Star Trek: Generations (1994) Reviews

• 'Generations' Revisited

  zirclet2009-11-02

  I was for some reason compelled to put this into the old DVD player last night, and was pleasantly surprised. After 2009's big-budget reboot (which I was duly dazzled and entertained by), this comes off as a think piece/art film in comparison, and a time capsule from a period where 'Star Trek' was everything Gene Roddenberry wanted it to be- cerebral, compassionate, and thoughtful- and people were eating it up by the millions. I recall being thoroughly underwhelmed by this in the late 90's- my younger self, like many others, was expecting a bombastic 'Event' movie- Kirk was meeting Picard, for crying out loud! But instead of a ripping, old-style Star Trek space opera, we got K&P meeting in a log cabin, while Kirk made breakfast, followed by an extended pony ride in which Kirk's character does little but support the story's themes of mortality. And you know what? That's FINE! I recalled Roger Ebert's review of the second 'X-Files' movie, in which he called it refreshing, adding that it was heartening to see a summer franchise film that "didn't have a villain as big as a building". 'Generations' doesn't have a villain at all- it has an energy ribbon, and a scientist who desperately wants to harness that ribbon's power after a personal tragedy. What it does have are several indelible sci-fi images (the ribbon approaching Dr. Soran on the mountaintop, the Enterprise-D saucer touching down on a planet's surface) and an abundance of class. This is a gem of a film that now seems to hearken from an era when every genre film didn't have to be shown on a three-storey screen and have 3-D shrapnel flying at the audience throughout.

• Much Better Film Than I Remembered

  jamesbrandes2015-05-06

  When I originally saw this film in 1994 when I was 13 years old, I was distinctly underwhelmed but having re-watched this for the first time in over 20 years, I appreciate this film a lot more. Even though Star Trek will always work better as a TV Series, this is actually a very good film and I'll explain why below. Originally I wasn't too fussed on the film because I was an avid Trekkie who had loved 'The Undiscovered Country', had been a huge fan of the TNG series and remembered that Scotty said in Relics that "I'll bet Jim Kirk himself hauled the old gal outta mothballs" and thus the film had what I considered a major plot hole as a result of Kirk dying. Now that I'm considerably wiser and no longer a virgin/13 years old, this minor plot inconsistency really doesn't matter to me. ;-) Whilst the special effects are a bit rushed/cheap in places (re- using 'The Undiscovered Country' and TV Series effects), it stands up fairly well for a 20+ year old film on a limited budget (particularly compared to the new films). Anyway, special effects can sometimes get in the way of a good script or even negatively affect a film...as they did with 'Into Darkness'. Generations has some stand out moments. I was quite touched by how lonely Picard and Kirk were despite the fact that they had extraordinary lives with excitement and variety that most of us could only dream about. And yet, Picard mourning the death of his family and the family he never had, really touched me...in a way that it didn't 21 years ago. Behind that extremely intelligent and reserved character, was a real, nuanced human being with regrets, dreams and hopes that were never quite realised. When people say this is out of character for Picard, it's obvious that the events in TNG Episode 'The Inner Light' really touched him on a personal level and made him reconsider how important family was. Kirk too, seemed to have heartache in his life and how his decisions/Starfleet ruined any chance of a normal existence. It was sad and compelling to watch and something I never really noticed when I was 13. In fact, the writing by Braga and Moore is very good in the Nexus part whilst the acting by Patrick Stewart and William Shatner made this even more believable/tangible. Moreover, there are humorous elements to the film - Data and the tiny life forms speech made my girlfriend laugh out loud several times - in fact, we watched it 4 times! Thus, it's not all sad. :-) And to me, that's the mark of a good film. Soran, played by Malcolm McDowell, hams it up but is a good character. It was also nice to see Chekov and Scotty one last time. Seeing Kirk, Chekov & Scotty on the bridge and how out of place they were was a nice touch and well-acted. Obviously the rest of the cast probably weren't utilised as much as they should have been but that's only a small negative. Try to watch this with an open mind and maybe you'll appreciate Generations a lot more than you did previously. I know I did. :-)

• Vastly Underrated

  Hotstar2007-02-13

  Generations has long been criticised as one of the poorer Star Trek films but I disagree with that assessment. One of the focal criticisms people make about the movie is Kirk's role in the film. William Shatner is afforded nothing more than a glorified cameo. However, I think this adds to the picture as opposed to detracting from it; Generations is a Next Generation movie, so to feature Kirk prominently would be a mistake and a slight on TNG cast, who all acted ably in their first screen adventure. Also, Kirk's death (also heavily criticised) to me is well done too. The character had long stated in the series and films his destiny was to die alone; and although not strictly true, his death did seem remote and lonely and the fact he died not in a hail of bullets added to the picture in my opinion. Patrick Stewart as Picard, and Shatner demonstrated real chemistry together,and Brent Spiner as Data steals nearly all the scenes he's in; an emotion chip adds some real comic moments. Malcolm Macdowell also is a terrific villain, with a real, simple aim which thankfully makes the plot a lot clearer as science, admittedly complicates matters a bit too much in several sequences. All in all this is a terrific, traditional Trek adventure. Well worth a watch.

• Loved It!!! Great Transition From Old to New Generation

  LebowskiT10002002-08-18

  Despite some other people's reviews on this site, I thought this was an EXCELLENT Star Trek film. In fact, this is probably one of my favorites of the films. I thought everything about this film was above average, the story, the special effects, the acting, the directing...EVERYTHING! I thought the story was absolutely brilliant and quite inventive. I really loved seeing the two captains fighting and working together. Also, I love the idea of this place, "The Nexus", a place where time has no meaning, you can relive all of your favorite memories and your dreams become a reality. I thought the story was excellent. The special effects in this film were definitely above par! There are several scenes that just made my jaw hit the floor because they looked so good and were done so well. I've noticed a few people have complained that they used the exact same footage of the Klingon bird-of-prey exploding that was used in "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country", but I say "if they're going to use some archive footage to save some money and put that money into the other special effects that they need for the movie, more power to them" ! Besides, the scene is such a tiny scene in the movie and it wasn't the climax of the film anyway, so where's the problem? The acting and directing are top notch in this film. I thought all of the actors did a fantastic job. William Shatner pulls off a great performance in his final Star Trek film, as well as James Doohan and Walter Koenig. The Next Generation cast does a great job as well, Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Michael Dorn, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, Marina Sirtis, Gates McFadden and Whoopi Goldberg all pulled off great performances! Malcolm McDowell did a fantastic job as the antagonist in this film! I also really enjoyed seeing Alan Ruck and Jenette Goldstein in the film, although they both had very small roles. All in all, I thought this was a great addition to the Star Trek series and a great transition from the original Star Trek crew to the new Star Trek crew. Also, I love this film because you need to know very little about the original Star Trek films to enjoy this film. The only thing you need to know is that James T. Kirk (William Shatner) is the star of the original films and that Scotty (James Doohan) and Chekov (Walter Koenig) co-starred. Also...it may be useful to know that Commander Sulu was another one of the original crew members (but not terribly important). Anyhow, I would definitely recommend this film to any sci-fi fan and to anyone that likes the Star Trek films. I hope you enjoy the film. Thanks for reading, -Chris

• Bye Kirk,hello Picard!

  kenandraf2002-03-30

  Above average Sci-fi action drama movie that has a modest production in comparison to the average high qualily fare STAR TREK film.This 7th Star Trek movie played more like a special TV episode which although still good,kind of let down a lot of high expectations due to a great potential storyline and incredible trailers.The movie was rushed and the screenplay/script really took the steam out of the storyline.Also,the special effects were very trimmed down.Still,if one is a big Star Trek fan,you will never forget the emotional scenes of Captain Kirk(what a guy!) and the great acting of Shatner (not to be outdone by Stewart!) here.Yes,this one could have been so much better but I would take a Star Trek movie over the majority of Scifi movies out there!For Star Trek fans only......