I did it, a little reluctantly
I ordered the Star Trek: Nemesis Special Collector's Edition, which is scheduled for release tomorrow, October 4th.I'm buying it strictly because I own all other Trek movies, and because I want to see the deleted scenes. As a movie, well, I liked it enough to see it just once in the theatre, and I think only twice on premium cable. I found Nemesis a mediocre attempt that fell flat in action, which is what made First Contact so fun, and it failed in the character interplay that makes The Voyage Home a joy to watch. Both reasons are why The Wrath of Khan is the greatest of all Trek films.
Nemesis should have tried to excel in either action or character drama; instead, it tried for both, failed, and was overall tepid. This reminds me of my father's occasional complaint about our favorite restaurant in the Philippines, the Prince Albert Rotisserie in Manila's Intercontinental Hotel. If the food happened to be mediocre one night, at least the mini orchestra would be excellent and compensated for it; or vice-versa. Once in a great while, both would be mediocre on the same night. On the other hand, the Prince Albert's Irish coffee always was. Nemesis is like Irish coffee made from weak beans and cheap whisky, served at room temperature: there was a good recipe to follow, but the ingredients used were poor. The idea behind Nemesis was good, but it wasn't developed that well.
It was painfully obvious when I saw Nemesis for the first time that it copied several previous Trek elements, especially the final battle and Data's Spock-like heroics. The intrusions into Troi's mind became a plot device, but I think they were needlessly disturbing, more than in the TNG episode "Violations" (with the Ullians, one of whom was like a telepathic Jack the Ripper). I think I'd have preferred a blatant rip-off of The Undiscovered Country: "Doctor, would you care to assist me in performing surgery on a torpedo?" There also wasn't enough screentime for LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn or Gates McFadden (my favorite of all Trek women, and I usually prefer brunettes!).
Ah well. The deleted scenes (which are actually on the original DVD release, or will there be more?) might be, as Data would say, "intriguing." Did any of you think I was going to quote Spock and say, "Fascinating"? My expectations are not that high.
posted by Perry Eidelbus at
4:32 PM
4 Comments:
Nemesis was not actually as bad as I was told, just very weak. But it comes from a field of movies where not a lot of strong examples dominate. Sure you could point out Wrath of Khan, Voyage Home, and First Contact; but the others are either mediocre or rancid. And even the good ones don't appeal outside the Star Trek/Sci-Fi culture very much.
I'd like to see another Star Trek film but I would hope they put the effort and care into making it that they did Khan
Ahhh, the Star Trek conglomerate of capitalist running dogs have sunk their claws into yet another victim of slick corporate repackaging.
BWWWAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA!!!!
Okay. Just kidding.
It's true that the movies are focused on a particular audience, but that is, after all, the nature of the series. They're part of a long story arc, to me much more than a single pyrotechnic blockbuster that will probably have a lacklustre sequel.
I rather enjoyed "The Search for Spock" and even "Insurrection" (maybe I'm just an F. Murray Abraham fan). My father wasn't much of a Trek watcher, but he liked "Insurrection" as a couple of hours of fun entertainment.
Maybe I rate Nemesis so poorly because I am such a Trekkie, since I know enough to recognize the rehashed elements. When I get the DVD, I'll scrutinize everything carefully.
Personally, I found myself comparing Nemesis to Wrath of Khan far too often. The movie did have a few high points, though, my favorite of which was the wedding reception, which was the only scene where the cast really seemed to be at home.
Also, I wasn't too keen on the score for Nemesis. It seemed like Jerry Goldsmith was trying to mesh the dark tones of the movie with his very bright march theme from the first movie and it didn't work, but that's just me.
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home