MovieFreak.com - Star Trek Nemesis DVD Review

Set a course for a galaxy of unparalleled action and adventure as Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Stewart) and his Starship crew battle a chilling new adversary who just happens to hold a shocking link to Picard! In the wake of a joyful wedding between Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Troi (Marina Sirtis), Picard receives another reason to celebrate: the Romulans want peace and the captain will be the Federation's emissary. But as the Enterprise heads toward the Romulan Empire, a brilliant villain awaits-harboring a diabolical plan of destruction and an unimaginable secret that will give Picard his most fearsome challenge.

I remember seeing Nemesis at the multiplex. Two hours seemed like three. John Logan’s script doesn’t move at a steady pace. At least, such is the indication of the film. The script takes too long to get into the mode of excitement. Yes, Nemesis offers some action sequences. Yes, Nemesis’ third act makes up for the first two. But no, Nemesis is a little too slow and boring. I think the main reason for this is nature of the story. It takes time to set it up. That’s fine by itself, but when too much time is devoted to that it can cause pace problems. Also, some of the dialogue Picard and crew have to work with is not good enough. There are some good moments between Picard, his nemesis, Data, and a few other crewmembers, but not enough.

Tom Hardy plays Shinzon, Picard’s foe with an evil master plan (so to speak). Hardy keeps his performance focused, but as a villain Shinzon is not very compelling or interesting (despite the interest of his background, which appears to come directly from Picard), not to mention he doesn’t look like a villain. He has more depth than, let’s say, any evil part in Insurrection, but why focus on the villain so much? Isn’t Star Trek about the Enterprise and its crew, more than anything? But enough of him, let’s get to the crew of the ship.

Patrick Stewart and Brent Spiner return as the two most compelling characters of the Next Generation series, Picard and Data, respectively. Picard is the focus of the story; an important move as the "generation’s final journey begins." Stewart turns in a commanding performance. Data is now two-fold, that is, he finds an outdated prototype of himself on a destitute planet at the beginning of the film. Spiner handles the second role well, but it is his performance as Data that seems to always increase in quality in from each Trek film to the next. Jonathan Frakes and the rest of the cast handle themselves very nicely and there is a sense of chemistry all around the ship.

Stuart Baird, director of U.S. Marshals and Executive Decision, handles Nemesis rather well. His style of shooting the film is different from the previous Trek films (notably, Frakes directed the previous two) in ways that are visually more enthralling. His background in action is also duly noted here as some of the action sequences in Nemesis look very good. I mentioned the third act earlier and I think it’s the best part of the film, but it’s not enough to make a Star Trek adventure an adventure worth following all the way through. Nemesis probably would’ve benefited from a better story or script, but then again I can’t be sure.

Paramount presents Star Trek: Nemesis in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. The transfer looks terrific. The film’s color palette is quite vibrant and intentionally subdued at times. Color detail is sharp and consistent. The print doesn’t have any faults, as it is very solid and clean. Dark tones and black level are excellent. Nemesis is the best-looking Star Trek film in terms of its transfer. The quality of this presentation makes the film look fantastic.

Star Trek: Nemesis is available in English Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby Digital Surround. Action scenes are rock solid and deliver the goods. Sound design and sound effects come across very nice, too. There’s a lot of noise here and I’m happy to report the surround usage is handled very well. Jerry Goldsmith’s score is very good, but comes off a little too soft in a few instances. All in all, Nemesis sounds very good. The audio presentation is all quality. You can also choose to view the film in French Dolby Digital Surround sound.

Commentary by Director Stuart Baird – Okay, it seems he’s not familiar with the whole Star Trek universe. That’s fine since no one can be expected to know about it. Baird discussions the vision he wanted to achieve in the film and comments on screen-specific issues. The downside is Baird fails to keep the track conversational and informative. It also doesn’t help when he talks slowly and pauses a few times too often. There’s really nothing exciting here, unless you care to wait for the semi-occasional production trivia.

New Frontiers: Stuart Baird on Directing Nemesis (10 mins) – Baird discusses his vision for the film and other things. Patrick Stewart and previous Trek-director Jonathan Frakes provide some heads-up comments.

A Bold Vision of the Final Frontier (8 mins) – This featurette uses the same kind of material and interviews as the one above. Frakes says the Star Trek franchise "needed a change" and I guess that’s what they got. Nothing too exciting here except for interviews and clips of the film.

A Star Trek Family's Final Journey (16 mins) – More interviews this time around, but now including other Trek crew other than Stewart and Frakes, such as Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, Gates McFadden and Marina Sirtis. This is a fine featurette as their comments are welcoming and appreciative.

Red Alert! Shooting the Action of Nemesis (10 mins) – You can get an idea what this featurette is about; the action of the film, of course. Split screens showcase the action sequences, including the buggy chase and the ripping-apart of the Enterprise at the end. It’s entertaining to watch, but only once.

Deleted Scenes (20 mins) – One of the seven deleted scenes here are actually very good and I don’t understand why it didn’t make the final cut. The scene involves Picard in a discussion with Data, but I don’t want to give anything away. The other six deleted scenes are fine and probably got cut due to time constraints. Producer Rick Berman reveals that the initial cut of Nemesis included 45 minutes of additional footage, but not all of it is available here.

There’s also a Photo Gallery with some 40 shots and conceptual drawings. Sadly, the film’s theatrical trailer is missing here. However, there is a DVD preview for the third season of Deep Space Nine.

You can select to view the film with optional English subtitles. The DVD’s menus are animated. The 116-minute feature is organized into twenty-four chapters.

Nemesis works on some levels, I’ll admit, but not enough for me to seriously recommend it. Video and audio presentations are terrific and the special features are pretty nice, so rent the DVD if you can. If not, you can always watch the first four Trek films in nice 2-disc special editions.

Star Trek: Nemesis is the lowest grossing film in the Trek franchise, but if you consider the film’s competition this past December, it makes sense. Nemesis is the 10th Trek film and perhaps not the best way to conclude the franchise. That’s not to say there won’t be more films, but the possibility of seeing another TNG adventure seems limited. However, there’s always Deep Space 9 to make it to the big screen.

THE MOVIE	6
THE VIDEO	9
THE AUDIO	9
THE EXTRAS	7
OVERALL (not an average)	7