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STAR TREK: NEMESIS review (spoilers)
http://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=13929
Hey folks, Harry here... Well, the last review was mixed at best, this is an out and out disaster review. Claiming that the film fails at each and every level. That it plays like an odd Trek film instead of the even it was supposed to be. This sounds very scary. I don't want to see bad Trek.... I really don't. Here ya go... beware of spoilers...
CONTAINS SPOILERS
I recently had the opportunity to screen the new "Star Trek" film thanks to a friend at Viacom. I was genuinely excited to screen the new movie, but…
The even/odd-numbered theory has finally been blown out of the water. Number "X" in the "Trek" film series is one big misfire.
How can one put into words the utter disappointment this film delivers on virtually every level? In a world where the sci-fi/fantasy genre has been blessed -- and the bar raised -- by the sheer creative brilliance of films such as the "The Fellowship of the Ring" and "The Matrix" and, at least on a technical level, the ability to realize other worlds and alien races like in the latest "Star Wars" movies, the "Trek" films seem somehow stuck in the past where our tastes as an audience were perhaps more simple and just the idea of seeing our TV heroes on the big screen was enough to help us look beyond some silly stories and "B" movie production values.
There's one essential problem with "Star Trek: Nemesis" that goes beyond its shortcomings in story, direction, and acting: it's CHEESY. And the "cheese" quotient in the "Trek" series is becoming so high that I fear the franchise will soon (if it's not already) be irrelevant as it falls in the shadow of other genre films with greater creative vision.
"Star Trek" used to be about great ideas and concepts that elevated it above its low-budget origins. I'm afraid the series is losing its way in an attempt to re-capture the fans with middling attempts at action, humor, and too-predictable super villains.
Allow me to hit upon some of the low points (SPOILER ALERT):
The Opening:
We witness what is supposed to be a horrifying incident in the Romulan senate chamber but which is instead almost laughable as the entire senate is reduced to dust with silly grimaces plastered on their faces. I had a bad feeling in my gut almost immediately.
The Romulans:
The make-up looks like make-up and these are not the threatening Romulans we've seen before. They're so easy-going and friendly that at one point a Romulan commander jokes about having a drink with Picard once they all rid themselves of Shinzon. Wow -- who knew that peace between the Federation and the Romulans could come so easily over one minor shared enemy?
The Remans:
I guess they're supposed to be scary but you wouldn't know it from here. Like the Romulans, they look like guys in costumes. Ron Perlman's Viceroy has little to do and his telepathic abilities involving Shinzon and Troi seemingly come out of nowhere in one example of the script's many shortcomings.
B4:
Any scene with this idiotic creation is embarrassing. I'd feel sorry for Brent Spiner having to behave like a child, except for the fact that he shares a story credit and deserves some of the blame. This character serves little or no purpose in the film, except to provide Spiner a way to re-enter the series down the road. If you thought Data's quirks were getting annoying, get ready for this moronic android. And not only do we have to watch Data sing, but also B4 singing with Picard at the film's close, in a scene that had me screaming inside.
The Direction.
Kudos to Paramount and Berman for allowing an outsider to come in and shake things up. The "Trek" series desperately needs new blood to keep it fresh and vital. However, "Trek" also needs a director who has a more cinematic vision than just directing action scenes capably. With its over-use of close-ups and static set-ups, this movie falls flat in almost every scene including the much-touted space battle.
The Sets:
Herman Zimmerman, I love ya, but why does every alien race have a ship where guys sit at big consoles, just like on the Enterprise? This is another area of the franchise that is in big need of a creative shake-up.
The Script:
This, of course, is the major problem with the whole film. John Logan has written a script that is no better than, say, the average "Andromeda" episode. For all the horn tooting about shaking up the status quo, things pretty much wrap up in a predictable, safe fashion. Logan adds NOTHING to these characters that we haven't seen before. If I were LeVar Burton, Gates McFadden or Michael Dorn, I'd sue for malpractice. Save for Picard, virtually every main character is devoid of a detectable personality. They're simply conduits for Logan's mediocre dialogue. It's another example of how clueless the current "Trek" writers are to the brilliance of the Kirk/Spock/McCoy triumvirate and how to best utilize all the characters' personalities.
In the Shinzon/Picard dynamic, Logan wastes his own potentially cool story with lazy writing and little exploration of the themes that stem from this relationship. The premise isn't half-bad, but the script is half-baked.
There are plot holes galore. Wait until you see how Picard and crew are "tricked" into finding B4. It's stupifying. Shinzon's health deteriorates at such a quick pace it's ridiculous. Too bad the Enterprise crew didn't come across him a week later because they could have avoided this entire movie. The big finale depends on Shinzon getting his own "weapon of mass destruction" up and running as his ship expands its wings. You could invade Iraq and be home for Thanksgiving in the time it takes for this thing to charge up. So much for any kind of a surprise attack. The ending is exactly like the last movie: Picard dukes it out with the bad guy aboard bad guy's ship before getting beamed off in the knick of time.
Say what you will about "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" and its glacial storytelling, that film had a bigger, bolder vision than any of the subsequent films and took its characters - and their mission to explore new life forms and new civilizations -- seriously. What we need is a "Trek" movie that returns to Roddenberry's roots rather than pitting the crew up against yet another lame super-villain. The formula is beyond tired.
The Ending:
If this is indeed the final journey for this crew, it's a disappointing send-off. "All Good Things…" provided a heartfelt coda that was the perfect finale for the crew's TV adventures. Here, two crewmembers get definite goodbyes but we'll never know what happens to the rest of the cast thanks to a poor wrap-up. The ending feels choppy and abrupt (one gets the sense other goodbye scenes have been lost in the editing process) and instead we're treated to Picard and B4 singing.
In all, "Nemesis" is a creative disappointment. With other genre pictures of late leading a new wave of sci-fi/fantasy creativity, "Trek" seems more archaic and less sophisticated than ever. I honestly doubt that non-Trek audiences will find much of interest here. Here's hoping the "good" films switch to the odd-numbered films next time around.
Albobo
well.... i am still excited about it
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