"Reports of my assimilation have been greatly exaggerated."      

STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT (PG-13) 

Reviewed November 24, 1996 - Check out the Star Trek: First Contact web site.

Star Trek: First Contact is the eighth major motion picture production out of Gene Roddenberry's series, and those of us who've seen all eight Star Trek films know that they haven't all been, shall we say, stellar.  (Star Trek V: The Final Frontier still leaves a bitter after-taste...) Well, Star Trek fans, number eight's a pretty good one.

Starring the "Next Generation" crew with Jean Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) at the helm, First Contact is a nicely packaged and generally entertaining sci-fi adventure that should please both Trekkies and non-Trekkies alike (or is it Trekkers...?).  The story revolves around the the alien Borg, a race of cybernetic creatures who've set out to "assimilate" (conquer) the human race into their collective being.  The Enterprise and crew, who are under orders to stay out of the fray (due to Picard's history with the Borg), stubbornly get into the mix, as both Borg and Enterprise travel back to the 21st Century in an attempt to reshape history.  

First Contact is blessed with solid performances, a pretty interesting story, and the always interesting "Next Generation" cast, but it is clear that one needs to be familiar with the television series in order to achieve maximum enjoyment out of this film.  Picard's history with the Borg, for instance, is only lightly explored in this film, and those of us who are not series followers obviously miss out on some subtext here and in other areas of the plot.  Still, the film stands nicely on its own and is definitely worth a look as a solid sci-fi flick.  And of course, that statement goes double for all you die-hard Star Trek fans out there...

Live long and prosper!

Responses from cyberspace -- thanks for the input, folks!

macloed9@netscapeonline.co.uk gives this movie ***** stars: "You Know I have wandered Why now one has come up with a STAR TREK/BAYLON 5 crossover. Maybe you know some one. If you do talk to me....Please." (5/14/01)

kieron_barr@hotmail.com gives this movie ***** stars: "This film is one of the best Star Trek films ever! It has great special effects and I doubt they can be beaten!" (10/21/99)

ShadowRaider_98@yahoo.com gives this movie ***** stars: "The best Star Trek movie ever! Better than ID4 and Wing Commander. The Borg...another name for society... They kick ass, but so does Picard. Don't mess with it! " (6/24/99)

jenamarie@deskmedia.com gives this movie ***** stars: "Terrific movie, a definate must see. I've written in before, and I love it so much, I had to write in again." (8/26/98)

Janeway gives this movie ***** stars: "I love it. I just love it. I saw the movie almost six times in theatres, and multiple times once it came out on video. It was a terrific combination of special affects, character development, and everything. I think it's gotta be the best Star Trek movie yet! If you have any rumours on the newest movie, E-mail me. I'm thirsting for knowledge." (8/25/98)

Plutonium gives this movie ***** stars: "What a great movie! Good camera angles, great music, good creepy factor...........man, have you ever watched that in Surround Sound?!?! It's incredible..." (1/12/98)

murrayg@melbpc.org.au gives this movie *** stars: "Pretty cool, certainly better than the junkie series of next gen. Changed my view on new enterprise crew, but still - nothing compares to the original. The best trek movie ever would have to be The Undiscovered Country, it still had original crew bleded with good special effects. I just reckon the new lot don't shape up, I mean, where does this picard guy get off trying to give himself a catch phrase, 'Make it so', I'd rather hear the familiar voice of Kirk sayin anythin. Ah well, was still a damn good movie!" (2/4/97)

sherismith@msn.com gives this movie ***** stars: "Best damn Star Trek movie yet - Picard blew us away!" (1/4/97)

denuzzo@rogerswave.ca gives this movie **** stars: "A way out of this world movie, better than I even imagined!!!!!!!!!!!" (12/23/96)

76042.3346@compuserve.com gives this movie *** stars: "Ok, I've seen this one twice now (dec. 23), and, while it certainly evokes some of the claustrophobic elements of "ALIEN", it really doesn't rate any better than several of the "TNG" tv episodes (specifically, "Yesterday's Enterprise" and "Best Of Both Worlds part 1"). The new ship is pretty cool, but I felt the whole film suffered from over-production. Every smudge, every piece of dirt is rather obviously placed, similar to the Indiana Jones films. And why would a "collective intelligence" have an individual as leader? (an excuse for skin-tight rubber?) And why does the moon conveniently mask the Enterprise-E's warp signature? (couldn't think of anything else?) While Patrick Stewart is a fine actor, the next film (are there any doubts?) should concentrate less on Picard and Data, and more on some other characters (Riker taking leave for his own command, and Troi's reaction, comes to mind). I've been a fan of the Star Trek universe for 30 years, much to my daughter's chagrin, and I can't help picking nits. Much of this film is now set as "fact" for me, but I hate the idea of Next Generation stories becoming as bad as ST:Voyager stories!!! Feel free to post these comments." (12/23/96)

SHamil1711@aol.com gives this film **** stars: "Probably the best of the series of Star Trek movies .Plenty of action and a good story. Only critisism is that it is perhaps a bit short and could have done with being another 10-15 minutes longer . Seen it twice now and going back again....When is it going to be available on Video?" (12/20/96) (Good question...I don't know when this'll be out on video...does anyone out there know?)

stargazr@bright.net gives this movie ***** stars: "If you have pictures of Star Trek: First Contact could you give me some of them.  Know and the movie was cool!!!!!!!" (12/19/96) (check out the Star Trek: First Contact studio website for more pictures...sorry, the one you see on this page is the only one I've got...)

Mike Wieder gives this film *** stars: "I have long liked Star Trek and I still do but First Contact gave me mixed feelings. I could not help but feel that some thing was missing,also the space battle against the cube ship was very disappointing in length effects and plot." (12/19/96)

garitya@ecsuc.ctstateu.edu gives this movie ***** stars: "Definitely bettered Star Trek Generations. I believe it is the best one since Star Trek II. The new USS Enterprise just blew me away." (12/11/96)

900.N.Grand.Sherman@tsb.inet-images.com gives this movie **** stars: "Star Trek: First Contact was I believe a ground breaking film for the Star Trek film series. 1,2,3,4,& 6 were solid movies, while 5 and 7 were disappointing and a waste of my money and time. The storyline, special effects and continual action will help history record ST VIII as the movie that gave the struggling films new life. I also love the Borg!" (12/03/96)

dreeves@cpis.net gives this movie *** stars: "What happens when you take a fascinating 3 1/2 hour science fiction epic and squeeze it down to about 1hr 50 mins? You get Star Trek: First Contact. This is the first film to leave the uninitiated coughing on fumes trying to keep up through this confused, hurried plot. Another dificulty that arose from the scripting of this film was the scriptwriters were trying to placate all 7 of the main actors, plus the 3 guest stars by giving them highlighting scenes. This only serves to detract from spending enough time on character development. All was not lost however. The visual effects were again breathtaking and the scenes with Patrick Stewart and Alfre Woodard were solid and well acted. Overall, I would rank this movie in a tie with the 3rd outing of the franchise regarding its quality. Not as good as 2, 4, or 6, but better than 1, 5, and 7." (12/02/96)

renzo@webslnger.com gives this movie **** stars: "I felt that this movie was well worth the wait. I would go five stars If they had made the plot a little easier to understand. All in all it was well beyond the caliber of the Generations installment. A fun thrill on the big screen. see it in the theatre first then see in on home video." (11/30/96)

mouser@hargray.com gives this movie ***** stars: "Good visual and special effects, entertaining and does not cause you to nap during the picture. Anyone wanting good Sci Fi can count on this movie. The acting is solid and the story plot is 4 stars, overall movie 5 stars." (11/28/96)

mcdonasa@zilink.net gives this film **** stars: "Great film, one that I could see again soon. I have always enjoyed the story lines of TNG, so for this film to draw on the strengths of the series made it more enjoyable. The movie does bog down a bit in its complexity however. I found the level of humor about right although corny at times. Ultimately this movie soars on the strength of the cast and story. Trekkers and non-Trekkers alike should enjoy this one!" (11/28/96)

92447@mailserv.ycmhs.ednet.ns.ca gives this movie ***** stars: "I found nothing wrong with this intelligent and rousing adventure. The storyline was excellent and easy to follow, the special effects were incredible (thanks to a larger budget) and there were great performances all around. If they continue to make Star Trek movies this fun, they'll trounce the competition every time. As for the fact that Picard was assimilated before, it is explained adequately enough that a person of average intelligence who doesn't follow the series would still enjoy the movie, as I found out." (11/26/96)

spike@totcon.com gives this movie a *** rating: "As a part time Trek fanatic, (never been to a convention), I thoroughly enjoyed the newest Trek film. Paramount seems to have a cycle of putting out good Trek films on only the even numbers and luckily this is one of those. The character development and dialogue surpassed my expectations having heard that this would be a big action film for the franchise and I was pleasantly surprised. Although this film doesn't have as much of the humor of the other recent films, it is still one of the three best in the series, (the others being 2 the Wrath of Khan, and 4 the Voyage Home). It is debatable which of these three is the best depending on your Trek bias. I would say that this film is definitely worth the $7 especially for Trek fans, and you will most likely leave the film smiling, shorts intact." (11/26/96)

levyj@village.ios.com gives this movie ** stars.  "Just not as good as it should have been--story too bogged down--could have been simpler and easier to understand--and I am a big fan, but the movie does not reach out to first time Star Trekkers.  Also, how can you rate Star Wars 4-stars and Independence Day 4-stars? One is a great classic and the other is a silly space invaders movie!" (11/25/96)