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Star Trek Sunday: Generations

A review by Brooks Rich

This is a very polarizing Star Trek film. I go back and forth on it to be honest. We're now in the TNG era and at the debut film of Picard and his crew, with Kirk showing up in the third act because of course. I have similar problems to this as I did with Motionless Picture. It's so boring and lifeless at times. How is this film the film debut of this crew? Really we have to start on the Holodeck? Do we need a side plot of Picard's family dying? This film is not awful but looking at the sum of it's parts, it doesn't work. It's just kind of there.

The film is about the Nexus, a strange extra-dimensional realm that transports people to a fantasy world where they get whatever they desire. The villain is Tolian Soran, played by Malcolm McDowell, who wishes to destroy a planet so it will divert the Nexus to him. There's also Klingons trying to blow up the Enterprise after they use Geordi's visor as a way to spy on the Enterprise and figure out their shield configuration. When Picard goes into the Nexus, he finds Kirk there and they team up to stop Soran and save the planet.

I don't like this film. This is not a Star Trek movie I revisit very often because I find the interesting story about the Nexus is buried under a lot of unnecessary padding. But there are people who really like this film. It is not as hated as some of the other lesser Star Trek films. It is not as bad as Final Frontier or Motionless Picture. I will give it that. I'm not sure where I rank against the two films in the TNG series that are pretty panned now. I will reassess that when we get to Insurrection. Ooo, probably the most meh Star Trek film. At least in Generations we have McDowell as Soran and the fight with the Klingons is cool. But the first hour or so just drags. There's no need for the scene on the Holodeck and the subplot with Picard's family feels like something that belongs back on the show.

This is one to just watch for yourself and see how you feel. I get it that some people get into the spiritual nature of the Nexus and like the meeting of Picard and Kirk. I do like that team up but good God do I despise how it wraps up. Really this is just the film you have to get through before reaching the film that is not only TNG's best movie but also the one that fights with Wrath of Khan over what is the best Star Trek film.

Rating: 2/5



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