Movie Review by Nigel A. Messenger
Starring: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn
Director: Stuart Baird
It’s been four years since the last STAR TREK movie and since then we have seen the end of DS9 and VOYAGER and the start of the new STAR TREK television series ENTERPRISE. Now with the latest movie release STAR TREK: NEMESIS we see the welcome return of the NEXT GENERATION crew back in a spectacular movie adventure.
Finally Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) marry and set off with Picard (Patrick Stewart) on the Enterprise for a second ceremony on Betazed. But on the journey they intercept posotronic emissions from a nearby planet and decide to investigate. After picking up what seems to be a prototype of Data (Brent Spiner) they are ordered by Star Fleet command, with a cameo appearance by Admiral Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), to meet the new Romulan leader Shinzon (Tom Hardy) who has just taken power over the Romulan Empire.
While initially offering his hand in friendship Shinzon soon reveals his true motives and sets out to destroy Picard, the Enterprise and Earth.
STAR TREK: NEMESIS may be the tenth movie in the franchise but it’s definitely not a let down. Early on in the film Picard and his away team get to use the latest vehicle in the STAR TREK line-up, the Argo, a sort of souped up all terrain buggy complete with phaser cannon. Although a motor vehicle in STAR TREK may seem a little dated the sequence itself is a superb piece of action, which would not be out of place in a Bond movie. In fact I’m sure the soundtrack to this part turned almost ‘Bondesque’. Apparently Patrick Stewart actually did 90% of the driving himself!
Other action sequences also stand out such as Riker and Worf’s (Michael Dorn) phaser fight with the Remans and Picard and Data flying a small fighter craft through the corridors of the enemy ship.
STAR TREK: NEMESIS is for the most part a space bound adventure with no time travel and only a little taking place on any planets surface. In some ways it’s reminiscent of THE WRATH OF KHAN with the Captain pitched against his nemesis of the title.
I have to say that this has to be one of the best STAR TREK movies yet and certainly ranks in my top three although I haven’t yet decided where.
My only hope is that we don’t have to wait as long for the next STAR TREK movie and how about adding Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) and the Doctor (Robert Picardo) to the NEXT GENERATION crew – that would really make an impressive line up!
I suppose it’s too much to ask for Captain Kirk who although killed in an earlier movie still exists in the Nexus and Spock to be added to that? Oh well at least let’s have Jeri Ryan in the next one!
