the next crew to man the Enterprise. Of course, that group being the cast from The Next Generation. Which is exactly where the film has most of its problems.Attempting to balance both timelines, Kirks being 75 years or so earlier, and Captain Picard's (Patrick Stewart) being present day, sometimes the film feels jumbled and bunched together. In other words, there's plenty of set up with the main antagonist played by Malcom McDowell, but the pay-off takes a great deal of time and exposition to get to. It's a much different universe, but Star Wars did an impeccable job blending both casts into The Force Awakens, so that's more along the lines of what I was hoping for.With all that being said, the new cast from the TV series definitely deserve their own individual film (which is obviously what they got a few years later). It's impossible to top the original crew, but there's enough personalities and likable characters, including Stewart's stern but sympathetic Picard.As far as the actual plot itself goes, it pretty much follows the same Star Trek formula, except for the trippy Nexus sequence where Picard and Kirk are stuck in a time loop. It's the most talked about and controversial scenes from the film, and for good reason. I don't necessarily think the sequence works the way it supposed to, but it is where we end up getting the most emotional pay off. So overall, Generations is a middle of the road Star Trek adventure, but at the very least, it gives the new crew some time to shine.+Picard & Kirk+Nexus+Beautiful score-Choppy first half-Formulaic6.3/10

This should have been a good Captains' meeting, however, it was part of a "Next Generation" episode... and a too brief "Original Series" clip...However, as I enjoyed the image enhancement that the "TNG" group offered with this movie, I would have worked out the story. Paramount executives went a bit too fast to introduce Picard's crew into the big screen.Part of the Synopsis: 78 years after an event which took Captain Kirk's life, Captain Picard and his crew save a would-be scientist, which in fact is a madman who wants to enter a "Nexus" inside a deadly space ribbon. It is not his first experiment. He is backed up by an evil Klingon crew, headed by the Duras sisters, hungry for payback against the Enterprise.Though it was fun to see for once Data display emotions, thanks for Dr. Soong's microchip, the almost surrealistic meeting of Picard and Kirk deceives a bit: we would have loved to see both in a better setting than a back country landscape.I would not blame the actors here, but the storyline itself, a reminder of Star Trek V, which was too average: a madman looking for something apparently good, and the Enterprise crew must stop him.Sad that DeForest Kelley (health) and Leonard Nimoy (technicality) were absent for this movie.I would have renamed this movie: Star Trek Nexus. Given another year to release the movie, it would have been better...