

'Star Trek: Insurrection' (1998)

A movie review by Walter Frith

Member of the 'Online Film Critics Association'
http://ofcs.org/ofcs/

Anyone who knows the 'Star Trek' movie series knows that they are all
characteristically different in style as well as substance.  The even
numbered ones, 2, 4, 6, and 8 are said to be better than the odd
numbered films 1, 3, 5, and 7, but each film in its own different way
has been mystical, action packed, compelling, funny, religious,
intriguing, harmonic, and terrifying.  Notice that there are 8
adjectives described here.  One for each film in order since 'Star Trek:
The Motion Picture' in 1979.  Wow!  Talk about a movie critic who
doesn't ramble on!  What better way to describe these films than in one
word.

The adjective that best describes 'Star Trek: Insurrection' is
"romantic".  The film is a nice 180 degree turn from 'Star Trek: First
Contact', the best of the three films so far that incorporates the cast
from television's 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' (1987-1994).

Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) and his crew help a race of people who
are about to be sent into exile from their peaceful planet of prosperity
by others of the same race who want to take revenge for being sent into
exile years before.  The plot is quite monstrous.  Led by Ru'afo
(F.Murray Abraham), the exodus will come without the citizens knowing
it.  You see, in the 24th century it is possible to create a hologram
which is a fake image of something that seems real.  The entire planet
was to become a hologram and the unwitting citizens would be whisked off
the planet living in this hologram without even knowing it is false.
Riker (Jonathan Frakes), Data (Brent Spiner), LaForge (LeVar Burton),
Crusher (Gates McFadden) Troi (Marina Sirtis), and Worf (Michael Dorn)
tag along with Picard in heroic fashion to help save the people of the
planet and fight against the Federation at the same time who make a
disastrous decision early in the film.

The good thing about this movie is that all of the film's characters
seem to be displayed in an even flow of presentation and none of them
are given too much or too little screen time.  I thoroughly enjoyed this
film for taking the necessary steps and keeping in the tradition of
being very different from the other eight 'Star Trek' films.

Jonathan Frakes does a good job directing the picture while keeping the
pace free flowing and the running time relatively short.  Some of the
dialogue is wooden and a few of the performances a bit lazy but overall
I recommend this installment in the series simply for its ability to
entertain, tell a good but nevertheless predictable story and establish
its own identity.  When you consider that so many films that get
released are copies or variations of other films, it's really a surprise
to see a NINTH installment in a film series come off looking so much
different than its other chapters.

F. Murray Abraham (remember him).  He won a Best Actor Oscar in 1984 for
'Amadeus' for playing Mozart's rival Antonio Salieri.  His work as the
villain in this film isn't exactly the way I wanted to see him make a
comeback in film but he does his job well and creates probably the best
'Star Trek' villain since Christopher Plummer's portrayal of the evil
General Chang in 'Star TrekVI: The Undiscovered Country' in 1991.

Take advantage of this film on the big screen if you value the 'Star
Trek' series and while talk of this being the last 'Star Trek' film has
made its way through the movie grape vine in recent days, its box office
numbers suggest otherwise.  It remains a profitable and successful
franchise and the term 'Star Trek', when entered into any search engine
on the Internet, probably brings up more matches than any other genre of
its kind.

OUT OF 5 > * * * 1/2

Visit FILM FOLLOW-UP by Walter Frith
http://www.cgocable.net/~wfrith/movies.htm

[email-masked]