jamesbrandes Reviews

Star Trek: Picard: Maps and Legends (2020) Season 1, Episode 2

Very good but a slight dip in quality

[9/10 · 31 January 2020]

I'm not a fan of Discovery but had reservations about Picard. I needn't have worried. It has attained a far higher standard and is much more like the Trek that I know and love.

The first episode was excellent with a mesmerizing performance by Stewart particularly in the scenes involving Data.

The 2nd episode whilst very good, wasn't as impactful. Stewart was still utterly immense and stole any scene he was in. The strongest scenes in the episode were with Dr. Benayoun, Laris, Zhaban and Clancy. The callback to All Good Things with Dr. Benayoun was particularly good. Despite Stewart's stellar performance, the guests in those scenes all put in great performances though.

As a negative, I felt the narrative was a bit choppy and some of the dialogue was a bit stilted.

Nevertheless, still a strong effort with some amazing special effects work. It's really obvious how far things have come. Earthcentric episodes in TNG consisted of matte shots and set work. Earth in the late 24th century feels far more real and immersive now.

Star Trek: Picard (2020–2023)

Patrick Stewart...Truly extraordinary

[10/10 · 31 January 2020]

I had some reservations about Star Trek Picard as I'm not a Discovery fan but Stewart's performance is absolutely outstanding. This episode in some respects scores highly because of his stellar acting performance. I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that it's some of his best work in Trek.

I nearly cried when he said in his dream to Data that he "didn't want the game to end" and I felt so sorry for him when he said shortly afterwards "that the dreams are lovely, it's the waking up I'm beginning to resent." Simple lines in themselves but Stewart imbued them with level of sadness that only the finest actors could create. Stewart's acting in those moments is on a par with McConaughey in Interstellar when McConaughey's character is watching the pre-recorded tapes of his family. It's that good.

Stewart is by far the best actor to have ever graced Star Trek and it shows here. Having said that, there are some very good performances from other members of the cast.

I must also say that top marks go to the special effects team...they're outstanding and are the quality you'd expect in a feature film.

So in conclusion, I was surprised by how good the first episode was.

Star Trek: Generations (1994)

Much Better Film Than I Remembered

[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. :-)