Star Trek - First Contact (1996)

Roy Orbison meets the Vulcans

This is by far the best of the Next Generation Star Trek films and probably second only to 'Star Trek IV The Voyage Home' in terms of all the Star Trek films. Its almost a direct continuation of the TNG episodes "The Best of Both Worlds" in which Jean Luc Picard is assimalated by the Borg.

The story has been told by many other reviewers, so I will not repeat that. However, I will say that here you get an excellent story, which is well directed by Jonathan Frakes, and above all a marvellous leading performance by Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean Luc Picard.

The 2nd disc contains hours and hours of extras which are well worth watching. You can see from the interviews on the extras disc the enthusiasm of all those involved in the making of the film.

All the things that make, or have made, Star Trek such a long-standing success are contained in this film: The marvellous interaction of the characters and cast with each other. Decisions that affect the future of humanity, a moral quality which may ultimately be the way forward for us all, and as with all the best Star Trek films and TV shows time travel.

Of course I realise that 'a moral quality' sounds horribly pretentious, and in reality this is just a film that will have no affect on mankinds future (or lack of it). So forget about that and watch a cracking film. August 29, 2008

The Beginning is a Means to the End

The Good Things
*Excellent action and special effects. The opening battle scene is probably the best of the series.
*Filming style is good.
*The storyline is good. Includes a great deal of excitement, comedy, and drama.
*Incorporates a good deal of stuff from the Star Trek universe. The Borg make for the best bad guys of the series. They are quite menacing (and it's about time they stopped bringing up the Klingons!). Also an original and refreshing look at the history of the saga, involving the guy who invented Warp Drive.
*Characters are good. Picard shows a great deal of pain and compassion.
*Writing is good.
*Music is good.

The Bad Things
*Ummm...

To start with, this film has some of the best action and battle scenes in the series. It also boasts some immersive drama, comedy, and suspense. And it ties in a lot of aspects from the TV shows to create a coherent plot. It's probably the best film done by the Next Generation crew, and is certainly worthwhile watching.

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

And now .. the beginning of the story

After all the previous Star Trek movies, this came out to fill in the story. As a prequel it's a little lackluster. It's not the swashbuckling space opera,with great visual effects and great story telling. What sells this is the first meeting between Vulcan and human and the struggle to escape earth into space. Since I'm a completist, I just had to have this -- and no true trekkie would be without it either, no matter how lame it may be. July 17, 2008

Fight For Humanity Or A Madman's Revenge?

That's the key question one should ask himself when viewing "Star Trek: First Contact." In this first solo outing for the TNG crew, Picard and the gang find themselves facing off against the highly popular villains called the Borg. Having been defeated every time they've battled the Enterprise, the Borg devise a plan to travel back in time to stop a key event in Earth's history and then (big shocker) assimilate everybody. In a heated and action-packed space battle, the Borg jump through time with the Enterprise E hot on their tale. The Borg cube is destroyed almost immediately, but this is only the beginning of a fast-paced and highly enjoyable action/dramatic yarn that goes so far as to question a particular crewmember's sanity.

While he isn't at the helm of the Enterprise in this film, Jonathan Frakes does call the shots behind the camera. He takes the screenplay crafted by Brannon Braga and Ronald D. Moore and blends just enough action into the script to keep the story moving at a good clip. As much as I enjoy TNG, I do have to say that the series was often weighed down by long and drawn out moments of dialogue. Frakes puts the brakes on these sequences at just the right time.

Patrick Stewart delivers a solid performance as Picard. Matching him scene-for-scene is Alfre Woodard in an excellent performance as a fish-out-of-water aboard the Enterprise. James Cromwell proves once again that he deserves bigger roles than the ones he usually gets. Brent Spiner is sufficient as always as Data and the rest of the crew do an excellent job as well.

The music and special effects are also very good. As stated before, the space battle sequence is amazing. There's also some zero-gravity action as well.

This two-disc set is an excellent addition to any Trek fan's collection (or, in this case, collective). The special features are a nice treat, and I personally enjoyed the audio commentary from Frakes. I highly recommend this action-packed space yarn to Trek fans as well as fans of excellent science fiction. June 27, 2008

A Return To Action

After chasing God in Star Trek V, reenacting the Cold War in IV, and being offered an ultimate "fantasy life" in Generations (all very philosophically-themed films), Star Trek: First Contact shifted its focus to action/adventure, and was better served for it. Plus, not only was the film a rousing adventure, but also containted the emotions to back it up.

In this film, the Next Generation crew is reunited with the Borg (whom, perhaps with the exception of Klingons, are the most compelling villain race in the Star Trek cannon). This reunion touches an extremely raw nerve in Captain Jean-Luc Picard, who once was captured and tortured by the Borg, setting up the emotional drama of the film. The "Picard meltdown" scene is one of the best in the entire Star Trek series as far as emotional conflict is concerned. While trying to stop the Borg from changing the entire course of human space travel (the main plot of the film), Picard must balance his intense hatred of the one-eyed automatrons with the safety and well-being of himself, his crew, and the entire human race.

Besides that strong emotion, though, the other aspect of the film that succeeds is its ability (much like the II-IV movies) to give all the Enterprise crew something important (and interesting) to do. Worf tries to secure the ship from the Borg, Data is heavily drawn into the Borg's plan (being a cybernetic being himself), while Riker, Geordi, and Troi must help Zefram Cochrane gain the confidence to lift off on the most important of all manned space flights. Each story is just as compelling as the other, with Worf providing the bulk of the action, Data adding more emotional conflict, and Riker/Geordi/Troi pushing the main plot forward as well as adding doses of humor.

To conclude, Star Trek: First Contact is easily the best Star Trek film featuring the Next Generation cast, and I would argue rivals movies II and IV as the best in the entire series. With its combination of action, emotional drama, time-travel plot (those always keep you thinking!), and sly humor, this film combines all the positive aspects of the Star Trek cannon and tops things off with a great script and spot-on acting. If you have never seen a Star Trek movie and could care less about the "old guys" (The Original Series cast), this is the movie to start with. If you were introduced (albeit rather poorly) to the Next Generation crew in Star Trek: Generations, this movie will properly aquaint you to the show. June 10, 2008

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