Forensic Science Movie Reviews

In 1979, Robert Wise's (West Side Story, The Sound of Music, The Haunting) highly budgeted, enormously special effects laden, immensely epic, and dramatically devoid of feeling Star Trek: The Motion Picture hit theaters around the world introducing new fans to the new continuing chronicles of Admiral James T. Kirk (William Shatner), stoic Science Officer half human/half Vulcanian Spock (Leonard Nimoy), and sardonically comedic Doctor Leonard "Bones" Mc Coy (DeForest Kelley). In the vast horizon of space, there appears to be an immensely lethal gigantic space being intelligence (that goes by the name of V'Ger) that after already easily annihilating several Kilingon Birds of Prey and a Federation Deep Space Station facility is on a direct collision course with the planet Earth. So of course the United Federation of Planets allows recently promoted Admiral Kirk to helm the U.S.S. Enterprise on an extremely vital emergency mission to investigate the mystery alien's intentions. Unfortunately for all but the most blindly devoted of the Trekkie fan base, the film lacked the one crucial engineering ingredient that made the original series glisten amongst all the other one-dimensionally conventional entertainments of the time, character, dimensionality, and humanity.

Though we do see momentary glimpses of the Shatner/Nimoy/Kelly character dynamic that propelled the original series ascendance into the syndication stratosphere, Star Trek: The Motion Picture creatively concentrates on a mightily bland ambiguous creature that never really fulfills on it's promise of threat to the audience (only cerebrally never emotionally), adheres too stridently to an old Hollywood pacing structure (form the 50's and 60's) that clashes as badly to Star Trek as platform shoes stand out at a Moshe pit, focuses on a very uninteresting romance between the first officer and a bald female navigator (both before and after one of them becomes an android), and horrendously confuses telling a intensely jargon-filled space odyssey with that of concocting a compellingly motion picture. Though the grave somber literate bent of the film is not lost upon this reviewer, the emblematic spice of argumentative dissension between friends, the palpable and utterly real danger of space travel, spontaneous comedic innuendo that punctuated pompousness away from the drama, and the very fabric of camaraderie that richly effortlessly soared in the series is about as subdued and unappreciatively undeveloped as comedy was previously in any old Dragnet episode. Wise only in a very theatrical or heavily staged manner even remotely alludes to the venerable dependably timeless elements that made Star Trek always and exclusively Star Trek. His "lively" touches of character spontaneity, enthusiastic mood, and jovial levity would have been made traumatically more believable if only they had been frantically re-imaged in a wax museum showcase instead.

One dedicated fan may point out the fact that in the initial scenes of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Spock was undergoing a Vulcanian emotional purging ceremony entitled Kolinahr. Given his increasing resolute attempts to purge his own emotions as a character, these strides may have had a "direct" (maybe even commendable consistency of character to some) effect on the profuse mundane character uneventfulness that is being described. This certainly is attributed in the film but where oh where is that legendary DeForest Kelley or James Doohan wit when we ravenously agonize over their absence of them most? Sure there are minor colorful moments prudishly infrequently dispensed throughout the film from point to point. Yet this "levity" is never relentlessly exceptional enough to lug 136 minutes around with it without considerable waisline coverage issues apparent form head to foot.

All in all, despite an all-star cast, mind bogglingly excellent special effects, and a superbly noteworthy soundtrack by Jerry Goldsmith (that track was later re-used in the vastly popular Star Trek: The Next Generation), Star Trek: The Motion Picture fails to go where almost all of it's sequels later went on to do, make an entertaining picture. It certainly is worth mention and inclusion to one's cinema-going experiences solely for that legendarily diabolically seductive musical score, watching the U.S.S. Enterprise (accompanied by Goldsmith's eternal score) leaving the Federation Space dock for the first time, viewing the Enterprise warping away into the distance at the film's conclusion, witnessing that infamously beloved Leonard Nimoy eyebrow twinge, and its paternal role as the first feature-length film in the Star Trek film franchise. However don't these scattered moments appear more like anemic scrapes than an entire fluid film ahcievement to you? Other than those inclusions, this is about as barren as the Starship U.S.S. Reliant at the conclusion of Nicholas Meyer's Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan in terms of shear excitement that is. Yet in its favor, its mere trespasses were only excessively bland in comparison with the quality atomic bomb that that was William Shatner's vindictively baleful masterpiece of calamites, Star Trek 5: The Final Frontier. Now that was a cinematic Watergate for the ages.

As for the Star Trek: the Motion Picture Director's Cut DVD Special Edition, it's includes a marvelously remastered anamorphic widescreen presentation, a Robert Wise commentary track, 3 documentaries, 11 deleted scenes, and more impressive Star Trek options to shake a replicated steak at.

Highly recommended for any Trekkie with a thirst for antiquity, but for all other indifferent non-fans stay as far away from this as you would from the Influencian Flu or Barclay's Proto-morphosis Syndrome. You've been warned

P.S. Scotty thin? Naw...

Followed by Nicholas Meyer's Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan.

This restored version helps to make more sense of the storyline. Because of the remixing, every word uttered doesn't sound as though it was dubbed over. There is still a curiously back edit toward the beginning of the film. Beyond that, this DVD is like watching this film for the first time. And enjoying it this time.

That doesn't make Insurrection a great film but it does have substance. The film would have been more powerful with a stronger villian. Why the character of Q never showed up is beyond me (actually it probably has to do with the fact that Paramount always dictated that any NextGen script had to be understandable by a person totally unfamiliar with Star Trek. Sorry folks, but that doesn't always make for interesting or good entertainment). It's also entertaining. Of all the Trek films featuring the NextGen crew, Insurrection has an abundance of humor. It's that humor along with the action sequences that make Insurrection work very well indeed. It's certainly not the best Trek film, nor is it the worst. For all of its cleverness and the moving scenes involving Picard's loss in Generations, that film is fairly empty and fairly routine. It smacks of being an overblown episode of the series. That's OK as the series at its best produced The Best of Both Worlds and other episodes equally as strong.

The plot in a nutshell; the Federation elects to violate their own ethical directives and relocate a people so that others can benefit. The Baku live on a planet with an unusual form of radiation that can provide the Fountain of Youth or a cure for almost any disease.

Data discovers the plot as he is observing the Baku. He tries to return with the info but is damaged and, in a sense, goes mad. He goes into defensive mode and, in the process, exposes the Federation's presence on the planet. Picard is called upon to provide info on Data's systems so they can destroy him. Picard feels compelled to investigate knowing that the behavior the Android is demonstrating is unusual.

He also discovers the plot against these peaceful people and the plan to do a forced relocation without their knowledge.

The epic scale of the visual effects in Insurrection sets it apart from the smaller screen version. Sure, the story could have been featured as an episode of the series. Somehow I don't view that as a bad thing. Trek in its prime dealt with important conflicts, issues and ideas presented in an entertaining format. Just as director/actor Jonathan Frakes does here. If it lacks the larger than life conflict of First Contact (a film frequently accused of ripping off Wrath of Kahn because it quotes Moby Dick. Beyond the quotation from Melville's classic, the film deals with obsession but, handles the theme quite different and deftly but enough on that...)or the space opera elements of Nemesis, Insurrection provides more than the usual sketchy character moments of either of these films. All four of the Trek films are unique, different and, yes, flawed in their own way.

Many fans seem disturbed by the fact that the Federation is showed as flawed. Yep. It makes the film and the characters more interesting. I realize that Roddenberry had a vision for the Federation as perfect. Perfection is boring in drama. There's no conflict. There's also the political repatriation aspect of the story. It suggests that humanity hasn't changed significantly. Human nature, despite our noble ideals, is to be greedy and selfish. The fact that humanity isn't a paragon of virtue but still manages to do the right thing is what makes drama (and humanity) interesting.

The DVD transfer is sharp and looks very good. Unlike Generations which had some transfer problems, Insurrection looks great on a big screen. The sound is also quite good. The extras are pretty skimpy; more than likely Paramount will try to milk the fans again by introducing a special edition. Insurrection has a trailer and featurette originally shown on either Showtime or HBO (don't recall which)which is pretty ordinary. There's no director's commentary, no special effects discussions (and there are some stunning sequences in the Briar Patch)and no discussion on the political implications of the script.

The final word: Enjoy Insurrection for what it is--an entertaining visit with old friends. The sad thing is that Nemesis got negative press and lost admit the Holiday releases from last year. As a result, Paramount won't greenlight anymore NextGen adventures. They blame us, the fans, when they need to look within at their marketing of the pictures. I'll dismount the soapbox now that I've made my case for Insurrection as a solid occasionally inspired movie that is dramatically flawed.

The humor in it adds some bubbly fun to a film that could have been all syrup and saddness. And unlike some sci-fi films, the humor isn't contrived and it actually makes sense. Who doesn't get a kick out of Worf's wart or Data's ability to be a flotation device?

Another thing that made this Star Trek film great, was that it didn't center on Captain Picard, like many of the other films (and TV episodes) have a tendency to do. You get to hear about how other people are reacting to and experiencing this latest adventure. Yes, this film does give Patrick Stewart an ample amount of screen time, but it also allows the viewers to enjoy little quirks about the rest of the characters we have grown to love over the years.

Complaints about plot holes and such I think are reading too much into the film. This is sci-fi, ok? Give the writers, directors, and producers a little leg room!

Overall, I believe this to be an excellent addition to the Star Trek family of movies. A little bit of fun, adventure, intensity, and the well placed moral at the end. So grab some popcorn, a pillow, and your phaser shaped remote control, as Insurrection takes you boldly into a different style for this crew, and has a bunch of fun doing it.

You'll enjoy this for the newness of it if you let yourself - and it will get you thinking long after you watch it - again if you allow youself!

I'll give credit where it's due though. For once, an Anderson movie had a GEORGOUS set design. Both space ships were terrific on both interior and exterior shots. If there's any redeeming quality to this movie, this is it by far.

As for the story though, the pace of the movie was just awful. I'd love to see how much was left on the editing floor because the transitions from scene to scene were horrible. Characters would be introduced one minute, disappear for the next 20 minutes, reappear in the backgroud the next minute, all of which was to set up their kill scene the next minute. Poor editing made it really difficult to generate even the ability to be able to tell who was who, let alone build up a connection to anyone.

I also didn't care for the 'Hellraiser' turn the film seemed to unexpectedly take. Not only was I completely blindsided by it, but I didn't think it was necessary. Think of the level of suspense that was build in '2001: A Space Oddessey' when HAL loses it and starts killing the crew. Anderson could have maybe taken a similiar direction here all while staying true to the haunted-house-in-space idea that he seemed to want to develop.

This is just one more example of how a poor production crew can completely kill a movie. I hate to think that Anderson has my beloved 'Alien vs Predator' movie up next, because, personally, I can't see how this guy keeps getting work.

This movie was predictable, flaky and pathetic. Jet Li's martial art skills were diminished by this film's cheap special effects. I didn't care for Mr. Li's bland acting performance either. He is NO Jackie Chan and I mean that in every way. At least Jackie's movies and stunts move the story along. The stunts in the this film were to cover up for bad dialogue, a TERRIBLE script and even laughable characters. I got this movie pre-viewed and I'd give it away for free. I'd caterogize that part where he smashed the motorcyles together the WORST SPECIAL EFFECTS JOB I'VE SEEN. It was clear that most shots were at night so we wouldn't see the cords and strings and everything else they had holding objects up. Please!

Skip this if you have any appreciation for decent films.

Before I saw this video, I honestly expected it to suck. Fortunately, it is really a great movie. It has a lot of replay value. You'll want to watch it more than once.

This movie was predictable, flaky and pathetic. Jet Li's martial art skills were diminished by this film's cheap special effects. I didn't care for Mr. Li's bland acting performance either. He is NO Jackie Chan and I mean that in every way. At least Jackie's movies and stunts move the story along. The stunts in the this film were to cover up for bad dialogue, a TERRIBLE script and even laughable characters. I got this movie pre-viewed and I'd give it away for free. I'd caterogize that part where he smashed the motorcyles together the WORST SPECIAL EFFECTS JOB I'VE SEEN. It was clear that most shots were at night so we wouldn't see the cords and strings and everything else they had holding objects up. Please!

Skip this if you have any appreciation for decent films.

Before I saw this video, I honestly expected it to suck. Fortunately, it is really a great movie. It has a lot of replay value. You'll want to watch it more than once.

"Aliens" left off on a hopeful note of "no more bad dreams"...until Alien 3 came along and injected its OWN "bad dream."

Hope for the fragile human spirit? Love of childhood innocence? We're sorry, that's not allowed in this third farce of a movie. Let's squash it head-on early in the movie by killing off two of the characters that we grew so attached to in the second movie as this may complicate the intricate plot of the 3rd movie.

Oh, I'm sorry, WHAT intricate plot? Originally, some of you may remember a teaser trailer that stated something along the lines of "On Earth, EVERYONE can you hear you scream." Chills galore!! Aliens on Earth...how scary is that prospect?

Oops, we're sorry, no film budget...guess we're going to have to go to butchered plot #2:

Let's see...as J. Bollen describes in his review, how does the whole facehugger loophole work? It doesn't...see his review...he covers that ground QUITE NICELY, but I will paraphrase here. Facehuggers do not, repeat NOT, impreganate hosts MORE THAN ONCE. If they did, then the first Alien movie would have been quite different. It's laughable that an Alien egg is shown at the beginning of the film as this would imply that it had been deliberately placed there somehow. Nah-uh...the Queen could not have laid it and NO ONE ELSE FROM THE SULACO GOT BACK TO THE SHIP UNTIL THE VERY END. So...how did it get there? How does Bishop know there was an Alien on-board and, if he knew through the computer system, why hadn't the computer tried to wake its passengers when something foreign was detected? It knew well enough to eject the pod when a fire started. This in itself is somewhat weak...what fire could be so severe that it could not be quashed with some sort of Halon system? Everyone is in their cryo-tube, so a fear of not having an oxygen supply would have been meted out. Sorry, it's really weak...the film-makers would have done well to explain it. However, they don't and intent to insult your intelligence by throwing it in your face with brief clip-shots of languid explanations.

Ok, loopholes aside, we are on a new planet. Nothing real exciting to look at. All right, let's just move on to the facility which looks industrial to say the least. Okay, nothing new here either. Let's move on to characters.

The warden, a cardboard cutout of the disbelieving members of the Company from the second movie, explains his disbelief of the Alien in such a similar way to cause eye-rolling "get on with it" looks. No weapons? A cloaked way of saying: "No budget for the film." The explanation? Prisoners.

Ah, yes, prisoners. As Ripley tries to convince them to fight the Alien (especially after being nearly brutally raped at one point), one tends to wonder, "How can somebody be callous enough to use human beings to protect one's interests in thwarting the Company's plans?" The answer is quite simple -- they are murderers and rapists so nobody cares if they die. Ripley would lead you to believe that SHE CARES (and she does), but the audience is left to feel no remorse for those who committed heinous crimes in the first place!!

And that's yet another point to emphasize!! Where is the human spirit? There are some characters that we could care for. There's the doctor, but for crying out loud, let's get him killed before we get too emotionally involved! There's the preacher, but again, what's the sense in maintaining hope for the human spirit...off with his head, too! There's Ripley...again, I think you see where this is headed!

The whole lead facility at the end of the movie had me rolling around in laughter in tears. It's almost as if somebody wanted to make a really cool Halloween maze; you know, the kind that pops up in the middle of fields in some cities that tries to scare thrill-seekers with fake chainsaws, etc.? None of the doors work, so this is somehow supposed to increase our fear of automatic doors not working while we're being chased. Oh, and let's not forget this appears to be the part of the facility where nothing works. Except for the lead. You would think that something like the lead works, if fully functioning, would have fully functioning doors as well. Ah, yes, prisoners...nobody cares for the prisoners. What a wonderful loophole of disregard for human life that we have found!

My least favorite aspect was the Alien itself. CGI was still somewhat in its infancy and it is painfully obvious here. Whereas the first two movies frighten us with their implicit size and strength, this one is supposed to frighten us with its speed. It does not appear to be too strong. At one point, as it's "chewing" on a victim, it looks as if it's convulsing in its attempts. I'm not sure if I needed to get in there and perform a Heimlich on the poor wretch or if I was supposed to be frightened by its gyrations. I did not do either, in any case. This Alien does not frighten me one bit. The first two movies scared the hell out of me, though. This one, not even close...not by a long shot.

Skip this movie. Alien Resurrection was a decent effort at apologizing for the 3rd movie, but it should have ended with the hope of Aliens.

I can understand why most hate it, though... I just can't join them...

The emotional impact of the film is tremendous. The characters are intense and three-dimensional, and Ripley herself...well, in this film, Ripley is a tragic figure. No longer the victim of the first film or the reluctant warrior of the second (and not at all resembling that ridiculous human-Alien hybrid of the fourth), Ripley comes into her own as an experienced expert on all things Alien.

I'd end the review here, but I feel it worth mentioning another aspect of the movie that I myself have only recently come to recognize. This film is rife with religious symbolism. From the opening sequence, when the silhouette of a crucifix is shown, up until the conclusion, Christianity plays a strong role here, moreso than in any of the other episodes. Ripley can be viewed as both a Christ-figure and perhaps the Virgin; the theme of redemption is recurrent, as is sacrifice; and could the Alien represent...the arbiter of divine justice? Keep your eyes peeled for these themes while watching it--it'll double the fun.