Star Trek: Generations (1994)

From my favorite movies..

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Movie Review: "Star Trek: Generations" (1994)In an ingeniously-received screenplay by thirty-years-and-younger screenwriters Ronald D. Moore & Brannon Braga, also responsible for producing an unfortunately epic-failing prequel "Enterprise" television series from 2001 before given his former employee the death-wish-stapping with a never-seen-before parodic entrée created by stand-up-comedian Seth MacFarland "The Orville" in season 2017/2018; nevertheless here with serious as highly-emotional feature installment for Captain Jean-Luc Picard and his faithful, seven season approved crew under slow-but-solid former-television-episode director David Carson.Actor Patrick Stewart as already incorporated Captain Jea-Luc Picard carries this unusually-metaphysical, mind-stretching approach of a newly-received "Star Trek" science-fiction entertainment movie proudly presented by "Dom Perignon" granting Hollywood Major "Paramount Pictures", when a beauty of a timeless spaceship "Enterprise NCC-1701-D" gets inaugurated under watchful eyes of now more Admiral James T. Kirk and Senior-Warp-Engineer Montegomery Scott, in heart-warming appearances of whispering legend with William Shatner, James Doohan (1920-2005) and Walter Koenig as Chekov, before a conspiracy-suspense-plot thickens, driving by fulminate character role for the ages Soran, portrayed by Malcolm "Clockwork Orange" McDowell to become a marvel of a generations-overlapping parallel universe called "The Nexus", when finally the scene of all scenes between Patrick Stewart's Picard and William Shatner's Kirk accurs to become a calm Shakespearean chamber play in a rural carpentered wood shack, in reminiscence to an even further exceeding interior diner scene with just black coffee reception as warmer redeemer between Al Pacino & Robert De Niro in "Heat" (1995)."Generations" in its 110-Minute-Cut has become an professionally-received editorial by Peter E. Berger, making full use of splendid cinematography by John A. Alonzo (1934-2001), when this 35-Million-Dollar upscale of a Hollywood production, retrieves from many believed-to-be the best "Star Trek" television episodes given, really exceeds any science-fiction-lovers expectations with sequences of action to the maximum of metal-into-earth proportions and on the other side pure wisdom on fading lights of the most-appreciated character of former leisure-chamber-owning Guinan, so-formidably portrayed by Academy-Award-Winner Whoopi Goldberg to let this "Star Trek" become one of full-circling, mountain-peaking endeavors.© 2018 Felix Alexander Dausend (Cinemajesty Entertainments LLC)

Amongst Trek nerds, there's a hotly debated but generally true rule that the odd-numbered Treks suck (I: The Motion Picture, III: The Search for Spock, and V: Kirk Kills God) while the even-numbered ones kick ass (II: The Wrath of Khaaaaaaan, IV: Spock Hugs a Whale, VI: The Undiscovered Country). I myself disagree strongly with regard to #1 and #5 which are two of my favorites, but alas even I must concede that they were generally not well received.You see, dating all the way back to the 60s, the Trek stories have always been very personal, meaning certain stories will resonate with certain people but fail on the general audience. Call me crazy but I frickin LOVED "The Empath". Yeah, me and one other person, right? Long preamble aside, my point is that with Trek you'll get so many conflicting, subjective opinions that it's hardly any use to read reviews, aside from sheer entertainment factor which I will do my best to provide here.Welcome to STAR TREK 7, aka "Why Did William Shatner Do This? Wasn't Priceline Earning Him Enough Money in the 90s?" This was Paramount Studio's attempt to reconcile Trekkies (fans of the original crew) and Trekkers (fans of The Next Generation), although I'd say this is squarely a Trekker next generation film with little more than a passing nod to the Trekkies and a somewhat forced "handoff" from Kirk to Picard. I won't get into that since the only amicable resolution of any Trekkie/Trekker debate is when both sides agree that the Federation would kick Darth Vader's butt.As for this film, my biggest criticism with Star Trek Generations is that we don't feel any real peril. So it's hard to take the story as seriously as other Treks where, oh, the fate of the entire galaxy, universe or your momma rest in the balance. Danger seems contrived and random. The bad guy (admirably handled by Malcolm McDowell sporting an 80s Sting haircut) just isn't menacing or psychotic enough to get our attention like, for instance, Khan, who sets the tone right in the beginning by sticking a brain-eating worm in Chekov's ear. With Khan we know right away that we better set our inertial dampers on full because it'is going to be a wild ride. In contrast here in Generations, there's no real threat to the Enterprise or her crew, so we the audience are reduced to merely watching a series of events happen. Sure, these are events of importance, but emotionally we don't necessarily feel the emotional weight.Of course this leads me right to the subject of the... well, the event that happens at the end. Just in case you've been living in the Genesis cave for the last 20 years and you don't know what that event is, I won't ruin it. But it feels like it comes totally out of left field and was unnecessary. Sort of like the Star Wars Christmas Special in 1978, I'd just as soon believe it never happened.I'm going to do an about face now and tell you what's good about the movie. Data's subplot about trying to deal with emotions for the first time was awesome. It was both interesting as well as amusing, and it was a throwback to the Trek we all know & love which was driven by strong personalities and character development rather than plot points.Similarly, there is a brief but powerful subplot about Picard and his personal tragedy. That was another great, profound moment which reminds us that Trek is more than phasers and special effects.But alas, then we are thrown back into a plain old plot, which could've easily been the story of any other scifi and didn't require the Star Trek franchise behind it. Picard's (Patrick Stewart's) acting is first class as always, and it is mainly that plus the aforementioned Data story which keeps this movie rolling. But beyond that, all other characters are peripheral, wooden and somewhat forgettable.The special effects are, well, 90s. That means they are neither nostalgic (like the 80s) nor technically impressive (like the 10s). They're just sorta... 90s. Apologies to anyone out there who grew up in the 90s. Your decade sorta sucked dude. Scifi wouldn't become cool again until the remake of Battlestar Galactica in 2003.And on that note, YES, the same Ronald D Moore who masterminded Battlestar in 2003 is the guy who wrote the story and screenplay for Generations, so I can't imagine how it came up as short as a Ferengi's knee socks. But it did. The story was the worst part of this production because it didn't really give the actors a chance to shine.We'll let Ronald off the hook just because Battlestar kicked ass.I'm not sure if the Even-Odd rule holds true beyond 7 because I haven't seen 8 through (what are we on now?)13. And like I said, Trek tastes are entirely subjective and you may end up loving Generations more than any other. If so, I believe the Generations fan club is even smaller than my Empath fan club, so kudos for enduring the public shame. Hey it could be worse. You could be a fan of "Arena".

This should have been a good Captains' meeting, however, it was part of a "Next Generation" episode... and a too brief "Original Series" clip...However, as I enjoyed the image enhancement that the "TNG" group offered with this movie, I would have worked out the story. Paramount executives went a bit too fast to introduce Picard's crew into the big screen.Part of the Synopsis: 78 years after an event which took Captain Kirk's life, Captain Picard and his crew save a would-be scientist, which in fact is a madman who wants to enter a "Nexus" inside a deadly space ribbon. It is not his first experiment. He is backed up by an evil Klingon crew, headed by the Duras sisters, hungry for payback against the Enterprise.Though it was fun to see for once Data display emotions, thanks for Dr. Soong's microchip, the almost surrealistic meeting of Picard and Kirk deceives a bit: we would have loved to see both in a better setting than a back country landscape.I would not blame the actors here, but the storyline itself, a reminder of Star Trek V, which was too average: a madman looking for something apparently good, and the Enterprise crew must stop him.Sad that DeForest Kelley (health) and Leonard Nimoy (technicality) were absent for this movie.I would have renamed this movie: Star Trek Nexus. Given another year to release the movie, it would have been better...

The feel is of an extended episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. It doesn't really have that 'big movie' feel or the special effects to go with it.Fortunately, it makes that up in part by the pure thrill of including the original Star Trek cast, culminating in the meeting of captains Kirk and Picard, William Shatner and Patrick Stewart. Both are excellent actors that bring superb gravitas to their roles.The rest of the Next Generation crew don't get much of a look in, with the exception of Data who is the subject of a halfhearted subplot where he gets given an 'emotion chip'. Cue lots of getting overwhelmed by emotions and commenting on it continually.The bad guy Soren, played by Malcolm McDowell is OK. He brings an intense, even psychotic focus to the character. But I'd like to have seen more from the Klingons that he falls in with.In summary, if you're a Star Trek fan you'll enjoy this. But it's not a movie that will be of interest to a wider audience.