Review of Star Trek: Insurrection (1998) by J D — 16 Aug 2016

'Insurrection' plays very much like Star Trek's tribute to Seven Samurai. A task many films have attempted and failed to do, but with a formidable script and solid performances, I had some fun with Star Trek Insurrection.

Though I enjoyed the film, I don't really understand why they changed up the formula from the previous installment, First Contact. Instead of feeling like the next step in the film series, Insurrection seemed like an extended The Next Generation episode. It doesn't take away from the quality of the film, but it does feel like the spectacle of the other films was taken out of it.

Picard and his crew stumble upon a possible conspiracy on a guarded but medically advanced planet and take matters into their own hands. Unlike either of the previous two TNG films, there is a legitimate attempt at character development. For someone who wasn't a viewer of the TV series, I was grateful for it. With that said, the push for a romantic interest for both Picard and Riker felt forced. Whether it was the acting, writing, or direction the romance angle didn't feel like a natural progression of the story.

Being that it does feel similar to a Seven Samurai-esque story, I found myself more attached to Data's developing relationship with the young boy from the village. As well as the increasingly intriguing story behind why there is an alien race set on abducting an entire planet of people. Both of those story points worked well.

Sure, there are a few editing issues and plenty of scenes that don't work or even make sense at all, but the different approach to this Star Trek adventure proved to be all I needed to enjoy my time watching Insurrection.

+Data.

+Interesting plot developments late in the game.

-Romantic subplots.

-Extended TV episode approach didn't always pan out.

6.3/10.