The title is particularly suitable, where that “First
Contact,” which tells about the main encounter between humans and aliens, also
is the first “Star Trek” movie to not have anyone from the late Gene
Roddenberry’s original 1966-69 TV series. In the last film, “Star Trek:
Generations,” the mighty Captain James T. Kirk passed the torch over to Captain
Jean-Luc Picard, commander of the new and improved Starship Enterprise. Now it’s
up to Captain Picard and his team from “Star Trek: The Next Generation” to keep
the universe safe for the United Federation of Planets. Thankfully, the new
and, in my opinion better crew, are up to the mission.
Variety mentioned that, “Written by Brannon Braga and Ronald D. Moore, with considerable input from producer and “Next Generation” veteran Rick Berman, “First Contact” actually is a sequel to “The Best of Both Worlds,” a popular two-part episode from the “Next Generation” series. On television, Picard was captured and very nearly “assimilated” by the Borg, a marauding race of half-organic, half-robotic cyborgs. He managed to regain his humanity, but just barely.”
As the movie begins, Picard continues to have nightmares of when he was assimilated by the Borg. This clearly explains why Picard, normally a by-the-book captain, is wanting to ignore orders and join the fight when Starfleet Command fires a torpedo on the large Borg cube-shaped ship. Picard leads the USS Enterprise to the battle just in time to issue an order and attack the Borg. Unfortunately, several of the Borg escape and fly to Earth, where they want to control the “present” i.e., the 24th century by rewriting the past. What’s even more unfortunate, some other Borg manage to get on the Enterprise, and go about assimilating the entire crew for the greater good of their Borg Queen.
Jonathan Frakes, an amazing actor who played Picard’s right-hand man, Commander William Riker, on “The Next Generation” show, does two jobs here as director and co-star. Having earned this right by directing a few of the show’s episodes, Frakes makes a positive debut as a feature filmmaker, satisfying excitement and keeping clearness as he runs through a two-track storyline.
Picard and his team follow the Borg back in time to April 4, 2063, the day before an oddball scientist named Zefram Cochran, played by James Cromwell, is supposed to make the first recorded warp-speed flight in a renovated rocket. The Enterprises know from their history books that, because Cochrane made this flight, he gave them the interest of traveling aliens, which in turn ted to the formation of the United Federation of Planets and the production of the United Federation of Planets and the making of four different “Star Trek” shows. Once they beam down to Earth, however, Riker and his friends find out that the Borg, also careful of history, have damaged Cochrane’s rocket. It’s up to the Enterprise’s Away Team to make repairs and to make sure Cochrane doesn’t get drunk long enough to keep history intact.
Meanwhile, back on the Enterprise, Lily Sloane, played by Alfre Woodard, Cochrane’s non-alcoholic friend, has her hands tied in Picard’s fight against the Borg invasion. At first, it looks bad for our protagonists. The Borg carefully take control of so many levels of the Enterprises, and turn every human they can get their hands on into one of them. In fact, the Borg Queen, played by Alice Krige, even is able to capture Lieutenant Commander Data, the android officer who has been given an “emotion chip.”
The Borg Queen gives Data what he wants by making him human. As they talk, the movie takes an interestingly uncertain turn, so that it’s not entirely clear just who is seducing them. For a while, there is serious doubt as to where Data’s real devotions lie. Credit Brent Spiner and the scriptwriters for finding incredible new ways to make a familiar character unsettlingly changeable.
Trekkies may be disappointed by the fairly short shrift to certain Enterprise characters as Dr. Crusher, Counselor Troi, Lieutenant Commander Jordi La Forge, played by host of “Reading Rainbow,” LeVar Burton, and Klingon warrior turned Starship officer Worf. Even more shaking, however, is the way “First Contact” introduces horror-movie elements to a traditional “Star Trek” story. Much of the violence and many of the shadow-flashed fight sequences are heavily influenced by “Alien” and “Aliens.” Variety made another comparison where, “The Borg drones and Borg-ified humans, like their counterparts in the original TV episode, look a lot like malevolent bit players from the “Hellraiser” movies.” Trekkies remembering Gene Roddenberry’s original look of a less violent “Star Trek” universe may be turned off by the heavy material. However, mainstream audiences will love the greater importance on the greater level and action-movie elements.
Patrick Stewart once again agrees himself with all the weight and style you would expect from a Shakespeare stage actor. His greatest moments is when he is with Woodard in a scene that has their characters fighting over the best tactic to fight the Borg. Woodard’s Lily agrees with the Enterprise officers who want to escape in escape pods after setting the Enterprise’s self-destruct program. However, Stewart’s Picard who, logically, has some unfinished business with the Borg doesn’t agree and says this is weak negativity. Give both of these actors credit that their mercurial conversation is honestly exciting.
Other performances, including Cromwell’s delightful change as the hard-drinking Cochrane, are just what they should be for “First Contact” to work. Variety stated, “Much the same can be said for the special-effects wizardry, by far the most elaborate seen in a “Star Trek” film. Tech credits including Matthew F. Leonetti’s striking cinematography and Michael Westmore’s inspired makeup are stellar across the board.”
If “First Contact” is telling viewers what the next generation of “Star Trek” movies will be like, this series is show to live long and prosper.
As I had stated already, this is actually my personal favorite of the entire franchise. I guess you could say that I prefer “The Next Generation” over the original show. Don’t get me wrong, the Original Series is a classic that will live on forever, but I, like many others, think “The Next Generation” was just better since I liked the characters more in there. If you liked The Original Series better, I don’t blame you. That’s probably the reason why people like the second or four the best. This movie did exactly what "Wrath of Khan" did, where it fixed everything wrong from "Generations" and both "Wrath of Khan" and "First Contact" makes viewers want that to be the starting movie for both The Original Series and The Next Generation. Many will say two is the best, others like James Rolfe might say four, but then there are others, like myself, who like this one better since it felt like the show. I liked the introduction of the Borg and everything so that it didn’t leave you out in the dust. If you haven’t seen this, don’t read my review and go out and see it.
Seeing how great of a job Frakes did on this movie, he was signed on to direct the next movie. Will the next one be a decent odd-numbered Trek movie, or will it fall in the same trap like almost all the others with its horrendousness? Find out Wednesday in the next review that I’m not looking forward to at all in “Star Trek Month.”
Variety mentioned that, “Written by Brannon Braga and Ronald D. Moore, with considerable input from producer and “Next Generation” veteran Rick Berman, “First Contact” actually is a sequel to “The Best of Both Worlds,” a popular two-part episode from the “Next Generation” series. On television, Picard was captured and very nearly “assimilated” by the Borg, a marauding race of half-organic, half-robotic cyborgs. He managed to regain his humanity, but just barely.”
As the movie begins, Picard continues to have nightmares of when he was assimilated by the Borg. This clearly explains why Picard, normally a by-the-book captain, is wanting to ignore orders and join the fight when Starfleet Command fires a torpedo on the large Borg cube-shaped ship. Picard leads the USS Enterprise to the battle just in time to issue an order and attack the Borg. Unfortunately, several of the Borg escape and fly to Earth, where they want to control the “present” i.e., the 24th century by rewriting the past. What’s even more unfortunate, some other Borg manage to get on the Enterprise, and go about assimilating the entire crew for the greater good of their Borg Queen.
Jonathan Frakes, an amazing actor who played Picard’s right-hand man, Commander William Riker, on “The Next Generation” show, does two jobs here as director and co-star. Having earned this right by directing a few of the show’s episodes, Frakes makes a positive debut as a feature filmmaker, satisfying excitement and keeping clearness as he runs through a two-track storyline.
Picard and his team follow the Borg back in time to April 4, 2063, the day before an oddball scientist named Zefram Cochran, played by James Cromwell, is supposed to make the first recorded warp-speed flight in a renovated rocket. The Enterprises know from their history books that, because Cochrane made this flight, he gave them the interest of traveling aliens, which in turn ted to the formation of the United Federation of Planets and the production of the United Federation of Planets and the making of four different “Star Trek” shows. Once they beam down to Earth, however, Riker and his friends find out that the Borg, also careful of history, have damaged Cochrane’s rocket. It’s up to the Enterprise’s Away Team to make repairs and to make sure Cochrane doesn’t get drunk long enough to keep history intact.
Meanwhile, back on the Enterprise, Lily Sloane, played by Alfre Woodard, Cochrane’s non-alcoholic friend, has her hands tied in Picard’s fight against the Borg invasion. At first, it looks bad for our protagonists. The Borg carefully take control of so many levels of the Enterprises, and turn every human they can get their hands on into one of them. In fact, the Borg Queen, played by Alice Krige, even is able to capture Lieutenant Commander Data, the android officer who has been given an “emotion chip.”
The Borg Queen gives Data what he wants by making him human. As they talk, the movie takes an interestingly uncertain turn, so that it’s not entirely clear just who is seducing them. For a while, there is serious doubt as to where Data’s real devotions lie. Credit Brent Spiner and the scriptwriters for finding incredible new ways to make a familiar character unsettlingly changeable.
Trekkies may be disappointed by the fairly short shrift to certain Enterprise characters as Dr. Crusher, Counselor Troi, Lieutenant Commander Jordi La Forge, played by host of “Reading Rainbow,” LeVar Burton, and Klingon warrior turned Starship officer Worf. Even more shaking, however, is the way “First Contact” introduces horror-movie elements to a traditional “Star Trek” story. Much of the violence and many of the shadow-flashed fight sequences are heavily influenced by “Alien” and “Aliens.” Variety made another comparison where, “The Borg drones and Borg-ified humans, like their counterparts in the original TV episode, look a lot like malevolent bit players from the “Hellraiser” movies.” Trekkies remembering Gene Roddenberry’s original look of a less violent “Star Trek” universe may be turned off by the heavy material. However, mainstream audiences will love the greater importance on the greater level and action-movie elements.
Patrick Stewart once again agrees himself with all the weight and style you would expect from a Shakespeare stage actor. His greatest moments is when he is with Woodard in a scene that has their characters fighting over the best tactic to fight the Borg. Woodard’s Lily agrees with the Enterprise officers who want to escape in escape pods after setting the Enterprise’s self-destruct program. However, Stewart’s Picard who, logically, has some unfinished business with the Borg doesn’t agree and says this is weak negativity. Give both of these actors credit that their mercurial conversation is honestly exciting.
Other performances, including Cromwell’s delightful change as the hard-drinking Cochrane, are just what they should be for “First Contact” to work. Variety stated, “Much the same can be said for the special-effects wizardry, by far the most elaborate seen in a “Star Trek” film. Tech credits including Matthew F. Leonetti’s striking cinematography and Michael Westmore’s inspired makeup are stellar across the board.”
If “First Contact” is telling viewers what the next generation of “Star Trek” movies will be like, this series is show to live long and prosper.
As I had stated already, this is actually my personal favorite of the entire franchise. I guess you could say that I prefer “The Next Generation” over the original show. Don’t get me wrong, the Original Series is a classic that will live on forever, but I, like many others, think “The Next Generation” was just better since I liked the characters more in there. If you liked The Original Series better, I don’t blame you. That’s probably the reason why people like the second or four the best. This movie did exactly what "Wrath of Khan" did, where it fixed everything wrong from "Generations" and both "Wrath of Khan" and "First Contact" makes viewers want that to be the starting movie for both The Original Series and The Next Generation. Many will say two is the best, others like James Rolfe might say four, but then there are others, like myself, who like this one better since it felt like the show. I liked the introduction of the Borg and everything so that it didn’t leave you out in the dust. If you haven’t seen this, don’t read my review and go out and see it.
Seeing how great of a job Frakes did on this movie, he was signed on to direct the next movie. Will the next one be a decent odd-numbered Trek movie, or will it fall in the same trap like almost all the others with its horrendousness? Find out Wednesday in the next review that I’m not looking forward to at all in “Star Trek Month.”
Brilliant review. I really love this movie as well. It is the favourite Star Trek film of me and my dad. It was so exciting and emotional. The effects were fantastic as was the score. Also I finished writing my first story and uploaded it to the internet. Hopefully I can sent you the link soon and you will like it.
ReplyDeleteI'm happy you finished your story and I hope to read it soon. I have kept in contact with a coach whose games I used to cover in my first internship, and he is currently writing books. I read his first, going to read his second. It's nice that you and your dad also say this is your favorite Star Trek film, like I consider it my favorite. I agree everything about this film was top notch.
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