Customer Reviews

Star Trek X: Nemesis [DVD]

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(34)
3 star:		(23)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

Star Trek: Nemesis killed off the movie series for years, and on a second viewing it's not hard to see why. While it's not quite as bad as its detractors claim, it suffers from a terrible screenplay by John Logan that never manages to integrate characterization into the action, leaving most of it to be found in the DVD's deleted scenes bin, while slogging through an incredibly undernourished but tediously dragged out and dull story that has one good but barely utilized idea in having as its villain a younger clone of the Enterprise's captain. How did they manage it? They must have got a hair off the bald captain's comb is the main theory offered (this may be a joke, but judging from how crude the comedy is elsewhere that's doubtful). Why did they do it? Part of an elaborate conspiracy they, er, gave up on years ago. But he's got a plan to make the Romulan Empire great again, of course. Probably. Quite what his nefarious plot to destroy the Federation is is never really explained so there's not much in the way of threat - especially since the villain only has one spaceship and quickly loses his allies because he keeps wasting time playing mind games or committing the odd psychic rape rather than getting down to delivering the conquest and pillage he promised. Oh, and he needs Captain Picard's DNA to stop himself prematurely self-destructing. Only, on second thoughts, he decides not to bother and to do something else instead. Quite what isn't exactly clear, but it involves filling much of the last third of the movie with a desperately unexciting space battle against a dull green background before yet another of the regular TV cast makes the ultimate sacrifice. Unfortunately this time round there is absolutely no reason for him to do so, and this being Star Trek where no popular character is allowed to stay dead (it even took two death scenes to kill off Captain Kirk in Generations) the ending is yet another copout. Koboyashi Maru indeed...

A clumsy and half-hearted rehash of The Wrath of Khan and The Undiscovered Country, this voyage is clearly one for the money, with the regulars topping up their pension funds big time and the guest stars getting screwed. Even Ron Perlman makes no impression whatsoever in what looks like a cheap Halloween Skeletor mask (easily the worst makeup job in Star Trek history, and that includes the green chick and the plastic lizard guy in the 60s TV show). Still, you can have a few cheap laughs at the expense of the distinctly unthreatening Tom Hardy and the gleeful sadism of casting someone who can't pronounce his `r's as a Reman who has usurped control of the Romulan Empire, leading to lines like "Womulans feel thweatened by Wemen upstawts" or "We will no longer bow befawr anyone as slaves. Not the Womulans and not yaw mighty Fedewation. We are a wace bwed for waw... and conqwest" - at times it's like listening to Biggus Dickus addressing the crowd in Monty Python's Life of Brian. The usually reliable Stuart Baird, wearing his directing hat, can do nothing to liven things up, and even the great Jerry Goldsmith's score is distinctly professional but workmanlike. Incredibly dull stuff.

The extras package on the 2-disc set at least is impressive, carrying over all the extras from the one-disc release and adding to them comprehensively with additional added scenes and more featurettes than you could possibly want - even the Easter egg featurettes are a decent length for once - and earn the DVD an extra star. If only they graced a better film...

Chances are, if you are buying this movie, you have already formed an opinion on it by now. As the reviews suggest, it is not an outright success story, but it has to be said it does miss the mark on a lot too.
This re-release as a special edition gives a chance to re-evaluate what seems like it will be the last in the Next Generation movies. In viewing again, long after the excitement of a new Trek movie has passed, and the disappointment of something less than was hoped for or hyped has faded, Nemesis turns out to be not such a bad movie after all. The plot revolves around the Romulan Empire, specifically its new leader who has taken power with the Remans, previously the dominated race. This new leader, Schinzon, turns out to be Picards clone, and when Schinzon summons Picard and the Enterprise, the question is - what are his motives. Well, predictably after a period of cautious circling and meaning infused dinners, the motives turn out to be domination and destruction, and our heroes have to save the day - however, along the way the writer (John Logan, also writer of Gladiator) infuses much subtext of families and the dilemna of facing the evil within yourself, and aspiring to become something better - very much the stuff of Trek.
For the movie, the writing is not bad, the effects fantastic, and this version boasts a wonderful dts mix as well as 5.1. However, as comfortable as the leads are in their roles, and Tom Hardy fills out his part well also, there is a nagging feeling of tiredness about it all. It's refreshing to see the characters move on - one of the excellent deleted scenes has Picard discuss with data the passage of time marked by occasions such as weddings and funerals, not just without but within too, and it's this sort of character growth that helped inject so much humanity into the classic trek characters - shame they cut that scene. However, the attempt to find a 'personal' villain for Picard does not hit the mark - we never do feel that passionately involved, as the characater is so completely new to us. How much more resonant it might have been if the character was from Picards past, and featured in the TV series, such as Khan was for Kirk.
If you already have the movie and are debating whether to get it for the extras, I can only say - do it. The second disc is heaving with extras on all subjects possible. The deleted scenes last almost 30 minutes, and almost all genuinely add something. One can understand the need to trim a movie down, but honestly it feels like this could have been a richer movie with some of these scenes intact. The production, the music, the director, all are featured with extensive interviews. There are two commentaries on the disc, plus one text commentary - if you think you can really watch the movie that often! While mostly interesting, the extras do show less honest heart-searching on the end result, as it does sound like PR plurb, but that's a minor quibble.
In short, for a Trek movie this would not be a first choice, but well worth buying to complete the Star trek movie experience. As a special edition, this is well worth it for the extras on display. 7/10

Like other reviewers of this film on Amazon, I too agree that this is a good film. It has a good script, good acting, excellent SFX, twists and turns in the plot....so why is it so maligned?

I suspect that viewers are expecting bigger and better everytime a new ST film comes out.

Nemesis has all the good stuff a Star Trek film should have in it, and is thoroughly entertaining. If the "critics" continue to show their disappointment as they are doing, they may be no more for them to critisize, be warned...

When I went to see Star Trek Nemesis at the cinema I went with fairly low expectations - the reviews the film had received were poor to say the least. But I thoroughly enjoyed it. Good story, great special effects, great action sequences and all in all a damned enjoyable way of passing 1 hour and 45 minutes.

But the reviews were dreadful. Had I got it wrong? Were my expectations so low that Nemesis couldn't help but exceed them and prove a pleasant surprise? Would I be disappointed when it came to watching it again on the small screen and realise that my initial impression was wrong - it really wasn't all that good afterall? (another Attack of the Clones?) Had the critics got it right all along?

No. When I got the DVD and found that Paramount had quoted from a review by Paul Ross in the News of the World I admit I was was a bit worried. Was that the only favourable review they could quote from? Paul Ross? I was ready to concede I'd got it all wrong there and then. Having watched the DVD a few times now I have to stand my my initial first impression. Good story, great special effects, great action sequences and a damned enjoyable way of passing 1 hour and 45 minutes.

I won't recount the plot - its been done ably by the other reviewers - though I will add that when the film opens you could be forgiven for thinking you've stumbled across a strange mix of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (what with all the talk of the Senate, Viceroys, etc.) and Neighbours (Alan "Jim Robinson" Dale crops up as a Romulan who bites the dust!).

Perhaps Nemesis is a bit of a rehash of The Wrath of Khan - but it is still one of the best Next Generation films to have been released and is certainly up there with First Contact. The film does lack some of the genuine humour of Insurrection (though Picard and Data's little exchanges are great). But whereas Insurrection, as good as it was, felt more like an extended episode from the TV series at times, Nemesis not only has the intelligent dialogue/issues you'd expect from Star Trek TNG (ok- there is some technobabble!) it also has the feel of a blockbuster action type movie which can be enjoyed by both Trek and non Trek fans.

DVD extras? There are over 40 minutes worth of interviews with the cast and director, a director's commentary, half a dozen deleted scenes and a gallery of photos and drawings. Quite a package really - and all on the one disc. I had a few problems when I tried to play all the deleted scenes in a continuous run (sound and picture started skipping for some reason) but stopping the DVD and starting again seemed to solve the problem. There's also the usual irritating pause in the film you tend to experience with most DVDs (unless it's my DVD player that's at fault!)

Basically a great film to end the adventures of the TNG crew. If it really is the end...

As I already owned this film on DVD I was unsure whether it would be worthwhile to buy the Bluray but, having watched it I am leased that I did. The remastering makes the film so much better visually. The story is good and Tom Hardy is excellent (although it is hard to think of a film that he has been in where he hasn't been) and the only sadness I have is that most of the cast from TNG are bit part players who hardly ever appear. Having said that I would still recommend this film to Trekkers.

I really enjoyed this film. Similar in style to Wrath of Kahn with a good space battle. In some ways it suffers because the plot is too divisive trying to visit too many areas and tie up too many loose ends which can leave the plot feeling shallow in places. However it's by no means a bad film and I found it enjoyable and entertaining from start to finish.

Yet another Trek film, this one the last with The Next Generation crew aboard. Mercifully in a totally different league to the previous offering (Insurrection), which must be far and away the worst of the ten, Nemesis portrays a darkness rarely seen in the genre, and to good effect too.

However, hardened fans of the TV series will be appalled at the continuity blooper (and consequently the missed plot opportunities) regarding Data's "prototype". No mention is made in the film whatsoever of Lore, who was already well established in TNG as the evil "older brother" of Data. Read the original film script and he's there. For me, the impostor that was presented instead really spoiled what was otherwise an enjoyable way to spend two or so hours.

I have a confession to make. I have to turn in my Trekkie credentials. It took me two years to watch the last Star Trek film, Insurrection. Now, it's taken me almost that long to watch the latest (and probably last) Trek movie, Nemesis. I hang my head in shame...

Last night, though, I rectified that by watching it on DVD. Was it worth the wait? Was it worthy of the name Star Trek? How did our illustrious Enterprise crew acquit themselves? And just what is it with bald men in the 24th century? The answers to all of these questions is: yes, yes, reasonably well, and bald is sexy (not to me, of course, but some women seem to like it). It's probably the second best Next Generation movie out there, after First Contact. It's a bit rough around the edges, a bit "been there, done that," but overall it's entertaining.

When I first heard about Nemesis, my first thought was: COOL!! ROMULANS! Then, I watched this movie, and was a bit disheartened. There were hardly any Romulans in it! Instead, Nemesis introduces the Remans, a slave race from the Romulans' sister planet, who have decided that they've had enough. The make-up for the Remans was really cool, but I want my Romulans!!! I had to make do with a couple of iffy military types, Donatra and Suran (Dina Meyer and Jude Ciccolella). They got a few lines (Meyer more than Ciccolella), were able to sound suitably haughty, but that was about it. Neither had the chance to really stretch themselves (though Meyer was able to sport some interesting green bruises on her face when her ship was damaged).

A lack of pointy-eared enemies was not my only problem with this movie, however. The whole android sub-plot with B4 seemed shoehorned into the film. Yes, he is part of Shinzon's plan, but it just seemed like an excuse to get Spiner some more screen time and to give Data and Picard a way off of Shinzon's ship. While the whole B4 sequence can be defended, the execution of how they find him was ludicrous. It smacked of "we're 30 minutes into the film and we haven't had an action sequence! Quick, go find Michael Bay!" The whole dune buggy chase scene was completely ridiculous. The "inventive" way that they are able to escape was even more ridiculous (it's hard to be more than completely ridiculous, but this sequence manages it). Not to mention that it's against Starfleet policy of interfering with a pre-warp civilization. Just imagine what would happen if, in the early 20th century, a bunch of US soldiers were chasing a car and that car jumped into a floating spacecraft and took off. What would be the reaction? Yet our intrepid crew ignore other possibilities (sure, transporting a crew down there might leave them stranded, but how about beaming the sources of the signals up instead?).

My final complaint (just to get them all out of the way) is the fact that most of this stuff has been done before in Trek. Sure, there hasn't been a clone of one of the major characters done before, but the issues explored (identity, nature vs nurture, etc) have been. Nemesis seems like a souped-up Toyota Tercel. Sure, it's a sleek looking, motor-revving Tercel, but the old Tercel was just as good and besides, it's still a Tercel! Give me something new with my extra money.

After all that, you'd expect me to give this movie a really low rating. Right? Ok, no fair...the rating is at the top of the review so you've already seen it. 4 stars? Really? Why? It's simple. I was entertained by Nemesis and I love these characters. Patrick Stewart is simply wonderful with the material he's given. Tom Hardy makes a pretty good adversary for him, and I didn't have much trouble feeling like this was a Picard who had a horrible upbringing and is ready to lash out at everybody. He has the same sense of drama as Picard can have at times. Brent Spiner folds himself in his Data persona but also does a wonderful job with the naïve B4 (despite the fact that I don't think he was necessary). The other regulars don't get a lot of screen time, but they are also perfectly in character and bring a warm, cozy feeling to the whole thing (though I don't think Sirtis did the greatest job in the mind-rape scene).

The special effects and the battle choreography were probably the best I've seen in a Trek movie. Everything had a greenish tinge, which matches with the greenish look that the Romulans have. I thought that was a nice touch. The collision of starships was simply brilliant (it's a wonder what you can do with computers!). By battle choreography, I'm speaking of the starship battles. I couldn't believe it when they all actually moved in 3 dimensions. Other than Wrath of Khan (where they make special mention of it), no other Trek movie (and only an episode or two that I can think of) has actually had ships zooming in different directions, over and under ships, etc. Everything's always been in two dimensions, and it's been annoying. It was a wonder to see in this case.

All in all, I found Nemesis to be an entertaining time-waster, even more so if you're already a Trek fan and have something invested in the characters. It felt nice to see old friends again. If I wasn't a Trek fan, this would probably be only 3 stars (or maybe even 2), but since I enjoyed it, I'll be generous.

Nemesis is quite a spectacle. It has its critics, but I enjoyed it. It was big in scope, plot and production values. Yes, the baddie, Shinzon, is rather unconvincing at times but I was prepared to leave that aside for the bigger picture.

I always enjoy tales involving the Romulans and within that context they don't come much bigger than this. The intricacies of the plot have already been outlined here. Suffice to say that some aspects are more akin to a 'James Bond meets Star Wars' movie, but, overall, I think the producers got it right and did a good job of hitting the higher cinematic heights expected for a full scale Star Trek movie.

Highlights include the attack on the Romulan senate, the buggy chase, lengthy space shoot-outs, and, of course, the climactic finale.

In this fourth 'Next Generation' film there's a popping of champagne corks as Captain Picard fulfills his role as best man at the dinner celebrating the marriage of his first officer and ship's councillor; Will Riker and Deanna Troi. It's also a farewell as the happy couple are due to leave the ship and start duties on the USS Titan. But their last few days on the ship are interrupted by the chance discovery of a positronic signal from a nearby planet which is deemed worthy of investigation.

The trip down is more eventful than expected - after discovering Data's slightly backwards twin they find themselves escaping a hostile reception in action packed style. No sooner are they back on the ship with their new visitor, the crew are required at Romulus to attend the scene of a mass political assassination. The film gives us some interesting insights into Romulan culture, or rather 'Remus' culture. Remus is a neighbouring planet where the native Remans are forced to live on the constantly dark side of their planet, they are viewed by Romulus to be a lesser race and considered nothing better than slaves. However, it appears they have a saviour in the guise of a vaguely familiar human, Picard's clone "Schinzon".

Nemesis turns into a very personal battle between Picard and his younger genetically matched adversary. The two debate on how they are the same, and Schinzon states how if given the same upbringing, Picard would be just like him. The battle of wits is often quite compelling and at first it looks as though the film is going to take the easy option and see the young 'Picard' have an epiphany and accept that he can use his influence for more altruistic means, but thankfully he remains a twisted, dark soul. Tom Hardy plays Schinzon with a manic lust for power which comes through strong, he's a fine nemesis with a dramatic delivery not seen since Khan showed his wrath.

The Enterprise here looks fantastic at times, there's a scene where it collides and the ensuing carnage looks superb. The bridge interior is stunning with the dark hues maintaining the nod to the original cast films. But some of the other scenes look a bit ropey, many of the locations are obvious studio shots and have a made-for-TV look which detracts from the film.

Also, the make-up sometimes looks poor, we can see where the Romulan face make-up begins and ends in one instance, it's the sort of thing you accept on TV but high definition is less forgiving. The Remans would be a scary looking bunch if it weren't for the fact the make-up isn't that convincing.

Nemesis seems to lack something, there are plot holes which make the whole film feel a bit weak and the tension never builds because you aren't convinced by any real peril. The Enterprise seems a little too easily held to ransom by Shinzon and Romulan assistance appears to be too convenient. It doesn't help that the film was heavily edited, the additional material may not have filled in the gaps, but it might have made for a more satisfyingly developed film. Deleted scenes can be found on this Blu-Ray release but they are in standard definition. It would have been nice to have had an option to watch a longer cut of the film rather than simply browse these scenes as extras. Also, a brief appearance by Admiral Janeway is a tie-in with the Voyager TV series but feels a bit unnecessary and simply shoe-horned in believing that the fans would like it.

There are efforts made to inject humour, once again Data is used as a source of funny lines - and thankfully they aren't as cheesy as they have been in the past (personally I enjoyed Picard's subtle quip with the newly wed Riker: "Mr Troi!"). As another reviewer here has pointed out, the most comic moment may have been unintentional and involves Doctor Crusher musing on how Picard was cloned: "They probably used a hair follicle or a skin cell" - my money's on the skin cell.

In a nutshell: This Star Trek film is better than Insurrection and its poor box-office performance isn't a true reflection of it (it was up against Lord of the Rings). Yes, it has flaws and isn't among the best 'Trek films but it's still a decent watch. Too much effort was made to get action scenes in, but they do look good and can be enjoyed for what they are.