

>From http://www.ChainReactionBicycles.com/movies.htm
Please note this review is from a general movie section on our website (and
yes, it *is* a bicycle shop's website, not exactly where you'd expect to
find a movie review section!).  It's intentionally casual.  --Mike--

STAR TREK: INSURRECTION.  The 9th movie in the series (really!), the
3rd with the Next Generation cast, and the first in a very long time
where it doesn't even seem like the characters are acting, but rather
playing, or almost being the roles as they played them best in the
series. A great amount of playful banter amongst the cast does, in
fact, give you that "warm and fuzzy" feeling that some reviews have
talked about.  The villains...well, no, they really aren't all that
scary, they're just a bunch of mean & nasty ordinary people, and, in
the best tradition of the Next Generation series, you could even say
they're misunderstood. Only now, instead of Counselor Troi getting to
the bottom of their feelings, it's the wise old sage Picard coming to
the rescue...the thinking-man's captain.

 This movie could have been a simple two-dimensional story about good
and evil, but an intriguing plot twist may cause you to ask some
important questions at the very end of the film.  Are the Bake truly
blameless victims in what has transpired? Perhaps this is my only real
disappointment with the film as they spring such a major development
far too late in the film to play it out in the way it deserves...just
a bit too tidy an ending to a story that's akin in some ways to a
Shakespearean tragedy.

 I would say this is finally a Star Trek movie that can hold its own
against the work of the original series cast in Star Trek IV, The
Voyage Home (otherwise known as Save The Whales).  Let's hope that
it's not followed by something as bad as Star Trek V (Kirk meets God
and surprisingly it's not his reflection in a mirror).

 One final thing that just came to mind, and it's surprisingly
negative. In contrasting this movie with the TV series, I suddenly
came to an interesting realization.  Unlike the wasn't anything that
was, as they say, "Larger than life" that required big-screen
treatment.  This could have just as easily been an excellent two-part
TV episode, with the only thing really setting it apart was the
obvious comfort and almost ad-lib quality of the acting. In fact, the
scenes that depended upon actors outside of the regular cast were
those that fell flat!  In contrast, the exceptional two-part Borg
cliffhanger/season opener from the TV series (titled "The Best of Both
Worlds") transcended the small screen and would have been worthy of
all that 70mm film and huge budgets have to offer.

 But overall this movie is great fun and anyone familiar with the Next
Generation cast is going to have a great time...it would be virtually
impossible for a fan of the series to be disappointed.  As for those
not real Star Trek (The Next Generation) believers...more later.  We
attended the movie with at least two such people, Steve (who runs our
Los Altos operation and just happens to be my brother besides) and his
10-year-old son Eddie.  I know Eddie definitely enjoyed it...there's
enough action to keep things interesting (the usual phasers,
explosions, space battles etc.).  My almost-11 daughter Becky
definitely enjoyed it, but she's a confirmed Trekkie!