Star Trek - Generations (1994)

Star Trek goes 'Blade Runner'. A stunning masterpiece.

It may be that I am in the very minority of people if I state that Star Trek Generations is far and away the best of the Next Gen films and one of the best of the overall series. I may be in the minority to talk about its philosophical themes that are all over the place in all the right places. It may be I'm the only person who sees this film as a philosophy piece like Blade Runner. But that's what I see it as. And though this film is definitely not as well-directed or well-made as the aforementioned Ridley Scott classic, the themes and astounding philosophical musings are very similar.

'Star Trek: Generations' deals with the themes of time, humanity, happiness, and obsession. The film revolves around a scientist of the name Dr. Tolian Soran (portrayed by Malcom McDowell of 'A Clockwork Orange') who was sucked into a time vortex called the Nexus many years ago. The Nexus manifests itself as the ultimate pinnacle of happiness and satisfaction for every individual who is pulled within it: whatever their greatest hopes, dreams, and desires are, they are manifested. Soran, whose wife and son were killed, was "with them" again when he was in the Nexus. Years after being removed from it, he goes on a murderous quest to reunite with it while being pursued by Picard and the classic Enterprise crew of ST:TNG.

Right before these events unfold and the Enterprise is thrust into pursuit of Soran, Picard is notified that his brother and nephew were killed in a fire. Picard, never married and never a father, loved his nephew like a son and is anguished over this. This anguish lasts till the end of the movie and is manifested and reflected on all during his chase of Soran. Meanwhile, the emotionless android Data is equipped with an experimental emotional chip after requesting it from his only true close friend, engineer Geordi LaForge. He experiences emotion, pain, and fear for the first time. The emotion-chip theme with Data is one that would continue for the entire ST:TNG film series right until the haunting finale of the criminally underrated 'Star Trek: Nemesis'.

The main theme the film deals with, as mentioned before, is time. Do we linger in the past, or do we learn from the past and move forward? Do we choose to "burn" in the "flames" of yesterday, or move beyond them and advance as human beings? Similarly, as was the main theme in 'Blade Runner', Data's emotion chip asks us the question of what defines humanity, whether it be our genetic makeup and appearance or our hopes, dreams, loves, and experiences.

Little more can be gone into without spoiling the film. While the direction is not perfect, the themes and story are the best of the ST:TNG film series and one of the best of the entire Trek series overall. With a director such as Stanley Kubrick or Ridley Scott this movie would probably be considered one of the greatest of all-time. Absolute masterpiece and a must-see for any and all fans of Star Trek and philosophical science fiction. September 19, 2008

great trekkie movie

wanted this movie for a long time ihave it on vhs but they were asking to much for it at the comic book stores. September 19, 2008

A clash of old and new

My second favorite of the movies behind Khan. Seeing the original characters meshed with the new is great. Wish the beginning of the movie when Scotty, Capt. Kirk and Chekov were together would have been longer. September 17, 2008

The Next Generation's Generation

The Good Things
*Lots of good action and special effects.
*Filming style is good.
*Storyline is okay; it makes sense to me, but is mostly a good excuse to unite Kirk with Picard. It also incorporates a few important parts of the "Star Trek" universe, such as Data getting his emotion chip installed.
*Characters are good. Picard, Kirk, and Data are all great. I love Malcom McDowell as the bad guy.
*Writing is pretty good. Lots of comedy and drama.
*Some interesting themes about growing old.
*Good music in general.

The Bad Things
*Did they really have to blow up the Enterprise D?

The Questionable Things
*A little bit of swearing may make it inappropriate for young kids (rated PG-13).

This may seem a little hoaky, but is still a great deal of fun. This film is loaded with slick action, cool special effects, funny moments, and some serious drama. Moreover, of all the films, this is closest to the style and content of the Next Generation series (I'll miss the Enterprise D). It's not the best, but they tried to make it big and awesome. "Star Trek" fans should be pleased.

The one-disc version had good video and sound quality. The two-disc version still has good quality and includes a number of featurettes and trailers. August 4, 2008

Plot holes galore, the absolute worst of Trek

The movie's script is obnoxious, cheesy, uninspired, insipid, mundane, overwrought with unnecessary technical jargon and bogged down by ridiculously oversized plotholes. The best use for this movie is as a doorstop. August 3, 2008

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