A backwards view of women, cheap dramaturgical approach, but great scenery

Rating: 2/10 (28 February 2014)

This is a sexist movie with a cheap dramaturgical approach, far from the quality of, say, Star Trek: Voyager.
There isn't one independent female character, and the ones that exist with lines are there only to support the male characters. I would have loved to see more female characters with their own mind, opinions, thoughts, initiatives and who where there not just to interact with the male main characters but in their own right. Furthermore basically all young female characters wear short skirts. It does not pass the Bechdel test either. Coloured people are more or less conspicuous by their absence. The beautiful diversity of America is not reflected, which is even more strange considering the entire world is supposed to be one united federation.
Dramaturgically the movie is not much to hang on the wall either. Repeatedly the movie uses "fear of heights" where the characters hang from cliffs or platforms, but are saved in the last second. There are also a few monsters (aliens) chasing the characters, and in order to portray how scary they are, the monsters are randomly roaring and snorting - giving those scenes an almost childish impression.
What's good about this movie is the well-made, computer generated, scenery, and the plot. The scenery is detailed and beautiful, and often you spend time looking at the surroundings rather then the characters. Plotwise it is not too far from the high standards of Star Trek: Voyager or Star Trek: The Next Generation.
To summarize this is a movie hardly worth seeing, but it is not without strong points. It displays a very backwards view of women and have a very simple dramaturgical approach, but the plot is fairly thought through and the scenery is great.