Star Trek - First Contact (Two-Disc Special Collector's Edition)
by Jonathan Frakes
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Actor: Brent Spiner, Jonathan Frakes, LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn, Patrick StewartDirector: Jonathan Frakes
Producer: Marty Hornstein
Producer: Peter Lauritson
Producer: Rick Berman
Writer: Rick Berman
Writer: Brannon Braga
Writer: Gene Roddenberry
Writer: Ronald D. Moore
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Format: Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, DVD, NTSC, Special Edition, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 111 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-03-15
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Paramount
DVD Reviews of Star Trek - First Contact (Two-Disc Special Collector's Edition)
DVD Review: Overrated, it deserved to be better and easily could have.
Summary: 2 Stars
Looks like a great package for fans, but I've got real problems with this movie, given that they had 2 years in which to make it.
The teaser advert I saw on television looked suspenseful and gripping, and even gritty - all things I love. Of course, it used music from The Wrath of Khan (which was an instant 'red flag' for me), but I didn't let it distract me. I was hyped and eager to see this new film.
So, I went to the theatre to watch this flick... didn't feel I needed to see it again. (I saw VI 3 times, Generations 2 times, and Insurrection 3 times... Nemesis 1 time and I nearly walked out, but that's for another review...) But because it was on clearance, I ultimately bought the LaserDisc edition in '99...
The good:
Jonathan Frakes' direction. He really is good with camerawork. Especially for the Borg intro, his direction is spot-on and even delivers the goods. Overall, he's the right guy... but you can tell he had to do a LOT with some material that proved itself to be low quality fluff.
I'm glad they kept him for Insurrection, an eminently better produced film that, unusually for a Next Gen film, doesn't rely on its established lore and dares to tell a new story rather than feeding fans more of the same... but I digress.
Picard/Borg subplot: The Federation is proven right as Picard becomes more and more paranoid and is determined to exterminate the Borg at all costs. (think of it as a reversal of "The Wrath of Khan). If only the movie spent more time on this aspect, because this was when the movie ditched all of the supposed 'ha-ha' moments and actually try to provide thrills and chills... The Ruby/Picard confrontation is the zenith of this subplot and it is both sublime and superlative.
Special effects: They're good. But by 2005, people will re-visit the movie and think that the effects look cheap. Then they'll try getting into the plot and some of them might ask "Why did I like this slop? That's why basing a movie on its effects never works; special effects always become dated. The plot and characterizations don't.
The bad:
The Picard/Borg subplot: Let's figure this out: The Federaton gives Picard their new flagship and then tells Picard to go play tiddleywinks on the Romulan border just as the Borg invasion commences. Now if the Federation execs can't trust Picard whenever a Borg dare spouts off the usual dreary dialogue drivel, why give him the supposedly best ship out there?! Isn't that, well, dumb?
More intersting is this: The "E" is situated at the Romulan border and the Borg strike. They hear over subspace comm that the Feds are losing. Picard and Data do their little song and joke and 'disobey orders' and head to Earth. That's EARTH. Hardly the neighbor of the Romulan neutral zone. Even at warp 9.9, it's BOGUS to think for even one attosecond that they'd make it back in time to save the day. This is very sloppy writing, and we're not beyond the first 10 minutes yet!!
Most interestingly of it all - given the previous statement, how come all the Federation ships instantly obey Picard who breaks orders (with Data being a 2nd rate Spock, no less in an awful so-called humorous moment) to go concentrate their firepower on the one area of the Borg ship?
And for a species that proclaims to be able to rapidly adapt, the Borg keep sending o n l y o n e c u b e to take over the Federation. Having been in tussle against the Federation before, you think they'd send TWO cube ships and be done with it, but nooooo. Worse, the usual issue of conveniently being able to kill Borg in one scene, followed by a scene where they adapt, and then later another scene where lo and behold they can kill some more Borg again became tiresome.
Time travel. How many more times do we need to see a sloppily written way to get everybody back in time. Even better, with the Enterprise heavily damaged and having its deflector removed, I'd wonder HOW they could get back to the 24th century so easily...
"Watch you're future's end" says the Queen. Never mind that the Queen is totally incongrous with what we've been led to believe about the Borg in the past. Her comment is stupid. Picard and the gang have already ecounted the Borg and even have lives. Had this scene been in the 24th century, it might be passable. But with using time-travel (WHY? There is no need to except to deliver us the means to add the Zephram Cochrane subplot which is utterly atrocious and pointless), this big phrase of hers loses all meaning because we already know they're going to win. More sloppy writing, if there hadn't been enough at this point!
The comedy, it shouldn't be called 'humor': Ever since Trek IV, Paramount seems intent on ensuring every Trek movie gets a huge dose of humor (except for 'Nemesis', which is ironically the biggest joke of them all...). Guess what? It ain't funny in this one. It's so awful, it's even embarrasing in scenes. This movie was presented to me as being a suspenseful adventure and what we truly got was this farce?! Oobie doobie this!
The music. Jerry Goldsmith is not at his best here. One example is the Borg battle music's intro; it's B-material at best, overly pompous and embarrassing to listen to at worst. Something about the music doesn't fit the movie. Goldsmith's done better (namely the first Trek film) What was wrong with Dennis McCarthy's style? Or, better yet, why not get Ron Jones to do the music? Oh yeah, he was fired because his style was too lively and engaging and didn't put people to sleep while watching the show.
Continuity flubs: They exist in great numbers here. Non-trekkies won't care because they won't see the goofs. Trekkies who like the Kirk era WILL care. (Obviously I prefer the Kirk era, generally, but Insurrection Special Edition hasn't been released yet...) Fans of the Next Generation will love anything it all regardless. (try to sit through 'Nemesis' and you'll know quickly what I mean...)
Production flubs: Barclay's toupee and some other trifling bits, there's a surprisingly good scene where Ruby is threatening Picard with a phaser. He ultimately gets her to stand down, but when she hands him the phaser you can see it light up. Why didn't Picard die as he did say it was set to kill?
And worst of all: Cameos from two of Star Trek Voyager's cast for no reason: The McCoy ripoff hologram doctor... and Neelix minus his makeup in the holodeck ballroom recreation. Just when you thought that Michael Dorn's butting into Trek 6 was bad enough, now we get two from a far worse spinoff. (not to dis Mr. Dorn, I rather liked how they were making continuity... and for once not wilfully breaking it, as can be seen in Generations and 1st Contact...)
Along with time travel, other bogus conveniences include how easy it is to turn off the holodeck safety mechanism (which should also mean that when one exits the holodeck, any bullets would also vanish, yes?)
Ultimately? Go buy "Generations" instead. It feels even more like an overlong TV episode, but despite its problems it's at least got the humor part done well.
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