zirclet

"Insurrection" stands as a fine demonstration of the Star Trek storytelling that evolved post Kirk and Spock, with a subject matter that has been sparking discussion ever since its release. The script, often overlooked, is likely the most complex in scope of any of the feature films in this franchise, but lacks the production values of many of the previous films. It falls victim to the curse of the computer generated image- the effects, especially on the small screen, don't differ from anything presented on 'Voyager' or 'Enterprise'. I much prefer the physical models floating around in pursuit of each other in 'The Wrath of Khan' than the generic look of the effects in 'Insurrection'- much in the same way I'd rather see Peter Mayhew in a Wookiee costume than a pixel-generated Jar Jar Binks. In addition, there have been many complaints that this is nothing more than an extended episode, and this is somewhat true. The characters and situations don't expand to fill the big screen in the "space opera" way they did in "First Contact", "Wrath of Khan", or even "Search for Spock". I was thrilled to see this crew upgraded to true movie heroes in "FC"; here they return a bit to their small-screen roots, probably due to the film's different writer. Overall, though, this remains a fine couple of hours of what has become the new classic standard for "Star Trek".