Review: Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)

Star Trek: Nemesis

Rating

Director

Stuart Baird

Screenplay

John Logan, Rick Berman, Brent Spiner

Length

1h 56m

Starring

Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn, Mirina Sirtis, Gates McFadden, Tom Hardy, Ron Perlman, Shanon Cochran, Dina Meyer, Jude Ciccolella, Alan Dale

MPAA Rating

PG-13

Review

What would turn out to be the final film in the Next Generation film series, Star Trek: Nemesis proved that even numbered films aren’t always better.

On Romulus, with the Romulan Senate on the cusp of seeking an alliance with the United Federation of Planets, Reman nationalist Shinzon (Tom Hardy) assassinates the Senate and sets himself up as a dictator where his future goals remain a mystery to all but chaos is certainly on the menu. In this tenth film in the Star Trek film series, The USS Enterprise-E is sent in to try and resolve the tensions but is drawn into the dispute with potentially disastrous results.

After transitioning from the Original Series crew to that of Star Trek: The Next Generation almost a decade prior, the outlook for the future of the franchise was bright. While Star Trek: Generations was a weaker entry, it wasn’t a disappointment like this film. And following that with the series best Star Trek: First Contact gave everyone hope. However, after the underwhelming Star Trek: Insurrection, its days were numbered and this final film put the nail in the coffin. While the television series have found success in recent years with less episodic formats as popularized in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the film franchise caused the Star Trek universe to plunge into a decades-long production no-man’s land.

While many of the worst entries in the Star Trek film universe have been the result of weak villains, Shinzon is a fairly strong one. His aims are outwardly noble but horrendously malicious. He embodies the best qualities of a villain: someone who can sound like they have the noblest of causes but who is unspeakably evil in his execution. Hardy helped give him the merits of well-acted villainy.

Perhaps our recollections of Star Trek: Nemesis aren’t as bad as we think. The premise was a solid one and it contained a lot of the hallmarks of great science fiction, but something felt so flat and lifeless about the film. The humor was forced, the performances were tired, and even capable screenwriter John Logan couldn’t overcome those issues. Stuart Baird was the wrong choice to helm the film as well. His prior efforts, Executive Decision and U.S. Marshals, showed no evidence that he should have been put in this position. Although Jonathan Frakes (First Officer Will Riker), who had directed the prior two offerings, wasn’t given the duties as director, perhaps he should have been given the chance. Even at its worst, Star Trek: Insurrection, which Frakes directed, still felt exciting. Every filmmaker has a dud film on their resumes and from past and future experience, Frakes was still the best man for the job. Too bad we’ll never find out what he could have done with it.

Star Trek: Nemesis is nothing if not a disappointment. It could have been something greater and might have been given other circumstances. However, it is obvious that the series needed a cooling down period and perhaps the franchise should be given another shot at a big screen out with original cast members even if that will never occur.