Review of Star Trek: Insurrection (1998) by Jonathan Y — 09 Jul 2008

Following on the heels of the dark, intense 'First Contact', it must have sounded appealing to the 'Trek' cast and crew to attempt a more lighthearted story. In many ways an enjoyable (if slight) adventure flick, 'Insurrection's undeniable charms are often undercut by a half-baked plot that seems content to aim for the middle of the road.

While the cast all seem to be having a great time playing their roles more comically than in the past, and while returning director Jonathan Frakes again demonstrates solid skill behind the camera, there's a disappointing lack of character-building drama (or even interesting villains) this time around to counterbalance the fluffiness.

The central premise of having the Enterprise crew rebel against their own beloved Starfleet is certainly rife with possibilities, but 'Insurrection' soft-pedals the tension right when it should be tightening it.

There's still plenty of enjoyment to be had, especially if you're a die-hard 'Trek' fan, but it's also hard to escape the disappointing notion that 'Insurrection' simply could have been better.