Latest 'Star Trek' film is oddly familiar
By Jack Garner
Gannett News Service
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| STAR TREK NEMESIS (Rated PG-13 for action violence) Two-and-a-Half Stars (Fair-to-Good)
A modestly appealing, if overly familiar adventure with the cast of the "Next Generation" encountering two characters who look remarkably like their captain and their science officer. Patrick Stewart and Brent Spiner head the cast for director Stuart Baird. Paramount, 117 minutes. |
The plot of "Star Trek Nemesis" also seems old hat. For openers, the 10th film in the series employs a plot about clones that echoes aspects of earlier outings. Duplicates of key characters show up — with nefarious intentions.
Also, a major character makes the ultimate sacrifice — and is then resurrected (in a way). At least this time it all happens in one movie; Spock had to wait for a sequel to come back to life after his memorable death in "The Wrath of Khan."
But familiarity aside, "Star Trek Nemesis" is fairly smart and involving — and entangles the popular Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) in a crisis that makes him look to the past as well as the future. Fans also will be touched, no doubt, because the mission is established as Picard's last go-round before his crew is dispersed to other assignments.
"Nemesis" starts when the Enterprise picks up strange signals from an alien world. There they discover a nearly destroyed android that closely resembles Commander Data (Brent Spiner).
While gathering the scattered parts of the android, the crew is attacked by vicious local aliens, which provides the film with a few moments of intense action in a film that is otherwise loquacious and static.
The Enterprise next gets orders to proceed to the Romulan system, where the Federation's longtime adversaries are actually asking for help. They've had a shake-up in government — and disorder reigns.
Once there, Picard and his crew encounter a messianic leader who bares a surprising resemblance to the Picard of 30 years earlier.
Under Stuart Baird's journeyman direction the plot gets overly complicated, which requires even more talky exposition. But, finally, the Enterprise gets to engage in some old-fashioned air combat in the space above Romulus.
Longtime "Star Trek" fans — who continue to live long and prosper — will certainly enjoy "Star Trek: Nemesis." I doubt the film will win new fans to the long-running franchise, but I'm sure the producers aren't looking to expand their audience just as the next generation is morphing into the former generation.
Rated PG-13, action violence.
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