Star Trek: Generations (1994) User Reviews

'Generations' Revisited

[zirclet · 7/10 · 2 November 2009]

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.

The Two Captains

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 13 August 2019]

A new Enterprise generation takes over from the old one in this Star Trek franchise movie. Remembering back when this first came out I recall that Paramount signed William Shatner and Patrick Stewart for a movie and then wrote the script to contain both captains who roamed the galaxies a century apart.

This opens with William Shatner along with Walter Koenig and James Doohan out of retirement to take a short spin on the inaugural voyage of a new Enterprise. The ship gets called on a rescue mission but James T. Kirk is lost and presumed dead.

A century later Patrick Stewart and his Next Generation crew are involved with chasing a renegade scientist Malcolm McDowell whom you can usually find playing disturbed people. He's got some kind of mad scientist scheme to get to a place called the Nexus where time and space have no meaning. To do that he has to launch a missile into a star and have it explode. That it will kill all life in its solar system has little concern. As mad a scientist as you will ever find.

So there's Jean-Luc Picard in pursuit and he gets help from an unlikely source.

That's as far as I go. McDowell is a great villain, always is. It's not the greatest of science fiction plots I've seen. But Trekkies around the globe will love this summit film from the Star Trek franchise.

"I was out saving the galaxy while your grandfather was still in diapers."

[Hey_Sweden · 7/10 · 30 June 2020]

The crew of the Starship Enterprise have a major dilemma on their hands when a scientist named Soran (Malcolm McDowell), whom they'd once saved from his doomed home planet, reveals himself to be a very bad guy. He's hellbent on returning to something called the Nexus, a domain where, once a person has been there, they apparently don't want to leave. It's just pure joy. To stop Soran, Captain Picard (the great Sir Patrick Stewart) must team with the legendary Captain Kirk (the almighty William Shatner), who supposedly perished saving the "Enterprise-B" during its maiden voyage.

"Generations" initially comes off as a great gimmick, of uniting two generations of Enterprise crews, but this never really pays off, as the only two who meet are Picard and Kirk. "Generations" is NOT one of the stronger entries in this film series, with an engaging but uninspired story. The main attraction for veteran fans is likely to be the prospect of Picard and Kirk teaming up for the final half hour, engaging in fisticuffs with the maniacal Soran and hurrying to prevent him from destroying a star.

This viewer can't speak as one who has necessarily been a big Trek fan from the start, so he basically views this as pretty fun, all things considered. Certainly all the series regulars are in very fine form, with the android Data (Brent Spiner) getting the lions' share of the comedy relief, as he has inserted a special computer chip that allows him to experience emotions. This presents a problem at times, because either *everything* is amusing to him, or he gets scared easily.

It's nice to see old hands James Doohan and Walter Koenig, however briefly; Shatner brings the final part of the film to life. Not such an easy task, given the talents of Stewart (Picard has some key emotional moments) and the delicious, hammy villainy of McDowell. In addition to the regulars from the 'Next Generation' series, other familiar faces like Alan Ruck, Jacqueline Kim, Jenette Goldstein, Glenn Morshower, Tim Russ, and Brian Thompson turn up. An unbilled Whoopi Goldberg reprises her role of Guinan.

Wonderful music by Dennis McCarthy and some impressive visual effects by ILM help to make this a reasonably entertaining series entry.

Seven out of 10.

A childhood favorite of mine.

[chibi cel-chan · 31 July 2003]

I always loved this movie. From the very first time I saw it, at the age of 10, I absolutely adored it. It took a big risk, admittedly, in bringing the Original Series and TNG together, but I believe it did it extremely well and with a lot of ingenuity.

The first part of the movie seems to pick up where "The Undiscovered Country" left off; and it does so on a somewhat sour note. Retirement does not sit at all well with Captain Kirk, and he hates the idea of being a "legend" and having the namesake of his beloved ship run by a bunch of inexperienced kids and a skeleton crew (the running "tuesday" gag is hilarious). I think Walter Koenig and James Doohan were marvellous in the first part of this movie, and the scene where they arrive on deck 15 and find themselves staring into the void of space is chilling.

After this, it picks up with the Next Generation Crew, and boy, does the camera love the Enterprise D. It's emotional to see the crew going through the changes this movie throws at them, and by the time Geordi's kidnapped and Data's emotions are uncontrollable, my heart was in my throat.

It's also a pleasure to see Whoopi Goldberg reprise her role as Guinan, and as far as humor goes, Data's newfound sense of humor had me on the floor.

I LOVED Picard and Kirk's interactions and the segment in Kirk's cabin is an absolute hoot. (Picard: "This is not your bedroom.") Soran is a great villain, truly ruthless and threatening. Out of all the Next Gen films, this is probably my favorite. It has an atmosphere about it that's very appealing to me, and the only other TNG film that had the same feeling was Nemesis, which I still maintain was a DAMN good movie.

Solid, but disappointing

[boyinflares · 7/10 · 6 November 2005]

The one problem we have with the Next Generation films (all four of them) is that someone high up in the film-making process seems to forget that the Next Generation began as a television series about equals, as opposed to the Original Series having 3 stars and a lot of supporting characters. I understand that Picard and Data are seen as the most popular characters in the Next Generation that appeal to the general public, but the story lines that get played out for the two of them in the movies (family and finding humanity) have already been done in the series.

Those two themes - Picard's family and Data's quest for humanity - are central parts of this film, and take up a lot of the time, but the other characters do get their moments, and being the gracious professionals that they are, Frakes, Sirtis, McFadden, Burton and Dorn all give fabulous performances. Whoopi Goldberg appears unbilled as Guinan, and Patti Yasutaki also appears as Nurse Ogawa.

"Generations" also features three members of the Original Trekers, Captain Kirk, Scotty and Chekov, the latter two in small roles, while Kirk has a much larger role, yet his scenes, alongside Picard, are the slowest and most boring part of the film, even if they are confronting the enemy together.

One of the enemies in "Generations" is a mad man, well played by Malcolm McDowell, the others are the two Klingon sisters who appeared towards the end of the Next Generation series, and make welcome appearances once more. Also watch for Jacqueline Kim as the daughter of Sulu from the Original Series.

This is a decent film, but like all Next Generation films, can be quite repetitive and leaves some of the cast (particularly the lovely McFadden) with little to do.

First and only reunion of the mythic Kirk and Picard in an exciting motion picture

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 14 November 2006]

The picture is a crossover between the classic Star Trek with New Generations , they are incarnated by the usual sagas , as Captain James T. Kirk (Shatner) , Scotty (recently deceased James Doohan) , Chekov (Walter Koenig) and even a Sulu's daughter(Kim), they are reunited with the new crew from USS-17o1 , as captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) , Data (Brent Spiner), Worf (Michael Dorn) , Laforge (LeVar Burton) , Troi (Marina Sirtis) and Dr Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) , plus an uncredited Woopi Goldberg in a brief apparition . The film focuses captain Picard who must confront a villain megalomaniac scientific (Malcom McDowell) who has an only objective to get a bizarre , weird entity : ¨Nexus¨ which heads a relentless rout , besides he is taking on nasty Klingons (Brian Thompson) . He travels time and manages to hook up with Captain Kirk , both of whom team up and battle against the nefarious enemy . As always , the comic relief results to be the commander android Data , this time , he attains an emotional chip experimenting human feeling .

Idealism , humor , humanity , several agreeable characters and trademark effects abound and will please the enthusiasts and the neophytes . The writing is concentrated upon characters as well as the action and magnificent special effects by ILM (courtesy George Lucas) and a spectacular production design . Atmospheric and sensational music by Dennis McCarthy , habitual of TV episodes . Colorful cinematography by the classic cameraman John A. Alonzo . The motion picture was well directed by David Carson . The movie was made in the typical professional manner of the franchise and in the nostalgic mode of its predecessors . Yarn will appeal to hardcore trekkers as well as the initiated.

An In-Depth Review

[CalvinValjean · 6/10 · 17 February 2007]

One does have to admire Star Trek: Generations and what it tries to do. In short, it is given the difficult task of having to bring closure in two ways: 1. Closure for the character of Kirk, who's been around since the beginning of all Star Trek, and 2. Closure for the TNG series, which had just wrapped, and now had to destroy their Enterprise-D set before moving to further adventures. For the most part, you have a success until the last act.

We start with a prologue with Kirk, Scotty, and Chekov which is well done, plus it's nice too see Alan Ruck show up. Kirk acts a little different than he does in the TOS movies (more on that later). There is then a clever transition to 80 years later, aboard the holodeck. For the next hour and a half, you have a great ST movie. All the TNG cast is there and Riker, Troi, Crusher, and Whoopi Goldberg are all GIVEN SOMETHING TO DO (this became a problem in the later movies, which focused on Picard and Data, and the rest of the gang felt tacked on). The story is solid, there're moments of humor, philosophical ideas behind the Nexus, and Malcolm McDowell plays a nice villain; he doesn't have much screen time, but is still well acted and had a great backstory.

Where the film starts to falter is when Kirk and Picard meet side by side. The scenes fall flat for several reasons: 1. The idea of the two of them meeting sounds great in theory and may excite fans, but the truth is that they're very different characters, don't really have the best chemistry or make all that great a team. 2. The premise of the Nexus starts to seem contrived, just a plausible explanation so both characters can meet, and it raises more questions than anything else. 3. The biggest problem of all is that Shatner never seems to fully get into the character of Kirk. He plays him as just a character making one-liners, winking at the camera; he knows he's just making an extended cameo. This may really be the fault of the script's; Ronald D. Moore and Brannon Braga had written for TNG and had never written Kirk's character before. That leads into the ending...

MAJOR SPOILER! Others have said so before me: the emotional impact of Kirk's death is somewhat lost because he is a supporting character in this story, and we do not see him grow very much. This is not to say it's all bad; I do very much like the idea that Picard is the only witness to his predecessor's death.

And that's Generations pretty much. Great film right up till the end. One Final Note: it's become a well-known story that Brent Spiner hates cats and when filming the scene when Data is reunited with his cat, he remarked "Does it have to be the cat? Couldn't he find Geordi?" Frankly, I think that would've worked MUCH BETTER, and been a great redemption for Data. Shame they didn't follow his advice.

The result is a good ST film, but not as great as the classics in the series: 2, 4, 6, and 8.

Entertaining send-off for Captain Kirk. William Shatner was brave to take this role

[callanvass · 7/10 · 10 February 2011]

(Credit IMDb) In the late twenty-third century, the gala maiden voyage of the third Starship Enterprise (NCC-1701-B) boasts such luminaries as Pavel Chekov, Montgomery Scott, and the legendary Captain James T. Kirk as guests. But the maiden voyage turns to disaster as the unprepared ship is forced to rescue two transport ships from a mysterious energy ribbon. The Enterprise manages to save a handful of he ships' passengers and barely makes it out intact...but at the cost of Captain Kirk's life. Seventy-eight years later, Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the Enterprise-D find themselves at odds with the renegade scientist Soren...who is destroying entire star systems. Only one man can help Picard stop Soren's scheme...and he's been dead for seventy-eight years...

I find this to be very underrated among Star Trek goers. I mean, how cool is it to see the two greatest Star Trek characters in history Shatner's Kirk and Stewart's Picard team up to face evil adversity. It was a real treat to watch. I'm well aware Patrick Stewart had already started Trek previously before this with the TV series, Star Trek: The Next Generation, but it was still cool. I also thought the opening tribute to Kirk was well-done, and neat to see, considering he did so much for keeping Star Trek alive. This movie also benefits from one of the most underrated madman's of cinema Malcolm McDowell playing crazy like only he can, going up against the two memorable Star Trek icons. The finale is intense, emotional, and in my opinion a fitting send off for Kirk.

Performances. William Shatner is not the star, his screen time is precious, but his bravery to take this part and putting his ego aside is clearly refreshing. He is still charismatic, and iconic as ever. Patrick Stewart's intensity knows no bounds, and he was the perfect choice to take over in the movies. I love the guy. Malcolm McDowell is a great foe for Stewart, and I was glued to the screen every time he was on it. Not many people can play a madman like him. Jonathan Frakes is likable, and enjoyable to watch as Riker. Rest of the cast does fine.

Bottom line. This is an entertaining entry to the Star Trek saga, and many people underrate it as far as I'm concerned. It ranks among my favorites in the series. Recommended

7/10

Much Better Film Than I Remembered

[jamesbrandes · 9/10 · 6 May 2015]

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. :-)

Get a Life/It's a Movie

[Hitchcoc · 7/10 · 6 January 2017]

I agree that this is far from the best of the Star Trek movies, but it has an interesting premise, the acting is good, and it gives us a cinematic transition from one era to another. Once Einstein gave us the business of time warping and being able to slip into alternate universes and revisit previous places, even paralleling the the current characters, it left everything wide open. I don't know what the big deal is with Jean Luc Picard crying. He's not a robot. Kirk was really a pretty one dimensional character with very little emotional baggage. That's great. Not everyone is Kirk nor should they be. Ultimately, we have a group of very creative people putting together a threat to the universe, a puzzle that must be solved. Through that aforementioned fabric, two heroes emerge and solve things. I have to get a little political here. I am so tired of people who are so wrapped up in these things that they actually get hostile. It's a review of a movie. Get out of the house more.

Fun to watch but a completely illogical and weak plot

[planktonrules · 5/10 · 15 July 2006]

This film is an excuse to pair Captain Picard with Captain Kirk--something that should not have normally occurred since Kirk died long before Picard was born according to the shows. However, because of a silly plot device called "the nexus", they join together to kick the butt of the bad guy, Malcolm McDowell. Because of this odd plot, you only get to see a few of the old crew and most of the new crew at the beginning of the film--the final half is just the showdown between the three. I really don't want to get into a thorough discussion of the plot and all that occurs--you can certainly see it yourself. But the film packs a lot of emotion into it--seeing one of the characters actually die twice in the film. And, it is odd but original. The problem, though, is that with this "nexus", you can choose to go back to any point in time and relive it--trying to correct what occurred the first time. However, when the captain gets that chance, why didn't he go back several months or even years and prevent anyone from dying in the first place? This plot hole is pretty big and makes what happened in the movie irrelevant if the good captain had only used his brain.

Bye Kirk,hello Picard!

[kenandraf · 9/10 · 30 March 2002]

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......

Typical of movies made from TV shows

[mythicfox · 6/10 · 24 December 2000]

Star Trek: Generations is far from horrible, but far from spectacular. It's just like every time a movie is made from a television show. They made everything flashier, prettier, etc., at the cost of giving us a sub-standard plot. I think the biggest disappointment came when Captain Kirk died without even seeing the Enterprise_D. Sure, that would have been predictable, that he would see it, but quite frankly I think that's what the fans would have liked. They would have loved to see Kirk on the bridge of the Enterprise-D. Or at least that's my opinion. A friend of mine commented to me once that Generations should have been longer, and a two-parter, with the 'To be continued...' coming after the Enterprise-D was supposedly destroyed after hitting the planet. If you ask me, that wouldn't have been a bad idea.

Disappointing

[tonycarr · 5/10 · 14 June 2008]

I remember when this first came out I thought "Wonderful. Kirk and Picard in the same movie" Sadly, I was disappointed. Don't get me wrong, it's not that it's bad. It just could have been so much better. It feels like Star Trek - The Understairs Cupboard Clearout. Don't need Kirk any more so we'll kill him off. Enterprise D? We'll get a new ship. And there's the Duras sisters lurking at the back. We certainly won't want those any more.

Kirk's role is so short lived it was hardly worth bringing him back (and watching Shatner waddle around makes me think they should have called the film Star Trek 7 - The Search for Kirk's Waistline). As for Kirk's death scene that was just an insult. Falling off a bridge. It's what I'd do, not a space legend (still don't know why there's an iron bridge on an uninhabited planet)

There's also an irrelevant subplot featuring Data and his emotion chip, though Data's life form song is a great moment.

Overall, a wasted opportunity

The Even-Odd Trek Rule

[rooprect · 10 April 2017]

Amongst Trek nerds, there's a hotly debated but generally true rule that the odd-numbered Treks suck (I: The Motion Picture, III: The Search for Spock, and V: Kirk Kills God) while the even-numbered ones kick ass (II: The Wrath of Khaaaaaaan, IV: Spock Hugs a Whale, VI: The Undiscovered Country). I myself disagree strongly with regard to #1 and #5 which are two of my favorites, but alas even I must concede that they were generally not well received.

You see, dating all the way back to the 60s, the Trek stories have always been very personal, meaning certain stories will resonate with certain people but fail on the general audience. Call me crazy but I frickin LOVED "The Empath". Yeah, me and one other person, right? Long preamble aside, my point is that with Trek you'll get so many conflicting, subjective opinions that it's hardly any use to read reviews, aside from sheer entertainment factor which I will do my best to provide here.

Welcome to STAR TREK 7, aka "Why Did William Shatner Do This? Wasn't Priceline Earning Him Enough Money in the 90s?" This was Paramount Studio's attempt to reconcile Trekkies (fans of the original crew) and Trekkers (fans of The Next Generation), although I'd say this is squarely a Trekker next generation film with little more than a passing nod to the Trekkies and a somewhat forced "handoff" from Kirk to Picard. I won't get into that since the only amicable resolution of any Trekkie/Trekker debate is when both sides agree that the Federation would kick Darth Vader's butt.

As for this film, my biggest criticism with Star Trek Generations is that we don't feel any real peril. So it's hard to take the story as seriously as other Treks where, oh, the fate of the entire galaxy, universe or your momma rest in the balance. Danger seems contrived and random. The bad guy (admirably handled by Malcolm McDowell sporting an 80s Sting haircut) just isn't menacing or psychotic enough to get our attention like, for instance, Khan, who sets the tone right in the beginning by sticking a brain-eating worm in Chekov's ear. With Khan we know right away that we better set our inertial dampers on full because it'is going to be a wild ride. In contrast here in Generations, there's no real threat to the Enterprise or her crew, so we the audience are reduced to merely watching a series of events happen. Sure, these are events of importance, but emotionally we don't necessarily feel the emotional weight.

Of course this leads me right to the subject of the... well, the event that happens at the end. Just in case you've been living in the Genesis cave for the last 20 years and you don't know what that event is, I won't ruin it. But it feels like it comes totally out of left field and was unnecessary. Sort of like the Star Wars Christmas Special in 1978, I'd just as soon believe it never happened.

I'm going to do an about face now and tell you what's good about the movie. Data's subplot about trying to deal with emotions for the first time was awesome. It was both interesting as well as amusing, and it was a throwback to the Trek we all know & love which was driven by strong personalities and character development rather than plot points.

Similarly, there is a brief but powerful subplot about Picard and his personal tragedy. That was another great, profound moment which reminds us that Trek is more than phasers and special effects.

But alas, then we are thrown back into a plain old plot, which could've easily been the story of any other scifi and didn't require the Star Trek franchise behind it. Picard's (Patrick Stewart's) acting is first class as always, and it is mainly that plus the aforementioned Data story which keeps this movie rolling. But beyond that, all other characters are peripheral, wooden and somewhat forgettable.

The special effects are, well, 90s. That means they are neither nostalgic (like the 80s) nor technically impressive (like the 10s). They're just sorta... 90s. Apologies to anyone out there who grew up in the 90s. Your decade sorta sucked dude. Scifi wouldn't become cool again until the remake of Battlestar Galactica in 2003.

And on that note, YES, the same Ronald D Moore who masterminded Battlestar in 2003 is the guy who wrote the story and screenplay for Generations, so I can't imagine how it came up as short as a Ferengi's knee socks. But it did. The story was the worst part of this production because it didn't really give the actors a chance to shine.

We'll let Ronald off the hook just because Battlestar kicked ass.

I'm not sure if the Even-Odd rule holds true beyond 7 because I haven't seen 8 through (what are we on now?)13. And like I said, Trek tastes are entirely subjective and you may end up loving Generations more than any other. If so, I believe the Generations fan club is even smaller than my Empath fan club, so kudos for enduring the public shame. Hey it could be worse. You could be a fan of "Arena".

A new generation for 'Star Trek'

[TheLittleSongbird · 6/10 · 20 July 2017]

'Star Trek: The Next Generation' may not be quite as influential or as ground-breaking as the original 'Star Trek' series, but quality-wise it is every bit as good with a few improvements.

Like with the original series, 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' also spawned a series of films that are watchable in their own right but vary wildly in overall quality. 'Generations' is one of the weaker films based on 'The Next Generation' series, and to me one of the lesser 'Star Trek' films in general. There is plenty to admire here in 'Generations', but it is also frustrating that 'Generations' is as uneven as it is.

It is very easy to see why 'Generations' has got its mixed critical reception and why it's generally met with disappointment by 'Star Trek' fans. It has been mentioned for very good reason that Kirk deserved a better send off than he got here. Even as someone who isn't a fan of William Shatner's acting and who prefers Spock vastly of the original crew characters, it cannot be denied regardless that the character is iconic in the 'Star Trek' universe. Instead of an affectionate and heartfelt send off it ought to have been, it felt like a rushed tacked on cheat that reeked of the studio and producers wanting to get rid of the characters. Shatner's ego has nothing to do with it (if so he wouldn't have stood for such an indifferent treatment of such a character), like it wasn't with the failure of 'The Final Frontier' which with the budget hindrances and studio interference was doomed from the start.

More of a problem actually was Data's emotion chip subplot. Not only was it under-cooked in the writing and the explanations but it also felt well over-egged in how it featured in the film. It featured too much, and Data's ridiculously over the top behaviour (which Brent Spiner badly overdoes) and the humour that came with it embarrassingly contrived didn't help at all, instead further hindrances. It was lovely to see Chekov and Spotty again, they are played beautifully and have some humorous lines and interplay. They are underused however, seem out of character and their dialogue clashes with their personalities established in the original series, almost like there were other characters initially in mind.

Some of the story execution could have been better. There are many good moments here, mostly down to characterisation, but some of the narrative is a bit muddled and with some of the padding and some leaden pacing it did seem to me, and others, like an extended episode of the series rather than an expansive own entity. While there are instances where the lighting is very striking and atmospheric, there are other instances of either being too dark or too garish.

'Generations' has a lot to admire however. It is impeccably made, with rich and grand spectacle, elaborate settings, intimate and immersive photography and mostly first rate special effects (apart from the odd recycled one). The music score is very cleverly integrated into the film and works very well as music on its own. There is a mix of brassy pomp (like the fanfare in Kirk and Picard's first encounter), subtly intense mystery (the choral writing and synthesisers representing Picard's family discovery) and emotional lyricism (characterised by muted strings in Kirk's final scene). The sound effects are suitably eerie.

The script is problematic, like its over-emphasis on the poorly thought out emotion chip subplot and some overly talky philosophising, but has its good parts too. A lot of what Picard says is very thought-provoking, the interplay between Kirk and Picard is both funny and poignant and some of the best lines come from Soran (like his chilling taunts and interaction with Picard).

Likewise the story does have enough that's exciting, thought-provoking and compelling (even if it is bloated and unoriginal), and it's just about comprehensible (even with the Nexus stuff needing more clarity in places). It is very character heavy and is wisely driven by the characterisation and interaction. It's here where 'Generations' excels. Really enjoyed the interplay between Kirk and Picard, that reservations of them not gelling or the pairing not making sense were quickly forgotten. Picard's grief was also really quite moving, and Soran is a quite chilling threat which adds to the tension and suspense.

With the exception of Spiner (which was the result of bad writing), the performances are very good. Shatner surprisingly and remarkably reigns in the temptation to ham in a rare occurrence, and the charismatic, more restrained and affectionate approach was appreciated while also not forgetting to have fun. Jonathan Frakes was also great, while the Next Generations crew and Walter Koenig and James Doohan entertain hugely as well. Patrick Stewart brings effortless dignified gravitas to Picard, while Malcolm McDowell is on snarlingly evil form as one of the most interesting and best acted cinematic 'Star Trek' villains.

Overall, messy but with many things admiration-worthy. 6/10 Bethany Cox

A mixed bag of goods for Star Trek fans

[sedativchunk · 6/10 · 14 July 2013]

I've seen "Star Trek Generations" (STG) hundreds of times being a huge Star Trek fan. Recently I've watched it again from beginning to end in HD. Having watched watched pretty much every episode of all the Star Trek TV shows and all of the movies (including the newest "Into Darkness"), I felt the need to write a new, updated review for my take on this film. For many years, I hated this film as most other Star Trek fans have over the years. There many bad things about this movie. From the storyline to minor things like random changing between the standard TNG uniforms, this movie had a "wild" things going on. However, with all the shortcomings of this movie, after recently re-watching this film I've had a change of heart about my attitude towards this film.

The good sides of this movie: STG is still a good, quality Star Trek film. The camera work, set design, costumes, and the works were all done with superb quality. After having watched most of TNG over recently, I've come to appreciate the nice budget this film got. The CGI, for the most part, is great. The shots of the Enterprise D were fantastic and a huge step up from the TV show models, from the flying through space to the destruction of the ship. In HD, this movie really pops for being almost 20 years old already. Although some find Data's behavior over the top in this film, I found it hilarious and if you are truly a TNG fan you will enjoy Brent Spiner's performance. We even get to see Spot, Data's cat again! Lastly, although I'm not a fan of the story, the villain is great and the concept behind "the nexus" is intriguing. Now for the bad sides of this film: the rest of the storyline! Simply put, STG has too much going on at once. They tried to cram too many things into this movie, making it a loyal TNG film while honoring Captain Kirk's history. The main thing that hurts this film and made many fans including myself dislike it, was the death of Captain Kirk. Captain Kirk's character was forced into this film. I found it completely unnecessary to ever make Picard and Kirk ever meet face-to-face in the first place. And the way William Shatner's Captain Kirk was killed off; I have and always will find it insulting and just plain bad for such a legendary TV icon.

Although the story was interesting, in the end, TNG could have had a great start on the big screen without the "passing of the torch" from Kirk to Picard. The way "The Undiscovered Country" left off was perfect. Kirk has his last voyage in Enterprise and that was it. Instead they forcibly brought him back in this film as an excuse to involve him with TNG's storyline. In conclusion "Star Trek Generations" is a decent Star Trek film. If you can get past the mixed timelines/story and enjoy the good sides of this film, it is still an enjoyable movie with some hidden surprises. With that being said, though, this movie at heart is a TNG film. If you're not a TNG fan, you're going to hate this film. I also don't thing this is a good Star Trek film for the general audience. Unless you're a Star Trek fan, you probably won't "get" this movie. Of the TNG franchise, I still thing the best of the bunch is "First Contact".

A fair entry

[aheaven2005 · 7/10 · 12 February 2022]

A fair entry into the series with a simple plot but good surprises. The pace could have been better, specially in the 3rd act. It's still a very enjoyable experience with a lot of good actors.

Two Hours' Tempest in a 3-Minute Pot of Tea

[RiffRaffMcKinley · 7/10 · 2 September 2007]

While it has been remarked that "Generations" is the only Trek film that was ever meant to be a movie (meaning it doesn't really feel like an episode of a TV series), I still do not feel that is sufficient grounds for liking a movie that is this bland and stupid.

Here are the good things about this movie. 1) The ribbon looks pretty impressive. 2) Data swears a bit and sings a little ditty while scanning for life forms. 3) It ends. Nothing else is really worth seeing. Kirk seems to be saying, "Get me out of this franchise!" with each passing line, while Captain Picard's constant attempts at pathos are nowhere near as convincing as they proved in the series and the other movies.

Additionally, the naval holodeck scene at the beginning is nowhere near as funny as it was meant to be and the rest of the film is populated with new characters who are either dangerously gutless (the captain of the Enterprise-B) or disturbingly one-dimensional (Soran). Whoopi Goldberg gives an interesting performance, but, even coupled with the list of three that I gave above, it's still not enough to salvage this movie.

This is the only Star Trek movie I dislike, let alone hate.

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

[LebowskiT1000 · 10/10 · 18 August 2002]

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

Old meets New in mediocre adventure

[TheNorthernMonkee · 7/10 · 6 September 2004]

SPOILERS

So it came to pass, from one crew to another. Like everything else in this world, the "Star Trek" movie franchise evolved. Gone went the entire crew of the original series, gone went Spock and McCoy arguing whilst Kirk sat in the middle. To replace them came the successful crew of the Enterprise NCC 1701 - D. We lost Spock's logic and gained Data's android take on humanity. We all have a favourite crew in the "Star Trek" universe, Whether we love the classical touch, or the well thought out adventures of "The Next Generation", or the violence of "Deep Space Nine" or even the almost camp style of "Voyager", everyone has their own favourite. Eventually though, it was obvious that Kirk would disappear from the big screen, to be replaced by Picard. In "Star Trek: Generations", this would happen through a few complicated twists and turns, but it would work well and would be a nice way to pass on the torch.

In this seventh film of the series, but the first to star the second crew, both Kirk and Picard are eventually united in a quest to prevent the evil Doctor Tolian Soran (Malcolm McDowell) from destroying millions of lives for his own personal goals. Combining the styles of the classical with it's replacement, we are given a union which fans have dreamt of for years.

Perhaps the main problem from the offset is that this feels more like a gimmick than a proper story. It feels like the writers were fully aware that Kirk and his crew had achieved a decent send off in "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country" (1991), yet they chose to abandon this in favour of bringing Kirk back one final time to team up with Picard. It seems interesting that at the beginning of the film, along with Kirk only James Doohan's Scotty and Walter Koenig's Chekov were featured. Whilst Spock made a brief cameo in an episode of this second series, as did Dr McCoy (a suitably brief conversation with Data in the pilot episode), only Doohan and Koenig were featured in this film (on a different note, Doohan had also received a cameo episode in the series where he teams up with Commander La Forge) and it is worth considering whether this was intentional or whether some of the original crew declined the possibility.

In "Star Trek: Generations", there are some superb scenes where the franchise is alive and well, these are limited however, with Commander Data (Brent Spiner) receiving most of the highlights, most notably his lifeforms song. At the same time as with the majority of the films staring this crew, key members feel under utilised. Whilst Troi, Riker, La Forge, Data, Picard and Worf will get key story elements in the series of films, it seems strange that Gates McFadden's Doctor Crusher never really is given much to do. Part of the beauty of the original series was the way in which Kirk interacted with the members of his crew in which he had a strong history, in the "Next Generation" by contrast, the one member who Picard has the most history is Doctor Crusher. This storyline is never focused upon however.

Anyway, in this one film, there are some beautiful lines which make the audience laugh. At the same time, Kirk's role might be gimmick based, and it might devalue the climax of the previous film, but for what it is, it is done with great tact and is a moving end of the Captain's involvement. Therefore to summarise, for what it is, "Generations" is worth a watch. As a way of unifying the two captains, it works well. As a way of introducing the second crew to the Big screen, it's not bad. As a way of destroying an old ship to allow for a new one, it also works superbly. However, compared with so many other films in the "Star Trek" catalogue, it's a mediocre effort which could have been better.

Welcome To Wasted Opporunity City

[Steve_Nyland · 4/10 · 21 April 2010]

Been home nursing an emergency tooth extraction over the past week and nothing was able to assuage the misery like wallowing in "Star Trek". I watched a bunch of the cartoon shows & made myself come to grips with THE FINAL FRONTIER (re: Shatner's movie), which managed to be fun when regarded as a study in applied narcissism. But boy how I dislike GENERATIONS, and won't be watching it, though I decided to try and deal with my feelings about it once and for all.

I think its a cop-out, a cheap sloughing off of responsibility that should have been handled with graceful dignity. This is not the way that I will remember Star Trek. I say that because for me the essence of Star Trek is James Tiberius Kirk, watching him grow & learn. I switched on the spoiler warning disgronifier in case you are not aware that Captain Kirk dies in this movie, and for absolutely no reason at all. It was as if to say his learning curve was arbitrarily being concluded in a re-write, even changing the way he died from the original script (two versions were filmed) for reasons that have never been explained to my satisfaction.

I had learned to like TNG and her crew by the time the film premiered, though I think that Tourette's Guy is probably right when he addressed what Brent Spiner is up to these days. Google it if you don't know what I mean, I always despised Data. He was a decent plot device and they did come up with at least one great episode where they got him a sweet girlfriend with nice legs, but enough with the emotion chip already, OK? It's clear that his model was incompatible for the input, they had long milked the gimmick dry, and it turned him into a jerk.

I did like watching the saucer section crash, which in a theater looked about as believable as Godzilla destroying Yokohama, enhancing the enjoyment. The producers knew we would get off on seeing it and were so kind as to show the mayhem twice, providing the film with it's two most interesting sequences, thoughtfully shot from different angles for variety. But the rest of the treatment left me cold. I didn't give a damn about the Nexus, which sounded pretty swell compared to graduate school. I went with my fiancée at the time, smuggling in a flask of blackberry brandy so we could drink a toast to Kirk when he finally bought the farm. Turns out the bottle was 3/4's empty by then due to the draining experience of watching the film. Which looked muddy and rushed, filled with subplots that went nowhere, cameos by assorted Next Generation personalities which distracted from the focus, and a forced sentiment that was at odds with my own feelings about the show.

Which was great, don't get me wrong! Heck the TNG episode "Tapestry" is one of Star Trek's finest hours, whichever series that turned up in rocked. It was just that the series run had come to an end with a superb show-stopper of its own. There was no unfinished business left to attend to, no need to "pass the baton" as producer Rick Berman put it, by having the Original Series crew and Next Generation crew appear in a film at all. The classic crew made a rousing, emotional exit in the very satisfying THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY. Kirk had said himself in the soliloquy that it was the final adventure for that crew, but by forcing the issue Shatner became the proverbial drunk who wouldn't leave after the party was obviously over.

Which in many ways turns out to be the case as Shatner used his studio muscle to not just get himself written into the picture but threatening to direct at one point. The whole subplot involving Kirk is a distraction from the rest of the story and feels superimposed, though yes, the horse riding scenes with Picard are nice. But if they had to happen at the expense of the dignity of Kirk's character then they were as unwelcome as his demise. Shatner also bullied himself into the film specifically to have his character killed off heroically, then posited himself to come back in the 2009 prequel film, as if. I now realize he deserved to be left out of that one, having cast his fate already. It was about time someone made Bill keep his place in the line after such an unnecessary curtain call.

Kirk deserved a better movie to go out in, or rather his own movie if it was that damn important. And I say it wasn't: Why kill off anyone in the Star Trek universe at all if there are an infinite number of ways to bring them back? Emotional death scenes suck, and it made the film perfunctory or formulaic in my eyes, trying to fix what wasn't broke in the first place. On its own the Next Generation crew's story was pretty good, and from what I've read a lot of what they would have been doing ended up being chopped out to make room for Kirk's scenes back when A-list talent movies at least didn't run three friggen hours. This crew was short changed, eventually coming back to make at least one good feature in FIRST CONTACT, though by then my heart just wasn't in it anymore in part due to GENERATIONS.

So I don't know. I thought maybe I had confused my feelings for the woman I had gone to see this with the film itself, which I have seen since on home video and didn't like any more. Actually less, wishing I'd had more of that blackberry brandy or at least a six pack of Romulan ale. Here is a Star Trek movie that will drive a classic series fan to drink, and that isn't ever a pretty thing.

4/10

Vastly Underrated

[Hotstar · 10/10 · 13 February 2007]

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.

Risk is part of the game.....

[FlashCallahan · 6/10 · 22 March 2010]

In the late twenty-third century, the gala maiden voyage of the third Starship Enterprise (NCC-1701-B) boasts such luminaries as Pavel Chekov, Montgomery Scott, and the legendary Captain James T. Kirk as guests. But the maiden voyage turns to disaster as the unprepared ship is forced to rescue two transport ships from a mysterious energy ribbon.

The Enterprise manages to save a handful of he ships' passengers and barely makes it out intact...but at the cost of Captain Kirk's life.

Seventy-eight years later, Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the Enterprise-D find themselves at odds with the renegade scientist Soren...who is destroying entire star systems.

Only one man can help Picard stop Soren's scheme...and he's been dead for seventy-eight years...

I'm not a Star Trek fan, but i can imagine that the thought of Shatner and Stewart starring alongside each other in this movie is the equivalent of seeing Pacino and De Niro in Heat. It's a fun movie, but not because of the two captains, it's fun because of the great scenery and Macdowell as the pantomime villain.

He chews all the scenery when he is present, and makes a worthwhile villain. There are sub- plots involving other characters that go straight over my head, but i feel that this is because i have not seen the series, nor have watched the films in chronological order.

The cast are fine and look like that they are having fun making this, and the set pieces are adequate for any stand alone Sci-Fi movie.

worth watching.

Could Have Been Great, But Underachieved

[zkonedog · 5/10 · 12 March 2017]

Much like the first Star Trek film, "Star Trek Generations" could have been great, but ultimately failed to create the high drama and emotional character development that fans of the series crave. The idea of Captains Kirk and Picard interacting in one movie seemed like box office dynamite, but did not live up to the billing.

The basic plot of this film has the "Next Generation" Enterprise crew investigating a strange astral phenomena in which people can live out their greatest fantasies. When that phenomena falls into the wrong hands, the conflict of the movie is set.

The movie fails to deliver in a few key areas: First, the introduction and ultimate fate of the returning James T. Kirk seem quite anticlimactic. In what should have been a monumental "passing of the torch" moment, the writers/producers instead chose to play down the "cannon" aspect in favor of the script at hand. Second, the "Next Generation" crew all seem a bit wooden in their performances, almost as if they were taking themselves too seriously on the big screen, when they should have just remained true to their silver-screen characters.

A few scenes actually work quite while, however, saving this movie from complete oblivion. The opening of the movie, featuring a fish-out-of-water Kirk watching a new captain command the Enterprise, is classic, while Captain Jean-Luc Picard's "fantasy life" in the astral phenomena adds depth to his character. Also, the emotion-chip plot line involving Data was humorous (even though Data's ultimate decision on the chip doesn't come until later on in the Next Generation TV show).

To conclude, "Star Trek Generations" is an average movie that is very uneven throughout. Some scenes with Kirk are great, others are anti-climatic. Some information regarding the astral phenomena is interesting, while at other times it is just confusing. If you are just watching the Star Trek movies, I would recommend this film in order to become accustomed to the Next Generation cast. If you already are a "Next Gen" fan, this movie can easily be skipped en route to the next installment in the movie series.