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Star Trek: Nemesis
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| Year: |
2002
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Director: |
Stuart Baird
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| Stars: |
Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn, Marina Sirtis, Gates McFadden, Tom Hardy, Ron Perlman, Shannon Cochran, Dina Meyer, Jude Ciccolella, Alan Dale, John Berg, Michael Owen, Kate Mulgrew, Whoopi Goldberg
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| Genre: |
Action, Science Fiction |
| Rating: |
  4 (from 2 votes) |
| Review: |
Trouble is brewing in the Romulan Empire, and it's all because of the oppressed race of its twin planet Remus. The Remans have set off a deadly weapon that uses a highly toxic radiation to kill off the rulers of Romulus, and are taking over in their place. Meanwhile, across the galaxy and unaware of this, the crew of the Starship Enterprise are enjoying themselves at the wedding of two of their officers, Commander Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Counselor Troi (Marina Sirtis). Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) gives the best man's speech and Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) raises the spirits with a song, but soon the old team will be embarking on their last mission together - at what cost?
Yes, this was the final mission of the Next Generation crew, and the script is littered with farewells and references to characters heading off on different paths. This was an even numbered Star Trek movie, number ten to be precise, and tradition had it that these were superior to the odd numbered ones. However, Nemesis proved that this was erroneous thinking, as it turned out to be a box office disappointment, despite recruiting Gladiator scribe John Logan to script - you'd have thought he'd know his way around stirring heroics.
But there was a feeling that this time around the cast were going through the motions, and there was little that hadn't been seen before: Star Trek was seriously past its sell by date and there was very little original to be done with the format on this evidence. The plot takes up the theme of doubles or counterparts as its impetus, yet does very little with it. The Enterprise is supposed to be on the way to Troi's homeworld to carry on the wedding celebrations, but naturally are distracted by a mysterious signal only known for its relation to a certain android, namely Data.
They track the signal to a desert planet (it wouldn't be Star Trek without a desert planet) and after a brush with the violent natives, take back with them parts of a robot which bears an uncanny resemblance to Data. In the television series, Data had his own evil twin, but this is a plot convenient new android who is an apparent prototype. As often in this fictional world, they tie themselves in knots to explain narrative events introduced for effect, but this discovery has something to do with the Remans, and specifically the one installed as the new ruler, a human-like baddie named Shinzon (Tom Hardy).
Continuing the theme, Shinzon is a clone of Picard, although not a very convincing one, but enough to make the Captain worried. They propose an uneasy alliance, but before you know it the Remans are plotting to blow up the Earth with their secret weapon. Why? Probably not important, as despite the portentous tone this film wasn't very important either. In fact, they go as far as rerunning Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan apparently believing what we wanted to see was yet another space battle, betraying a fatal lack of imagination. In director Stuart Baird's hands the mayhem is well staged, but even when they go as far as killing off a major character it fails to move, a self-referential universe speaking to no one but the fans who will swallow anything with the Star Trek seal on it. Music by Jerry Goldsmith.
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| Reviewer: |
Graeme Clark
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