"How many people before it becomes too much?" (Star Trek: Insurrection (DVD))

Member Name: illogicology

Product:	Star Trek: Insurrection (DVD)
Date:	12/08/09 (38 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Excellent story, wonderful visual style, well directed, well acted, all round good film

Disadvantages: Not the best for those expecting an action flick, could be a bit slow for some

Star Trek: Insurrection is one of the films in the franchise with a reputation for being a weaker film. It wasn't as big a hit at the box office as its direct predecessor; Star Trek: First Contact and was generally considered to be less exciting than a Trek film should be. Over ten years on is a good time to look back on Star Trek insurrection and in my opinion it remains a criminally underrated entry in the series.

Insurrection follows the crew of the Enterprise as they investigate reports of a malfunction by android officer, Data. As part of a research team covertly observing primitive villagers on a remote planet, Data suddenly breaks cover and begins attacking his colleagues. Captain Picard and his crew attempt to find the cause of these events while exploring a strange world in which the aging process is slowed and eventually reversed.

Through this adventure, some weighty ideas are thrown around in true Star Trek fashion. Most heavily the film considers the ideas of forced relocation and ultimately, of genocide. While Star Trek has never been afraid to tackle the subject of prejudice, here we see an exploration of characters with deep and personal hatred. Pleasantly and for a long time since Star Trek II, the themes of aging is explored. At times the film asks the question of what it means to be young, how time might pass when you can not age. Through these themes and the film's considered setting we are also allowed to see very familiar characters in a new light, worth the price of the DVD alone.

As a pure adventure story, it's easy to see why some were let down with this piece. Compared to First Contact this film is almost a delicate romance, gone is the militaristic feel to the Enterprise and instead we see a fight based on empathy and principles. There is also a move away from traditional Star Trek action, rather than being confined to starship bridges the crew moves on to the ground. We see a story unravel not in the grandeur of space but in a single community. The wider perspective is temporarily ignored for the sake of preserving a single moment in space and time. It is this decision to take the principles of the Star Trek franchise and apply them to different situations that is so strong for Insurrection, similarly this had worked well on TV for Deep Space Nine a couple of years earlier. Most importantly however, Insurrection is unashamedly optimistic. It is happy with the way it paints the universe and the villains are ultimately portrayed as petty and unrepresentative of people in general. It is in the Star Trek spirit and that's nice to see return. Unfortunately, the poor reception to this direction meant that the follow up would be gratuitously dark and a little too lofty for its own good.

The technical side of this is all excellent and Jonathan Frakes both stars and directs. Frakes has done some wonderful directing in recent years and this film is a visual wonder. He has a strong vision for the film and it comes of impressively, but most of all consistently. Frakes even goes so far as to create a visual similarity between both space and ground scenes that gives the film a pleasant homogeny. This is made even better by some truly wonderful CGI. I personally was not a big fan of CGI in this period. I don't mind so much now but in the 90s it was everywhere but very rarely as unrecognisable as directors seemed to think it was. I will admit, it would not be as good today were it not thoroughly pushed back then; but I sometimes yearned for the beautiful science fiction model shots yet to be surpassed. Here the CGI is absolutely flawless, the new Enterprise that debuted in First Contact looks phenomenal and the colourful nebulae of space are awe inspiring. While this film doesn't rely too much on effects, it's nice to see that when they are used, they are perfect.

Lastly, the soundtrack here is wonderful. As with most Star Trek films it is grand, orchestral pieces that are very fitting. The DVD comes with both a Dolby Digital and DTS surround tracks, both are excellent though the DTS is far louder. In surround this film is phenomenal and shows some absolutely excellent use of the surround speakers in the rural scenes.

All in all, this film is excellent. It has traditionally suffered by unfair comparisons to First Contact. Unlike that film, this is not strictly an action film. It is a slower, more complex and philosophical adventure. I would not claim it is overly sophisticated or deep, rather it is comfortably intelligent. It does not over assume and for the duration, it is enjoyable to watch.

Summary: A classic that has been ruined by unfair comparisons