yakkowarner's Full Review: Star Trek: First Contact
This is the 8th Star Trek movie and since it is an even number it has to be a good movie. (so that means number 11 coming out soon should suck?) In fact this happens to be my second favorite out of the 10 films produced to date And had you told me I would highly praise a movie directed by Jonathan Franks before this was released I would have laughed in your face. But it turns out he is a pretty good director.
The plot This movie is the story about the first contact between humans and life from another planet. It is all orchestrated by Cochran played by James Cromwell. This contact must occur or else the United Federation of Planets may not be created, human progression through space may not occur, and peace on Earth may never come. The television series called Enterprise argues that first contact wasn't as beneficial as many in the future are led to believe but the movie views this as the singular event that brings peace to Earth. And of course, the Enterprise is involved.
The story and writing The story is well told. Actually both stories are told well. One story is about Cochran and getting him ready for what lies ahead, as well as developing who he is. The other story occurs on the Enterprise but I'm not spoiling that plot line.. I have no issue with the writing. It wasn't clunky or anything, and it told the story clearly. What I am missing are those great quotes from Shakespeare or an emotional speech. So while I like some aspects of this movie better than VI, I definitely like the writing of VI and II better.
The pacing and editing There are really no slow parts to this film. It flows perfectly from beginning to end. This is not a boring film, it is a well done Sci-fi/Action movie that will keep you entertained from beginning to end. This is one of the reasons this movie rates so highly on my list. And as someone pointed out to me in a prior review, Jerry Goldsmith's music is absolutely mesmerizing and fills in any of the gap perfectly. But for the record, I still like Horner better. Editing goes hand in hand with the pacing and it was performed beautifully in this film. The editing in this movie is done in such a way that you always know where you are. You don't jump from one place to the next dazed and confused. They are careful about making sure you know where you are since the story is being told in multiple locations at the same time. It is this timing and editing the I greatly appreciate in this film.
The acting This movie has two lead actors and two story lines going on at the same time. The first lead character is Captain Picard played by Patrick Stewart. I think Patrick Stewart is a wonderful actor and I always enjoy his performances. He is one of the under appreciated actors in Hollywood. In this role you get to see more of Captain Picard's emotions. It is a story of his pride and pain. You see his internal struggle he has internally with being part of the Borg in a previous episode. There is a lot of emotional scar tissue left in Captain Picard and he lets it all hang loose in this movie. I love how he can play the role of a strong captain, yet also show his emotions and personal struggle. The role is played with passion.
The second lead character is Dr. Cochran played by James Cromwell. He already played a role in one of the Next Generation episodes and was not unfamiliar with Star Trek. The concern was that he had gotten too famous from Babe and wouldn't accept the part. Thankfully he did and he did an outstanding job with this role. I think he made Dr. Cochran come alive, full of emotion and feelings the audience can relate to. He fit in perfectly.
The character development This is a weak part of the movie. The only development done well is Mr. Cochran's character. The writers played him off in the beginning as a normal, unassuming human just trying to survive and having a good time doing it. What I think is cool is they reveal him layer by layer and you get to know more about him and who he is throughout the entire movie. Captain Picard's character was somewhat developed but not as much as I would have liked. Yes we got an idea of how much he hates the Borg, and I think someone seeing this movie for the first time wouldn't have any problem identifying with his character or the pain he feels. So he is certainly developed enough, but for someone like me that is a fan of the show, he/she will appreciate the captain's actions a lot better. The rest of the enterprise crew was developed even less. Worf was cranky, Data was a complex machine that was curious about everything, etc. It doesn't make the movie bad, it is just that a Trekkie will have greater appreciation for the characters and a better understanding of their actions and subtle acts of each character. The queen was also not developed well. In fact I don't even think she was necessary. Now her acting was good and enjoyable. She also made the Borg a little more real to the general public. But her character did end up playing a role in Voyager and has become part of Star Trek lore.
The bottom line is that you will enjoy this movie even if you know nothing about Star Trek. It is one of the best out there (second on my list). But little things are inserted here and there that only a Trekkie will appreciate.
The special effects This is a perfect example of how special effects should be used, to tell the story. This is not an effects laden movie but there are plenty of them when necessary. Also the effects do not look dated. No funny looking CG elements or blue screen. The special effects compete with effects made today. Their choice not to overly use CG was good because it makes this movie less susceptible to the cruelty of time.
Replay value I view this as high. I'll certainly watch it any time someone else wants to see it.
Should children watch it? There are some scary parts but I don't have a problem with my children watching it. There is nothing graphic and most of the scary scenes are off screen and thereby assumed. The S*** word is spoken twice and the B**** word is spoken once.
Genre: Science fiction
The key players Director: Jonathan Franks Writers: Rick Berman, Brannon Braga & Ronald D. Moore Music: Jerry Goldsmith
Ratings Yahoo users: B Yahoo critics: Not listed Metacritics users: 8.7 Metacritics critics: 70 Rotten Tomato community: 87% Rotten Tomato critics: 91% My score: 4.77
MPAA rating: PG-13
Running time: 110 minutes
Year released: 1996
My End Line. This is one of the greater Star Trek movies and certainly a good Sci-Fi movie in its own right. It is enjoyable, well paced, and well directed. If you like Sci-Fi but never seen Star Trek then this is a good place to start.
Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the newly commissioned Enterprise-E battle the insidious Borg to restore the rightful future of earth.More at HotMovieSale.com
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.