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Star Trek 9 - Insurrection (1998)

Star Trek 9 - Insurrection (1998)

Once again the federation is in trouble, and this time the threat is the Son'a, and the group in need of saving the Bak'u - a small population in a desolate area of space, but a population nevertheless! The ideals of Starfleet, upheld by Jean-Luc Picard, clash with the prospects of progress, and even more so - immortality.

It starts with Data gone rampant on a routine reconnaissance mission. Piccard is brought in to bring him in, yet soon they discover things aren't all as they seem on the planet surface. They soon discover a cloaked vessel ready to transport the Bak'u away from their home, and that two sides of the same race are at war - though one doesn't even know it.

The script's clever with this one, and it seems Jean-Luc Picard might have found a match in the somewhat elderly Anij as well (played by Donna Murphy).

Inspiring relations come to life, and a new world is revealed. There are conflicts, resolutions, temptations, ideals put to the test, and bonds that ultimately transcend the hatred.

I think this might be one of my favorite Star Trek movies so far, though on the frontier of special effects it wasn't all that special. Maybe I like it because it takes place mostly on a planet surface - a beautiful planet, dreamy and exotic. Maybe it's a more relatable escape than that of the dark and all-consuming void. Or maybe I just like the story, and the idea of living forever. Either way, it was a great watch.

 rated 4/5: fo shizzle

Star Trek 8 - First Contact (1996)

Star Trek 8 - First Contact (1996)

Borg? Sounds Swedish.

A new threat clouds the horizon: the Borg. They're cybernetic beings with a hive mind, and no remorse. Apparently Jean-Luc Picard has a history with them - and they with him. Data also plays a central role, as the artificial being with wants of being human.

It all starts with a Borg attack, but soon moves to a time warp in which the Enterprise chases a Borg vessel seeking to destroy the one spaceship that first initiated contact with alien life, and made the Federation possible.

It's a bit like the original 4th movie, in that it's a trip back to the past, and to 'real life' - though this time in a much smaller scale, and in a different time. The lack of confrontation between people of different times is... almost excessively inexistent too. It was an exciting adventure though, and the tech's looking better than ever.

Was surprised to see Neal McDonough in the lieutenant seat too, though his role was much too short-lived. Overall, it was one more good segment in the Star Trek universe.

 rated 3/5: not bad

Star Trek 7 - Generations (1994)

Star Trek 7 - Generations (1994)

Why Kirk had to die to get this movie started is beyond me - especially when Scott and Bones both survive him, and yet their tales are left untold.

I was hoping to see more of Mr. Spock as well, but he's nowhere to be found, and the young captain aboard that ship... whatever happened to him? Not to mention Sulu's daughter. The introduction's a story left unfinished, and the fates of the former generation are left untold.

After the fatal introduction in which the legendary Captain Kirk passes, 78 years go by, and a new enterprise is introduced, along with her new crew. It's an interesting gathering of characters, though it takes a while to adjust. I miss the old.

Introducing the crew via a holographic ship was a neat idea though. It puts them in characters quickly, and Worf's admittance takes a jab at the old feud between Klingon's and Humans at the same time.

Instead of Mr. Spock, there's an android named Data. Though he lacks the distinguished personality of a half-Vulcan such as Mr. Spock, he does seem like a viable replacement. There's also the super-sighted Geordi, first officer William Riker, chief medical officer Beverly Crusher, and counselor Deanna Troi.

Data's emotional chip was a both comedic and scary experience. Forget Omens and other scary movies, the scene where he can't stop laughing is the kind of scene that could give me nightmares, though it ends well. Very well-acted.

Overall it all feels like a logical reboot, as Spock would say, and though I do miss the old characters (Bones in particular) the new ones aren't half-bad, and the villain, Soran, is a convincing one as well.

The plot ties in to a mysterious energy ribbon drifting around space, that bestows endless bliss upon those inside it. A harmless phenomena, though the human element is all but that. And of course, it all goes full circle to the introduction, the time ribbon's distortion of time allowing both new and old generation to meet, and collaborate in one final showdown. Fun fact: the farm at the end was actually Shatner's real home. The horses are his too. When you know that he lives on where he dreamed of living, in real life, the ending somehow feels a bit more satisfying.

The confrontation between generations felt strange though. Conflicting. As if the two just weren't meant to be together - and maybe that's the truth. Goodbye to the old, and good morning, brave new crew.

 rated 3/5: not bad

Star Trek 6 - The Undiscovered Country (1991)

Star Trek 6 - The Undiscovered Country (1991)

Peace between Klingons and the rest of the galaxy... could such a thing be possible? When the Klingon moon Praxis explodes due to excessive mining, the Klingon atmosphere is poisoned, rendering their planet void of all but 50 years worth of breathable air. The Klingon High Counselor wishes for peace, and an end to 70 years of conflict.

Thanks to Spock, Kirk & Co are assigned the task of escorting their vessel to Earth, though Kirk isn't particularly happy with the mission.

Along the journey, however, The Enterprise fires on their escorted ship, and two perpetrators make their way aboard in an attempt to assassinate the counselor. Kirk and Bones beam to the ship to help, but the counselor dies while they're trying to save him, and accused of killing him (Kirk bearing the responsibility of his crew - the doctor of incompetence), they are condemned to death as laborers in the mines of Rura Penthe.

Did the Enterprise really fire upon the Klingons? Kirk's own words and hatred for the Klingon's stand against him, but eventually he conquers his prejudice, and the Enterprise crew are the ones who, with seconds to spare, avert a complot to kill the Counselor's daughter. Peace between races finally ensues. This after the impostors have finally been revealed, and control of the Enterprise regained.

Compared to previous movies, this one holds a larger dose of intrigue, and most of the fight plays out in the shadows. It's an empowering finale to the series as we know it - the same crew spanning a decade and six movies. Where the next generation leads, I'm looking forward to following.

Also notable, is that the newer movie from 2013 fetches plenty of inspiration from this one. Always nice to see references not everyone might recognize or know of. Overall, it was another great watch!

 rated 4/5: fo shizzle

Star Trek 5 - The Final Frontier (1989)

Star Trek 5 - The Final Frontier (1989)

The Final Frontier would've been a good name for the final Star Trek movie, but this isn't it. It's an adventure that starts around a camp fire, with Spock wondering why they sing that life is but a dream when life is not a dream, and ends with them questioning God - the being who resides beyond the barrier past which no one has ever been.

There's also Spock's long-lost half-brother Sybok, who hijacks the USS Enterprise after staging a rebellion on the Planet of Galactic Peace. Klingons get involved, but they all end up having a party, and that's the end of this story!

After the last movie, it feels like they're moving forward with the combination of real and futuristic, with the down-to-Earth campfire before the departure to space, and it works well. It gives the adventure a point of reference. A beginning. A root to the Earth, on which we can catch our footing before we depart into the endless folds of the cosmos.

This is also the first Star Trek movie with a stripper, and even though she doesn't really strip, that's one element I wasn't expecting from these movies! Somehow they've always seemed to uphold a stature of the most respectable moral codes. Not that I mind, it's just something I wasn't expecting. I guess it's 1989 after all.

Overall, it's another grand adventure, and the special effects surrounding the barrier are pretty cool - almost as much so as the melting faces of the prequel's time-warp scene. With effects like that, they seem to be going back to the roots, and making it better.

Kirk & Co fight it out as always, and end up saving the world... maybe? I'll leave the spoilers untold, but you probably won't be surprised.

It's another good movie.

 rated 3/5: not bad

Cloud Atlas (2012)

Cloud Atlas (2012)

Here's a tale of different stories that interweave. I have no idea what any of it means - if it means anything, but it was both a fast-paced and a fantastic mesh of adventures. It had scenarios of the sea, of the past, of the future, of the bright and the dark and dystopian, and all of it was awesome. Though it took me a couple of tries to get started. First time, it felt like a messy introduction, and I was tempted to let it be. But if you do bear with him, as one of the narrators advice, there's not just one adventure waiting for you, but many, and each as immersive as the next.

The most interesting aspect of this movie, apart from the movie itself, is how some actors play multiple roles, between times, and how the stories all weave together so fluently. Tom Hanks, Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess, Doona Bae and Hugh Grant play 6 roles a piece, and Halle Berry plays 7. Hugo Weaving plays most of the villains, and even a female nurse!

It's cool how everyone's a totally different person for each role. Their lifetimes play in parallel, and their stories both make you laugh and cry (well, not literally, I never cry) and smile and frown. There's a lot going down, and somehow it's all related. The future inspires the dystopia after it, yet it was the past that created it all, and traces from the past that make their way to the future. If there's any one main connecting point, it might be the Cloud Atlas symphony.

The sceneries are as inspiring as the tales Zachry tells, sitting by the fire, far off in the future, surrounded by a ring of kids that might be his, fire still glowing in his eyes.

How do you properly describe the plot of this movie? Not even IMDB can describe it in a less abstract way than an exploration of how the actions of individual lives impact one another in the past, present and future, as one soul is shaped from a killer into a hero, and an act of kindness ripples across centuries to inspire a revolution.

But maybe that's alright. It's one of those movies you'll have to watch to really experience, and it seems a bit similar to John Carter. Not in plot, but more so in feeling. Like pure magic. It's an imaginative, inspiring, yet occasionally darkly somber collection of character tales told in parallel. Great watch.

 rated 4/5: fo shizzle

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