Subject: Retrospective: Star Trek: First Contact (1996)

From: Dragan Antulov <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 06 May 2003 18:54:42 -0000

STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT (1996)

A Film Review 
Copyright Dragan Antulov 2003

When STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION first aired in 1987, 
few people believed that it had potential to match the original 1960s 
series. But the sceptics were proven wrong - the show lasted for 
seven years and is now fondly remembered even by those who don't 
fit the usual description of "trekkies". The show finally proved its 
equality with original by serving as basis for brand new motion 
picture series. Following the not so successful "transitional" film 
STAR TREK: GENERATIONS which featured the protagonists of 
both series, STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATIONS had a feature 
film adventure completely of its own in STAR TREK: FIRST 
CONTACT, 1996 film directed by Jonathan Frakes.

Plot begins in 24th Century when the crew of USS Enterprise E must 
face not only its greatest challenge but also the meanest of all villains 
in the known universe - Borg, race of cyborgs that destroy and 
assimilate anything in their way. Captain Jean-Luc Picard (played by 
Patrick Stewart) was once assimilated by Borg and he is still 
traumatised by the experience. This won't prevent him from 
performing his duty when huge Borg ships attacks Earth. Starfleet 
wins the battle but small Borg ship manages to poke hole in time and 
travels back to 2063. In that year great inventor Zephram Cochrane 
(played by James Cromwell) made the historic flight with the ship 
using warp drive and thus triggered first contact with Vulcans and 
other events that would lead to creation of United Federation of 
Planets and Starfleet. Borg plan to conquer Earth in 2063 and thus 
prevent all that from happening. USS Enterprise follows Borg back in 
time and tries to protect Cochrane, but soon the real nightmare 
begins. Borg drones have infiltrated USS Enterprise, started 
assimilating the crew members and taking over ship. Picard would 
need all the ingenuity and luck to defeat such formidable and 
unstoppable foe.

STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT, just like the all STAR TREK movies, 
had to satisfy two very different sets of viewers - fanatical "trekkies" 
that want to see their favourite fictional universe recreated with 
loving detail and the general audience that wanted more 
conventional, in other words simpler, plots and characters. 
Reconciling those opposites requires great deal of skill, and this is 
something creators FIRST CONTACT apparently had. This film 
represents one of those rare compromises that could more-or-less 
satisfy both camps. The reason for that is in the screenplay that, 
unlike television show, puts more emphasis on action and special 
effects and less on plot and dialogue. Another important reason why 
FIRST CONTACT stands out is in its tone, which is surprisingly dark 
for Roddenberry's optimistic vision of the future. Some characters, 
like Picard, embodiment of the intellectual enlightenment in the 
series, show their dark, sometimes atavistic side; the interior of 
Enterprise becomes dangerous and dark place, completely 
resembling the mood of the protagonists. The dark tone of the film 
stays even despite the predictable ending and (usually lame) 
attempts to lighten up with some humour. "Trekkie" segment of the 
audience would, on the other hand, find itself in familiar territory 
thanks to plenty of in-jokes, some of them including references to 
VOYAGER, the most recent incarnation of STAR TREK.

Apart from the larger special effects budget, FIRST CONTACT owes 
its success to the very good talents involved. The series cast, reunited 
for the second time, could act those roles in their sleep. Patrick 
Stewart adds another dimension to his character, showing some 
emotions we weren't accustomed to see from Captain Picard. The 
regular cast is joined by James Cromwell in very interesting role of 
hippy inventor and Alice Krige whose Borg Queen character looks 
both intimidating and perversely appealing. Jonathan Frakes, best 
known for his role of Commander William Ryker (whom he 
portrayed in this film too), had already 
gained directing experience on the show and this experience is put to 
good use in this film. Many scenes reveal great influence of classic 
SF-horrors like ALIENS and Frakes manages to make this film 
different both from the series and from most of the other films in 
franchise. Because of its innovative (and brave) approach to STAR 
TREK, FIRST CONTACT represents one of the better chapters in the 
long history of this prosperous franchise.

RATING:  7/10 (+++)

Review written on May 6th 2003

Dragan Antulov a.k.a. Drax
http://film.purger.com - Filmske recenzije na hrvatskom/Movie Reviews in
Croatian
http://www.purger.com/users/drax/reviews.htm - Movie Reviews in English
http://www.ofcs.org - Online Film Critics Society

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X-Language: en
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X-RT-TitleID: 1074426
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X-RT-RatingText: 7/10