User Reviews

Star Trek's successor to Gene Roddenberry, Rick Berman, never allowed the poor reviews for STAR TREK: GENERATIONS to upset him; he had been given an 'obligation' to provide a transition film between the original cast's series, and his own 'Next Generation' films, and 'killing' James Kirk freed him to focus on the film he REALLY wanted to make, STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT. And he created a classic, a film that for many fans has become the 'definitive' STAR TREK movie.

From the opening scenes, which re-introduce the 'Next Generation's' greatest villains, the Borg, finally achieving their long-time goal of attacking Earth, and literally tearing Starfleet to shreds, as Picard and the Enterprise are ordered to stand down (Picard had been 'assimilated' once by the cyborgs, and the success of his 'deprogramming' was in question), there was an intensity that 'Trek' films hadn't shown since THE WRATH OF KHAN. When Picard decides to disobey orders and go 'in Harm's Way', you nearly want to cheer! Turning the battle around, the Enterprise sees victory at hand...until they discover that the 'core' of the Borg mother ship has plunged into Earth's atmosphere, and gone back in time. As the crew glimpses a 'changed' Earth, with humanity totally assimilated by the Borg, they plunge after the mother ship, to prevent history from being rewritten.

Quite an opening scene!

The film breaks into two stories, each entertaining. In an era two hundred years earlier, with Earth reeling from internal wars that have devastated much of the planet, Picard realizes that the Borg is attempting to prevent warp drive creator Dr. Zefram Cochrane from ever completing his prototype spaceship, thus denying the galaxy to the human race, and leaving them defenseless against the Borg. As First Officer Riker and most of the series' regulars protect the feisty engineer (first introduced in the original 'Trek' TV series by hunky Glenn Corbett; in FIRST CONTACT, the role is played by James Cromwell, hawk-nosed, antisocial, and hooked on ancient Rock n' Roll music), Data and Picard must deal with the growing Borg infiltration and assimilation of the Enterprise, and the imperious Borg Queen (lovely Alice Krige), who seduces Data with a chance to become 'human'.

Jonathan Frakes proves an excellent director, balancing the action, comic, and dramatic elements with sensitivity and skill. While most of the series' regulars have little to do (a problem that would never be resolved in the 'Next Generation' films), Frakes still manages to give each a bit of on-screen time to at least remind fans that they are present, and he even manages to provide a brief but funny cameo by semi-regular fan favorite Dwight Schultz, as the terminally shy Lt. Reggie Barclay.

FIRST CONTACT has so many memorable moments that it is nearly impossible to pick a single favorite one out. Cochrane's use of Steppenwolf's 'Magic Carpet Ride' as launch music for his guided missile/spaceship...Alfre Woodard's Lily Sloane, hiding in terror from the Borg, but still able to lecture Picard on doing the 'right thing'...'Star Trek: Voyager' regular Robert Picardo in a cameo as his medical hologram character, at a key moment...Data delivering the famous Borg 'tag line'...the Vulcan science party (led, although unmentioned, by Sarek, Spock's father), bemused at meeting the 'new kids on the block' for the first time...this movie has it all!

There is only one major continuity error; the Borg, as cyborgs, depend on their human 'host' bodies to survive (a key factor in the film's climax), yet in one whole sequence they operate in the vacuum of space WITHOUT spacesuits! I cringe each time I see the scene, but I STILL love the movie!

One other key element of the film cannot be praised enough; Jerry Goldsmith's score is one of his finest, combining the best elements of the STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE theme with a sweeping inspirational hymn for Cochrane, and eerie, discordant music for the Borg. The score is so profoundly moving that it could stand alone, as a symphonic work.

Sadly, Berman and company never achieved the same heights with either of the subsequent 'Trek' films, but at least we have FIRST CONTACT, to show that a 'Next Generation' feature could be done 'right'.

Star Trek: First Contact represents, at least to me, the pinnacle of the Star Trek movie franchise. This film was, in my opinion, -by far- the best of the "next generation" outings, and perhaps the finest from the entire collection of silver-screen Treks.

The Borg, a futuristic race of half-man, half-machine cyborgs from the other side of the galaxy, try once again to conquer the Federation, by attacking it at it's very core, our beloved Earth. This time, however, the Borg have a "plan B" up their sleeve. After the destruction of their main vessel, they send a small group of Borg back in time to 2063, a time when Earth is vulnerable after suffering massive casualties due to World War III. Once there they intend to prevent "first contact", an event that dramatically changes the course of human history, when friendly aliens discover humankind has learned how to travel faster-than-light, and make contact with the inventor of the warp drive, Dr Zefram Cochrane.

Of course the Enterprise crew must once again save humanity from certain destruction, by "following them back and repairing whatever damage they've done". When they reach the 21st century, however, the Borg find resistance is not so futile, and begin to take over the crippled Enterprise, deck by deck. Directing every move is the evil Borg Queen, played excellently by Alice Krige.

Patrick Stewart is, as always, fantastic as Captain Jean-Luc Picard. Stewart's background in the dramatic arts shines as he convincingly portrays a somewhat troubled and vengeful Picard, determined to destroy the insidious Borg once and for all.

The direction of Jonathan Frakes is flawless considering this film was his first attempt at directing on the big screen. In a few scenes I get the feeling that Frakes was committed to squeezing the absolute best out of Stewart, and this he did, apparently with ease (earning him the nickname "Two-Takes Frakes" from production members).

This film has it all. A well-conceived, intricate and dramatic plot, excellent acting, fantastic special effects, and real emotion on-screen. Picard's chilling "the line must be drawn here" monologue to Lily represents a scene with such dramatic quality that is rarely seen in science-fiction films. You can completely suspend disbelief and feel the anger, the pain, the sheer hunger for revenge in this broken man. You are there with him, the future of humanity is on the line, and not for a second will you think otherwise.

Whether you are a "Trekkie" or not, this is a film you will enjoy, and while there are references to previous Trek happenings in the film (such as when Picard was captured and assimilated by the Borg several years earlier), non-Trekkie's should definitely be able to follow what's going on.

All-in-all this is one of my favourite films of all time, and one that I can watch over and over and never get tired of. If you haven't seen it, why not grab a copy and check it out? I give it a well-deserved 9 out of 10.

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.

Although there are some aspects of the film that directly contradict episodes of the original series (such as "Zefram Cochrane" as portrayed by straight-laced Glenn Corbett in the show and the alcohol-sucking oddball played by James Cromwell in this movie), this is one of the very best Star Trek films. For me, most of this is due to the Captain Ahab-like performance by Patrick Stewart. In countless episodes of the original series and in the last movie, Picard was just too stiff and dull. But, in this film, he's pretty crazed and you see so much more emoting--and I'm sure MANY fans were glad to finally see this. I loved watching the good Captain mowing down the Borg with a Tommy Gun!!! In addition, the film, apart from Picard, has a very light heart and was pretty funny. Plus, it was great to finally see how and why the humans first came into contact with life outside our miserable planet! Exciting, well-written and full of wonderful fun--that's why I really liked this movie.

As a long-time Star Trek fan who nevertheless didn't warm up to either series until "The Next Generation" moved into its 2nd and 3rd seasons, I give this movie a recommendation, but with some personal reservations.

It's a decent action film and probably appeals to the casual audience more than any other film in the series outside of "The Voyage Home." The Borg Queen is a popular villainess, and for good reasons – the FX were outstanding and Alice Krige's performance is sexy and appropriately intimidating. The time travel theme is a sci-fi theme that audiences are familiar with and that presents opportunities for anachronistic humor that are irresistible. James Crowmell is a magnificent actor with charisma to spare, and even those unfamiliar with Captain Picard will find Patrick Stewart's performance convincing and intriguing. He's been given an excellent foil from the past, Lily Sloane (Alfre Woodard), who brings out a lot of dimension in Picard and goes a long way towards helping anyone who hasn't seen previous Trek outings to see what distinguishes Picard and his crew from your generic space soldiers (they are "Roddenberry People"). In fact the introduction of a "normal" character into the fantasy environment is a key component of successful fantasy storytelling; this device is discussed in J.R.R. Tolkien's essay "On Faerie Stories" and was used by Tolkien and C.S. Lewis as well as many who followed after them. It should be noted however that it's a fantasy theme or device, not science fiction.

The film isn't as impressive for those who are already familiar with the Trek world and who expected (or at least hoped) the Next-Generation movies would take the universe and its characters into uncharted frontiers. The original series didn't really develop its characters, only focused on 3 primary characters and kept those characters and their relationships constant through the 3 season run. In the Original Series (TOS) films, however, Kirk Spock and McCoy go through a series of character developments that alter their personal stories while keeping their relationship mostly intact. Strangely, the situation is reversed for Next Generation (TNG) – the series paid attention to a larger group of crew members and spent a lot of time developing those characters and their relationships (Worff dated Troi, Data turned out to have a twin brother and met his creator, etc.). However when TNG went to film virtually all character development was abandoned. Part of the problem is unavoidable to a certain extent – after all, there are simply too many characters involved to give each of them screen time and still advance an interesting plot. But I wish that they had tried a little harder to incorporate actual sci-fi ideas instead of just turning the series into another action franchise cloaked in sci-fi costumes and set pieces. Many steps backward have been taken – the Borg no longer have a truly alien collective mind but are instead drones led by a Queen Bee type. As much fun as the Borg Queen is, she doesn't represent any new interesting ideas about the Borg and wouldn't be out of place in any action film out there. Also there is a lot of repetition here – the time travel story feels familiar from "The Voyage Home" and of course the Borg have already been seen many times in episodes of the show. I've never understood why the producers at Paramount kept thinking that they needed to recycle stories from the shows, especially after the negative fan reaction to "VGER" in the first film. It's boring for the fans. So it's impossible for me to really give an "objective" reaction to this film, seeing as I've already been exposed to so much of the material in its original form when it was actually better done.

I also think that the sequence outside the ship with the deflector dish didn't work out very well, much too slow and improbable. Why did the Borg die when Picard let all that green stuff out of the big tube but they were fine walking along in space without suits? Stuff like that is probably stuff that the writers intentionally don't worry about and think that fans are too petty – but basically what they've done is to turn sci-fi into fantasy. And it's somewhat insulting to our intelligence. On the commentary, the writers say that fans don't want to hear about how time travel works and so they just make it really easy for the Enterprise to travel in time after the Borg. As far as I'm concerned, that underestimates the audience greatly and it's indicative of the reasons why this film feels so unintelligent and uninspired.

But not to be totally negative – even from a fan perspective the James Cromwell is a fun character and does provide a subtle kind of tribute in that certain aspects of his character remind us of Gene Roddenberry himself. What made Roddenberry's series so different from previous sci-fi was that he presented us a utopic world that we'd all love to explore, but he peopled it with believably flawed human beings. Woodard's character is also very well done and the scene in the Captain's quarters ("this far and no further!") was a stunner to be sure. I loved how she said "Jean-Luc, blow up the damn ship!" The Borg Queen herself was very well done if you ignore the fact that it damages the concept of the Borg collective itself. The space battle at the beginning is very nice to look at, as is the sequence with the camera's eye drawing back from Picard's Borg eye to reveal the whole ship. But for this fan, I couldn't escape the feeling of "been there, seen that." However, from another perspective, looking at how poorly the subsequent films and TV series turned out, this film represents basically the last quality Star Trek product ever produced. So it deserves at least some affection simply on that basis.

This is definitely the best of the TNG films, which generally don't live up to the excellent television series. It's my second favourite "Star Trek" film after "The Wrath of Khan", which is likewise a sequel to one of its respective series' best episodes.

Patrick Stewart is even better than usual as the atypically vulnerable Captain Picard. Like Khan in the aforementioned film, he becomes obsessed with destroying his foe and, in both films, comparison is drawn with Captain Ahab of "Moby Dick". Unlike Ahab and Khan, however, he is brought back from the brink before his obsession can lead to his death. The interesting thing is that this is not done by Riker or Beverly or one of the other main characters but by Lily Sloane, brilliantly played by Alfre Woodard. She is the best new female character in any film in the series since Saavik in "The Wrath of Khan". I think that she can say the things that she does because she is an outsider who is not privy to the so-called "evolved sensibility" of the 24th Century, which is deconstructed well in the film in a manner more typical of DS9 than TNG.

The rest of the TNG cast is as good as ever, particularly Brent Spiner. Marina Sirtis has fairly little screen time but, as the drunk Deanna, gets the funniest scene in the film and one of the funniest in the character's 15 year history. James Cromwell is a great addition to the cast as Zefram Cochrane, who is not the legendary, selfless figure that the Enterprise crew believed him to be. He is a good man but a flawed one. He feels very much like a real person. I love that the film takes this approach as in reality many historical figures, even those who were alive within living memory, are mythologised and become paragons of virtue even though they were deeply flawed. That is not to say that they were bad people. They were just normal.

The Borg were used brilliantly. In the entire franchise, I think that they were only better used in "Best of Both Worlds". Jonathan Frakes does an excellent job as director. One little thing that I really liked about this film was that it did a very good job of explaining the backstory for the benefit of people who weren't familiar with it. I've been watching "Star Trek" since 1995 so I didn't need the backstory filled in for me when I first saw it, let alone now, but a problem that I had with "Generations" was that it didn't explain who Lursa and B'Etor were. B'Etor's name isn't even mentioned in the film.