Throughout the decades Star Trek has always tried to reinvent itself and to keep up with the times. With the movie series it however often felt like the movies were two steps behind and the movies never came across as very innovative ones within its genre. I do believe that's why none of the Star Trek movies, made before the 2009 J.J. Abrams movie, ever really clicked with the big crowd and movie critics, who weren't that into Star Trek. It appears to me that the only way you can enjoy all of the movies is when you are a big Star Trek fan-boy or girl and know all about its universe and characters.

Having said that, this movie is what it is. And I do admit that it's better than its current reputation. It was obvious that for this movie they tried to put in more action, to please the modern young crowd and to keep up with other big science-fiction blockbusters. It's the reason why they brought in the action-expert Stuart Baird to direct this movie but this movie also clearly demonstrates that making an action movie is one thing but making a science-fiction action flick is a whole different ballgame.

And there really isn't much wrong with its action but the movie however impresses less with its science-fiction and storytelling elements. To be fair, the story itself isn't any worse than lets say an average " Star Trek: The Next Generation" episode or any more flawed or weaker than some of the other Star Trek movies, made prior to this one but it obviously also is being far from the most original, best, or most interesting of stories. It's somewhat disappointing to see how safe this movie is being with its story and how it refuses to do anything daring or surprising with it. It's mostly a movie by the numbers and it gets especially predictable to watch once you are a bit more familiar with the previous Star Trek movies and/or TV-series.

Can't say that the movie is boring as well, which probably is the foremost thing that saves this movie from being a bad one. Sure, it's a very typical science-fiction action adventure but as far as the genre goes, this hardly is the worst movie you could come across. It still manages to bring some entertainment and it does all what it does all well enough.

And while watching the movie it doesn't always comes across that way but Tom Hardy (yes, THE Tom Hardy) is a pretty good main villain for this movie. He has some depth to him, which gives his character some more dimensions and makes him more than just an average villain who wants to control the universe or destroy the Earth, or even worse, the Enterprise. It was actually one of the very first movie roles for the also very young looking Hardy and he did a pretty good job with it, all things considering.

It's far from the best Star Trek movie but also really far from the worst one as well. Still it's a shame this movie had to be the final one for the second generation Star Trek crew. It's not exactly the worthy final wave off they deserved, which perhaps is also one of the reasons why this movie is mostly hated by Star Trek fans. But then again, I don't think they ever intended for this movie to be the final Star Trek movie featuring Jean-Luc Picard and crew in it, so it's not really something you should hold against this movie.

7/10

Watch trailer

It's odd how this movie tries to combine deep thought provoking drama with science-fiction action/adventure elements. The movie never really feels like a well balanced movie and besides has plenty of other problems to it as well.

Can't say it's a horrible movie but at the same time I also just don't understand what they were thinking. Yes, they make some bad choices with its story and storytelling but it was not like the story itself was a very solid or interesting one to begin with.

Foremost thing with its story is; there is no real conflict. It seems very trivial all and there never ever is truly a sense of danger anywhere throughout the movie. This also can be blamed on the fact that it doesn't really feature a good and often visible main villain in it. But to be honest, this is a problem basically ever Star Trek movie suffers from, so it's hardly the one or main thing that makes this a mostly ineffective and disappointing movie.

Perhaps it more has to do with it that I just couldn't ever care about its main story. The movie forcefully tries to make you sympathize with a small population of a planet, who's inhabitants have the eternal youth. But I'm story, I just never felt any involvement with any of them and couldn't care less whether they lived or died and their existence never felt all that important and relevant anyway. None of the characters ever felt interesting or likable enough, which also made the messages and themes of the movie fall kind of short.

I won't call the movie boring but it is needlessly slow at times, when it tries to establish some more depth with it story. It just isn't ever taking the movie anywhere good and it feels like the story had plenty of good ideas in it but just had the guts to execute any of it. It remains mostly very shallow all.

Even the special effects are disappointing. Definitely below par, even for a 1998 movie and especially when you compare it to the previous and far superior Star Trek movie entry; "Star Trek: First Contact". That's what happens when you trade in ILM for some smaller and less experienced studios.

And normally I don't really complain about this with any Star Trek movie but the acting is definitely a downer as well. As a matter of fact, I have to admit that acting-wise I even prefer the old Star Trek cast, with William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy, over this one. Jonathan Frakes is even more wooden and over-the-top than Shatner's for instance but all of this always gets bloomed by the fact it also starred Patrick Stewart in it, who was always carrying the show and movie-series and never disappointed. Other than that, all of the other actors just don't ever manage to impress, within any of the other movies and TV-series episodes, with except the exception of Brent Spiner perhaps.

It's not a bad movie but it certainly borders it.

6/10

Watch trailer

Generally this movie is being regarded as one of the best Star Trek movies and rightfully so! Besides, it's a genuinely good science-fiction movie and just movie in general!

In essence it's featuring a simplistic and straightforward main story again but things get spiced up and made interesting by the fact that the movie is for most part taking place at 3 different locations, all at the same time. We have Picard battling the Borg aboard the Enterprise, Riker on Earth, trying to help out Zefram Cochran and plot line with Data in the Borg queen's chamber. It keeps switching back and forth, which keeps things going and interesting as well. It never dwells or sticks with one main character for too long and besides the beauty of all of it is that each of the different story lines strengthens the other and are all intertwined of course.

What makes the movie all the more effective are its villains. I'm not necessarily talking about the Borg queen but more the Borg themselves. They are big, threatening, zombie, terminator-like characters making them scary as well as strong adversaries. And unlike most of the other Star Trek movies, the main story doesn't focus on the villain(s) and their evil plan and the Star Trek crew trying to resolve this. It more focuses on the Star Trek crew getting something done themselves. It's an interesting take on things and perhaps also lets them come across less hero-like and more human-like instead. It makes the story also warmer and more involving, as opposed to the coldness of some of the previous other Star Trek movies.

There is plenty of room for personal stuff in this movie, without ever becoming a soap-opera. The characters all feel fleshed out and have an interesting background story to them. You don't necessarily need to have seen any of the previous Star Trek movies or TV-series episodes to understand- and get to know the characters in this movie. It still helps though, fore some things the movie still relies on it that you have seen "Star Trek: The Next Generation" episodes, leading up to this movie.

But all of the drama and characters aside, this of course above all things this remains a science-fiction movie. And as far as Star Trek movies go, this is definitely one of the more spectacular ones. There is plenty of action in it, as well as a big space battle, which is a bit of an oddity for a Star Trek movie, believe it or not. The special effects are besides looking better than ever before on any other Star Trek movie and this definitely feels like an high-budgeted science-fiction action/adventure, also with all of its settings, costumes and makeup involved.

The movie further more features a great and beautiful musical score by Jerry Goldsmith, who with his music pretty much embodies this movie and the Star Trek-series in general.

This is the one great Star Trek movie to watch, even when you really aren't into Star Trek at all.

9/10

Watch trailer

This movie was of course foremost meant to bring new life into the Star Trek film-series, with its new and more modern crew, helmed by Jean-Luc Picard. But the movie as it is is actually a huge step down from the older Star Trek movies and I even have to say this is being one of the absolute worst Star Trek movies out there.

In many ways, this movie is being like a lot of other Star Trek movies, only done worse. It has a very simple, yet muddled main story, just like a lot of the earlier Star Trek movies used to have and an uninteresting main villain, played by a well known actor, in this case Malcolm McDowell. It's also just as exciting and action packed as most of the other earlier Star Trek movies, meaning that there really isn't all too much excitement or action to enjoy in it at all. At least the other Star Trek movies still had plenty of other interesting and good elements going for it, while this movie mostly fails with just about everything.

The characters and they way they are being handled in the story and interact with each other are mostly disappointing. After all, there are very much like the old Star Trek crew, only with different names and played by different actors but the movie makes no real attempt to provide them with any background or make them distinctive from all of the other Star Trek character we have seen before. Perhaps it's true that this movie simply assumes that its viewers are familiar with the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" television series, which stars the same actors and has all of the same characters in it.

The movie does in fact attempts to give some of the characters some more depth but it's more ridicules and laughable than anything else really. What were they thinking with the Data character for instance, when they gave him a Pinocchio type of plot line. And who cares about Picard's family problems when none of it gets setup or handled properly. It also suffers from another thing lots of Star Trek movies suffer from; it pushes all of the other characters far too much to the background. Really, just think about it. Did this movie NEED to have Geordi La Forge, William T. Riker or lieutenant Worf in it? There are mostly there to fill the empty spots in the background.

It's not like the movie is a complete horrible one but it just doesn't stand out in any way. As a matter of fact, this movie really feels too much like an extended "Star Trek: The Next Generation" episode and just not a very good one unfortunately. This mostly makes "Star Trek: Generations" a disappointment, also because they obviously still aimed for a much higher goal. Luckily they did not give up on the movie series but instead improved with the next movie "Star Trek: First Contact", which you should watch, instead of this movie.

I know people are still curious to watch this movie due to it that is stars both of the Enterprise captains Kirk and Picard in it but all I can say is that I wished this movie would had done something far better and more interesting with this concept. I just can't imaging any of the old classic Star Trek fans being satisfied with seeing their old heroes, such as Kirk, Scotty and Chekov, in this new and more modernized Star Trek update.

5/10

Watch trailer