Honestly, after watching the film, not only is Nemesis not that bad for a Star Trek film, but I find it to be one of the better Star Trek films and The Next Generation's best film. While the plot has issues (which I'll get to) and there are aspects of the film I just don't care for (which I'll defiantly get to), I personally think the good far outweighs the bad.
For the bad aspects, I'll admit the logistics of the narrative are somewhat shoddy. Apparently, Shinzon planted the B4 android on that planet near the neutral zone hoping the Enterprise's close proximity will lead Picard to Romulus. Not only does this film use the "you're the closest ship in range" ploy to get the plot going, but Shinzon planning it hoping that the Enterprise would conveniently be there is contrived to say the least. Also, the dune buggy chase not only feels forced, but Picard breaks the Prime Directive by engaging a pre-warp civilization. It feels as if that the movie was originally written without the buggy chase, but the studio or producers forced an action scene to make the film more exciting. Many people have criticized about the mind rape scene and rightfully so. Not only are the crew of the Enterprise already on to Shinzon's scheme, but it feels off weird with the character in Star Trek. I can't quite explain why it feels so weird, but it should have been cut out and the only point to that scene is Troi's mental connection to the Viceroy which is used in the final battle. There are other niggling things like Picard apparently going into shock which after killing Shinzon and Data needing to rescue him, leading to Data's death. While I actually don't mind Data's death in of itself, I think that Picard, seeing all the things we've seen him go through in the various shows and movies probably wouldn't have gone into shock. Also, after Shinzon dies it feels like an eternity until Data arrives, so whoever was the editor of this film should have cut down on that time. This actually leads me to my next point, while Stuart Baird is an accomplished editor, and his direction of this film isn't that bad, the cast didn't get along with him and he had little knowledge of Star Trek, so I think his lack of experience led to the film's stranger scenes which I've already mentioned to remain in the film. The last point here is that while I get Shinzon's hatred for Picard since he feels like an inferior copy so long as Picard lives, but I don't entirely get why he wants to destroy Earth and the Federation so badly. If I was to guess, Shinzon considers the Remans to be his true parent race and wants to ensure a good future for them which is why he not only took control of Romulus, but now intends to bring the Federation to its knees so the Remans can conquer the Federation as well.
Now to be fair there are other aspects I can nitpick like how did a slave race like the Remans build the Scimitar ship in secret, and how is that ship so overpowered with the ability to fire when cloaked, carry fighter craft, and carry the Thaleron Radiation weapon. That said, and I'm sure many people who are deep into the lore of Star Trek look at me with ire, but I don't really care much for the technical stuff. Granted, I would prefer that the writers, or whoever made these continuity errors, would have ironed-out these mistakes. However, I'm willing to live with a few continuity errors if the overall film is better and honestly I found this to be the best TNG film.
For a start, the film's plot and premise managed to balance both Picard's and Data's plots to the overall story and themes in a satisfying way. Picard's confrontations with Shinzon, and Data's relation to B4 I found compelling in that both characters wrestle with the idea that they could have ended up differently had their lives been different. Picard believes that he could have ended up as maniacal as Shinzon had he lived his life and Data could have been like B4. However, both Picard and Data realize that their drive to better themselves is what led to both characters being who they are. I even liked that Picard tries to convince Shinzon to see this as well, but he decides to side with his Reman heritage and rejects Picard's plea.
Now, one of the biggest criticisms of the TNG films (and the reboot films) was that they leaned too much into action. While I did not care for this direction, Star Trek IV is one of my favorite Trek films and that isn't an action film (if anything it's a comedy). That said, If the Star Trek films had to have gone down the action movie route, I think Nemesis handled it the best. Granted, some of the action feels a bit too excessive, and it has been said that many character scenes were removed to make way for action scenes. But overall, I did like the action scenes from the infamous dune buggy chase to Picard and Data's escape, to the big final battle.
Speaking of those deleted scenes, I have seen a few on YouTube and I feel that if these scenes were left in then Nemesis would have flesh out it's characters better. These include scenes such as Picard and Data discussing what life will be like when some of the crew leave (mainly Riker and Troi), and probably more character scenes with Shinzon. Now Tom Hardy plays Shinzon quite well and comes off as a younger and more arrogant version of Picard, not bad for an early performance. I've even heard criticism about how weak the performances from the main cast are in this film or how out of character everyone feels. The thing is that this film follows Insurrection where everyone had been affected by the Baku planet's radiation which gave everyone their sense of youth back, hence why Riker and Troi have rekindled their romance and are married. However, everyone believes that Picard is out of character, but this isn't the case. Not only is Picard more adventurous after the event of Insurrection, but he learned to open-up to others during the events of the series, hence why he was willing to play poker in the finale of the series. So, if anything the change in personalities is actually good character development and continuity.
Now, one aspect of the film that people detest which I actually don't mind is Data's death. While admittedly it does come off as very sudden, and I'm not a fan of Picard going into shock and just standing there, I do like how Data's journey to becoming human is complete by his sacrifice. Essentially Data dies doing one of the most human things one could do, that being giving up your own life for another.
I know that this likely won't convince anyone into believing that Nemesis is a great film. Heck, I still have a lot of issues. However, I don't consider this to be anywhere near the worst Trek film, nor do I believe that this film should have bombed as badly as it did. Honestly after Voyager wrapped-up, Enterprise was struggling, and Nemesis bombed so it seemed like Star Trek was just fizzing-out. Its day had come and gone, and the franchise was running out of borrowed time. However, there is still plenty to like about the later Rick Berman produced Star Trek and Nemesis, in spite of its many issues, is a worthwhile entry in the series.
For the bad aspects, I'll admit the logistics of the narrative are somewhat shoddy. Apparently, Shinzon planted the B4 android on that planet near the neutral zone hoping the Enterprise's close proximity will lead Picard to Romulus. Not only does this film use the "you're the closest ship in range" ploy to get the plot going, but Shinzon planning it hoping that the Enterprise would conveniently be there is contrived to say the least. Also, the dune buggy chase not only feels forced, but Picard breaks the Prime Directive by engaging a pre-warp civilization. It feels as if that the movie was originally written without the buggy chase, but the studio or producers forced an action scene to make the film more exciting. Many people have criticized about the mind rape scene and rightfully so. Not only are the crew of the Enterprise already on to Shinzon's scheme, but it feels off weird with the character in Star Trek. I can't quite explain why it feels so weird, but it should have been cut out and the only point to that scene is Troi's mental connection to the Viceroy which is used in the final battle. There are other niggling things like Picard apparently going into shock which after killing Shinzon and Data needing to rescue him, leading to Data's death. While I actually don't mind Data's death in of itself, I think that Picard, seeing all the things we've seen him go through in the various shows and movies probably wouldn't have gone into shock. Also, after Shinzon dies it feels like an eternity until Data arrives, so whoever was the editor of this film should have cut down on that time. This actually leads me to my next point, while Stuart Baird is an accomplished editor, and his direction of this film isn't that bad, the cast didn't get along with him and he had little knowledge of Star Trek, so I think his lack of experience led to the film's stranger scenes which I've already mentioned to remain in the film. The last point here is that while I get Shinzon's hatred for Picard since he feels like an inferior copy so long as Picard lives, but I don't entirely get why he wants to destroy Earth and the Federation so badly. If I was to guess, Shinzon considers the Remans to be his true parent race and wants to ensure a good future for them which is why he not only took control of Romulus, but now intends to bring the Federation to its knees so the Remans can conquer the Federation as well.
Now to be fair there are other aspects I can nitpick like how did a slave race like the Remans build the Scimitar ship in secret, and how is that ship so overpowered with the ability to fire when cloaked, carry fighter craft, and carry the Thaleron Radiation weapon. That said, and I'm sure many people who are deep into the lore of Star Trek look at me with ire, but I don't really care much for the technical stuff. Granted, I would prefer that the writers, or whoever made these continuity errors, would have ironed-out these mistakes. However, I'm willing to live with a few continuity errors if the overall film is better and honestly I found this to be the best TNG film.
For a start, the film's plot and premise managed to balance both Picard's and Data's plots to the overall story and themes in a satisfying way. Picard's confrontations with Shinzon, and Data's relation to B4 I found compelling in that both characters wrestle with the idea that they could have ended up differently had their lives been different. Picard believes that he could have ended up as maniacal as Shinzon had he lived his life and Data could have been like B4. However, both Picard and Data realize that their drive to better themselves is what led to both characters being who they are. I even liked that Picard tries to convince Shinzon to see this as well, but he decides to side with his Reman heritage and rejects Picard's plea.
Now, one of the biggest criticisms of the TNG films (and the reboot films) was that they leaned too much into action. While I did not care for this direction, Star Trek IV is one of my favorite Trek films and that isn't an action film (if anything it's a comedy). That said, If the Star Trek films had to have gone down the action movie route, I think Nemesis handled it the best. Granted, some of the action feels a bit too excessive, and it has been said that many character scenes were removed to make way for action scenes. But overall, I did like the action scenes from the infamous dune buggy chase to Picard and Data's escape, to the big final battle.
Speaking of those deleted scenes, I have seen a few on YouTube and I feel that if these scenes were left in then Nemesis would have flesh out it's characters better. These include scenes such as Picard and Data discussing what life will be like when some of the crew leave (mainly Riker and Troi), and probably more character scenes with Shinzon. Now Tom Hardy plays Shinzon quite well and comes off as a younger and more arrogant version of Picard, not bad for an early performance. I've even heard criticism about how weak the performances from the main cast are in this film or how out of character everyone feels. The thing is that this film follows Insurrection where everyone had been affected by the Baku planet's radiation which gave everyone their sense of youth back, hence why Riker and Troi have rekindled their romance and are married. However, everyone believes that Picard is out of character, but this isn't the case. Not only is Picard more adventurous after the event of Insurrection, but he learned to open-up to others during the events of the series, hence why he was willing to play poker in the finale of the series. So, if anything the change in personalities is actually good character development and continuity.
Now, one aspect of the film that people detest which I actually don't mind is Data's death. While admittedly it does come off as very sudden, and I'm not a fan of Picard going into shock and just standing there, I do like how Data's journey to becoming human is complete by his sacrifice. Essentially Data dies doing one of the most human things one could do, that being giving up your own life for another.
I know that this likely won't convince anyone into believing that Nemesis is a great film. Heck, I still have a lot of issues. However, I don't consider this to be anywhere near the worst Trek film, nor do I believe that this film should have bombed as badly as it did. Honestly after Voyager wrapped-up, Enterprise was struggling, and Nemesis bombed so it seemed like Star Trek was just fizzing-out. Its day had come and gone, and the franchise was running out of borrowed time. However, there is still plenty to like about the later Rick Berman produced Star Trek and Nemesis, in spite of its many issues, is a worthwhile entry in the series.