-Written by Kyle Bain.
When The Borg travels back in time and alters the reality of humankind as we know it–Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and the rest of the Enterprise-E team must follow them and ensure that history isn’t changed forever. Star Trek: First Contact follows great scientific mind Zefram Cochrane (James Cromwell), as our beloved team helps him reach warp speed on his inaugural journey into space.
When I first saw Star Trek: Generations I fell in love with the character of Data (Brent Spiner). Not only was he so emotionally relevant, allowing me to connect with him in a variety of ways–but his intelligence is enviable. He helps to develop comedy within the Next Generation crew, and he’s all around a lovable character. Star Trek: First Contact gets to see him extend beyond that comic relief. Yes, he wears many masks in previous installments of the Star Trek franchise, but this film sees him take on a more serious role than before. Again I was able to connect with him emotionally, almost every step of the way. He dealt with temptation and anxiety in ways that really appealed to me, but he still gets to be the same, lovable Data that I’ve seen in the past. It seems that Writers Rick Berman, Brannon Braga, and Ronald D. Moore wanted to expand Data’s repertoire both on and off The Bridge. Spiner, as we all can imagine, delivers beautifully from start to finish–leaving nothing to the imagination, keeping viewers intrigued every step of the way.
Having recently watched Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home for the first time, there were some important similarities. Released ten years apart, they are each directed by the actor who plays the film’s second in command (with Jonathan Frakes taking charge of Star Trek: First Contact), they each use time travel as a major plot device, and they feel much more human than other Star Trek properties. If you’ve read my Star Trek: The Voyage Home review (which I certainly hope you have), then I don’t need to go into detail about what I loved regarding the human aspect of the film. In short: it connected me more with the film, the characters, and the franchise as a whole.
I’ve now, officially, been introduced to the ever-popular The Borg, a race of cybernetic beings that assimilate with anyone that might stand in their way. I was slightly underwhelmed with my introduction to them, however. Aesthetically, they are brilliantly put together–existing somewhere in the realm of creatures you might see in a horror film. They are terrifying to look at, and through my internet travels it seems that in Star Trek: First Contact this crew was able to achieve near perfection in regard to the race’s aesthetic. Star Trek: First Contact is massively successful in this regard. From their individual looks to the set design, The Borg come to life in a vibrant and intelligent way.
So, why was I underwhelmed? Early in the film someone quickly explains that The Borg will only attack if they feel threatened. That’s a fair enough statement to make, but I didn't find it to be true of the rest of the film. Within seconds of the crew running into The Borg, Picard, Data, Worf (Michael Dorn), and others kill a half dozen of them. Sure, they’re able to adapt and protect themselves, but so are the crew of the Enterprise. Don’t The Borg understand that the crew will continue to find new ways to kill them? Or, are they so arrogant that they think they will ultimately become indestructible? There are so many instances throughout the course of Star Trek: First Contact in which I questioned why The Borg felt unthreatened by Picard and his team. I couldn’t make sense of it, and by the end of the film the only thing I could think was that this was simply a plot device that could ultimately allow Picard and the others to reign victorious by its conclusion. This frustrated me to no end.
Furthermore, I struggled with instances of cinematography as well, brought to life by Director of Photography Matthew F. Leonetti. For the most part, Leonetti and his team do a stellar job of bringing these larger-than-life sets to the big screen (or my television screen in this case)–but there are moments when things feel too small, even claustrophobic. On at least three occasions other characters were seemingly on top of Picard. The size of the sets would have already been established at this point–and there’s no reason to move in so close on multiple characters at a time. Allow Picard to exist in these extreme close ups on his own; flooding the screen with too many characters caused these intendedly emotional moments to falter in Star Trek: First Contact.
When all was said and done, however, I feel that Star Trek: First Contact ranks among the best of the Star Trek canon. It’s incredibly deliberate in its connection to human emotion, it expands on Data’s role, and it possesses a story that effectively combines comedy and drama. In many aspects of Star Trek: First Contact, it’s a masterful film. While it falters on occasion I never felt that those shortcomings affected the positive aspects of the film, allowing them to still shine brightly and reach viewers as intended.
Directed by Jonathan Frakes.
Written by Gene Roddenberry, Rick Berman, Brannon Braga, & Ronald D. Moore.
Starring Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn, Gates McFadden, Marina Sirtis, Alfre Woodard, James Cromwell, Alice Krige, etc.
8/10 = WORTH RENTING OR BUYING
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