Star Trek - Insurrection (1998)
Abraham Murphy, Anthony Zerbe, Brent Spiner
Star Trek fans were decidedly mixed in their reactions to this, the ninth big-screen feature in Paramount's lucrative Trek franchise, but die-hard loyalists will appreciate the way this Next Generation adventure rekindles the spirit of the original Trek TV series while c...
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Star Trek fans were decidedly mixed in their reactions to this, the ninth big-screen feature in Paramount's lucrative Trek franchise, but die-hard loyalists will appreciate the way this Next Generation adventure rekindles the spirit of the original Trek TV series while combining a tolerable dose of New-Agey philosophy with a lighthearted plot for the TNG cast. This time out, Picard (Patrick Stewart) and his executive crew must transport to a Shangri-la-like planet to see why their android crewmate Data (Brent Spiner) has run amuck in a village full of peaceful Ba'ku artisans who--thanks to their planet's "metaphasic radiation"--haven't aged in 309 years. It turns out there's a conspiracy afoot, masterminded by the devious, gruesomely aged Ru'afo (F. Murray Abraham, hamming it up under makeup resembling a cosmetic surgeon's worst nightmare), who's in cahoots with a renegade Starfleet admiral (Anthony Zerbe, in one of his final screen roles). They covet the fountain-of-youth power of the Ba'ku planet, but because their takeover plan violates Starfleet's Prime Directive of noninterference, it's up to Picard and crew to stop the scheme. Along the way, they all benefit from the metaphasic effect, which manifests itself as Worf's puberty (visible as a conspicuous case of Klingon acne), Picard's youthful romance with a Ba'ku woman (the lovely Donna Murphy), the touching though temporary return of Geordi's natural eyesight, and a moment when Troi asks Dr. Crusher if she's noticed that her "boobs are firming up." Some fans scoffed at these humorous asides, but they're what make this Trek film as entertaining as it is slightly disappointing. Without the laughs (including Data's rousing excerpt from Gilbert & Sullivan's HMS Pinafore), this is a pretty routine entry in the franchise, with no real surprises, a number of plot holes, and the overall appearance of a big-budget TV episode. As costar and director, Jonathan Frakes proves a capable carrier of the Star Trek flame--and it's nice to see women in their 40s portrayed as smart and sexy--but while this is surely an adequate Trek adventure, it doesn't quite rank with the best in the series. --Jeff Shannon
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PG, 103 min.
Directed by:
Jonathan Frakes
Release Date: Dec 11, 1998
DVD Release Date: May 11, 1999
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its the familiar faces that keep this movie floating above being dreadful however you can say that about anyone of the below average episodes which this entry into the film franchise sits squarely with.
I think this film is underrated in some cases and overrated in others. It's a pretty average Star Trek film, but the effects did appear sub-par for the franchise. They should never have left ILM.
The 9th film in the "Star Trek" series finds Picard (Patrick Stewart, "Safe House") and crew called in to investigate why Data (Brent Spiner, "Dude, Where's My Car?") has malfunctioned and attacked a race of peaceful citizens. They find a deeper plo... (read more) The 9th film in the "Star Trek" series finds Picard (Patrick Stewart, "Safe House") and crew called in to investigate why Data (Brent Spiner, "Dude, Where's My Car?") has malfunctioned and attacked a race of peaceful citizens. They find a deeper plot involving an alliance between the Federation and an alien race led by Ru'afo (F. Murray Abraham, "Finding Forrester") that all look like they've had WAY too many facelifts. They remind me of the citizens of apocalyptic L.A. in "Escape From L.A." where everyone's gone mad with plastic surgery. This of course leads to some gruesome skin stretching scenes.
It seems this planet's rings hold a fountain of youth type affect that causes it's inhabitants (refugees from another planet) to not age. It also brings youthfulness back to anyone who visits it, including the crew of the Enterprise.
It's a slowed down pace from the action packed "Star Trek: First Contact", but it's still done pretty damn good, thanks to returning director Jonathan "Riker" Frakes. Some have argued it's more like a full length episode of the show, but coming from the perspective of someone who doesn't want any of the "Star Trek" shows, I thought it was a pretty enjoyable entry in the series.
Some of the cast members get slightly more to do here as well including Dr. Crusher (Gates McFadden), Counselor Tro (Marina Sirtisi, and Worf (Michael Dorn). More humor is added this time around, including jokes about Worf going through Klingon puberty, and the sudden youthful spryness the characters experience.
The crew disobeys orders from Starfleet to protect the citizens of the planet from being transported off the planet to gain access to the fountain of youth. This allows the characters to be seen for once in casual dress instead of their usual uniforms, like Picard pimped out in a leather jacket. This was similarly done with "Star Trek" 3 & 4 where Kirk & his crew gave their jobs the finger and took shit into their own hands.
While not as exciting as previous installments (until the action packed finale), there's good use of the tamed down plot to emphasize more on the character development and mankind's thirst to remain young. All and all, a fine outing for the "Trek" films.
This Trek movie had kind of a different feel to it. I thought it was cool how Picard went against the Federation's orders. The whole plot on the planet with it having "mystical" powers was interesting. I also like watching Riker have control of th... (read more) This Trek movie had kind of a different feel to it. I thought it was cool how Picard went against the Federation's orders. The whole plot on the planet with it having "mystical" powers was interesting. I also like watching Riker have control of the ship.
i've already given first contact a perfect 5 stars, but that won't stop me from giving this 5 as well. it feels like a long episode, which means that the actors are doing their jobs perfectly. everyone stays in character, and the chemistry that too... (read more) i've already given first contact a perfect 5 stars, but that won't stop me from giving this 5 as well. it feels like a long episode, which means that the actors are doing their jobs perfectly. everyone stays in character, and the chemistry that took 7 years to develop really pays off on screen. my favorite of the TNG movies.
Star Trek: Insurrection (1998) -- [6.0] -- "Insurrection" is a safe, unremarkable movie that doesn't aspire to anything greater than what the TV show accomplished week after week. The storyline, featuring a planet of eternal youth and a conspiracy t... (read more) Star Trek: Insurrection (1998) -- [6.0] -- "Insurrection" is a safe, unremarkable movie that doesn't aspire to anything greater than what the TV show accomplished week after week. The storyline, featuring a planet of eternal youth and a conspiracy to relocate its inhabitants, may not have feature film scope and scale, but "Insurrection" still succeeds in letting us spend some time with the beloved characters of our favorite starship. F. Murray Abraham co-stars as a villain addicted to face lifts, and Donna Murphy plays Jean-Luc Picard's quasi-love interest.
Star Trek: Insurrection is like a long episode of the long running television series. The plot is fairly decent as the TNG crew aids a planet of which federation forces are conspiring to move people off in an effort to harness the planets power. T... (read more) Star Trek: Insurrection is like a long episode of the long running television series. The plot is fairly decent as the TNG crew aids a planet of which federation forces are conspiring to move people off in an effort to harness the planets power. The weaknesses are glaring including some truly corny and awful dialogue. Overall, if you are a fan of the TNG crew, you will enjoy.
The black sheep of the 4 TNG movies; however it doesn't mean that it's bad. It's just not as good as other 3. If you look at it as an independent film it would have been an excellent one.
I didn't hate this film nor loved it. I don't see what's so bad about this film. I think fans were comparing it to the other ST films, particularly with "First Contact". I like this ST film because of the politics behind it. Who's to say it's rig... (read more) I didn't hate this film nor loved it. I don't see what's so bad about this film. I think fans were comparing it to the other ST films, particularly with "First Contact". I like this ST film because of the politics behind it. Who's to say it's right or wrong to move or kill villagers to save billions. In other words, is it right to kill a hundred people to save billions? This film tries to answer that question.
F. Murray Abraham is pockmarked in space! The first hour is mostly terrible. This would have been an excellent TV episode; not much as a movie.
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