Tom Hardy single-handedly rescues this TNG film by his compelling performance as Shinzon, the Reman Praetor who's bent on taking out his rage on humanity after using Picard - the originator of his genetic material – to keep himself alive. There's the nagging feeling that a key crew member was axed simply to give this movie some emotional depth (not that it works) - but Baird shouldn't have bothered: Hardy's fury is powerful enough to keep things going. The contrived plot has the Enterprise being lured to the Romulan border by the discovery of Data's retarded relative, a move which puts the Starfleet flagship right where Shinzon wants it. As it's now the closest ship to the Romulan empire, Starfleet orders Picard to meet with Shinzon for a requested diplomatic meeting. Picard complies, only to discover the real - if morbid - reason behind the request. Confrontations ensue as the Enterprise crew scrambles to stop Shinzon from reaching his insane goal. The film does seem stodgy and predictable at times, but I like it, despite the hundreds of crappy reviews (born from the collective wrath of enraged Trekkies) that liberally pepper the internet.
Review of Star Trek: Nemesis
