Star Trek: Insurrection

Plot synopsis:
Lieutenant Commander Data (Brent Spiner) is temporarily transferred to an undercover mission observing the peaceful Ba'ku people. While on their planet, he malfunctions and reveals the presence of the joint Federation–Son'a task force observing the Ba'ku. Admiral Matthew Dougherty (Anthony Zerbe) contacts the USS Enterprise-E to obtain Data's schematics but adamantly states the presence of the Enterprise is not needed. Captain Picard decides to ignore these orders and takes the Enterprise to capture Data. After stopping Data, Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) becomes suspicious of Dougherty's insistence that the Enterprise is no longer needed. His crew investigates the cause of Data's malfunction. They discover that the Ba'ku have advanced technology, but have rejected its use to live simpler lives. Due to unique radiation or "metaphasic particles" emanating from their planet's rings, they are effectively immortal. Dougherty's allies, the Son'a, are a decrepit race who use medical techniques to prevent death; their excessive use of cosmetic surgery gives them a mummified appearance. The Enterprise crew also begin to experience the rejuvenation effects of the planet: Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) finds his eyes have regenerated and he no longer requires ocular implants; Commander William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) rekindle their long-abandoned relationship; and Picard develops a romantic relationship with the Ba'ku woman Anij (Donna Murphy).
Data and Picard discover a submerged and cloaked Federation ship containing a gigantic holodeck set up to recreate the Ba'ku village. Data's malfunction stems from a Son'a attack, received when he discovered the vessel. Picard confronts Dougherty and learns that top Federation officers and the Son'a secretly planned to deceptively move the Ba'ku to the ship and forcibly relocate them to another planet, allowing the Son'a to collect the rejuvenating radiation (but poisoning the planet in the process). Dougherty orders the Enterprise to leave. Picard states the rejuvenation benefit of the radiation does not justify Dougherty's plans for the Ba'ku and violates the Prime Directive. He plans to alert the Federation of the forced relocation.
Picard is joined by some of his crew to help the Ba'ku escape from being abducted while Riker takes the Enterprise to a transmission range and communicate the violation to Star Fleet. The Son'a send robotic probes to locate and capture the fleeing Ba'ku. The Son'a leader, Ahdar Ru'afo (F. Murray Abraham), convinces Dougherty to allow two Son'a ships to attack the Enterprise. Riker defeats the attacking ships and the Enterprise escapes. Their plan exposed, Ru'afo insists upon harvesting the radiation source immediately. Picard, Anij, and several Ba'ku are transported as prisoners onto the Son'a ship. Picard reveals to Dougherty that the Son'a and the Ba'ku are the same race and involving the Federation in a blood feud. The Son'a are a splinter faction of Ba'ku who gave up their bucolic existence a century earlier to embrace the use of technology. They attempted to seize power but failed, and the Ba'ku elders exiled them from the planet, denying them the rejuvenating effects of the rings. The Son'a developed an artificial and imperfect means to extend their lives at the cost of disfigurement. Ru'afo kills Admiral Dougherty when he backs out of the plan and Ru'afo proceeds with his plan.
While Picard is escorted to be executed, he convinces the Son'a Gallatin (Gregg Henry) to help him stop Ru'afo. Picard masterminds a ruse to transport Ru'afo and his bridge crew to the holoship and shutdown the harvester. Ru'afo discovers the deception and transports to the radiation harvester ship to manually restart the process. Picard follows and sets the harvester to self-destruct, which kills Ru'afo while Picard is rescued by the Enterprise. The remaining Son'a are forgiven and welcomed back by the Ba'ku. Picard arranges a meeting between Gallatin and his Ba'ku mother. The Enterprise crew take a moment to enjoy their rejuvenated selves before returning to their previous mission.

Tags: revenge, cult, murder, violence

Review:
In my personal opinion, and as an avid Next Generation fan, without a doubt "Insurrection" is one of the best Star Trek films, and the third outing for Picard, Riker, Deanna and the rest of the Next Generation crew stays most true to their esteemed television series.
Action, drama, comedy and romance follow in true Star Trek spectacular.As always Patrick Stewart is in top form as Captain Picard who leads the Star Trek resistance to save the innocents from one of his own corrupt superiors Vice Admiral Dougherty (played terrifically by Anthony Zerbe) who are involved with some aliens (including F.
Along the way Picard finds a new friend in Anij (played by the lovely Donna Murphy), one of the Ba'ku, and a little romance follows.Jonathan Frakes once again directs and does an outstanding job, though it does mean his character Commander Riker gets a bit less screen time, though he is always a pleasure to watch.
As usual Gates McFadden (Dr. Beverly Crusher), Michael Dorn (Lt. Commander Worf) and LeVar Burton (Lt. Commander LaForge) are given very little to do in the Star Trek films, and this one is no exception, though at least Worf and LaForge got their own small story lines - Worf had to go through puberty again and LaForge found himself with the ability to see.
I think the "Star Trek the Next Generation" films are probably the only action-type films in which the heroes are all (with the exception of Marina Sirtis) in their 50's and people still want to watch them.
But the way Insurrection was shot, the special moments achieved, a couple of twists in the plot, a reasonable dose of uncertainty and humour, leads me to say we are in the presence of a Star Trek masterpiece.It's a pity that the main motor of events isn't some larger than life quest or fight (or is it?).
Those of us who grew up familiar with the grand scale of events of the Star Wars saga, the details and realism of Blade Runner and Twelve Monkeys, the ingenuity of Batman, Dark City, The Matrix, expect of movies like Insurrection something that tops or equals these other masterpieces, and when that doesn't happen, something seems to fail.But Insurrection ends up being a good work by someone that had only directed some episodes of Star Trek - The next Generation.Well, the special effects are good, the acting is good (Patrick Stewart, Donna Murphy, Zerbe, Murray Abraham, Frakes, Levar Burton, Brent Spinner - they know exactly what to do and give this movie the extra-consistency), the soundtrack is ok.If mr.
Both movies have a different agenda, I think.I would dare to say that Insurrection would do a better job at converting people to the Star Trek "cause" than would any of the other films.
But the other elements that go into producing a good movie, such as the script, acting, directing, and, dare I say it, special effects, add up to an entertaining whole.I think that free of the limitations imposed by the "classic trek" rules, and the campy acting that dogged the earlier Trek flicks, the Star Trek franchise will flourish, and this movie shows how much a cast enjoying what they are doing adds to the fun and feel-good factor of watching the film with a cinema full of enthralled viewers.
It's a story about fighting for what you believe in, which every character in the film, even the bad guys, does until the bitter end.There is no rules that says a science fiction film or Star Trek must have a complex storyline, but a storyline that tells a story and tells it well is what Insurrection does perfectlyI don't enjoy action films and I think 'Star Trek: First Contact' is one of the most overrated sci-fi actioneers in years.
Insurrection had a very human story and is also very audience friendly for those who have never seen Star Trek.I think people need to take another look at this film and ask what is wrong with it apart from the story being too simple?
Production design looks great, the film is beautifully shot, Jerry Goldsmith's score was perfect, and the energy from performances from the entire cast comes off in the film like no other Star Trek movie.'Star Trek: Insurrection' is a very underrated film, and a film that deserves way more credit.SCORE: 9 out of 10.
While not in the same league as First Contact, Insurrection is a satisfying Sci-Fi film which feels more like a good tv episode (with great cinematography).
"We are betraying the principles upon which the Federation was founded," states Captain Jean-Luc Picard 49 minutes into the ninth Star Trek film, "It's an attack upon its very soul." "Jean-Luc," answers his superior, Admiral Dougherty, "We're only moving six-hundred people." "How many people does it take, Admiral, before it becomes wrong," asks Picard in return, "A thousand.
It's safe to assume a lot of people think that " Star Trek : Insurrection " is more like a 2 hour episode of TNG then a film.
In contrast to Star Trek-First Contact very many scenes of the film do not play on the Enterprise, but on the paradise-like planet of the Ba'ku.
Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn, Gates McFadden and Marina Sirtis once again give an awesome performance and bring more life to these characters we've grown to love over these past 12 years.This movie cost 50 million to produce and still lacked the intensity we've seen on Star Trek: First Contact and Star Trek: Generations.
I only hope the next Star Trek movie comes packed with lots of action and intensity like we've seen on First Contact!Great job Paramount!.
This ninth entry in the Star Trek series(and second outing for The Next Generation crew)is better than i remember it a few years ago.it is pretty light,as far as substance, and the plot,though also light,is somewhat interesting.and the movie is generally fun.it certainly has its whimsical moments,to be sure,but that's not a criticism of the movie.there's even a romantic aspect to it.there is less action than drama here,but the movie still maintains a good pace for the most.there are a few scenes where things get slow,but they don't last long enough to effect the film.i don't think this film is quite as good as the previous entry First Contact,but it's still more than watchable.it's actually a very good movie.as for the extras there are plenty of them on the second disc,many of them in depth.well worth the purchase price,in my opinion.
In fact,there is no such thing as "great SF",or "great Western",but only great cinematography."Star Trek IX" is a masterpiece of naturalness,humor,casualness,wit and art.This way,SF adventure who does not choose the dystopia avoids also the insipid utopianism.Frakes directed the "Star Trek" movies that I like most.This is what I want from a SF movie."Star Trek:Insurrection" is charming and fluent.Stewart,Spiner,Mrs. McFadden do great job in this film.Fortunately,Mrs. Sirtis has a greater role.There is a wonderful flavor of intelligence and good taste in this movie."Star Trek" VIII and IX,Frakes' works,are mature movies,with a wealth of ideas,resourcefulness,creativity,etc.,an exquisite visual quality, what I've always wished and asked for..
It still has the action and adventure of a Star Trek movie, but it's at a much slower pace and it has the morality that I love about Star Trek.What I found truly interesting about this movie is the fact that there is more character development then in most Star Trek films--Captain Picard falls in love and Data furthers his understanding of what it means to be human through a friendship with a young boy on the Baku planet.All in all, what's not to like?
The Next Generation crew does a nice job taking on the issue of forced displacement of a race, feels very "Trail of Tears" when they are marching up the mountains.The series continues to find hot women to play the love interest in Picard (and Kirk before him), You just can't hire a bombshell to play these roles, so you need to find someone who is beautiful, sexy, but a little more mature and Donna Murphy does a nice job at this.So, maybe not as action packed as "First Contact" but a pretty good film.
Dissilusioned fans on horror watch should look out for moments like Data's cringe inducing "lock and load" line (this is Star Trek not a Jerry Bruckheimer movie) or my all time favourite in which Riker proclaims "We're thorough running from these bastards!" before pressing a button to reveal a PC joystick to steer the ship.
The same goes for the crew of the Enterprise - the previous two Trek movies gave them character development, which was non-existent here and half the time they feel like over-the-top caricatures of themselves - even more so than the characters in Final Frontier.
Many Star Trek fans recall that infamously awful original series episode with the hippies; in terms of naffness this is probably the film equivalent.The strong performances from the previous film are missing, the script is weak and the ensemble do the best they can with a lack lustre plot whilst battling the unlikeable Sonar and a renegade Federation Admiral to protect a bunch of new age planet dwellers.Having said that, Riker looks like he is enjoying himself when let loose to blow up the Sonar but that is one of only a very few highlights in what is otherwise a very tiring and dull entry in the Trek franchise..
"Star Trek: First Contact (1996)" was a great movie, but this...The Plot Outline pretty much describes the complete movie: "When the crew of the Enterprise learn of a Federation plot against the inhabitants of a unique planet, Capt.
Picard begins an open rebellion." Just that, plus some more 'explorations' of Data's 'psyche' and some battle sequences.Nothing happens, one of the most boring and empty movies I've ever seen, (and I'm a great fan of ST: Original Series & ST: Voyager)Bottom line: Any episode of Star Trek original series beats this..
True the film had its moments, what it lost in plot it made up for in special effects, but having watched Star Trek for a very long time I felt this was a step back.
The plot was shallower than the infants end of a swimming pool, I mean yes you could see where they were trying to go with the film, and the idea was nice, but they did a poor job communicating that idea on the screen, could have possibly done with a rewrite, but honestly I talked to many hardened Star Trek fans after watching the film and most agreed that it seemed like it belonged as an episode in one of the series.
but, just in case, I won't ever go to see the next ST movie:  "STAR TREK 10: MAMBO GLAMOROSO" (and extended version of ST9 including more deleted scenes of Picard dancing along with mambo music inside the Enterprise's holodeck , Riker having sex with Troy in the kitchen, Data suffering of an embarrassing loss of makeup (take a look at his neck towards the end of the movie...), and much, much more...
Picard gets in the way, and adventure and excitement ensue.I like my Star Trek movies to have some kind of meaning to them, so I appreciate that screenwriter Michael Piller tried to make this a story about forced relocation.
It's the first Star Trek film to rely exclusively on computer-generated (CGI) special effects, and while some of the effects shots are pretty, others already look rather primitive and cartoon-like, by contemporary standards.Adding to the list of woes, the space battle scenes are distinctly lacking in verve.
By contrast, "Wrath of Khan" and "First Contact" generally used close-up shots that were far more effective (the photon torpedoes in those films tend to shoot right toward the viewer's face, for example).I also really hate the fact that Riker needs to contrive a weird gimmick to defeat the Son'a ships, which somehow involves a joystick and lots of incomprehensible techno-babble.
Lest I sound entirely negative, I'd like to point out that Jonathan Frakes' direction in this film is still pretty solid (he also helmed the previous, far more successful Star Trek film, "First Contact").
It's up to the crew of the Enterprise-E to withhold the Prime Directive which states no Starfleet expedition may interfere with the natural development of other civilizations.All non-Trekkie's aren't likely to appreciate all the allusions to past Ster Trek events, as revealed on ST: TNG, nor the particularities of both the quarks and nobilities of the characters, so if you're one of those aforementioned people feel free to take a few stars of my rating.
I liked this film of Star Trek "First Contact" because it was not as serious and was more interesting.
This is just another long TV-episode that the greedy people of the Star Trek enterprise attempt to pass on as an real film.
If you haven´t followed the TV-series you will not even be able to understand what the characters are all about.At least the first Star Trek films, with the excellent ´Wrath of Khan´ at the helm, were real movies made for the silver screen.
First Contact was fantastic and it left me thinking wow I like Star Trek movies again.
The ship in focus in "Star Trek: Insurrection" is called the Enterprise, with a crew including Commander Geordi LaForge (LeVar Burton), Commander Data (Brent Spiner) and Captain Jean-Luc Picard.The plot basically involves one individual planet located in the middle of space.
I like "Star Trek." The characters are fun to watch and the movies are usually entertaining, sometimes very good.In "Star Trek: Insurrection," the latest in the series, the crew must try to protect a mystical "fountain of youth" planet from being over-taken by villains using an alliance with the Federation.OK.
This film is not a Star Trek movie anymore, this is a really stupid action-only movie (finally with some cool jokes in it, that's right, but that does not make a good movie), and it breaks with nearly all the characters of Next Generation, their behaviours, intentions toward each other, everything you know about them.
Movie Review: "Star Trek: Insurrection" (1998)After a totally-convincing "Star Trek: First Contact" releasing toward Thanksgiving-favoring late November of 1996 to major "Next Generation" crew successes on the U.S. domestic market by exceeding a closing-in 50-Million-Dollar production budget, when here it must have been a 100-Million-Dollars from nevertheless "Star Trek" license-securing Hollywood major "Paramount Pictures"; a 1912 as legendary studio coming into hard standings of a hit-movie succession, when reprising directions by Commander Riker-actor Jonathan Frakes are noded with the best intentions to present a story fabricated by somehow at that time more benefited weekly-television-striker "Star Trek: Voyager" - in its 3rd to 4th striking seasons - to constant-showrunning as screenwriting producers Rick Berman and Michael Piller (1948-2005), who dug up deep-space-tribes of rivaling hostility-forcing Son'a in actions of fair, but budget-undermining space-battles between super-stylish "Enterprise NCC-1701-E" and a sharply-designed pair of attacking space crusaders near the orbit of a just-too-pleasantly-received harmony-loving beauty of "Planet Ba'ku", when it must have been a stake-raising firing-breathing monster of a showdown between a charming, but growing-soft character of Captain Jean-Luc Picard with changes to finish his career for a single kiss of a perfectly-matching "Ba'ku" woman, when his 1st officer Riker commands the crew with chair and manual enterprising joystick surrounded by minor-suspense-ringing supports of underplayed characters as klingon-warrior-turned-Starfleet-officer Worf, given face under heavy Oscar-worthy make-up actor Michael Dorn and metaphysical psychic Diana Troi, always hidden as balancing performance by actress Marina Sirtis, get eventually denied in a noteworthy, but then again falling short hand-to-hand combat in never-finished blue-screen-backdrops, where potential nemesis character Ru'afo, here visciously as too-briefly-built with just single-beat striking performance by F.
And here in the 9th installment of the Star Trek films "Insurrection", the story isn't just about Picard & friends trying to save a planet from yet another imperial takeover; it is a poignant and self deprecating look at how humans have this thing about trampling cultures that get in the way of progress.As my title goes, this is a throwback to some of the great social commentaries that the original Trek threw at us.
Though often reviewed as a typical "odd numbered" Star Trek movie (for some reason, the even numbered movies in the series have performed much better than the even numbers), Star Trek: Insurrection is actually a rather strong forte into the Trek universe.The conflict of this film works on two levels: First, there is the conflict between two races of people (a plot point as old as time but one that, if done right, can be quite effective).
If you are new to the Star Trek universe and are interested in this movie, I would recommend watching the previous film, First Contact, in order to get a better handle on the Next Generation characters before watching this film.
Both of those story points worked well.Sure, there are a few editing issues and plenty of scenes that don't work or even make sense at all, but the different approach to this Star Trek adventure proved to be all I needed to enjoy my time watching Insurrection.+Data+Interesting plot developments late in the game-Romantic subplots-Extended TV episode approach didn't always pan out6.3/10.
Some people say this is the worst Star Trek movie, I don't know if I would go that far.I would say its still worth watching.
Its good enough for me, I enjoyed all the Star Trek films and I watch because I enjoy them..
The most common comment and/or complaint one hears about 'Star Trek: Insurrection' is that it feels more like a two-part episode of the TV series than a blockbuster film.
The side story of the Enterprise's skirmish is both dull and unnecessary.At the end of the movie Picard shifts about scaffolding, much like in Generations.When I watched the film at the cinema, I was grateful for just a slither of trek.