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Dom Robinson reviews
Paramount
- Cert:
- Cat.no: PHE 8008
- Running time: 99 minutes
- Year: 1998
- Pressing: 2000
- Region(s): 2, PAL
- Chapters: 24 plus extras
- Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1
- Languages: 3 languages available
- Subtitles: 7 languages available
- Widescreen: 2.35:1
- 16:9-Enhanced: Yes
- Macrovision: Yes
- Disc Format: DVD 9
- Price: £19.99
- Extras : Scene index, Theatrical Trailer, Teaser Trailer, Featurette
Director:
- Jonathan Frakes
Producer:
- Rick Berman
Screenplay:
- Rick Berman and Michael Piller
Music:
- Jerry Goldsmith
Cast:
- Captain Jean-Luc Picard: Patrick Stewart (Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Generations, Star Trek: Insurrection, Jeffrey, X-Men)
Commander Riker: Jonathan Frakes (Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Generations, Star Trek: Insurrection)
Data: Brent Spiner (Independence Day, Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Generations, Star Trek: Insurrection)
Geordi: Levar Burton (Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Generations, Star Trek: Insurrection)
Worf: Michael Dorn (Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Generations, Star Trek: Insurrection)
Dr. Beverly Crusher: Gates McFadden (Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Generations, Star Trek: Insurrection)
Deanna Troi: Marina Sirtis (Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Generations, Star Trek: Insurrection)
Anij: Donna Murphy (The Day Lincoln was Shot, Star Trek: Insurrection)
Ad’har Ru’afo: F. Murray Abraham (Amadeus, Last Action Hero, Mighty Aphrodite, Mimic, Mobsters, The Name of the Rose, Star Trek: Insurrection, Surviving The Game)
Star Trek: Insurrectionis the ninth film in the successful series but far from the best.
Picard (Patrick Stewart) and the crew touch down in a place inhabited by theBa’ku, a race who have found the ultimate in happiness – an idyllic setting, an actualfountain of youth and the ability to live forever without ageing. Yeah, but I bet they don’thave unmetered internet access…
However, there’s trouble in paradise when the Son’a want to capture that Friday feelingof endless leisure time and they’re led by Ad’har Ru’afo (F. Murray Abraham), with aplan to take 600 of the residents and find out what makes them tick. Picard et al want to helpthem, but when their prime directive is not to influence another race’s evolution, what arethey to do? Leave the Ba’ku alone or go against their bosses and kick the enemies outta town?
Of course, it doesn’t take a genius to answer that otherwise there’d be no film. Along theway Picard falls in love with Anij (Donna Murphy), but like his romance with AlfreWoodard inStar Trek: First Contact, it’s a lovethat can never be. Ah, shucks!
Most of the rest of the cast engage in “fun” activities, such as the women in the filmenjoying the feeling of having perfect, pert breasts, while Riker (Jonathan Frakes)and Deanna (Marina Sirtis) are seen to be enjoying each other.
However, all of this just slows the film down and doesn’t feel fun at all. Add to this theSon’a bad guys who look like crap bank robbers with ill-fitting stockings on their headsand are about as menacing as the Elephant Man and it all makes up for one of the least-excitingStar Trek films made to date.
On the positive side, the picture is in the correct 2.35:1 widescreen ratio, is anamorphicand has a stunning quality to it which is particularly well served during the bright outdoorscenes plus the space scenes. The average bitrate is a high 8.26Mb/s, often hovering justunder 9Mb/s.
The sound is excellent whether it’s gunfire bouncing about, Jerry Goldsmith‘s score,or the hum of the Enterprise in the background. Dolby Digital 5.1 is available in threelanguages.
Extras : Chapters :24 chapters for the 99-minute running time which is fine. Languages/Subtitles :Dolby Digital 5.1 in English, German and surprisingly, Hungarian.Subtitles are available in English (and hard of hearing), German (hard of hearing), Swedish,Danish, Norwegian, Dutch and Icelandic. This is the first time I’ve seen a DVD contain ahard-of-hearing version in a language other than English. And there’s more… :A two-minute Theatrical Trailer, a 90-second Teaser Trailer and a generic5-minute Featurette which contains basic chat from the cast and crew plus a briefresume of the film’s plot, such that it is. All of these extras will only be watched once andI’ll be surprised if you go back to them. Menu :A basic static and silent menu with a shot of the front cover and the usualoptions. Exactly the same as the Region 1 DVD.
Overall, although I didn’t particularly like this film, due to it trying to be funny all thetime when I wanted a decent plot and action, as was provided withStar Trek: First Contact, it’s goodto see that this series of films has seen the light of day in the UK and here’s to the restof the series coming to DVD which will be followed by the aforementioned First Contactplus Generations, which featured the death of Capt. James T. Kirk (William Shatner).
It’s just a shame Paramount didn’t prepare the sort of extras for the film that MGM havedone with their James Bond series.
PICTURE QUALITY
SOUND QUALITY
EXTRAS
OVERALL
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.