MamaGravity good back-story, and good acting

BeSummers Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

Darin One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

Logan By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

rooprect What made the original Star Trek 60s show so outstanding wasn't action or special effects or twisty plots. What made it great, and the original impetus behind the genre of science fiction as penned by the masters H.G. Welles, Jules Verne, Mary Shelley et al, was the idea that science fiction can tell a cautionary tale about contemporary social and political issues.H.G. Welles' "The Time Machine" wasn't just about a dude zipping across time and getting into trouble; it was a stark prediction of how the human race might evolve into a divided species of predators and prey. Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" wasn't just about a terminally constipated monster lumbering around in electrician's boots; it was a dire warning against humans creating and/or genetically manipulating life without being responsible enough to handle the consequences. And here in the 9th installment of the Star Trek films "Insurrection", the story isn't just about Picard & friends trying to save a planet from yet another imperial takeover; it is a poignant and self deprecating look at how humans have this thing about trampling cultures that get in the way of progress.As my title goes, this is a throwback to some of the great social commentaries that the original Trek threw at us. It's right in league with episodes like "Patterns of Force" (about a very misguided starfleet effort to create order in a chaotic society by following the template of Nazi Germany, the "most efficient government in earth's history"), or does anyone remember the brutally symbolic Vietnam episode "A Private Little War" about a tiny planet that gets caught up as the prize between the Feds & the Klingons (USA & Russia), each superpower providing guns and weapons to their own side and escalating the conflict? "Insurrection", given the decade it was released, might've been directly inspired by the Tibet/China situation. But it's ambiguous enough that it also describes the plight of Native Americans, or even as far back as the Jews being expelled from their native homelands. The sad thing is it's still topical today; just open the newspaper and pick a region. That's the resounding point that this film makes: that even in the 23rd frickin century we are still doing it.OK, if I haven't yet scared you off in search of some mindless spaceship shootout flick instead, then read on because it gets better. This is definitely one of the darker Treks because, like in the two TOS examples I gave you above, we get deep into the insalubrious political side of Starfleet. In other words, we realize that Starfleet aren't the lily white "good guys" we'd like them to be. In this story, Starfleet basically sucks eggs. And that's what makes it especially tense because, almost like a political thriller, Picard and the crew of the Enterprise get caught up in a moral dilemma without any backup from the cavalry. That's all I'll say about that, you gotta watch the movie to see how it turns out.About the acting and the overall personality of the film, I thought it was great because the TNG crew really seem to have a great chemistry going, with some nice human moments and good dialogue. The price of admission is justified by one scene alone, when Data asks Worf if he's noticed that his "boobs are getting firmer" (Again, watch the movie, it'll make sense I swear).And F. Murray Abraham playing the main villain, wow. Channeling his inner Salieri ("Amadeus"), that is, a completely amoral character with an explosive desire for revenge, he was definitely a great casting choice.Just on a personal note, I grew up on the original Kirk-Spock-McCoy crew, and I fought the idea of accepting the Picard crew tooth & nail. They slowly wormed their way in over the years, but this is the film where I can officially say I'm a fan. If, for some reason, you're an old TOS curmudgeon who refuses to let Shatner give up the center seat, well this might be the movie that changes your mind. Too bad there's only 1 TNG movie left after this. Oh well, maybe in 20 years JJ Abrams will remake them all and we can do it all over again...

zkonedog Though often reviewed as a typical "odd numbered" Star Trek movie (for some reason, the even numbered movies in the series have performed much better than the even numbers), Star Trek: Insurrection is actually a rather strong forte into the Trek universe.The conflict of this film works on two levels: First, there is the conflict between two races of people (a plot point as old as time but one that, if done right, can be quite effective). Second, there is the conflict between Captain Jean-Luc Picard (and thus his crew) against upper-ranking Federation officials, who want to violate the sacred Prime Directive of the universe. Both of those areas of conflict, acting simultaneously throughout the movie, are surprisingly effective and compelling.Besides the effectiveness of the main plot, however, this film also (much like the previous First Contact film) contains some interesting and humorous character development. While trying to rescue a persecuted race of people, the crew of the Enterprise investigates a planet on which the effects of aging are reversed. Thus, while the android Data is unaffected, other characters are taken on an interesting hormonal journey: Worf begins acting like a typical (violent!) Klingon youth, Crusher and Troi notice certain, um, body parts firming up, and Geordi LaForge regains the use of his natural eyes.To conclude, Star Trek: Insurrection, while generally regarded as a sub-par effort, actually breaks the "odd-bad, even-good" chain of Star Trek movies. If you are new to the Star Trek universe and are interested in this movie, I would recommend watching the previous film, First Contact, in order to get a better handle on the Next Generation characters before watching this film. If you thoroughly enjoyed First Contact, this movie (with its action/adventure combined with great human drama and humor) will not disappoint you.

Eric Stevenson As one of the last "Star Trek" movies I've seen, I don't have much of a strong opinion on this one. The things that work work, but the things that don't work, don't work. I really thought this should have been longer. Like the "Doctor Who" movie, I got the feeling that I was just watching a long episode of the show. I guess I can't judge as I've never seen the show, but that's not what you should feel when watching a movie. A lot of this film is also just plain boring. There's way too much dialogue in the first half. They do get some pretty decent action scenes later, but it takes too long.I guess in order for me to judge it, I'd have to be more familiar with the mythos, but I know a lot already. I actually do like the scenes where Data is talking with the boy about playing. It shows an interesting perspective for the both of them. The idea is kind of interesting too with the crew helping hundreds of people evacuate. Unfortunately, there isn't that much payoff and the other films just did it so much better. One of the people looked like William Shatner! It would have worked better as an episode of the show as there wasn't enough story to stretch out an entire movie. So, this one's just okay. I think most people agree with me. **1/2

SnoopyStyle A joint Federation–Son'a group is secretly observing the Ba'ku when Data goes rogue and reveals their position. Admiral Matthew Dougherty contacts the Enterprise for Data's schematics to shut him down. Captain Picard ignores Dougherty's command and cuts short his mission to stop Data himself. After repairing Data, they discover that this is sinister plot between some in the Federation and the Son'a. Picard decides to ignore command and do what's right.This is an old school Star Trek story. The ideas and the morality have the great basic Star Trek DNA. The problem is that it's executed poorly. It's not big enough. I have problems with the logic of the sinister plot. The humor is awkward. I can see this as a solid episode of the TV show. However, it doesn't work quite as well when it's upgraded to a theatrical release.