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23 out of 32 people found the following review useful: To those of us who have/had a vested interest in this particular franchise..., 26 December 2004 Author: James J. Kim-2 from Home is where the heart is...
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
Considering the excellent cinematography, and the clean, crisp direction for what was objectively shown on screen, "Star Trek: Generations" was a "good film" (Meaning, if you had no vested interest in the Enterprise-D, didn't give a care one way or another in regards to 7-years worth of character developments for Picard and Data, and had no clue in regards to the iconic status of James T. Kirk...yeah, I would say it was "good.") But, for those of us who went in with expectations for the film, there were so many disappointments. The useless plot involving Picard's grief over Renee and Robert, along with Data's asinine humor, and James T. Kirk's all-too-brief screen appearance and demise makes this film appear "bad" to those of us who have/had a vested interest in this particular franchise.I actually own the DVD, and after all these years, after being able to forgive most of the movie's shortcomings, mistakes, and letdowns, I still find it unforgivable that the entire film unfolds at a slow, leisurely pace, only to briskly speed through all of Kirk's scenes inside the Nexus and Veridian III, and then promptly have Picard forget to mention to the crew that he ever met Kirk in the first place...Outside of the uneventful meeting between the 2 captains, and Kirk's poorly-conceived demise, I find it an enjoyable film to watch (In particular, the wonderful performance of Malcolm McDowell as the delusionally brilliant Dr. Tolian Soran). I just wish the marketing behind the film didn't emphasize too much on the 2 captains angle, because quite frankly, William Shatner's involvement at the end of the film was just a glorified cameo. It disappointed a lot of the fans, and I haven't met one viewer of the film who didn't feel short-changed by the dearth of it all...
12 out of 16 people found the following review useful: An engaging adventure with exciting action and an interesting story., 25 January 2003 Author: Li-1
*** out of ****Star Trek: Generations stands out, in my mind, as the most underrated of all the Trek installments. Fans of the original series may not like the transition from old to new, but I personally prefer the crew of The Next Generation, and having been familiar with these characters through the show's seven season run on TV, seeing them on the big-screen was a welcome sight. Personal preference aside, Generations does a fine job of delivering an engrossing tale packed with exciting action and understated humor.The plot involves an energy ribbon called the Nexus, a place where time has no meaning, where you can live out your greatest joys without fear or worry.A near deranged scientist, named Soran (Malcolm Mcdowell), has amassed a horrific plan to enter the Nexus, one which could cause monumentous destruction and kill hundreds of millions. It becomes a race as the crew of the Enterprise-D struggles to find Soran before disaster strikes.Generations has a fair share of problems, but for the most part, it's a very entertaining adventure boosted by excellent special effects and good performances. The film's highlight is the spectacular crash of the Enterprise, one of the most harrowing, exhilarating action sequences of any of the Star Trek films. Then, of course, there's the meeting between the two captains, Picard and Kirk, a memorable union that symbolically passes the torch and ends on a poignant note, which is enough to ignore the plot holes in the climax. Definitely recommended, Generations is a good stand-alone film and makes for an enjoyable warm-up to the superb First Contact.
17 out of 26 people found the following review useful: Bye Kirk,hello Picard!, 30 March 2002 Author: kenandraf from Honolulu, Hawaii
Above average Sci-fi action drama movie that has a modest production in comparison to the average high qualily fare STAR TREK film.This 7th Star Trek movie played more like a special TV episode which although still good,kind of let down a lot of high expectations due to a great potential storyline and incredible trailers.The movie was rushed and the screenplay/script really took the steam out of the storyline.Also,the special effects were very trimmed down.Still,if one is a big Star Trek fan,you will never forget the emotional scenes of Captain Kirk(what a guy!) and the great acting of Shatner (not to be outdone by Stewart!) here.Yes,this one could have been so much better but I would take a Star Trek movie over the majority of Scifi movies out there!For Star Trek fans only......
21 out of 34 people found the following review useful: Perhaps The Best Of The Star Trek Movies, 11 January 2003 Author: sddavis63 (revsdd@gmail.com) from Niagara Region, Ontario, Canada
In my opinion, "Generations" is the best of the Star Trek movie series for a number of reasons. Although "The Undiscovered Country" represented a fitting ending for the original crew, this movie was a good way of blending original Trek with Next Generation Trek. Given almost 80 years difference in the generations, I though the solution for doing this was quite ingenious. 78 years apart, both Kirk (William Shatner) and Picard (Patrick Stewart) find themselves sucked into the "Nexus" - a huge energy "ribbon" in which time has no meaning - where they meet each other and join forces to defeat this instalment's villain - Dr. Soren (Malcolm McDowell, in what I thought was an excellent performance; he's one of the better villains to appear in the Star Trek movies.)James Doohan (Scotty) and Walter Koenig (Chekhov) both make appearances at the beginning of the movie (which opens in the era of the original cast) and - given the premise in which they appear (kind of an honorary visit to the Enterprise "B" as it prepares to launch for the first time) - their ages really don't matter that much. This was always a bit of a problem for me with the movies starring the original cast. They always seemed to be getting just too old to keep being sent on these emergency missions. Here, their presence on the Enterprise "B" makes sense. I thought that Alan Ruck (playing Captain Harriman of the Enterprise "B") did quite a good job of playing a nervous young captain, a bit overwhelmed at the presence of the heroic and famous Kirk on his bridge. The Next Generation cast, having only recently ended the TV series, slipped into their roles without effort. Brent Spiner I thought was extremely good playing Data, who has recently added an "emotion chip" to his positronic brain, and is having to adjust to his new feelings while trying to do his duty.The movie revolved, though, around Stewart and Shatner. Interestingly enough, I thought this may have been Shatner's best outing as Kirk in the movies, perhaps because although he was still playing Kirk as the hero, he wasn't burdened with being the only star. Stewart was clearly playing that role (and Kirk was appropriately deferential to Picard - as he was to Harriman for that matter.) Shatner and Stewart seemed to work well together, giving Kirk and Picard a real chemistry. Flaws? Well, a few minor things. It bugged me that the transporter technician (speaking only on radio) referred to "Commander LaForge and Mr. Data." Why not "Commander Data?" After all, Data outranks LaForge. Why honour LaForge with his rank, but not Data? No respect for android officers? That's a minor point, of course. I also thought that the connection between the two generations might have been even stronger if Leonard Nimoy had somehow been written into the story as Spock. Spock spanned both series, and a reunion of Kirk and Spock 80 years later might have been quite touching. But overall, minor weaknesses aside, this was an excellent movie with a good story and flow and interesting all the way through.8/10
30 out of 52 people found the following review useful: Loved It!!! Great Transition From Old to New Generation, 18 August 2002 Author: LebowskiT1000 from Escondido, California, USA
Despite some other people's reviews on this site, I thought this was an EXCELLENT Star Trek film. In fact, this is probably one of my favorites of the films. I thought everything about this film was above average, the story, the special effects, the acting, the directing...EVERYTHING!I thought the story was absolutely brilliant and quite inventive. I really loved seeing the two captains fighting and working together. Also, I love the idea of this place, "The Nexus", a place where time has no meaning, you can relive all of your favorite memories and your dreams become a reality. I thought the story was excellent.The special effects in this film were definitely above par! There are several scenes that just made my jaw hit the floor because they looked so good and were done so well. I've noticed a few people have complained that they used the exact same footage of the Klingon bird-of-prey exploding that was used in "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country", but I say "if they're going to use some archive footage to save some money and put that money into the other special effects that they need for the movie, more power to them" ! Besides, the scene is such a tiny scene in the movie and it wasn't the climax of the film anyway, so where's the problem?The acting and directing are top notch in this film. I thought all of the actors did a fantastic job. William Shatner pulls off a great performance in his final Star Trek film, as well as James Doohan and Walter Koenig. The Next Generation cast does a great job as well, Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Michael Dorn, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, Marina Sirtis, Gates McFadden and Whoopi Goldberg all pulled off great performances! Malcolm McDowell did a fantastic job as the antagonist in this film! I also really enjoyed seeing Alan Ruck and Jenette Goldstein in the film, although they both had very small roles.All in all, I thought this was a great addition to the Star Trek series and a great transition from the original Star Trek crew to the new Star Trek crew. Also, I love this film because you need to know very little about the original Star Trek films to enjoy this film. The only thing you need to know is that James T. Kirk (William Shatner) is the star of the original films and that Scotty (James Doohan) and Chekov (Walter Koenig) co-starred. Also...it may be useful to know that Commander Sulu was another one of the original crew members (but not terribly important). Anyhow, I would definitely recommend this film to any sci-fi fan and to anyone that likes the Star Trek films. I hope you enjoy the film. Thanks for reading,-Chris
6 out of 7 people found the following review useful: A plot device flying through space, 3 November 1999 Author: Alan One (jeffo@infomagic.com) from Flagstaff, AZ
In this "passing of the torch" film, the cinematic Star Trek franchise transfers from the crew of the original Star Trek to the "Next Generation" crew. Enormous effort has already been devoted to bringing characters from the original series into the Next Generation series; Scotty, Spock, and Sarek are among the "crossovers." Although a pleasure for trekkers, this rarely results in compelling screenwriting, and Generations is no exception.The problem here, as elsewhere, is the dreaded "plot device," a fantastic happening or object that allows a character to skip over decades unchanged. In Generations, the device is an "energy ribbon," which zooms through space, destroying some things, but also snatching some people into a fantasy land where dreams become reality. In the first sequence, Kirk is one of those snatched (although others assume he is destroyed). This allows him to meet Picard, who is snatched 80 years later by the same ribbon.So far, we're running at about the usual level of belief-suspension for a Star Trek plot, but the unlikely Kirk-Picard summit precludes even more outrageous reasoning. First, the ribbon's fantasy land is so utterly attractive that a scientist named Soran (who had a close encounter with the ribbon years ago) willingly dispatches millions of innocent lives to arrange another, more permanent rendezvous. Despite this, Picard and Kirk have no difficulty seeing through the facade. "It's not real, is it?" Kirk asks, though if it's real enough to include all the other trappings of normal life, it should be able to replicate the feeling of realness, shouldn't it?Picard (with the help of Guinan) has no problem moving from his fantasy (a sort of Dickensian Christmas with a large family) to Kirk's (a woodsy spot where he chops wood and cooks breakfast for a slumbering lover). Why not pop over to Soran's fantasy and talk some sense into him while he's at it? Nevermind. Instead, they jointly emerge from the ribbon, back into the real world, though not at the point they left it -- in fact, they're nowhere near the ribbon when they come out. How did they manage that? And if they're not constrained by time or space, why not pop out at some point where they can nab Soran without a struggle? The answer, of course, is that it wouldn't make for an exciting movie, though movies with such shaky conceptual frameworks rarely excite on any but the most basic levels.Generations isn't devoid of merit. Malcolm McDowell does a pleasantly evil turn as Soran, and Brent Spiner portrays an appropriately jangled Data, who has just installed an emotion chip. It's fun to watch the Next Generation working with a Hollywood budget, but director Berman often falls short of the task. More than once, he does sharp zooms on characters' faces as they are about to die violently, a technique I thought had perished in the 70s. Still, if you're in a tight spot for a Star Trek fix, this will probably do it for you, plot device and all.
5 out of 6 people found the following review useful: A childhood favorite of mine., 31 July 2003 Author: Sarah Perry from St. Paul, MN
I always loved this movie. From the very first time I saw it, at the age of 10, I absolutely adored it. It took a big risk, admittedly, in bringing the Original Series and TNG together, but I believe it did it extremely well and with a lot of ingenuity. The first part of the movie seems to pick up where "The Undiscovered Country" left off; and it does so on a somewhat sour note. Retirement does not sit at all well with Captain Kirk, and he hates the idea of being a "legend" and having the namesake of his beloved ship run by a bunch of inexperienced kids and a skeleton crew (the running "tuesday" gag is hilarious). I think Walter Koenig and James Doohan were marvellous in the first part of this movie, and the scene where they arrive on deck 15 and find themselves staring into the void of space is chilling.After this, it picks up with the Next Generation Crew, and boy, does the camera love the Enterprise D. It's emotional to see the crew going through the changes this movie throws at them, and by the time Geordi's kidnapped and Data's emotions are uncontrollable, my heart was in my throat.It's also a pleasure to see Whoopi Goldberg reprise her role as Guinan, and as far as humor goes, Data's newfound sense of humor had me on the floor.I LOVED Picard and Kirk's interactions and the segment in Kirk's cabin is an absolute hoot. (Picard: "This is not your bedroom.") Soran is a great villain, truly ruthless and threatening. Out of all the Next Gen films, this is probably my favorite. It has an atmosphere about it that's very appealing to me, and the only other TNG film that had the same feeling was Nemesis, which I still maintain was a DAMN good movie.
6 out of 8 people found the following review useful: "Actually, Captain, I am familiar with history. And if I'm not mistaken, you're dead.", 9 February 2008 Author: bensonmum2 from Tennessee
I remember seeing Star Trek: Generations in the theater back in 1994. At the time, I was so heavily into Star Trek: The Next Generation that anything with Picard and Data was going appeal to me. Seeing it now, some 13 years later, the best word I can think of to describe the experience is "silly". Oh, I enjoyed bits and pieces of the movie, but overall, Star Trek: Generations has to be one of the silliest movies I can remember seeing recently. From an overweight and much too old William Shatner attempting to play an action hero to the incredibly annoying subplot involving Data and an emotion chip, it's all so silly. How in the world did I ever think this tripe was good? The plot involves a scientist named Soran (Malcolm McDowell) and his attempt to enter a mysterious energy ribbon called the Nexus. His plan, though, would require the destruction of the Enterprise and an entire planet. Captains Picard and Kirk must put a stop to the madman's plans.The best thing Star Trek: Generations has going for it is McDowell. The man proves once again that regardless of the poorly written script and ridiculous plot, he's capable of giving a solid performance. In comparison, I'm really not shocked to see that most of the rest of the Star Trek cast has done very little of note since this movie.
8 out of 12 people found the following review useful: Calculated treachery, 25 October 2003 Author: Fiendish_Dramaturgy from .: Fiendish Writings in the Dark :.
Generations. For me, this is a sad movie. The movie itself was excellently done, and just as good as all the others, but the content just ... saddens me.With Sulu's daughter at the helm of the Enterprise-B, the crew of "living legends" accompanies a skeleton crew of trainees on a press blow out of a short jaunt, which turns into a distress call/rescue mission which morphs into something very serious.Meet the Nexus; a ribbon of the time/space continuum which has the ability to create and destroy anything in its path; to take it/them to different "whens" and "wheres."This is the unfortunate end of Kirk's reign as Captain of the Enterprise. He disappears into the Nexus and into an eternity of peace on his old Iowa farm. Or so it seems.I wanted him to die in battle. Be assassinated in his sleep. Anything noble. But instead, he was given a peaceful eternity. OK, fine. I have no choice but to deal with it. While I respect Piccard as Captain of the Enterprise, he will never be James Tiberius Kirk. But this is the end of the old series and the beginning of the new; hence the name "Generations." If you are a fan of these movies, a collector of anything Star Trek, this is a definite needful addition to the set. This is the movie which ties the two series together.Meet Captain Piccard and crew. I'll assume you're already familiar with them and I won't bore you with the details. Over the years, I have developed (if somewhat begrudgingly) an appreciation for this new crew and cast of players...and, while I still mourn the loss of the legends I loved, I look upon them as new neighbors, of sorts; with a certain measured withdrawn fondness.With the addition of an "Emotion Chip," DATA is now an emotion-ridden, diseased AI personage, but in light of his not being able to grasp the concept of humor, he is willing to stake it all in his attempt to be more human.Also, this is the movie that first realized the potential we all knew was in the Enterprise, to separate into a "saucer section" and the remaining half of the ship. You could always look at the Enterprise and just knew that, "Hey, there's kinda like a flying saucer on the top front half!" But this movie actually did it. It marks a milestone in the series and in this line of movies. I also must say that the way they brought Kirk and Piccard together was sloppy and puerile. They both deserved better treatment and so did we, as fans. They did the best they could, I suppose, but in ignoring Nimoy's suggestions to counter the plot misconfigurations and obvious premise problems, I can honestly understand why Nimoy backed out of the director's chair and left it to someone else. Had they listened to him, this would have been a much better enterprise...pun intended.I love the movie, and enjoy it...now. But when I first saw it, it infuriated me with the off-handed disposal of Kirk and his illustrious career.Kirk is dead. Long live Captain James Tiberius Kirk! It rates an 8.9/10 from...the Fiend :.
2 out of 2 people found the following review useful: Hands down- The WORST Trek film, 2 March 2009 Author: JoeB131 from United States
This was truly the worst of the Trek films, brought down by its own hubris. Let's look at its sins. * Killing the Greatest hero in SF for no good reason. * Destroying the Enterprise-D for no good reason. * Killing Picard's loved ones for no good reason. * Turning Picard into a crying sissy-boy. * Turning Kirk into a jerk. * Turning Data into a babbling idiot.In some ways, time has undermined this film. In 1994, one could see TNG and TOS as almost equals. Since then, the Next Generation crew has diminished in stature, while the Original Series crew has risen. (Why else would they recast it in ST-XI?) But the reality is that this just isn't a very good film and never will be. It's dramatic flourishes are diminished by how badly they are handled. Come on, not only killing Kirk, the greatest hero that Science Fiction has ever produced, but then killing him with SCAFFOLDING? It like having John Wayne break his neck tripping over the spittoon in the saloon! The films other fault is that it is too derivative of TNG. You'd have to have seen those episodes to know who these characters are.
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