Review of Star Trek: First Contact (1996) by Matthew D — 02 Aug 2016

The most punchy and competent of the original Star Trek films ramps up the threats from the word go and continues to pile on epic space combat, horror and humour throughout its less than two-hour runtime. Unlike the last entry which had disparate elements that never gelled, this expertly weaves them together and never feels overstuffed or neglects the human (and non-human) drama. It may not be the biggest on ideas which normally fuels the best Star Trek; in fact, the basic plot, stop history from changing, is not particularly original or clever and has been done better before within the series, but it has some of the franchises most powerful and most haunting moments; it is small details that make the movie work. The 'historic' Earth-bound story thread may not be quite as compelling as the happenings in space, and the prime directive is jettisoned far too easily, but they integrate well into the main story and provide necessary quiet moments. The biggest criticism from a franchise viewpoint is the Borg leader, who arguably undermines the point of the Borg (and results in some clichéd elements towards the end), but even then, she provides the set-up for the completion of Data's story arc, achieving what the previous film could not. For fans there are a plethora of references that add up to a worthy 30th anniversary celebration, yet are delivered subtly, without overwhelming proceedings.

The best 'pre-boot' entry demonstrates that the staid reputation of The Next Generation is undeserved and that Star Trek films can be cinematic, entertaining and dynamic.