Finally got around to seeing Star Trek Generations...
...and this is going to sound crazy, and justifiably so, but honestly? It was better than I thought it was going to be.
So... talkin' 'bout Star Trek Generations (and now that that reference is out of the way, let's continue), I was dreading it going on thanks to it being The Film That Killed Kirk. But honestly? There were some bad things about it, but also some good things.
Things that worked:
-Even though I didn't really buy the camaraderie between Kirk, Scotty and Chekov, I really did like Captain Harriman (very adorable, and handled the Nexus situation pretty well, actually) and Demora Sulu (apparently, just as awesome as her dad). And I liked how the Nexus rescue scene played out. A lot of tension, some pretty spooky moments (such as that transmission, which honestly sounds like something out of a horror film), and generally a lot of well-directed suspense with everyone getting something cool to do. And Kirk's seeming death was very well-done. Scotty and Chekov's reactions actually worked really well, and even though I knew it was coming (was already spoiled), I still was surprised when Kirk showed back up in the Nexus.
-Soran. It helps that Malcolm McDowell is a fucking fantastic actor (then again, like I said, the Star Trek films have some genuinely fucking fantastic actors), and Soran himself was good at going from menacing (the scene where he was threatening Geordi and Data was a pretty terrifying moment. And that includes stuff like Data being, for the first time -- keep in mind that this is Data's first time with the emotion chip so he's being assailed by something he's never felt before, not long after suffering an emotional overload, Geordi's unconscious, and there's a man pointing a phaser in his face. Poor Data; I can imagine the whole thing was quite the ordeal) to sympathetic (his speech to Picard about time being a predator actually gets poignant when he talks about how the Borg taught him that the only constant in life is death. Yeah, Soran does horrific things in the name of getting back to the Nexus, but it really does put in perspective how many lives the Borg destroyed. Soran's, Sisko's, Picard's, Seven of Nine's...it's just horrifying and sad. *), all of it very well-acted. It's definitely a huge contrast for me considering my previous exposure to him was Rob Zombie's Halloween 2, where he really just played a really miserable, slimy version of Dr. Loomis (where...he did a great job, but every time that character was on screen, I just was furious. So him playing a bit of a Woobie Destroyer of Worlds was really something), so I was tempted to make some Halloween jokes. But yeah, Malcolm McDowell was awesome. And I really did find it lovely that Picard tried to talk him out of his destroy-a-star-to-enter-the-Nexus plan (you may be wondering why, but Soran says that it's the only way he's found to get in there) by reminding him of who he used to be. It doesn't work, but at least Picard tried to save him. (Apparently Picard tries to redeem Shinzon in Nemesis as well. Haven't gotten to that movie yet, but...I'll probably have a lot to say when I get there) And I think, considering Guinan's appearance in the Nexus (sort of a leftover copy from her stay there), somewhere, there is a Soran who is happy there. Who has his family again. Though it really does underline both (a) everything he did basically wasn't worth it and (b) the fact the previous point was likely intentional, especially considering what Guinan tells Picard about the Nexus and how it affected her. Difference being that Guinan eventually recovered and moved on with her life. Soran...he just got driven to madness. Sort of like his mind got stuck in that point of time, and when he first got stuck in the Nexus, he could see his family again. Which, no wonder he freaked out when Kirk, Chekov and Scotty rescued him. So yeah, the more I really examine it, the more Soran is actually a sad character. Picard even has a moment of gentleness regarding him when discussing things with Riker, as Soran saw time as a predator instead of a companion. He couldn't really come to terms with some things. (Indeed, the whole wrap-up with Picard and Riker was genuinely beautiful)
But on a happier note, I think there might be echoes of Picard and Kirk in the Nexus as well. Somewhere in the Nexus, an echo of Picard has a family and gets to see his nephew again, and somewhere, an echo of Kirk gets to have his happiness as well.
-The Nexus itself. I think it helps that Generations didn't get its budget as fucked as Frontier did, but it actually does look like a really beautiful, warm place to be. I did at first think it looked like Soran had slipped Picard LSD while they were on Veridian III, but once it got to the scene itself (Picard with a family -- which makes sense considering that one of the things he confided to Troi was the matter of carrying on the Picard name, doing great things, etc. Though honestly, I don't get that worry in hindsight; being a Captain of the Enterprise isn't impressive enough? -- and seeing his recently deceased nephew again -- and yes, I admit it, I nearly cried), it started to make more sense. The music for that scene is also incredibly beautiful.
-Speaking of Troi, she had wonderful moments of empathy in the film, such as comforting Picard on the loss of his family (and yeah, that was another scene that got me pretty close to crying as well. That movie really got me emotional in places. Considering Data's subplot, that's uncanny), and helping Data find Spot (on a sidenote, Spot's adorable. He reminds me of one of my cats I had as a kid) at the end.
-On the subject of Data, I admit that yes, the moments of him having the emotion chip were pretty amusing, thanks to the reactions of people like Geordi (who mostly seems to have an expression at some of Data's antics that really is like the Flat What without needing to say anything. It's hilarious), as well as Riker and Troi when Data makes up the song about scanning for lifeforms. ( I'm Not Making This Up ) And some of the gestures he makes, like punching the air and going "Yes!" after Riker takes out the Duras sisters.
And there were some moments that actually did work in the dramatic department, such as Data worrying about the effects of the emotion chip and if he has to be deactivated as a result. Picard did a good job in terms of getting him to regain control and do his duty -- a good mixture of stern and having some compassion in there as well. His line about courage being an emotion too was a genuinely good bit. And I like that bit because emotions in general tend to be heavily misunderstood and feared, so it's a good start to getting people to understand that no, they're not bad by themselves; it's what you do with them that matters. Done before? Yeah. But it's a theme people tend to misunderstand a lot, I've found. (I know I'm also guilty of that)
-This really is my first exposure to the TNG crew, not counting SFDebris' reviews or my incomplete viewing of First Contact. So I really did like the camaraderie between the crew, as shown by Worf's promotion ceremony prior to Riker dunking him, for starters. The camaraderie between the TOS cast seemed rather forced, but the TNG camaraderie made up for it.
-While the Duras sisters kind of went out rather weakly, and they were mostly there to provide a bit of being the decoy villains (and Soran's temporary partners), they were a lot of fun. Highlights being them scanning Geordi's surveillance footage, and just how exasperated they get after a while, and how, when they were attacking the Enterprise, they got all psyched and such. They were pretty fun villains. Bless them.
-The fight between Kirk, Picard and Soran was appropriately tense. Granted, Kirk's way of demise is a bit embarrassing (although I heard the original version was worse), but the race to stop Soran nuking everything all over again was well-done, and both Patrick Stewart and William Shatner did an excellent job in the death scene. I think the most powerful part of it was Kirk asking, "Did we make a difference?" Because he and Picard really did. They stopped a star from being destroyed and saved the Enterprise crew, so I think they did. And overall, in their lifetimes, Kirk and Picard both did.
Things that bugged me:
-Kirk in the Nexus. While he was generally nice to Picard in places, some of his moments worked, and it was obviously supposed to riff off what Guinan said about the Nexus, how you forget about everything that really matters in the Nexus, I didn't like how dismissive he was when Picard asked him for help against Soran blowing up a star. I mean, God's sakes...I really did root for Picard telling him off right then and there. Plus, I admit that what ultimately sets Kirk back to reality (not the threat of Soran killing innocents, but the idea of the Nexus not being real) bugged me. I get the Nexus was fucking with his head, especially since he'd been there longer than Picard had, but it still bugged me.
-In all honesty, considering the anguish that losing David caused, I think part of Kirk's Nexus fantasy would be seeing David again.
-The banter between the TOS crew in the beginning really did seem kind of forced and unnatural. It was kind of like something about it didn't fit.
* Heck, the pilot episode of DS9 revolves partially around Sisko's trauma and grief long after losing his wife at Wolf-359. I didn't like the pilot episode very much, but the part dealing with Sisko's grief was very well-done. (And I liked Jadzia. Sisko too)
So, honestly? It does have its share of problems, but it really isn't as bad as I thought it would be.
So... talkin' 'bout Star Trek Generations (and now that that reference is out of the way, let's continue), I was dreading it going on thanks to it being The Film That Killed Kirk. But honestly? There were some bad things about it, but also some good things.
Things that worked:
-Even though I didn't really buy the camaraderie between Kirk, Scotty and Chekov, I really did like Captain Harriman (very adorable, and handled the Nexus situation pretty well, actually) and Demora Sulu (apparently, just as awesome as her dad). And I liked how the Nexus rescue scene played out. A lot of tension, some pretty spooky moments (such as that transmission, which honestly sounds like something out of a horror film), and generally a lot of well-directed suspense with everyone getting something cool to do. And Kirk's seeming death was very well-done. Scotty and Chekov's reactions actually worked really well, and even though I knew it was coming (was already spoiled), I still was surprised when Kirk showed back up in the Nexus.
-Soran. It helps that Malcolm McDowell is a fucking fantastic actor (then again, like I said, the Star Trek films have some genuinely fucking fantastic actors), and Soran himself was good at going from menacing (the scene where he was threatening Geordi and Data was a pretty terrifying moment. And that includes stuff like Data being, for the first time -- keep in mind that this is Data's first time with the emotion chip so he's being assailed by something he's never felt before, not long after suffering an emotional overload, Geordi's unconscious, and there's a man pointing a phaser in his face. Poor Data; I can imagine the whole thing was quite the ordeal) to sympathetic (his speech to Picard about time being a predator actually gets poignant when he talks about how the Borg taught him that the only constant in life is death. Yeah, Soran does horrific things in the name of getting back to the Nexus, but it really does put in perspective how many lives the Borg destroyed. Soran's, Sisko's, Picard's, Seven of Nine's...it's just horrifying and sad. *), all of it very well-acted. It's definitely a huge contrast for me considering my previous exposure to him was Rob Zombie's Halloween 2, where he really just played a really miserable, slimy version of Dr. Loomis (where...he did a great job, but every time that character was on screen, I just was furious. So him playing a bit of a Woobie Destroyer of Worlds was really something), so I was tempted to make some Halloween jokes. But yeah, Malcolm McDowell was awesome. And I really did find it lovely that Picard tried to talk him out of his destroy-a-star-to-enter-the-Nexus plan (you may be wondering why, but Soran says that it's the only way he's found to get in there) by reminding him of who he used to be. It doesn't work, but at least Picard tried to save him. (Apparently Picard tries to redeem Shinzon in Nemesis as well. Haven't gotten to that movie yet, but...I'll probably have a lot to say when I get there) And I think, considering Guinan's appearance in the Nexus (sort of a leftover copy from her stay there), somewhere, there is a Soran who is happy there. Who has his family again. Though it really does underline both (a) everything he did basically wasn't worth it and (b) the fact the previous point was likely intentional, especially considering what Guinan tells Picard about the Nexus and how it affected her. Difference being that Guinan eventually recovered and moved on with her life. Soran...he just got driven to madness. Sort of like his mind got stuck in that point of time, and when he first got stuck in the Nexus, he could see his family again. Which, no wonder he freaked out when Kirk, Chekov and Scotty rescued him. So yeah, the more I really examine it, the more Soran is actually a sad character. Picard even has a moment of gentleness regarding him when discussing things with Riker, as Soran saw time as a predator instead of a companion. He couldn't really come to terms with some things. (Indeed, the whole wrap-up with Picard and Riker was genuinely beautiful)
But on a happier note, I think there might be echoes of Picard and Kirk in the Nexus as well. Somewhere in the Nexus, an echo of Picard has a family and gets to see his nephew again, and somewhere, an echo of Kirk gets to have his happiness as well.
-The Nexus itself. I think it helps that Generations didn't get its budget as fucked as Frontier did, but it actually does look like a really beautiful, warm place to be. I did at first think it looked like Soran had slipped Picard LSD while they were on Veridian III, but once it got to the scene itself (Picard with a family -- which makes sense considering that one of the things he confided to Troi was the matter of carrying on the Picard name, doing great things, etc. Though honestly, I don't get that worry in hindsight; being a Captain of the Enterprise isn't impressive enough? -- and seeing his recently deceased nephew again -- and yes, I admit it, I nearly cried), it started to make more sense. The music for that scene is also incredibly beautiful.
-Speaking of Troi, she had wonderful moments of empathy in the film, such as comforting Picard on the loss of his family (and yeah, that was another scene that got me pretty close to crying as well. That movie really got me emotional in places. Considering Data's subplot, that's uncanny), and helping Data find Spot (on a sidenote, Spot's adorable. He reminds me of one of my cats I had as a kid) at the end.
-On the subject of Data, I admit that yes, the moments of him having the emotion chip were pretty amusing, thanks to the reactions of people like Geordi (who mostly seems to have an expression at some of Data's antics that really is like the Flat What without needing to say anything. It's hilarious), as well as Riker and Troi when Data makes up the song about scanning for lifeforms. ( I'm Not Making This Up ) And some of the gestures he makes, like punching the air and going "Yes!" after Riker takes out the Duras sisters.
And there were some moments that actually did work in the dramatic department, such as Data worrying about the effects of the emotion chip and if he has to be deactivated as a result. Picard did a good job in terms of getting him to regain control and do his duty -- a good mixture of stern and having some compassion in there as well. His line about courage being an emotion too was a genuinely good bit. And I like that bit because emotions in general tend to be heavily misunderstood and feared, so it's a good start to getting people to understand that no, they're not bad by themselves; it's what you do with them that matters. Done before? Yeah. But it's a theme people tend to misunderstand a lot, I've found. (I know I'm also guilty of that)
-This really is my first exposure to the TNG crew, not counting SFDebris' reviews or my incomplete viewing of First Contact. So I really did like the camaraderie between the crew, as shown by Worf's promotion ceremony prior to Riker dunking him, for starters. The camaraderie between the TOS cast seemed rather forced, but the TNG camaraderie made up for it.
-While the Duras sisters kind of went out rather weakly, and they were mostly there to provide a bit of being the decoy villains (and Soran's temporary partners), they were a lot of fun. Highlights being them scanning Geordi's surveillance footage, and just how exasperated they get after a while, and how, when they were attacking the Enterprise, they got all psyched and such. They were pretty fun villains. Bless them.
-The fight between Kirk, Picard and Soran was appropriately tense. Granted, Kirk's way of demise is a bit embarrassing (although I heard the original version was worse), but the race to stop Soran nuking everything all over again was well-done, and both Patrick Stewart and William Shatner did an excellent job in the death scene. I think the most powerful part of it was Kirk asking, "Did we make a difference?" Because he and Picard really did. They stopped a star from being destroyed and saved the Enterprise crew, so I think they did. And overall, in their lifetimes, Kirk and Picard both did.
Things that bugged me:
-Kirk in the Nexus. While he was generally nice to Picard in places, some of his moments worked, and it was obviously supposed to riff off what Guinan said about the Nexus, how you forget about everything that really matters in the Nexus, I didn't like how dismissive he was when Picard asked him for help against Soran blowing up a star. I mean, God's sakes...I really did root for Picard telling him off right then and there. Plus, I admit that what ultimately sets Kirk back to reality (not the threat of Soran killing innocents, but the idea of the Nexus not being real) bugged me. I get the Nexus was fucking with his head, especially since he'd been there longer than Picard had, but it still bugged me.
-In all honesty, considering the anguish that losing David caused, I think part of Kirk's Nexus fantasy would be seeing David again.
-The banter between the TOS crew in the beginning really did seem kind of forced and unnatural. It was kind of like something about it didn't fit.
* Heck, the pilot episode of DS9 revolves partially around Sisko's trauma and grief long after losing his wife at Wolf-359. I didn't like the pilot episode very much, but the part dealing with Sisko's grief was very well-done. (And I liked Jadzia. Sisko too)
So, honestly? It does have its share of problems, but it really isn't as bad as I thought it would be.