'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.
Of the four films based off 'The Next Generation', the only outstanding one is 'First Contact', which was also one of the best 'Star Trek' films and a great film in general. It was always going to be a Herculean task following on from 'First Contact', and for it to be every bit as good was always going to be a big ask. Something that 'Insurrection' sadly doesn't achieve. It is nowhere near as awful as those who dislike it as said, from personal view, but in the same way that 'First Contact' is one of the best 'Star Trek' films, along with 'The Wrath of Khan' and 'The Voyage Home', 'Insurrection' is one of the weakest, it's one of the strangest and most glaringly flawed ones too along with 'Nemesis' and 'The Final Frontier'.
'Insurrection' has its strengths. It looks great, then again pretty much all the 'Star Trek' films on the most part do apart from 'The Final Frontier'. Once again, 'Insurrection' has an expansive and cinematic look, benefitting from significant technology advances. Notable also for having the first use of computer digitals for the impressive-looking spaceship sequences. The cinematography is intimate, colourful, brooding and immersive in equal measure, while the sets are meticulous in detail, the spaceship sequences look very impressive and the special effects are very likely to leave one in awe.
Having Jerry Goldsmith on board for composer always promises much, seeing as Goldsmith was a personal favourite film composer of mine and some of the best 'Star Trek' music was penned by him, and the man doesn't disappoint, with a lot of rousing, foreboding and melancholic themes, varied textures and clever use of instrumentation. 'Insurrection' does start off quite promisingly, giving the sense that the film would provoke thought, entertain and be exciting like the best 'Star Trek' films.
Patrick Stewart has the lion's share of the material, and he is effortlessly commanding and brings much dignified gravitas, a sense of fun, heart and a conflicted edge. Brent Spiner enjoys himself with neither his acting or material overdone as with the disastrous emotion-chip subplot in 'Generations'. F. Murray Abraham is on neatly sinister villain duty and Donna Murphy is affecting. The rest of the crew do their best with what they have (which is not much and they deserved better), while Jonathan Frakes does well with limited screen time. Like 'First Contact' though he fares better in the director's chair, loyal but also free.
On the other hand, the script, pacing, story and the way some of the characters are written really bring 'Insurrection' down. While there were some thought-provoking and mildly entertaining moments, the script was far too simplistic, after seeing the best 'Star Trek' films having a good deal of complexity and much better balance of tone, with not enough material to sustain the running time. It was often cheesy, littered with cringe-worthy humour (having Worf as a butt of the joke parody was dignity-destroying) and moments that make you go what the butt (love Gilbert and Sullivan just as much as the next person, and it is a very funny and great song in the context of the operetta it comes from, but it just doesn't belong here and comes over awkwardly).
As for the story, despite starting off well, it was very sluggishly paced and thinly plotted, feeling like a padded out two-parter. The final act really drags, with some of the climactic moments causing a good deal of confusion and an ending that will be a slap-in-the-face for fans. It does absolutely nothing new with its elements, didn't mind that it had all been done before but did mind that it has been done with much richer development before and it felt under-explored here. This was bland, middle of the road stuff with action that never thrills, too many what the heck moments, too much extraneous pointless filler and a romantic subplot that was under-explored, under-characterised, forced and featured too heavily in places. In fact, the film would have fared better without it.
Characters have very little development other than Picard (and even he has been better written), with generally bland villains, most of the crew being well acted but underused and some in caricature form and even those who are not the biggest 'Star Trek' enthusiasts will be embarrassed by what is done with Worf in particular.
Not a complete mess overall, but one of the weaker 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' film and one of the most problematic of the series. 5/10 Bethany Cox
Of the four films based off 'The Next Generation', the only outstanding one is 'First Contact', which was also one of the best 'Star Trek' films and a great film in general. It was always going to be a Herculean task following on from 'First Contact', and for it to be every bit as good was always going to be a big ask. Something that 'Insurrection' sadly doesn't achieve. It is nowhere near as awful as those who dislike it as said, from personal view, but in the same way that 'First Contact' is one of the best 'Star Trek' films, along with 'The Wrath of Khan' and 'The Voyage Home', 'Insurrection' is one of the weakest, it's one of the strangest and most glaringly flawed ones too along with 'Nemesis' and 'The Final Frontier'.
'Insurrection' has its strengths. It looks great, then again pretty much all the 'Star Trek' films on the most part do apart from 'The Final Frontier'. Once again, 'Insurrection' has an expansive and cinematic look, benefitting from significant technology advances. Notable also for having the first use of computer digitals for the impressive-looking spaceship sequences. The cinematography is intimate, colourful, brooding and immersive in equal measure, while the sets are meticulous in detail, the spaceship sequences look very impressive and the special effects are very likely to leave one in awe.
Having Jerry Goldsmith on board for composer always promises much, seeing as Goldsmith was a personal favourite film composer of mine and some of the best 'Star Trek' music was penned by him, and the man doesn't disappoint, with a lot of rousing, foreboding and melancholic themes, varied textures and clever use of instrumentation. 'Insurrection' does start off quite promisingly, giving the sense that the film would provoke thought, entertain and be exciting like the best 'Star Trek' films.
Patrick Stewart has the lion's share of the material, and he is effortlessly commanding and brings much dignified gravitas, a sense of fun, heart and a conflicted edge. Brent Spiner enjoys himself with neither his acting or material overdone as with the disastrous emotion-chip subplot in 'Generations'. F. Murray Abraham is on neatly sinister villain duty and Donna Murphy is affecting. The rest of the crew do their best with what they have (which is not much and they deserved better), while Jonathan Frakes does well with limited screen time. Like 'First Contact' though he fares better in the director's chair, loyal but also free.
On the other hand, the script, pacing, story and the way some of the characters are written really bring 'Insurrection' down. While there were some thought-provoking and mildly entertaining moments, the script was far too simplistic, after seeing the best 'Star Trek' films having a good deal of complexity and much better balance of tone, with not enough material to sustain the running time. It was often cheesy, littered with cringe-worthy humour (having Worf as a butt of the joke parody was dignity-destroying) and moments that make you go what the butt (love Gilbert and Sullivan just as much as the next person, and it is a very funny and great song in the context of the operetta it comes from, but it just doesn't belong here and comes over awkwardly).
As for the story, despite starting off well, it was very sluggishly paced and thinly plotted, feeling like a padded out two-parter. The final act really drags, with some of the climactic moments causing a good deal of confusion and an ending that will be a slap-in-the-face for fans. It does absolutely nothing new with its elements, didn't mind that it had all been done before but did mind that it has been done with much richer development before and it felt under-explored here. This was bland, middle of the road stuff with action that never thrills, too many what the heck moments, too much extraneous pointless filler and a romantic subplot that was under-explored, under-characterised, forced and featured too heavily in places. In fact, the film would have fared better without it.
Characters have very little development other than Picard (and even he has been better written), with generally bland villains, most of the crew being well acted but underused and some in caricature form and even those who are not the biggest 'Star Trek' enthusiasts will be embarrassed by what is done with Worf in particular.
Not a complete mess overall, but one of the weaker 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' film and one of the most problematic of the series. 5/10 Bethany Cox